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[nomo]

http://gothamist.com/2009/09/01/wwf_never_forget_the_tsunami.php

Brazilian Ad Agency: Never Forget...The Tsunami



See the full size image here.

Advertisers have been fixated on hurtling planes at the Twin Towers long before 9/11 happened, but it's safe to say they held off on it after that tragic day. Now, it turns out that a Brazilian ad agency—DDB Brasil—tried to win the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)'s business with this ad concept: An image of lower Manhattan showing many, many planes aiming at Manhattan—and they even include the Towers. (What is it with Brazilian ad agencies?). The text urges us to protect the planet; it also reads: "The Tsunami Killed 100 Times More People Than 9/11." Okay, so who wants to make a mock-up of 1,000 Nazi soldiers being catapulted into Thailand?

The WWF has issued the following statement denouncing the ad:

“WWF strongly condemns this offensive and tasteless ad and did not authorize its production or publication. It is our understanding that it was a concept offered by an outside advertising agency seeking our business in Brazil. The concept was summarily rejected by WWF and should never have seen the light of day. It is an unauthorized use of our logo and we are aggressively pursuing action to have it removed from websites where it is being currently featured. We strongly condemn the messages and the images portrayed in this ad. On behalf of WWF, here in the US and around the world, we can promise you this ad does not in any way reflect the thoughts and feelings of the people of our organization.”

According to CityRoom, the WWF spokesman Steve Ertel "said the World Wildlife Fund had never seen the ad before Tuesday, when his phone started ringing and people began forwarding various blog posts about the ad. It was a scramble to figure out where the ad had come from, he said."

Adweek calls it "tasteless, nightmarish" and lacking respect; noting that "exploiting one tragedy to try to prevent another is just stupid and self-defeating." And though the concept was rejected, DDB Brasil apparently still entered it into the One Show competition, where it won an award for public service.

[Penguin]

I thought that was an awesome ad...
Saved it on my hard drive as soon as I first saw it.

Did not some other ad agency make a similar comparison about lack of (clean) water killing more people than ... some time ago already? Have a faint recollection of such.
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"Brother Gatling Gun of Patience"

[8bitagent]

[seemslikeadream]

[8bitagent]

That be it, but there is also another one where it shows the plane from the side about to smash into the towers.
(I think it was an insurance ad from the time though)
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"We should not be here. I'm scared, this is creepy. You know what I mean? This could go very deep, Carol. This could be like, you know, like with the Warren commission, or something. I don't like it."-Woody Allen, Manhattan Murder Mystery(1993)

[Wombaticus Rex]

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[Wombaticus Rex]

The original ad in question, though = pure awesome. Great use of graphic design photorealism.
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[smiths]

yes, ummm ... terrible ... ummm ... brilliant and saving for posterity
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"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action."
- Auric Goldfinger

[Penguin]

I was trying to find that water ad thing, could not yet, but this:
http://www.wired.com/beyond_the_beyond/2009/07/more-mayhem-from-the-yes-men/

[beeline]

I don't get this ad. Are they saying the tsunami was caused by global warming? Becuase I seem to recall that it was caused by an underwater earthquake. Not a whole lot you can do about earthquakes.
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"Modern propaganda isn't about controlling the information to which people are exposed. It is about controlling the way in which people will react to that information, and how they will act on it." - DrVolin

[Penguin]

[elfismiles]

[beeline]

[elfismiles]