Syphilis Creature From The Sex Lagoon
It’s the ‘ol vintage sci-fi/horror movie poster parody—a popular ad execution idea for social causes recently. And why not? Cause advertising is depressing as hell to work on these days, right? Because humans are a lost fucking cause! So, we human creatives might as well have some fun and get some pretty ads for our precious portfolios while the gettin’s good.
Here, Due North Communications in Toronto created this reptilian syphilian creature (a direct ripoff of this image) for the AIDS Committee of Toronto warning men with HIV (and only men, judging by the poster) that venereal disease hits them harder and faster (that’s what she…nevermind). Curious that a “fishy” creature was used in a poster targeting gay men. Tagline: “It’s serious and it’s here.” Very serious. So…let’s create a silly little ad with lazy copy to convey the gravitas of the issue. |Image via: AOTW|
Editor-in-Chief:
1. It's a rip-off of the movie poster? Do you think we wouldn't have known this if you hadn't told us? Isn't the point of it actually that we do get that it looks exactly like the movie poster?
2. It doesn't imply that there's something fishy about gay men. The creature clearly represents syphilis, not gay men.
3. You don't like that it targets men. The AIDS Committee of Toronto's target audience is mainly men. Mainly gay men. It's not a big statement about the world, it's about communicating to the target audience.
Now remind us why anything that you say is interesting?
Clearly, a lot of ad types don't like this ad. Now, if someone could intelligently say why, that would be helpful.
1. Yes, I know.
2. I wasn't implying there's something "fishy" about gay men. I was making a bad joke about the smell of a vagina.
3. I never say that I don't like that it targets gay men, don't put your pissy words in my mouth.
—You must be very careful with humorous ads dealing with such serious issues. This ad is a humor fail. I've taught ad classes at SVA and FIT. What're your credentials?
I was Advertiser Laureate to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and I have taught advertising at the École des hautes études en sciences publicitaires in Paris.
Well, that at least was funny.
Funny? That was an effing scream!
I'm not in advertising or public health, in fact. I'm just an armchair observer.
I think the point of the ad above is to overcome people's embarrassment about reading a message about syphilis on the subway, for example. I don't think it's really trying to be funny. It's about attracting attention and providing a reason for looking at it that doesn't make you feel awkward in public. It's an effective public health ad.
I didn't know it was a subway poster, I thought it was a poster-looking print ad. Still can't appreciate the overused movie poster parody execution. Believe me, it's been done too many times.
What Ben said. It seems the only criticism Copyranter is still hanging onto is the belief that the movie poster parody has been done to excess. Evidence? A link to three posters from one other ad campaign. If you have to convince people that an advertising style has been exhausted, it obviously hasn't.
The evidence is I've seen a billion portfolios in my 18 years in this shitty business, and have seen this exact idea scores of times.
"If you have to convince people that an advertising style has been exhausted, it obviously hasn’t."
This is not an advertising blog. Take the ad and show it to other ad creative directors of the world and ask them if this style has been exhausted or not.
Also, the COPY:
"Starring Syphilis. You. And You. And Maybe You Too."
That's fucking awful.
Copyranter — perhaps it would be helpful if you talked about how you might have improved the ad, or executed it differently?