Oh no! You just can't do that!

I was going to write an upbeat pre-Christmas message, but then this came along... and I couldn't resist! Sometimes marketing people get it all wrong. I've said this a few times before, I know. Actually, not just wrong, but spectacularly wrong! It is a wonder that some campaigns get through the multiple checks in a company or organisation before emerging on a billboard in the High Street or online. But they do. And people wonder why marketing people are insensitive, ridiculous and...stupid.

The poster above was designed to combat anti-racist behaviour in Italian football. It beggars belief that marketing people actually considered this as as a serious attempt to address this growing problem in sport (particularly football). The worst thing about the poster is that it only succeeds in enhancing racism. Of course, after much messing about, the campaign was withdrawn, with red faces and apologies all round. But how did it ever get to the 'poster' stage? Why wasn't the idea binned at the first meeting between artist and marketeer? God only knows! Embracing controversy is one thing, but there are some boundaries in today's society that you simply do not cross.

It reminds me (above) of another campaign (Italy again) which I happened across a few years ago in Rome. Certainly, brutal 'shockvertising' has its place in advertising, but you have to be really careful, today. Someone is going to get offended. And when that happens, you're in deep trouble. The above poster succeeded in offending quite a few groups - from overweight people all the way to lovers of 'high' art, who considered this usage of a national 'icon' as crass and insensitive. Plus, there's the vilification of overweight people in there too. Dangerous stuff.

The poster below was rapidly withdrawn from the streets of England for similar reasons. Only this one went a step further by threatening overweight people with alien abduction. The Advertising Standards Authority were all over this company very quickly! But again, how could anyone think they could get away with this? It's all very well to say that 'making a splash' in any way is excellent publicity, but you can easily overstep the mark, no matter how funny you may think it is. And then it's problems on a massive and potentially costly scale.

One more... and this could possibly be a hoax. I say this because it is so brilliant in many ways. It is cruel, humorous, dangerous, brutal and breathtakingly courageous... which is why it could be a hoax. It is just too good. A great bit of 'fake news'. But I loved it, because on the 'shock' scale it touches 100! Supposedly, on an Underground tunnel wall, this poster encourages the passenger to take a step 'closer'... and then perhaps one more step...

It is a delicious piece of black humour. Encouraging people to risk falling on the track is obviously not very nice at all - but then we read that the poster is for a funeral service and all becomes clear. Nasty, but brilliant.

Marketing people are constantly trying to push the boundaries to the limit. To take things to the next level.... to do the most incredibly daft thing ever... just to gain attention. All this is fair and dandy. After all, that is what advertising and posters are all about - making a statement and being.... remembered.

BUT... just when we think that there are no rules anymore, we should remember that we are living in a society where calling someone a geek or an egghead could be seen as a 'hate' crime. Marketeers should bear that in mind when putting monkeys on racism posters, or giving the statue of David an obese makeover. True, it could be argued that we live in 'ultra-sensitive' times, but there are some limits which should never be crossed without extremely clear thinking beforehand and careful explanations afterwards!

More of this type of thing in 'The Anti-Marketeer's Handbook' - out in the New Year!