Sheer shock value makes this one worthwhile says Aditi Prasad
Creative Director at the Hamburg, Germany-based ad agency Das Comitee, Dirk Silz can’t believe that the one campaign, which has managed to win him global recognition may never see the light of the day. But that is precisely what may happen if AIDS associations across Europe have their way. The 45 second video campaign, created by Silz, shows a couple having sex. Towards the end the face of the man becomes that of Adolf Hitler. The closing message: ‘AIDS is a Mass Murderer.’ The campaign also includes radio spots, music videos and posters featuring Saddam Hussein and Josef Stalin. “Until now 28 million people have died of AIDS all over the world. And even today more than 5,000 people succumb daily to the deadly disease. We knew we’ll have to make a hard campaign and so zeroed in on the cruelest mass-murderers in history – Hitler, Stalin, and Saddam Hussein,” Silz told this magazine in an e-mail interview.
Designed to promote World AIDS Day in December and scheduled to run on German TV and movie theaters, the campaign (posted on YouTube till recently when it was pulled off for hurting sentiments) has expectedly set off a storm of protests from organisations representing people with AIDS across Europe. They believe that the ad, commissioned by Regenbogen (an AIDS charity in Germany) seems designed for little more than shock value and is downright offensive to HIV infected people. Even the National AIDS Trust, which coordinates World AIDS Day in Britain, has distanced itself from the commercial believing that it further stigmatises HIV positive patients.
Whether or not the campaign sees the light of the day, the sheer reach of the World Wide Web and particularly YouTube has ensured that both Silz and the campaign have already earned more than their five minutes of fame in the global advertising industry. Affirms Silz, “We thought that the campaign will polarise in Germany because of Hitler. There may be just a local discussion on whether it’s okay to make advertising with Hitler. But interestingly, we’ve got e-mails from England, France, US, Canada, Spain, Venezuela, South Korea... People from 125 counties visited our homepage to view these ads.” If the idea was merely to get everybody talking about AIDS again, this one’s sure achieved it. And Silz certainly has no regrets about giving the face of Hitler, Stalin and Saddam to perhaps the most controversial virus to hit mankind!
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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Creative Director at the Hamburg, Germany-based ad agency Das Comitee, Dirk Silz can’t believe that the one campaign, which has managed to win him global recognition may never see the light of the day. But that is precisely what may happen if AIDS associations across Europe have their way. The 45 second video campaign, created by Silz, shows a couple having sex. Towards the end the face of the man becomes that of Adolf Hitler. The closing message: ‘AIDS is a Mass Murderer.’ The campaign also includes radio spots, music videos and posters featuring Saddam Hussein and Josef Stalin. “Until now 28 million people have died of AIDS all over the world. And even today more than 5,000 people succumb daily to the deadly disease. We knew we’ll have to make a hard campaign and so zeroed in on the cruelest mass-murderers in history – Hitler, Stalin, and Saddam Hussein,” Silz told this magazine in an e-mail interview.
Designed to promote World AIDS Day in December and scheduled to run on German TV and movie theaters, the campaign (posted on YouTube till recently when it was pulled off for hurting sentiments) has expectedly set off a storm of protests from organisations representing people with AIDS across Europe. They believe that the ad, commissioned by Regenbogen (an AIDS charity in Germany) seems designed for little more than shock value and is downright offensive to HIV infected people. Even the National AIDS Trust, which coordinates World AIDS Day in Britain, has distanced itself from the commercial believing that it further stigmatises HIV positive patients.
Whether or not the campaign sees the light of the day, the sheer reach of the World Wide Web and particularly YouTube has ensured that both Silz and the campaign have already earned more than their five minutes of fame in the global advertising industry. Affirms Silz, “We thought that the campaign will polarise in Germany because of Hitler. There may be just a local discussion on whether it’s okay to make advertising with Hitler. But interestingly, we’ve got e-mails from England, France, US, Canada, Spain, Venezuela, South Korea... People from 125 counties visited our homepage to view these ads.” If the idea was merely to get everybody talking about AIDS again, this one’s sure achieved it. And Silz certainly has no regrets about giving the face of Hitler, Stalin and Saddam to perhaps the most controversial virus to hit mankind!
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
“We will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here
Business Standard Exposes the Outlook Magazine Money Editor
Don't trust the Indian Media!
IIPM ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
1 lakh copies sold in less than 10 days of Arindam Chaudhuri’s “Discover The Diamond In you”
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
B-schools expect higher rate of campus placements this year
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