And suddenly advertising sinks to a new low...

[MissJacksonCA]

http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003600193

Land Rover advertising execs have managed a new low. They're monitoring the nations weather disasters and invading those towns with their brand new luxury SUVs and doing what? Filming commercials to show their car as a 'hero' of a car. The concept itself is genious. Devestation all around but your car is the one shining unharmed thing left. When I was a kid the 'emergency' plan during an earthquake was to head to the driveway and get into the Mercedes because hey its built like a brick **** house. Granted the quakes never lasted long enough but hey... good idea. However as a person I feel these commercials are sick and capitalizing on the plight of people who live in disaster prone areas.

Am I the only one who thinks its sick?

[darth los]

I don't think it's so much sick as using shock value to get their message across. The most effective ads are those that hit people close to home. It's a fine line the have to walk but if done tastefully it can be very effective. If it was pertaining to one particular disaster, say katrina for example, it would be unacceptable. However, when done in a generalized, broad manner it's smart to show people " look this is what you guys go through on a regular basis and our vehichle is the best equipped to help with the tasks you have to undertake.'" They all know it's true. Some things in life are ugly and they're difficult to talk about but someone has to address the issues.

[Khardis]

http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003600193

Land Rover advertising execs have managed a new low. They're monitoring the nations weather disasters and invading those towns with their brand new luxury SUVs and doing what? Filming commercials to show their car as a 'hero' of a car. The concept itself is genious. Devestation all around but your car is the one shining unharmed thing left. When I was a kid the 'emergency' plan during an earthquake was to head to the driveway and get into the Mercedes because hey its built like a brick **** house. Granted the quakes never lasted long enough but hey... good idea. However as a person I feel these commercials are sick and capitalizing on the plight of people who live in disaster prone areas.

Am I the only one who thinks its sick?

It is sick, its quite Ghoulish, they took a play right out of the play book from people like Bono and Sean Penn.

[darth los]

It is sick, its quite Ghoulish, they took a play right out of the play book from people like Bono and Sean Penn.

Those instances were very distasteful. If you're going to do something do it right. What kind of person gets a camera crew following them so americans can see how righteous they are? Self centered jerks, that's who. However, like i said earlier those examples are very distasteful because it pertained to a particular disaster instead of a generalized circumstance.

[Khardis]

Those instances were very distasteful. If you're going to do something do it right. What kind of person gets a camera crew following them so americans can see how righteous they are? Self centered jerks, that's who. However, like i said earlier those examples are very distasteful because it pertained to a particular disaster instead of a generalized circumstance.

I lost any modicum of respect for that scumbag when he brought his camera crew down. Hes rich enough to have chartered a yacht if he wanted to and station it offshore and buy up some rowboats to bring everyone out, did he? No, wheres the photo OPs for that?

[MaximusIncredulous]

Some things in life are ugly and they're difficult to talk about but someone has to address the issues.

I'm not quite sure if increasing profit for the company the sells land rovers based on disaster qualifies as addressing the issues.

[Khardis]

I'm not quite sure if increasing profit for the company the sells land rovers based on disaster qualifies as addressing the issues.

What if I wanted to buy one though?

[darth los]

I'm not quite sure if increasing profit for the company the sells land rovers based on disaster qualifies as addressing the issues.

That's definitely a fair point and is debatable. I just meant that there are some services that people don't want to think or talk about but somebody's got to do. There's no better example of this than funeral homes. What a morbid service that is, but someone has to do it. They are a business and have to advertise and make it known that "hey we know when a loved one dies it sucks but just keep us in mind when it inevitably does happen." ;) There's really no good way to say something like that.

[MaximusIncredulous]

That's definitely a fair point and is debatable. I just meant that there are some services that people don't want to think or talk about but somebody's got to do. There's no better example of this than funeral homes. What a morbid service that is, but someone has to do it. They are a business and have to advertise and make it known that "hey we know when a loved one dies it sucks but just keep us in mind when it inevitably does happen." ;) There's really no good way to say something like that.

True. It's just a shame that it has to get mingled up with dollars. Makes the "reminder" of the uglies in life seem tacky.


What if I wanted to buy one though?

That's ok but then you would probably be aware, to some degree anyway, of that vehicle's capabilities in rough situations without the exploitation.

I have the feeling that these ads are aimed at superficial types who view these ads and go "wow I can drive over a log and sh it". They probably wouldn't do well in a real disaster, land rover or not, since planning ahead would be a problem for them.

[Danny]

like khardis said its pretty ghoulish, but i think theres way worse, take stuff liek super size me adn farenhiet 9/11, we studied then in media studies at colege adn they seem nice at first glance bu theres so much distasteful,biased adn one sided propaganda you dont even notice, least this adds completely up front about it.

[darth los]

like khardis said its pretty ghoulish, but i think theres way worse, take stuff liek super size me adn farenhiet 9/11, we studied then in media studies at colege adn they seem nice at first glance bu theres so much distasteful,biased adn one sided propaganda you dont even notice, least this adds completely up front about it.

I agree with that. There's nothing worsed when some one wants to seem non partisan when they really have an agenda, which michael moore surely does. Just come out and say i'm a left wing liberal, tell me your views and i'll make my judgment based off of that. Don't pretend what you're presenting is fair and balanced reporting when it's not. That's the reason why fox news gets no time from me.

[MissJacksonCA]

So if they made these commercials post-katrina it would be wrong but they can show the effects of a tornado devestating a town and their lil car rolling through and its okay? Eff that. All people are affected the same way when a disaster rolls through their town. If its not right for one disaster its not right for any. Period.

[darth los]

So if they made these commercials post-katrina it would be wrong but they can show the effects of a tornado devestating a town and their lil car rolling through and its okay? Eff that. All people are affected the same way when a disaster rolls through their town. If its not right for one disaster its not right for any. Period.

No, if they made a commercial post katrina that specifically cited that disaster it would be wrong. If they talk in general terms then it's o.k.

[MissJacksonCA]

Thats riddick. They're capitalizing on major disasters that affect the poor most severely by rolling their luxury SUV through town saying hey look i'm the lone ranger... its almost as bad as when the American Red Cross used a woman and her family picking up belongings outside of their burnt down home to raise funds for victims of wildfires and didn't give a single red cent to the person on the cover let alone tell her she was being photographed to raise money. If Land Rover wants to drive their car through devestation they should at the very least do something to help the victims instead of using them to sell their car.

[darth los]

Why should they do that? they're a business. They're not exploiting specific victims but an event that nobody had dibbs on.

[MissJacksonCA]

they're exploiting the plight of those less fortunate... its wrong and sick

[darth los]

they're exploiting the plight of those less fortunate... its wrong and sick

I'll use a time honored phrase on these boards to counter that. "That's Business."

[MissJacksonCA]

That's shady business for people who aren't competent enough to run a company that's successful without using others or capitalizing on the plight of the public.

May as well be compared to President Bush's cronies who profit so greatly by his decision to go to war... He used the deaths of 3000 people ...a real American tragedy... to make money for his buddies and himself...

Oh wait... that's the American way... screwing over everyone to make a buck and exploiting everyone and every tragedy around you...

[darth los]

That's shady business for people who aren't competent enough to run a company that's successful without using others or capitalizing on the plight of the public.

May as well be compared to President Bush's cronies who profit so greatly by his decision to go to war... He used the deaths of 3000 people ...a real American tragedy... to make money for his buddies and himself...

Oh wait... that's the American way... screwing over everyone to make a buck and exploiting everyone and every tragedy around you...

Now you're getting it!! :p Seriously, you could say the same about almost any business. For example, we could chastise McDonald's to no end for peddling food that's in the longhall is cotributing to making people obese and thus a greater health risk and driving up those insurance prices that you love so much. THat's as unethical as anything imo.

[coma]

I took Advertising design in college (or uni for our UK friends) back un the late 80s. A prof said something that stuck with me
He said
"If you see a penis in an ad , its a penis. Its not a mistake or an oversight or accidental. There are too many people and committees involved. Too many stages. Many a time I have heard, in meetings, people wondering how to cram sexual content into an ad. Yes, how do we hide a penis in there somewhere. How can we make that a vagina. You want to be an advertising success. Add a penis"

He made it funny, but was serious at the same time. No ad shocks me. They are, to some degree, equally stupid, irresponsible, or somehow make you dumber. If they are not irritating they cannot imprint their "branding"

[darth los]

I took Advertising design in college (or uni for our UK friends) back un the late 80s. A prof said something that stuck with me
He said
"If you see a penis in an ad , its a penis. Its not a mistake or an oversight or accidental. There are too many people and committees involved. Too many stages. Many a time I have heard, in meetings, people wondering how to cram sexual content into an ad. Yes, how do we hide a penis in there somewhere. How can we make that a vagina. You want to be an advertising success. Add a penis"

He made it funny, but was serious at the same time. No ad shocks me. They are, to some degree, equally stupid, irresponsible, or somehow make you dumber. If they are not irritating they cannot imprint their "branding"

I think there's definitelt something to that. There are so many products out there and even iterations of the same product. Why makes one different from the other? The one that's memorable and stands out.

[MissJacksonCA]

McDonalds isn't forcing people into obesity... those people are doing it to themselves... and lest we forget... McDonalds has morphed with the hunger of Americans over the years... they used to serve small portions and now they have small, med, large, super size... they're not stuffing it down your throat they're recognising their target audience is obese and fat people who want bigger portions. They didn't make them fat or crave the food or unable to control themselves. Its supply and demand.

This commercial isn't appealing to anyone but the moron elitist who lives in a gated community and will never ever actually have to survive a natural disaster of any magnitude and who thinks owning a luxury SUV makes him safer than everyone else and a hero to boot. They're pandering to a mans fantasy and using car salesman techniques. They should be making a commercial aimed at mothers because SUVs are the new minivans and always will be until Mercedes Benz or Land Rover decides to make a mini van.

[darth los]

McDonalds isn't forcing people into obesity... those people are doing it to themselves... and lest we forget... McDonalds has morphed with the hunger of Americans over the years... they used to serve small portions and now they have small, med, large, super size... they're not stuffing it down your throat they're recognising their target audience is obese and fat people who want bigger portions. They didn't make them fat or crave the food or unable to control themselves. Its supply and demand.

See , now you're taking the argument somewhere else. Of course McDonald's is not forcing anyone to buy their product. However, this is a thread about advertising. By your logic that means that the people advertising their cars are forcing you to buy their cars. People can watch the ads and make up their own minds. You know, that free will thing we all come with. Leave it to a woman to jump of topic just to win the argument.

[coma]

Leave it to a woman to jump of topic just to win the argument.
thats not fair, bro. And I dont really see the relevence.

And I dont think McDonalds does Supersize anymore since the movie. I dont eat there so I dont know

[darth los]

thats not fair, bro. And I dont really see the relevence.

And I dont think McDonalds does Supersize anymore since the movie. I dont eat there so I dont know

Why not if it's true? Go back and read her post. she's the one making a disigenuous argument. she's making an argument about something that's true but is not relevant to OUR topic just so that she can equte the 2 and seem right. It's her logic and argument that wasn't relavent. A woman will bring up something from 5 years ago that has nothing to do with the topic at hand and throw it in your face just to win an argument. However, you are entitled to your opinion. I would like to point out that she does it all the time. She tried a tactic and i called her on it. It's as simple as that. It doesn't mean that i don't respect your opinion or hers, but when you're wrong you're wrong. If more men did it they wouldn't have us by the balls like they do now.

[MissJacksonCA]

One again in your infinite wisdom darth you can't seem to see what i'm saying... They are capitalizing on natural disasters that tend to affect the low income level and using the aftermath of said natural disasters as the basis for selling their vehicle. I'm not using any tactic besides simple speech. You brought up McDonalds and I was responding to your absurd example by way of McDonalds being similar in advertising or who knows what?

[darth los]

One again in your infinite wisdom darth you can't seem to see what i'm saying... They are capitalizing on natural disasters that tend to affect the low income level and using the aftermath of said natural disasters as the basis for selling their vehicle. I'm not using any tactic besides simple speech. You brought up McDonalds and I was responding to your absurd example by way of McDonalds being similar in advertising or who knows what?

LMFAO!! They just don't understand that we do this all the time. 2 points for you. I like the way you explained that. you almost have me believing it.:D