Save the Children ad
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Here’s the latest ad from Save The Children UK.
Someone mentioned it on the blog the other day and asked if I’d do a post on it.
So here it is.
Maybe I missed something, but I’m not sure what the big deal is (if indeed there is supposed to be a big deal). Is it because it’s showing a birth on TV? I guess that could be a bit too much for some squeamish people. Maybe it’s because they’re kind of suggesting the baby is dead? (Too much for some other squeamish people. Or maybe the same squeamish people. Squeamish is a great word, by the way; almost onomatopoeic.)
Otherwise, it’s kind of meh. Babies die during the birthing process, both here and abroad. It’s a terrible shame, but it’s nothing new.
Or am I just being a heartless bastard?
Very contrived. The one shot of mother curled on side so we only see her back is I think meant to suggest she is mourning. Which is where this concept of faking a live birth with “complications” fails. They missed out the bit where the mum would completely fucking freak and plead with the doctor to do all they can.
Average at best.
Interesting. I heard the plan was to be really, really shocking. And generate a lot of noise before the launch about the stir it was set to cause.
But I think I agree with you. It’s just kind of ugly, despite being well put together.
I can understand why they thought it was worth being hard-hitting on this one. And yes, it isn’t cover anything we don’t already know. And maybe it will be effective with some.
But I think this goes too far. A bit crude. It invaded my living room last night as I was relaxing with Roxana after a hard day fighting the Persians, and our reactions were both: “Fuck off!”
It’s like someone knocking on your door and saying “give us a fiver or the baby dies.” Makes you angry with the message and its delivery, rather than sympathetic with the cause.
I thought the previous “Tomorrow” spot was much better. Clever and classy, it had me welling up and thinking of donating, rather than demanding that I do.
Err, I think you are being a heartless bastard. This is a really powerful piece of work. Not too tricksy, just a hard-hitting demonstration of how your money helps train midwives. Declared interest: the creator of the ad is a mate of mine, but even if a total bell-end from a specialist-branded-content-580-degree-pop-up had written it, I would still be singing its praises. Not actual singing. That’s a metaphor. Like the one in the irritating Innocent ad and
Ben – I’m not sure its success lies in novelty, but in banality.
It’s a real thing that happens (obviously) more in poorer countries –
Sometimes a thing should just be shown as a thing.
People are squeamish, people don’t like looking at blue babies – hopefully more people will donate.
In that it’s a success, not as a piece of ‘brave’ or ‘shocking’ advertising.
Ah… an intriguing mixed bag of comments.
What an interesting world we live in.
It’s strange. If the same scene were part of a documentary about the same subject rather than an ad I think people would be a lot more generous to it.
Not shocking or particularly brave, but the fact that it’s real was pretty affecting. I can hear about babies dying all day long and be incredibly blasé (heartless bastard) but showing me one whose life has just been saved is a different thing altogether.
I am truly puzzled by Stan’s comment.
I think this is real footage by the way. I don’t think they got a baby to act being nearly dead, or got MPC to use their ‘blue baby filter’.
A part of me is troubled by the fact that we are actually discussing the merits of this as an advert rather than talking about the issue or trying to help by donating money on payday.
@Adam T.
You’re on the wrong site.
I refer it when an ad is either Great or Shit. I hate it when it is revealed that advertising is just one subjective opinion over another. With the subjective opinion of
a) the most senior person
b) the loudest person
c) the person who can speak the longest.
or (usually) d)the person paying for it
“winning” the debate and being “right.”
Here’s the missing p. p
Good point Dickhead. I’m feeling better today and am looking at the grade.
As a man who recently became a father, I think it’s very powerful. I’m not sure it would have hit me as hard before.
Isn’t it just a pure and simple demonstration piece? With trained midwife baby lives. Without, who knows.
Got my fiver.