Over at AdScam (http://www.adscam.typepad.com/) George Parker has a post about a Microsoft banner ad being racist. Apparently in the Polish version of the ad a black man was exed out and a white man was photoshopped in .
Looking at these photographs I don't see a case of racism, I see a case of Grin-ism.
The client-enforced, HR-enforced, prozac-enhanced requirement that everyone in every ad is happy. Unless of course they're a heroin-addicted model.
No one in the world looks like those grinning fuck faces in the ads above. Forcing those sorts into ads is blatant grin-ism.
It seems to me that the more the product induces a loss of the will to live, the more the client insists on having people smile. Ghastly. I did some work for a drinks brand; the client not only insisted on the man grinning like a loon, but I had to cast a female model to go with him. 'you do realise,' I said in a rare fit of temper, 'you've made your product look like it's drunk by a travelling salesman picking up a prostitite'. I didn't win the argument but I did nearly lose the business. Hmm.
ReplyDeleteCame to you via The Ad Contrarian; terrific blog. Always nice to stumble upon someone with whom one agrees
I believe it was the venerable Fish'n'Chimps who used to post orgasmic-smile ads. Anyone caught making a great O face for anything less than the proper intention is a liar, a lunatic or has just had a chocolate sundae.
ReplyDeleteGotta just grin and bear it...and I'd like to know who the twit was who coined that phrase,too!
ReplyDeleteEasy explanation. These people are all victims of Joker Venom.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they were excited to find out that corporate was switching to Vista.
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