The thinking behind a 2014 ad campaign for Kurl-on mattresses in India was that if you fall on one, you will bounce back. The ad carried the tagline: “An important decision must be made carefully” - advice clearly not followed by the ad agency or Audi.Ģ. But a commercial made for Audi in China featuring a mother of the groom checking the bride’s teeth, tongue and ears as if she were a racehorse sent a seriously off-key message. Ogilvy & Mather is one of the world’s biggest marketing and communications companies. Here are 10 ads that also caused a storm:ġ. The only mitigating factor is that the Shiraz culprits are far from alone in messing up. A larger multinational with greater resources should have done better research. A small, local advertising agency should have known better. Whoever that was - wisely, they are keeping their heads down for the moment - it is difficult to make excuses. The head of Shiraz city council, Seyyed Ahmad Dastgheyb, has promised to “deal seriously” with those responsible for the ad. Cue mass outrage on Twitter and mockery from the Israeli foreign ministry. The trouble was, the soldiers were wearing Israeli uniforms.įor a country whose avowed wish is to wipe Israel from the face of the earth, this was no laughing matter. It depicted three soldiers, photographed from behind, standing on a hilltop. And when they get it wrong, they really get it wrong.Ī billboard appeared in the Iranian city of Shiraz this week to commemorate the end of the war between Iran and Iraq in Sacred Defense Week. Whether it’s a successful multi-national agency or a smaller, more localized outfit, none is immune to the embarrassing faux pas. Indeed, the purpose of advertising is to appeal to the masses. The advertising industry likes to believe it is inclusive and culturally-sensitive. On the other, the potential for causing huge offense goes stratospheric. On the one hand it connects people from all corners of the world and promotes greater mutual understanding. LONDON: Globalization is a mixed blessing.
0 kommentar(er)
