Saatchis gameshow ad ‘trivialises suicide’
An ad featuring gameshow contestants attempting to guess how many mentally ill Australians committ suicide each week and pop the correct number of balloons has been attacked as being in bad taste.
The “suicide balloons” ad, created by Saatchi & Saatchi on behalf of The Bipolar Education Foundation, was also attacked as having its facts wrong by academics and campaigners.
The ad features in an article in today’s Sunday Telegraph in Sydney.
The newspaper also featured an editorial on the subject saying:
“These ads are not just silly; they are damaging to the very cause and people the Foundation is trying to help.”
Looks like they were trying to do one of these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfIJ81jFTxk
An NZ effort which to my mind is in equally poor taste.
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Take a serious mental health problem that has a strong emotional connection for a large part of the community. Convert it into a gimmick that can be summed up in a twenty word ad pitch. Act defensive when people are offended – often the very people the campaign is supposed to help.
Rinse and repeat.
Seeing way too much of this lately. Equating a suicide to a popped balloon on a game show is just the latest in a recent spate of extremely poorly thought out campaigns.
Time for some agencies to have some awareness training of their own.
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That is as shit as it is offensive.
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this is bad, really bad…as someone who has a best friend with depression who has considered suicide on numerous occasions, it is definitely no laughing matter, and i don’t see how this ad could get people to sit up and take notice…saatchi’s FAIL again…i can see why lion nathan, dj’s have taken their business elsewhere
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OMG – What rubbish!!!
I cant believe the Bipolar Education Foundation approved this idea!!!!!
The best campaign about this topic has to be the “R U OK?” campaign – simple concept for a very senitive issue and delivered with dignity…
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Tell me its not true. That the agency said they would do a cheap, nearly pro bono ad for this struggling orgainsition. That they gave the brief to some junior creatives and said this is serious subject, make your mark. And as agencies do, they convinced a client that they knew better.
Did the creatives ever speak to anyone who’s family or friends had been affected by a suicide?
If they did , then their moral compass needs recalibartion.
A bad ad that wont do the job the Client needed them to do .
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OUCH!
Clearly no one in that creative team has suffered from depression.
Being a recovering victim of anxiety depression, it really hit my heart! Once again neglecting to think like a viewer!
How did this even get to production stage? It kind of worries me that the client actually approved this!
BAD MOVE GUYS!
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Nice one Saatchis. Perhaps first hand experience is required to understand and have empathy for the issue???.
A really good example as to why suicide i struggling to gain traction in Australia. Beyond blue should sick Jeff on em!
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poor form
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The creatives who did this have committed career suicide. How insensitive.
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Watching this makes me feel sick to my stomach.
Depression & mental illness are serious issues, and rubbish such as this gives off the idea we’re to take the subject lightly.
I hope all involved are ashamed and embarrassed.
Try taking a different angle next time. – the whole shock factor didn’t translate.
Disgusted.
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Disgraceful!
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One word – IGNORANT.
This is just like those fuckwits who did the child abuse ad with the father at his daughter’s wedding….
Find a new concept try hards
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Surely this is not true. Surely not. How did this even get approved by the client?? Are they as insensitive and ridiculously flawed as the agency seems to be?
Does anyone from Saatchi or Bipolar wish to comment? You should both hang your head in shame at this absolutely disgusting and insensitive piece of work.
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Terrible way to communicate on such an issue. Poor decision making from the Foundation. And, don’t dare say it is good because it may receive some publicity.
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This is really underwhelming.
I don’t understand how this is supposed to help people or the client?
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“That is as shit as it is offensive.” My thoughts exactly.
Of course, if you try and do a serious, honest approach to death on Australian TV, it’ll get pulled by the ASB (see voluntary euthanasia). So maybe crap gags are all we’re left with.
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Words escape me…
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So ashamed they must be they havent been game to come out of their caves to make comment or to appologise to all the people they may have offended.
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exhibit #789 of what happens when agencies make ads aimed at a room of people in france every year.
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I was about to rail and rant … and then I read Luke’s response. It says everything that is wrong about this ad in just eight words. Well done.
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cringey … the radio ads are just confusing.
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I’m bipolar. This was a devastating discovery which has caused a lot of grief and loss for me over the past ten years. Now I know what drives me and how to manage it, and others better understand me. There are better ways to communicate this, than that.
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why is ‘humour’ the default setting on younger creatives? Sadly as is evidenced here not everything is solved with high school humour
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My good friend’s ex-boyfriend with bipolar took his life on Friday – I have to say, raising awareness of the subject is a good thing. Obviously I’m railing against the common consensus here, but I can see what they were trying to get at. The obligatory serious voice-over at the end would probably have been the done thing to finish off the ad.
I think we get the point, that suicide is massively under-estimated among the general public, as (I believe) the leading cause of death among young men in Australia. It might be a good time to remind mUmbrellan’s (?) that Movember is a charity dedicated to fighting depression and suicide in men, so maybe slip that wally in your office who is currently sporting a ‘tache $20?
As for the Tele – they have been known to print articles rubbishing depression, psychiatry and medication for such illnesses. Considering that James Packer has had his close links with Scientology scrutinised (http://www.smh.com.au/articles.....37276.html) it might not be surprising to learn that Scientologists hold a similar viewpoint to that espoused by the Tele. http://www.maynereport.com/art.....-5362.html
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This is a disgrace. Especially given how important the message is.
Any planner who approved or help sell this in should question their ability. The creatives are obviously too out of touch to know better. And I feel sorry for the client – probably bullied into this ‘great idea’.
This is a huge issue and from a selfish ad agency point of view – it was an opportunity to do some powerful emotive advertising.
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Who at senior level at Saatchi’s oversaw this ?
They must be hung drawn and quartered, publicly. Immediately.
This will leave an unremovable stain on their brand, and advertising forever.
And the highly paid planners, creative director and teams should be thrown off the Gap tonight.
The lowest of the low. Ever.
You fuck wits.
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As a creative, I find this ad offensive. But as someone who is living with bipolar, and who has lived through suicide attempts, it makes me want to curl up and cry.
You guys should be ashamed of yourselves.
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SHIT ON SO MANY LEVELS
I’m having trouble comprehending how such crap could be considered an idea, let alone an ad concept.
I think the Hurley t-shirt got more focus than bipolar
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It’s utter shit like this that gives our industry a bad name. I’m amazed to think that a top agency would spew forth such crap on such a sensitive subject.
Any self respecting creative wouldn’t even put this idea down on a layout pad, let alone have the gall to present it and follow it through.
Hopefully the next brief for the bipolar education foundation lands on another desk at another agency and someone gives this client the great creative they deserve.
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Wow is the campaignbrief blog you’re running Tim?
Smart insight comments on the subject
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Ah the campaignbrief blog I presume, well done Tim you finally got there!!
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Hi “God” and “Cocks”,
It’s a bit more plausible to pretend to be two different people if one of you refers to it as “Campaign Brief” and only one uses the more grammatically quirky “campaignbrief blog”.
It also helps if you post from different IP addresses. Have a chat with your IT guys about that – I’m sure they can help explain how. I bet they’re very good at Saatchis, which is where I notice your posting comes from.
Andf how about you address the substance of the criticism? I’m sure there’s an alternative point of view. Considering it’s presumably intended as an awareness-raising ad, it’s a shame nobody is willing to publicly talk about it.
I look forward to your “smart insight comments” on the subject.
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella
I get they we’re going for cut-through, but you want to be noticed for the right reasons.
People dying just isn’t funny.
Suidice stems from people feeling their lives are tirival and they can’t talk to other’s about their proplems.
A trivial analogy therefore is just in poor taste.
If you look at how Natalie Tran dealt with RUOK? day, I think you see the right tone for this type of subject.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqXyauHB_9E
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I love a good astroturfing bust…
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This ad is simply appalling.
The creators should view this ad http://ow.ly/3adQ4 which is accompanying a new new US mental health website http://www.bringchange2mind.org.
This ad is: informative, engaging and does not trivialise an important issue.
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I saw this ad a couple of weeks ago at the cinemas and my partner and I looked at each other mouthing “WTF?”. It was in such poor taste.
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