Shock & Make your point

We have heard that, as an advertiser, bombarding your audience with shocking messages isn't the smartest thing to do. But this video proves the contrary; the images provide the "shock factor" in a good way:



I'm amazed at seeing Keira Knightley in this ad; she's a famous actress playing the role of a victim on a commercial instead of the typical sexy role. No wonder it made it into the "Creativity Top 5" for this week in http://creativity-online.com/ The ad is shocking (it has very strong images, and content in general) but I think this shock is necessary to make their point. I really applaud Women's Aid (or their agency) for putting this together. It is a great way of spreading out the word of such a silent subject.

On the other hand, I also want to show you an example of a not-so-good use of shock that was successful. Absolut made this ad thinking of their "Hispanic" market but it got pulled out because it was too controversial. Actually the ad was successful because, although it was banned, it was shown across blogs & facebook and sent through email, a movement started by the intended audiences. As a member of the Mexican community, I have to say that I'm impressed by how the agency got in "our shoes;" this ad gives me the feeling that someone else (outside our community) understands our history and traditions. This is a very risky line I'm crossing, but I have to say that I do like this ad. Sorry US.

Despite my previous comment, I need to conclude that advertisers need to be more responsible in order to continue building a better image for our industry. The Absolut ad is funny, but I wouldn't encourage any more like that. Instead, I would support the creation of more ads like the Women's Aid one. We need to prove to the world that we care about the well-being of our society.