Saluting veterans on 11/11/11
Posted by Tom Megginson | 10-11-2011 19:35 | Category: War & conflicts
I’m not sure I love the art direction in this ad by DDB for a Canadian heritage NGO, but I do support the sentiment. The anniversary of the armistice that ended World War One is observed in Canada by the wearing of red plastic poppies and ceremonies at war memorials across the country. The poppy symbol was adopted after Canadian soldier-physician Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote the poem ”In Flanders Fields” , which used the numerous poppies growing on the disturbed soil of battlefields and graves and a key image. McCrae did not survive the war.
My complaint is simply one of balance. The tiny soldiers marking tomorrow’s date are overshadowed by the poppy. I find this unfortunate, because the emphasis should be the other way around. The poppy is supposed to symbolize the very real sacrifice people like them have been willing to make. But it is only a symbol. Tomorrow’s memorial is about mourning the loss of human lives to war, and hoping for a more peaceful future.
Advertiser:
Historica-Dominion Institute
Agency:
DDB Canada
Additional credits:
Creative Director: Todd Mackie and Denise Rossetto
Associate Creative Director: Paul Riss and Matt Antonello
Art director: Italo Siciliano
Copywriter: Matt Antonello
Print Producer: Rose-Ella Morrison
Account managers: Mike Prentice, Sarah Thornley
Photographer: Andrew B. Myers
Print Production House: AdRules
Retoucher: Andrew B. Myers
Production company: Westside Studios
Printing House: Clockwork Productions
Video Editor: Jonathan Kirshenbaum
Flash developer: Brendyn Zachary
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