I didn’t watch the Superbowl, but it’s almost impossible to miss the cavalcade of high-end commercials that are produced for the event. And despite the fact that 45% of the viewers are female, most of the ads are aimed squarely at the stereotypical man. The Dodge Charger commercial “Man’s Last Stand” is a perfect example, in which a male voice explains all the “sacrifices” men make, mostly for women, and of course equating that with a need for a new car. While it might take a while for a traditional women’s rights group to create a campaign in response, the great thing about current technology is that an individual can put their response online only days after the commercial airs. “Woman’s Last Stand” is a spot on parody by YouTube user mackenziefegan who provides no details about herself and is not officially associated with any organization, yet she has already garnered almost 200,000 views and thousands of comments! Here’s hoping it creates more debate about the depiction of women in the media…
[Warning there is some Not Safe For Work language]
If you haven’t seen the original you can watch it below…
LDM Film has gathered 8 filmmakers to share their vision on the challenges set by the UN for 2015, the so called Millennium Goals. A few days ago all 8 films became available for a month on YouTube.
The 8 directors are: Jane Campion, Jan Kounen, Gaspard Noé, Abderrahmane Sissako, Gael García Bernal, Mira Neir, Gus van Sant and Wim Wenders.
See all 8 films after the break.
This amateurish video, which is a compilation of Hollywood sex scenes, causes a lot of discussion in Sweden. The video is made by the Swedish Feministiskt Initiativ (Feminist initiative political party).
“Feminists have better sex” (Feminister gör det bättre) is based on the idea that for a better sexlife a relationship on an equal footing is needed.
Gudrun Schyman (Photo, FI), the Feministiskt Initiativ party leader in Newsmill: “I would not say that feminists by definition are more fortunate than others but there is now scientifically established that gender relations, at all levels, lasts longer and the feminists, of all the sex, have better sex. It may well in any case seen as a step in the right direction ...”
Elin Grelsson in Expressen.se: “Campaign is based somewhere on the tiresome myth that “ordinary” men are not very good in bed and not very interested in women’s pleasure. Similarly, based on the myth that “ordinary” women are bad at taking for themselves, and that heterosex is always a power difference between man and woman.”
The campaign contains also a Facebook group, buttons, shirts and bags.
The rate at which students use and hear negative language about lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) people is huge. In the USA over half of all students report hearing homophobic remarks often at school.
The common use of anti-LGBT language is directly related to an even bigger problem – the bullying and harassment of LGBT students. 9 out of 10 LGBT students report being harassed at school in the last year. Over one-third of LGBT students have been physically assaulted at school because of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.
GLSEN has rolled out a new tool for the ThinkB4YouSpeak campaign about which I wrote before.
In this new campaign a “slur counter” counts the number of times anti-LGBT words like ‘So Gay”, “Fag” or “Dyke” have been used on Twitter in any given day.
The widget can be used on any website, just like the webbanners (see them after the break).
The Ask Yourself campaign from Dropping Knowledge is a series of over 100 digital postcards which promote dialogue on social themes of global significance. Answers can be added as comments by clicking on the postcards and each card can be shared through dragging and dropping into emails. Registered users are encouraged to pose questions as well. See more below.
Q&A at its best: participatory, provocative and pertinent.
There’s another controversial spokesperson for a social advertising campaign in the United States this month. Beauty pageant contestant Carrie Prejean, who is currently Miss California but feels that she was slighted for the grander Miss America title because of remarks that she made against same sex marriage, is the new spokesperson for the anti-gay group the National Organization for Marriage.
First, Prejean’s faltering answer about “opposite marriage” was compared to Miss South Carolina’s famous gaffe spread by YouTube about world geography in an implicit comparison of the idiocy of beauty queens to the idiocy of anti-gay advocates. Now Prejean has been embarrassed by the appearance of topless photos that seem to undermine her image of religious conservatism. Despite seeming to violate her contract for participating in the pageant, Prejean will keep her crown as Miss California and continue with her advocacy work for NOM.
(In my Virtualpolitik blog I’ve written about some of the parodies made of the first National Organization for Marriage ad, “A Gathering Storm,” as has Marc here on Osocio.)
Remember the ridiculous gay basher PSA from the National Organization for Marriage (NOM)? Funny or die now comes with this hysterical parody.
“There is a storm being caused by gay marriage and we are all in serious trouble.”
Strangely enough, Funny or Die didn’t register the domain which is mentioned at the end in this video. So someone decided it was worth setting up just to keep the conversation going – FOR Gay Marriage.
This is not a strictly social media campaign, but it’s striking that the Argentinian bank Banco Provincia has chosen to use a message of tolerance towards transgendered people to sell their services.
Ok, same sex marriage bashers have to right to advertise too.
This ridiculous PSA is from the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), a nonprofit organization with a mission to protect marriage and the faith communities that sustain it.
Freedom of speech isn’t it? How about freedom of choice?
Check out the outtakes from the auditions for this ridiculous PSA.
Check also the 2300 + comments at YouTube.
In California marriage equality advocates are planning to air a number of public service announcements like this one directed by documentary filmmaker Gina Levy to make the argument that the “pro-family” rhetoric of those who supported the state’s ban on gay marriage rings particularly hollow for those who adopt children.
India’s Shri Ram Sene, a right-wing Hindu group, is responsible for violent attacks on women who wear attire that they claim “violates Indian norms.” To counter the thuggery, Bangalore-based Alternative Law Forum (ALF) has launched a satirical campaign seen above, titled “A Consortium of Pubgoing Loose and Forward Women”.
Shri Ram Sene has threatened to attack couples found celebrating Valentine’s Day, and on 5 February 2009, the ALF issued this rallying cry:
This year let us send the Sri Ram Sena some love. Let us send them some PINK CHADDIS. Look in your closet or buy them cheap. Dirt-cheap. Make sure they are PINK. Send them off to the Sena.
In addition, the ALF is encouraging women to walk to the nearest pub and buy a drink, and raise a toast to the Sri Ram Sena.
The campaign has sparked controversy, but its organizers are already asking “What happens after Valentine’s Day?”:
After Valentine’s Day we should get some of our elected leaders to agree that beating up women is ummm… AGAINST INDIAN CULTURE.
DesegreGAYtion is a private initiative from an American artist calling for Action. DesegreGAYtion aims to point out the discrimination that presently exists against Gay and Lesbian couples. California, and the vast majority of the United States, are violating the equal protection rights of same sex couples by not allowing them to marry.
At the DesegreGAYtion MySpace website you can download the image below meant for a print out onto a sheet of sticker paper. Cut stickers into individual signs that display Gay or Straight.
Three ads about Dowry in India.
‘Each day, dowry gets an avarage of twenty Indian women hanged, stabbed or burned. That’s over 7000 innocent victims per year!
So please, stay away from it.”
Issued in the public interest by: Vimochan Development Society.
This slideshow is part of a community project that the Courage Campaign launched in reaction to the legal brief that Ken Starr—on behalf of the “Yes on 8” campaign—just filed to nullify the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed in California USA between May and November of 2008.
Proposition 8 was a California ballot proposition that changed the state Constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman and eliminated the right of same-sex couples to marry. The proposition did not affect domestic partnerships in California. The ballot measure was an amendment that would override portions of the ruling of In re Marriage Cases. The measure added a new section (7.5) to Article I, which reads:
“Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”
A public awareness campaign from The Family Place of Dallas, TX, targeted area bus panels and interiors. In the organization’s language, the campaign features “children and thought-provoking headlines to help the community realize that children who live in violent homes grow up to be victims and abusers.” The campaign has captured national attention recently, in large part due to criticism from Glenn Sacks, who blogs for the Massachusetts-based Fathers & Families nonprofit advocacy group.
The Dallas News writes that Sacks finds the ads misleading, that they “stereotype men as batterers and women as just victims of domestic violence.” His criticism has prompted this defense of the campaign, which I find compelling.
Three ads from Directions Youth Services Centre, the Youth centre for Vancouver’s homeless youth and youth at-risk.
“Many of the homeless youth on our streets have escaped from homes filled with abuse and violence. Directions is a 24 hour resource centre where they can find the support and tools they need to get off the streets for good.”
Almost 90% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students in the USA report being verbally harassed at school because of their sexual orientation. This campaign, entitled Knock It Off, from the Ad Council aims to raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBT bias and behavior in America’s schools. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce and prevent the use of homophobic language in an effort to create a more positive environment for LGBT teens.
Better World Advertising made this campaign for Black Men’s Initiative (BMI) and Harlem United. BMI is Harlem United’s HIV Prevention program for Black men who practice same desire: openly gay and bisexual brothers, men who are curious, as well as guys who prefer not to use labels.
The campaign is running now in Harlem, NYC.
The Trevor Project, in conjunction with National Suicide Prevention Week (USA - September 7-13), launched a new ad campaign ”I’m Glad I Failed.” This effort targets lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) teens who contemplate suicide as a result of homophobia. The ads feature four young people with stories about how intolerance and harassment led them to attempt suicide, and how glad they are that those attempts failed because their lives have changed for the better.
In this kind of reversed Ikea guide the Israel Gay Youth Organization (IGY) wants all gays ‘coming out of the closet’. Important because of the upcoming homophobia last years all over the world.
Copy: It’s easier than you think
IGY supports youth through the difficult stages of defining their sexual orientation, which are often confusing and painful. During this period, teenagers become aware of their sexual feelings. In addition, the organization provides the framework for out-of-the-closet youth who are willing to contribute to the struggle for gay youth status, promoting equal rights and the fight against hatred and homophobia.
As a resident of the state, it has been gratifying to see the high-profile media presence of the marriage equality movement in California, Let California Ring, which makes a number of traditional values appeals with its print and television ads. This week, between coverage of the Olympics, the video above has been playing in major markets. It—like some of the other appeals of the campaign—seems to be intended to persuade Latino/a viewers known for their social conservatism. Note the contrast in aesthetic with this video from the Croatian lesbian group LORI, which was banned from the national airwaves in that country.
Four ads made by Siju S Nair of Bhadra Communications (Bangalore, India) about female foeticide.
“In 2001, there were just 801 girls per 1000 boys and the ratio is still going down. Stop female foeticide & infanticide.”
This new campaign made by GMMB, Better World Advertising and Anita Santiago Advertising is called “Me Not Meth”. It is a project of the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs seeking to prevent crystal methamphetamine use across the state of California USA.
The current stage of the campaign is aimed at gay and bisexual men, and other men who have sex with men (MSM).
The campaign will officially launch next monday.
President George W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush are featured in new public service announcements for Casa Family Day, a group that advocates the educational and public health benefits of families sitting down and sharing the evening meal together. Although many American social scientists see a correlation between good parent-child communication or healthy life habits and having a strong family dinner ritual, not all of them are convinced that there is the causal connection that this campaign seems to imply. Feminists and members of non-traditional families may also see a certain amount of normative sexism in the campaign, particularly in the spot with the Chief Executive, which assumes that mothers necessarily do the cooking at the family meal.
Hi! We are Judith and Gertjan, a Dutch couple with an open heart and mind for the people of South Asia. In 2010 we will move with our two kids towards South Asia to work as volunteers. Judith is a nurse with a medical management qualification and will be involved in a medical training program. Gertjan is an entrepeneur and will start an education program and an IT business. Our Christian faith is an important motive for us in doing this kind of work.
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Osocio is dedicated to social advertising and non-profit campaigns. It’s the place where marketing and activism collide. Formerly known as the Houtlust Blog, Osocio is the central online hub for advertisers, ad agencies, grassroots, activists, social entrepreneurs, and good Samaritans from around the globe.
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Gudrun Schyman (Photo, FI), the Feministiskt Initiativ party leader in 
Ad offering ‘Native Extraction Service’ condemned
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Hi! We are Judith and Gertjan, a Dutch couple with an open heart and mind for the people of South Asia. In 2010 we will move with our two kids towards South Asia to work as volunteers. Judith is a nurse with a medical management qualification and will be involved in a medical training program. Gertjan is an entrepeneur and will start an education program and an IT business. Our Christian faith is an important motive for us in doing this kind of work.
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