When art makes a social message, it can be transcendant. But when social marketing tries too hard to be artistic, it can fall short.
NYC adblogger Copyranter put it succinctly: “That’s a nice message. But, not to be a pill here (sorry), she looks like a cyborg with half her head covered like that. The visual is certainly attention-grabbing. But is it action-stimulating?”
That’s the problem I see, too. The image is anything but humanizing, actually making the woman more about the medical treatment than who she really is. It doesn’t seem like a good way to promote the services of “the only UK-wide charity dedicated to providing emotional and practical support for anyone affected.”
Perhaps it’s the limitation of print, however, that is the problem here. Watch the campaign video:
Watching the same woman shed her coat of pills is liberating, empowering, and hopeful.
This should be a reminder to agencies that each medium needs to be treated as an individual storyteller. If you let one fall short, it can shortchange the whole campaign.
Advertiser:
Breast Cancer Care (UK)
Agency:
M&C Saatchi, London
Source:
Copyranter
){kind=link}