Wood/Trees/Dead Dogs
I’ve been out of the country for a while, but now that I’m back I note that in my absence the square root of fuck-all has happened in the world of advertising.
The only real ‘story’ I can find seems to be something to do with a department store showing some sort of snuff video of a kid killing a dog (check the comments):
Very weak joking aside, this is another interesting example of many intelligent people crossing the hell out of the Ts, dotting the fuck out of the Is and still not noticing the explosion of diahorrea on the duvet cover.
Odd, isn’t it?
I’m not saying for a moment that I’m surprised the agency and client let it through (I’m fairly certain that I wouldn’t have noticed it – I don’t like dogs very much, so if one freezes to death in a kennel, well, shit happens), but it amazes me the number of checks and balances you can put an ad through and yet still miss something the general public finds both obvious and really rather offensive.
I’ll bet many, many discussions were had about the United Nations make up of the cast, the age of the kids, how fat the office worker should be, the type of varnish used on the wooden stairs, the number of raindrops on the windscreen etc…
I bet they even sent at least a dozen emails back and forth about the specific breed of canine to be left in the snow to die.
But the doggycide scene stayed in.
Ah well.
We’re all human, even when we’re inhuman.
PS: have you read the legal that says ‘Toys featured range from £10 to £199’? Apparently someone thought that a vague approximation of the costs of some of the goods in the ad had to be specified in type along the bottom of the screen. Why? Do Vodaphone ads say ‘Calls featured range from £1.23 to 16.33’? Should McDonalds ads say ‘Comestibles featured range from 69p to £2.17? No. That would be fucking insane, but lets give a ballpark for the toys in case the viewing public can’t go to the shop and read the price tags.
so, did you get any IN N OUT burger?
Adam and Eve to be Campaign Agency of the Year? Discuss.
I heard Mother were going to get it.
I guess A&E deserve it as much as anyone else. Lots of new business, some good work…
Having said that I’ve just realised that I have no idea how much new business they or anyone else have won. Have they won much? Who else has? I really need to read Campaign more often.
And yes Vinny, I did the Double Double on the last day with a chocolate shake. Yum.
No one needs to read Campaign more often. It’s shite.
Do people not see ads as works of fiction anymore?
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Things inside stockings aren’t great for dogs either,surely, and why hang it up out of it’s reach?. Why not simply give him some food, a ball or a blanket?
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Also why are the couple sneaking a rocking horse upstairs while the kids are watching TV. Firstly that is high risk and secondly wouldn’t it be more appropriate to leave it downstairs near the Christmas Tree.
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Why would you wrap a present up at work and so on….
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Do the same people who criticise ads in this way say “I don’t believe that happened” when watching the Lord of the Rings?
Well said Jim.
Vinny, you just made me crave a Double Double.
What do you mean “the square root of fuck all” has happened in advertising? Loads has happened. It’s got worse.
I’ll shit on my arms if it ain’t so.
Ben, I noticed the small print too. It pops up exactly at the moment the song says “I don’t have much money…”. Some twat in legal will have flagged that as “a risk that it could be construed that all gifts pictured are low cost”. I reckon that’s why it’s on there.
p.s. I thought they were sneaking a real horse up the stairs and that was what all the complaints had been about.
I got news for those dumb ass parents with the tv as a baby sitter. Their kids aren’t going to give more than two seconds of interest to a static pony. Miles better to give then copious amounts of fizzy pop and shoot em up video games and then leave them to it and go out down the pub.
There are actually people who are dog sensitive, like me. And the fucking kid could at least give the dog a little hug before he waved him goodbye. I hope the little prat gets to be a drunk in future and freezes somewhere on the street. Also, from a comment on youtube “I emailed John Lewis about it (along with many others I suspect) and received an email back saying that they are changing the ending, so this version of the ad will not be running for much longer.”
I was only kidding about not liking dogs.
I do like some of them. The ones that don’t kill babies in their cots. Labradors. Not those little ones Paris Hilton carries around, though. I’ll punt those fuckers into the canal.
re Pole – self censorship is there anything worse?
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@pole – What has the kid got to do with your cry for revenge, he’s an actor (kind of). Yeah, let’s pray the kid gets it!
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The issue I have with some animal lovers is they don’t tend to like people much.
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Hey, don’t get me wrong I really don’t like dogs much.
when it comes to advertising, (“a work of fiction” quoting Jim P) it’s always amazing what people can find unbearable.
when it comes to TV, like reality shows where people behave as assholes and racist cunts for real, from Jersey Shore to Jerry fucking Springer (US references, sorry), then it’s just fine. advertising has always been the scapegoat of moral majority.
I find the fact that they used a classic Elton John song to shill toys for Xmas a travesty. They’re all selling our memories…our past for toothpaste. Just sux, that’s all I’m sayin’.
Carlos, the influence of advertising is interesting to me.
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When a scape goat is needed advertising and the media are rolled out and the power of advertising is exaggerated (IMO) and is to blame for binge drinking, anorexia, obesity, sexism, poor English skills, even playground violence. I expect there are others too. If only it was that easy. Opps I nearly forgot cruelty to animals.
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So when it comes to measuring advertising’s affect on sales, market share or brand perception does the world of advertising have as much faith in its power as its critics do?
Toy prices – don’t blame the agency, it’s a Clearcast rule.
I don’t think anyone thought the agency chose to put that legal on. Good old Clearcast.
I love that John Lewis ad. Wee freezing doggie and all.