By: Sir John Hegarty, Co-founder and Creative Director of The Business of Creativity
Apart from observing that it’s clichéd and creatively tired, it did its job. It got attention.
It did so by courting outrage.
The loudest reaction was that it somehow expressed sympathy for eugenics.
I found that hard to reconcile, but people see what they want to see.
Just as some can find meaning in a cloud formation, others can find offence in a denim commercial.
Let’s assume AE knew exactly what they were doing. That the provocation was deliberate.
If so, the objectors became part of the media plan. Their outrage was fuel.
They became, almost, the campaign’s copywriters.
You could even call them useful idiots.
If you really want to object, the most powerful response is laughter.
Roll your eyes. Note how unoriginal it is… And don’t buy the product.
Then move on to something that matters.
Gaza anybody?
