Adverts That Play On The Emotions

PR Log (Press Release) – Sep 10, 2009 – Controversy has erupted over the DDB Brasil video advert, which appeared suddenly on the Internet. The ad was an entrant in the ‘press and film’ categories, at Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

The advert opened with a shot of the flaming Twin Towers on 9/11. This was quickly followed by dozens of planes descending on Manhattan and the World Trade Centre Twin Towers.

The point of the advertisement was to show a Tsunami in 2005, which killed 280,000 people. This was ‘ten times more than were killed in 9/11’.

The ad reads “Our world is cruelly powerful. Respect it, Conserve it". Allegedly the ad was created for the World Wildlife Foundation.

To begin with DDB Brasil adamantly denied having created the advert. They later admitted they had made it as a video version of the Brazilian print ad ‘Tsunami’. The advert created little interest at Cannes, though both the video and printed ad were later withdrawn. The print version won a Merit Award, which is a lesser than the Bronze prize. The award was later withdrawn.

WWF condemned the advert, saying the video had been created on spec and was unapproved. WWF-U.S. apologized for any hurt caused by the advert.

This is not the first questionable advert to appear, using the Twin Towers. Pakistani International Airlines put out an ad in 1979, which showed the shadow of a commercial plane superimposed across the World Trade Centre Twin Towers.

In 1976 a Sesame Street magazine cover showed a Sesame Street monster on the loose, eating large chunks out of the Twin Towers.

In 1981 an Asbestos advert showing the Twin Towers read ‘when the fire alarm went off it took two hours to evacuate New York’s World Trade Centre.

While the making of these adverts were most like innocent at the time, in retrospect they too could raise a storm of controversy and increase the hurt of the families of those who died in the 9/11 tragedy.

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