Call it a "sensitivity disability"

I get these anti-distracted-driving ads from Romania. And they're well art-directed. But I don't like them.

It's quite simple, to me: These ads are offensive to people with disabilities.

Okay, so blind people should not be driving. But amputees can, and do, drive without any problems.

The message that you're disabled from driving when you're texting is clear enough, but I just don't believe that a social marketing campaign to raise awareness and compassion for one issue should be inconsiderate towards another.

I wanted to get a local cultural opinion on this campaign, for balance, but the only person I know in the Romanian ad industry just had a baby (Felicitări, Roxana!) so she's busy.


The campaign is by Publicis Bucharest, for Bucharest City Police. Via Ads of the World.

Want to run a tasteless ad? It's your funeral.

This is sort of a sequel from yesterday's post, as I'm still on a rant about how cynical creatives can be when it comes to creating newsworthy (and shareworthy) ads.

This one showed up on Ads of the World yesterday, from Mccann-Erickson in Tel Aviv:

The copy reads:"15% of woman who suffer from anorexia will die this year" and it's an ad for Beitech, a non profit organization for woman with eating disorders.

Visual humour has become a standard way of reaching international audiences, but is this really appropriate? It seems that an industry that is often blamed for aggravating or even causing this often fatal mental illness should be a little more respectful of its victims.

But hey, the creative team of Igal, Ifat and Asaf are just trying to make their mark, right? More shame, in my opinion, should go to the client for approving it.

Plus, as someone who has been a pallbearer before, I should point out that even an empty casket would be really frigging heavy.

Taste in advertising?

I've seen scratch and sniff ads. I've seen tactile ads. (Sight and sound go without saying.) But I just read an article about ads you can taste.

Inspired by the flavoured wallpaper in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Adnan Aziz and Jay Minkoff have come up with "First Flavor", a company that makes edible film strips that can be inserted into print ads for food and beverage products.

"Enhance your advertising with the Peel 'n Taste® Marketing System. Using patent-pending technology, the flavor of your product is replicated in quick dissolving edible film strips which are distributed through individually packaged pouches to prospective customers. Peel ‘n Taste® is easily integrated into all of your promotional marketing programs as a means of driving product trial."

They've done taste-test ads for Welch's grape juice, Campbell's soups, SKYY Vodka, and even a disgusting-tasting anti-smoking ad for Tobacco Free Florida. They made Adweek's Media Plan of the Year '08 and are starting to get buzz in the media and blogosphere.

This is an obvious opportunity for print ads to find a niche that Internet advertising cannot fill: sampling. But is it really worth the cost? And is this just another smell-o-vision type fad? Or will it be the next perfume sample, ubiquitous in magazines, direct mail and outserts?

All I know is I'm really scared about what these new ads might do if they fall into the hands of advertisers of questionable taste. American Apparel anyone? Ummm...
(Could be considered not safe for work)