"My eyes are up here"

Regular readers know that cancer awareness and prevention social marketing is a topic close to my heart. So when I caught this adorably simple Belgian campaign on Osocio's Facebook fanpage, I just had to post it here:



As part of the 2010 outreach for the Campagne de dépistage du cancer du sein en Communauté française de Belgique, it targets older women, and includes print collateral and a postcard campaign for loved ones:



Nice, witty approach that doesn't stray into shock or prurience. And it's almost hypnotic...

Australia's war on "dickhead" drivers

Victoria Police have launched a blunt campaign against dangerous driving, telling people who text behind the wheel or fail to put on their seatbelts "don't be a dickhead":







Not surprisingly, the approach has attracted more than its fair share of controversy — including from young drivers themselves:

Leah Meade, 20, said she believed it was unfair for young drivers in particular to be singled out in the campaign ...

“I think we’re targeted because we are younger, but often it’s a lot of the older people doing silly things as well.

“Older people are as guilty as young people of talking on their phones.”

And the Australian Opposition quipped, "I think it’s an appalling message. I think it’s a shocking message, one of the worst I’ve ever heard.”

The backlash has also spawned a Facebook Group called "Don't Be a Dickhead - Worst Campaign Ever!"

So, in short, the campaign is at least successful in getting attention and getting people talking. As the Police Minister said, “Road safety campaigns are designed to confront, and this one confronts people that don’t have respect for other people on and off the road.”

ninemsn claims the campaign cost just $100,000 to make, and the Premier of Victorian and Communications Council are standing behind it as a strong approach to an important issue.

The "dickhead" move has instantly become a popular meme in Australian politics and media. When asked if race driver Lewis Hamilton was a "dickhead" because of a recent dangerous driving charge, Victoria transport minister Tim Dallas replied, OK, I'll say it - he's a dickhead."

Offensive or not, I think these folks are on the right track. If just one Australian teen tells another "don't be a dickhead" for bad driving, and everyone else laughs, the campaign will have succeeded.

**sound of screeching tires**

But wait! Then there's this weirdness:





Ginger hate? Really? Is there something I don't know about Australian culture?



Okay, Emos I'll give them.



And Twitter? Whatever.

So there you have it. Great meme takes a wrong turn into bizarre and even mean-spirited territory. Damn shame too. With those first three lighthearted PSAs, they had me at "dickhead"...

All the (local) Mad Men

Last weekend, Ottawa at Home magazine published a series of profiles of local "Mad Men" as part of their issue on mid- 20th Century style.




Who's that guy with the Scotch?



It's actually iced tea, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get my own vintage style on. I've always had a thing for skinny ties.

Here's the text of the interview:

How did you get started in advertising?

After failing to break into honest travel or entertainment writing, I answered an ad for Copywriters at an Ottawa advertising agency. Within five years, I was a Creative Director.

What is an advertising slogan that has stuck with you for a long, long time?

“You got it, Pontiac!” It actually became part of our jargon in the playground when I was a kid.

Where do you do your best work?

Anywhere I can get together with my best colleagues. I prefer to do it at a pub, but a quiet corner of the agency will do. Solo writing I do in my head while walking to and from; I usually arrive with my best ideas behind me.

What are the challenges the advertising world faces these days?

Changing media behavior. While it’s killing some traditional admen, I think this is a great time to be in the business. It’s like when radio and TV were still innovative media — back in the ‘50s. It ushered in a golden age for our industry.

What local tourist attraction would you most like the opportunity to promote and what would your slogan for it be?

We did a campaign for The Bytown Museum. It was part of a pro-bono creative strategy plan. It’s "Where Ottawa Begins.

I was featured along with Todd Marcotte of Electric Medialand, Don Masters of Mediaplus, and Gord McMillan (my first CD) from McMillan.










It was kind of cool to be up there with a bunch of agency Presidents — and me just a humble salary man. But I was a little disappointed that I was the only one who dressed up. And I can't help but sigh and acknowledge that none of our city's Mad Women was featured. Especially since the up-and-coming character of Peggy is such an important aspect of the show's examination of social change. Seeing a sausage party in this spread makes it look like nothing has changed.

Nonetheless, it's great to get some print exposure, to give Acart a boost and name-check my friends at The Bytown Museum.

But enough about me. There's social issues marketing to do!

Parents think their kids are dummies

[don't click... it's just a sceen cap. Link below.]

In January or February of 1983, my buddy Harry and I were standing in a field, up to our knees in snow. Looking around nervously, we took a stubby brown bottle out of his Adidas bag. But we'd forgotten to bring an opener.

Twenty minutes later, we were back in the field and happy to find our stash still safe under a bush. We opened the bottle, and dared each other to take the first sip. It tasted horrible, and I had to choke back the bubbles. But damn it, we drank a beer. Then we were on our way to meet the rest of our friends from Grade 7 at a chaperoned party.

Sound familiar? You may have been older or younger than 12, but if you're an adult who drinks alcohol, I'd be surprised if you waited until you were legal age to try it.

This is not to say that teen drinking is hunky-dory. Alcohol poisoning, liver damage, impaired driving, unsafe or unwanted sex, and all sorts of dangers are lurking in that bottle.

But as a parent, I haven't forgotten what teens get up to. I have a few more years before my son gets there, but I have no doubt he'll try whatever interests him — with or without my blessing.

Which is why I'm of two minds on these American ads from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (click this link to see them — the videos are unfortunately locked inside the otherwise social media friendly site)

The TV creative is quite good. The parents talk about their kids as if they're little angels, and the reveal shows that they're not talking about real kids at all — they're mannequins. I like what this says about parents' ability to be in denial about what their kids are exposed to.

The print also does a good job of being honest, and taking the tried-and-true approach of getting parents to at least talk to their kids about the issue:



And the web site has some decent messaging:

"If you don't talk about it, you're saying something.

What you say to your child about alcohol use is up to you. But remember, if you don't say anything to your child about drinking, you might give the impression that underage drinking is acceptable."

(Reminds me of when I tell clients that, in social media, not joining in an uncomfortable online conversation about your brand is as good as an admission of guilt.)

My problem with this campaign is strictly personal. My own opinion about teenage drinking is that it needs to be approached responsibly. Hell, I intend to be one of those parents who offers his kid a glass of wine at holiday dinners once he hits puberty.

And this is the problem. As a government initiative, the "Talk Early. Talk Often. Get others involved." campaign is still, at the end of the day, a "just say no" approach. The page with conversation tips has the following:

"Why do you drink?
Explain to your child your reasons for drinking – whether it's to enhance a meal, share good times with friends, or celebrate a special occasion. Point out that if you choose to drink, it's always in moderation. Tell your child that some people shouldn't drink at all, including children who are underage."

Would that have convinced you, as a kid whose self-image was 15-going-on-21?

This one, fortunately, is a little better:

"Did you drink when you were a child?
If you drank as a teenager, experts recommend that you give an honest answer.1 Explain why you were tempted to try alcohol and why underage drinking is dangerous. You could even give your child an example of an embarrassing or painful moment that occurred because of your drinking."

But hey... at least the American government is telling parents to be (somewhat) realistic about a social issue that affects almost everyone. However, as long as the bottom line is "it's bad for you because it's illegal" the argument has a built-in fail.

After all, this is a country that will let an adult go to jail, or go to war for up to three years before they consider them old enough to have a beer.

50 years too late and a dollar short

CBC yesterday reported on public reactions to this Calgary condo campaign:



There was another ad in the series with the headline "A $20,000 down payment is easier than scoring on a four-minute 5 on 3. And way, way easier than scoring with your waitress."

Produceed by Calgary's Watermark Advertising, the ads seem to be the result of a desperate creative team doing an all-night Mad Men marathon on DVD, then nursing their hangovers at the "free businessmen's lunch" of their local gentlemen's club.



I mean, really. I love Mad Men, and I own several vintage ties from the era. But it's just a TV show. And more than that, it's a show about the end of that era. That's the whole point. The sexism, racism, and sense of entitlement of that time are supposed to make you cringe. I don't know if my mother would be able to stand watching that show, as she lived through the time. I know several women of my own generation who can't bear it, as well-made and realistic as it is — as a HISTORICAL drama.

For their part, Watermark apologized following a flurry of criticism in mainstream and social media:

"As creators of the Midtown condo campaign, Watermark Advertising apologizes unreservedly for any offence these washroom ads may have caused," [a statement] read.

"Obviously our idea of fun isn't funny to the audience we are attempting to engage — which immediately makes the communication wrong, so of course just as immediately, they will be removed."

But the developer was less contrite:

"It wasn't our intention to offend anybody. We took it as tongue-in-cheek. We were trying to address a target audience. But obviously we've offended 25-year-olds."

Nice Parthian shot against the perceived social media demographic. The irony here is that I'm pretty sure people over 25 are the ones who are most offended. Especially the ones over 65.

Sorry mom. We're not all like that.