What the Smurfing Smurf
| QuickTime link to the :30 news clip, which will pop in a new window. 700 KB. |
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| Those Smurfing Smurfs are gonna Smurfing PAY!! |
UNICEF recently caused a furor by airing this ad, featuring the lovable Smurfs. The lovable Smurfs are bombed to hell and at the end you hear a baby screaming.
The ad aired in Belgium, and advertised a distaste for war, because everyone could go for a nice cold war from the fridge unless they get educated otherwise. The problem with this ad is that it could easily lure a young child in who would not understand the message, they would just see the Smurfs getting killed and hear them screaming like babies. It’s hard to say what UNICEF was thinking here.
Another graphic ad by UNICEF presents a similar problem. In it young girls are playing soccer and one of them is exploded by a landmine. Since the girls are so young once again you have the problem of luring young children into a commercial that feels secure, and then presenting content they are emotionally unprepared for.
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| The Osprey is like raaa-aaain on your wedding day |
While on the subject of tasteless war ads, this print ad “mistakenly” published in several inserts by Boeing features the Osprey helicopter dropping troops down into a Mosque. “It descends from the heavens, ironically it unleashes hell.” Boeing claims this ad never should have run, and it getting printed was a mistake. Print ads aren’t like reply-all emails, someone knows it’s going to print. This ad miffed a lot of people by portraying America’s current military actions as wars against all Muslims.
| QuickTime link to the :30 news clip, which will pop in a new window. 700 KB. |
Comment // October 12th, 2005 // 3:01 am
A link to a better version of the Smurf video would be much appreciated. All I could find was this foreign-language news broadcast clip featuring the Smurf ad.
Comment // February 2nd, 2006 // 4:09 am
I heard the Smurf ad was disturbing, but that’s just crazy. I mean, do they want to pay for the therapy all the kids who see that will have to go through?
It’s just so wrong, it’s hypnotizing. Like, Asian Extreme Cinema films. I don’t get what they were trying to prove, other than they can scare the crap out of everyone’s inner child.