Australian creatives have taken a sharply negative view of Amazon's NYC subway campaign debacle claiming the concept crossed the line and represents brands going down a “very dangerous path” to get public attention.
In a now-pulled campaign for a new big budget drama Amazon plastered seats on the 42nd Street subway shuttle between Times Square and Grand Central Terminal in imagery depicting Nazi regalia.
The TV series The Man in the High Castle, based on Philip K. Dick 1962 novel, depicts the aftermath of World War II as if the Axis powers triumphed.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo and NYC mayor Bill De Blasio called on Amazon to remove the ads. Cuomo said the symbols used were "really revolting" while De Blasio said they were “offensive to World War II and Holocaust survivors, their families, and countless other New Yorkers.”
Treading down a dangerous path
M&C Saatchi creative director Andy Flemming roundly condemned the ad, telling AdNews it represents a disrespectful and unintelligent effort at handling an enviably interesting creative brief.
He argued the industry is increasingly running towards cheap controversy in order to garner attention in a world where its hard to cut through a mass of marketing messages.
“We're treading down an very dangerous path where sheer amount of exposure to advertising that we have has lead to clickbait, for want of a better expression, and we see that in every website we go to.
“There are columnists in the UK and now in Australia who realise that being enormously provocative and quite horrible they get clicks. You may call me a dreamer but I do believe in the power of a fucking great idea. It will transcend clickbait any time”
Admitting the campaign did “get people talking” in an environment in which it's ever harder to hold the public's attention, Flemming said this is not enough to justify it, with the use of Nazi symbols representing a step too far in any ad campaign.
“It's going to get them press – people will be more aware of the TV show so in terms of numbers they've probably done their job. But using these 'clickbait' techniques to get attention, to get people talking, you're just adding to noise, not very good. The easiest thing to do as creative is to get their attention the wrong way. Getting it the right way – getting them to think, react and think about something, that is the job we're paid to do.”
Where's the respect?
Managing director of DDB Melbourne, Dion Appel also took a poor view of the campaign, telling AdNews its a “cheap shot”.
“In the words of DDB's founder, Bill Bernbach, 'All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarise that society. We can brutalise it. Or we can help lift it onto a higher level'," Appel said.
“I stand by that in saying this campaign idea should be shamed. It’s far from a good example of the battle for eyeballs but rather a cheap shot at raising awareness in a very sensitive world. Get creative and start shaping society for good. There are better ways to claim fame. In Australia this wouldn’t be classed as politically correct. I ask where’s the respect?”
John Halpin, Ikon's head of strategy, said that perhaps generational distance might have led the agency to miss the obvious sensitivities around the use of Nazi imagery but questioned where the research and testing was to ensure the feedback would be positive.
With such a fascinating concept and large scale investment, Halpin joined Flemming in arguing that much smarter, less offensive work could have been done.
“I think whoever has created it, they've obviously done it to get attention and to poke a stick at the topic but I don't believe they really understood the sensitivity. You've got a highly sensitive topic that they're starting with, and the market that they're then pushing that highly sensitive content out into is also one with a lot of people who would've been refugees in World War II. And then you've got a big Jewish population who undoubtedly would react to something like that,” Halpin told AdNews.
Sabir Samtani, founder and director of Reborn, said risks are fine, but the ad went too far.
"There's certain places you don't go. Any ads that depicts Nazis, I think it's in poor taste. Especially in the location it was in, right in your face, on the train. Although as people say there's no such thing as bad press, this is bad press.”
Very difficult to fault
Constantine Frantzeskos, founder and CEO of Penso, however, said the ad was “very difficult to fault”. He suggested it was important that Nazi and Imperial Japan symbols were portrayed in the branding given the subject matter of the show, albeit not in “locations that are sensitive, such as Synagogues".
Frantzeskos said: “The key role of this advertising is to highlight the truth of the product - in this case, the product is a TV show that tells a dystopian story of the USA under German and Japanese rule post-WWII. It tells the product truth. On that basis, it’s very difficult to fault it. It’s highly branded, extremely distinctive, extremely memorable and is unapologetic. It will change behaviour and definitely raise awareness of the show."
Orchard executive creative director, Lyndon Hale, also took a more sympathetic view. "Just because someone was offended, doesn't mean they are right. I think the reaction is pretty typical for America, and I'm sure that was part of Amazon's strategy."
Christian Finucane, creative partner at Core, agreed, saying the campaign may have achieved its ultimate goal and the mere fact we are discussing it represents a win.
He added: "Perhaps getting the campaign pulled was the strategy all along. The idea itself is quite obvious albeit relevant to the show and Amazon must have known there would have been chatter around this. I don’t think Amazon’s brand will be damaged because it’s really just reflecting the show's premise. Most people will see this for what it is and most probably check the show out - I know I will”.
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