Conclusion

“AIDS is still out there and it still kills”

Analyzing the issue of AIDS within a cultural context has been interesting not only because executional styles are carried out differently cross-culturally, but also because this concerns not just one nation, but all people across the globe. Therefore, the advertising strategies vary immensely.

In analyzing the advertising forms and adaptations made catered toward target groups across cultures, I have come to understand effective advertising appeals and executions that work.

HIV -/+

Generally, advertisements take on forms that represent association transfer, lesson/drama and special effects. Unlike product ads, there are limitations for promoting serious global issues such as AIDS. I think that it’s interesting that the approaches for doing a campaign on AIDS versus safe sex are completely different even though they directly relate to each other. Using humor on AIDS for example would be a huge taboo as this will cause uproars in the community. It’s seen as distasteful, unethical and offensive. The tactics used usually involve shock and/or scare. However, there is more leniency and flexibility toward using humor on protection measures for safe sex. Take a look at this commercial here, which was banned in Sweden. Again, it’s quite ironic that this commercial would be banned, but not the “AIDS is a Mass Murderer” one in Germany.

 Overall, the ads from Europe are more risqué and direct compared to those in the US and China. France in particular is unafraid of crossing the lines. While showing nudity and explicit sexual act is considered more acceptable in European countries, the US is less tolerant in that respect. From my observations, I learned that there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to advertising. But in order to create an effective awareness campaign, advertisers must know who their audience is by conducting research on their attitudes and understanding societal structure. Once they have all of that information ready, they may finally apply and execute those key cultural values into the campaign.

 

Hong Kong: “If I Were HIV Positive, Would You Still Love Me?”

“It’s the HIV that must be excluded, not the people with HIV”

In 2008, AIDS Concern, an NGO AIDS Agency in Hong Kong, carried out an Anti-Stigma Advertising Campaign. The ad series starred more than six famous television artisits with the primary message asking the public “If I were HIV positive, would you still love me?” The campaign is based on the principle of “Greater Involvement of People Living with AIDS” and promoting the importance of family support.

Hong Kong artist Joe Ma "If I were HIV positive, would my family still be supportive to me?"

 Other taglines from the ad series include:

“If I were HIV positive, would I still be offered so many opportunities to perform?”

“If Iwere HIV positive, would my little son still be close to me?”

 

China

“My friend is HIV positive, but so what? We are all fighting against AIDS and combating prejudice”

The first outdoor advertisement here simply shows a group of friendly males and females including superstar Yao Ming wearing red ribbons as a statement to show their support. The tagline states “My friend is HIV positive, but so what? We are all fighting against AIDS, against prejudice”. It’s interesting to see how drastically different advertisements on AIDS are compared to the European countries such as the lack of explicit sexual content. Instead, the message here is conservative and straightforward in a way that people are just posing yet indirect because the message is unclear. In this case, the only context is the red ribbon that the people are wearing and without that understanding, people may not immediately understand what the point of the ad is. In other words, the image itself cannot stand alone without the tagline or text. In a way, the executional style of this ad describes an announcement ad where celebrities are used to display the product/brand (AIDS) and encourage and motivate people to fight against AIDS collectively.

Yao Ming in an AIDS awareness ad

The other ads are just as straightforward because they either show faces of famous people or simply a red ribbon with the word “AIDS” centered in the middle.

Prevent STDs, prevent AIDS. Use a condom.

 

USA: We Are All Potential Carriers

Here, I will analyze two of Kenneth Cole’s campaigns on AIDS.

About Kenneth Cole
Kenneth Cole is a fashion designer known for his design in men’s and women’s footwear as well for his philanthropic involvement. As a humanitarian, he uses fashion to address important social issues and support public awareness initiatives. Cole is noted for being the first designer to take a public stand in the fight against HIV/AIDS during his first public service campaign that he ran in 1985. His Kenneth Cole Foundation also brought forth the “Awearness” Campaign, which seeks to encourage community involvement, empower acts of service and volunteerism through partnerships. His controversial advertising campaigns such as “We all have AIDS, if one of us does” and “We are all potential carriers” have generated worldwide attention.

 “We Are All Potential Carriers”
This print ad is interesting because at first glance you think that the product here is the handbag. But by further reading the tagline, “carrier” is a reference to AIDS and not the bag that the model is brandishing. This is both clever and somewhat vague because if I was unfamiliar with Cole’s previous campaign efforts with HIV/AIDS, the underlying message here would have completely slipped out of my mind.

We are All Potential Carriers

Some view this as misleading and even unethical because Cole is “commodifying the AIDS pandemic in order to sell handbags”. Could he be using this cause as a marketing tool that will leverage him to gain profit? The argument against his motives is that at least it gets the point across.
  

“We All Have AIDS”
In 2005, Cole launches the “We All Have AIDS” public service campaign on World AIDS Day, which will be shown in print and outdoor ads. Photographed by Mark Seliger, the campaign stars President Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Elton John, Alicia Keys, Will Smith, Sharon Stone and Dame Elizabeth Taylor stepping into cement, which “symbolizes their commitment to the global fight against HIV/AIDS.” Such a bold headline is very catchy and garnered controversy at the time when it came out. First of all, its simplicity and accuracy really struck me because who would like to think that we “all have AIDS”? This statement certainly puts things into perspective because it recalls the danger of this deadly disease still capable of affecting millions of people all over the world. Moreover, people generally do not like to admit the fact that AIDS is spreading so rapidly and accept the truth that if “we all have AIDS, if one of us does”.  

We All Have AIDS...If One of Us Does

The above two examples again demonstrate the prevalence of social corporate responsibility particularly in the US. By aligning a social cause with a company’s values, people feel good about themselves for making a difference.

 

USA: Do the (RED) Thing

Photographer:

Annie Liebowitz
Partnering Companies: Gap, Starbucks, American Express, Apple Inc, Converse, Motorola  

Corporate Social Responsibility
The US has also carried out several AIDS campaigns. But rather than using “shock” or “scare” as factors to promote safe sex and AIDS awareness, American companies have a tendency to establish a partnership with a good cause to show support; this is also known as corporate social responsibility- the concept of giving back to the community and demonstrating a company’s consciousness.

(Starbucks) RED

(PRODUCT) RED for instance is an initiative established to partner with various companies and raise money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS and help women and children in Africa. One of the most prominent examples is Gap where the company created the iconic “INSPIR(RED)” T-shirts made of 100 percent African cotton. Other examples include Starbucks and Apple incorporating the color red and having the iPhone 3G be sold as part of the (PRODUCT) RED campaign. In essence, every partnering company gives a certain percentage of their profits to the Global Fund.

(Apple) RED

Criticisms  
However, Product Red has been criticized by its lack of transparency to the public. Moreover, it has been questioned whether it is necessary to have PRODUCT (RED) as a middleman to distribute money. Why can’t people donate directly to the Global Fund instead ?

 Celebrity Endorsement: Do the (RED) Thing
Using celebrities in an advertisement is an example of association transfer and in a way this is considered more credible because it shows that the famous individual supports the cause. This partnership between Gap and PRODUCT (RED) features well known celebrities such as Penelope Cruz, Don Cheadle, Chris Rock, Christy Turlington and Steven Spielberg in the campaign wearing red clothing and each with a different word ending with the word “RED” on the ad and a tagline that states “Can an individual change the world? Yes you can”. For example, American supermodel Christy Turlington poses in a serene yoga position wearing a tank top with “INSPI(RED)” written on it. For Gap’s children’s line, young aspiring actresses such as Dakota Fanning and Abigail Breslin were also invited to deliver the message. 

(Gap) RED

This strategy works in the US because its strong emphasis on entertainment and pop culture are reflected on society. By placing well-known faces on these ads, the public is bound to be drawn to the message he/she is trying to sell. Unlike the Danish culture which does not support celebrity endorsement because of the belief that everyone is equal, many people in the US look up to celebrities as a source of inspiration. In this campaign, Gap has cleverly selected a diverse group of people ranging from famous athletes, models, actresses/actors to film directors. Using celebrities as an icon for a good cause not only targets a wide range of audiences and fans, but also motivates people to take action as a collective force.     

Dakota Fanning in (Gap) REDAbigail Breslin in (Gap) RED

Germany: AIDS Is Not a Gift

 “And what are you bringing home to him/her?”

HIV Milan

Released in April 2004, this advertisement series was created by START advertising agency for Organization for AIDS Prevention and AID. They showcase either a man or woman handing a gift bag with a reputable brand name to his/her partner with a tagline that says “And what are you bringing home to him/her?” Unlike the “mass murderer” campaign, this series is much more subtle and the use of emotions is prevalent here to generate awareness reminding people that AIDS is not a gift. Moreover, it is also trying to spread the idea that AIDS does not only affect the individual, but also the partner. I also think that these ads are supposed to illicit feelings of guilt; it’s shocking in a sense that nobody would ever want to think that HIV is “given away” like a gift, which strengthens the message that people need to be cautious. Once again, these advertisements reflect association transfer where HIV/AIDS is paralleled with expensive name brands such as Tiffany & Co, Prada and DKNY.

HIV & Co

 

Germany: AIDS is a Mass Murderer

“AIDS is a mass murderer”

 

Who What When Where Why
Commissioned by German AIDS awareness group, Regenbogen took an extreme measure featuring Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin and Saddam Hussein look-alikes having passionate sex with naked women with the tagline that said “AIDS is a mass murderer.” Although these ads have successfully accomplished the “shock value,” they received very controversial reviews from the public, particularly two organizations: an AIDS awareness NGO (Solidarité Sida) and a Jewish organization (the Conseil représentatif des institutions juives). There was also a 47 second commercial that aired on German television and movie theaters on September 2009.

Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein

Public Reaction and Controversies
The Jewish community was shocked by the parallels drawn between genocide and an incurable illness. For example, by associating mass murderer with AIDS, people are concerned that those who are HIV positive are portrayed negatively and depicted as “mass murderers” when in fact the ad is trying to imply that it is the HIV the virus that kills. Stephan Kramer, general secretary of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said

“Apparently the initiators and producers of this campaign are only concerned, without consideration for other’s emotions, with provocation based on this slogan: Hitler sells.”

Some questioned whether it was necessary to use controversial figures such as Hitler as an image for an AIDS campaign and dig up unwanted memories from the past. Kramer issued a statement calling the ad “a defamation and mockery” of Holocaust victims. While this advertisement campaign intends to warn people the impact of unprotected sex and how scary AIDS is, when and where do you draw the line for something that has gone completely over the top? Moreover, Regenbogen deputy head Heiko Schoessling told the Associated Press that the ad would not only run on German television but also in movie theaters. The “mass murderer” campaign would also be present in radio spots, music videos, print ads and posters. Overall, the explicit nudity and sexual content in the campaign was shocking enough, but more interestingly, I was surprised to find how Germany was able to bring up controversial figures in such a lenient manner. In the US, these commercials and ads would never fly. The advertising agency behind this campaign said,

We asked ourselves what face we could give to the virus, and it couldn’t be a pretty face,” Dirk Silz from the Das Commitee agency said. ”The campaign is designed to shake people up, to bring the topic of AIDS back to centre stage, and to reverse the trend of unprotected sexual intercourse,” he added saying they wanted to “show the ugliness of the illness, not of AIDS victims.”

 

Advertising Appeals and Executional Style
Looking at the classification system for comparing advertising forms cross-culturally, this advertisement is an example of association transfer, lesson and special effects. First of all, in terms of association transfer, the ad transfers the characteristics of historical leaders such as Hitler to the brand (German AIDS Awareness Group) by drawing a parallel. Additionally, the ad displays a type of lifestyle (such as not using a condom) that is strongly discouraged because of the potential consequences. The virus HIV is a “mass murderer” in that it not only affects the infected individual but his/her partner(s). Secondly, this ad represents lesson; although the ad does not involve a presenter, spokesperson with a testimonial or demonstration, the message clearly shows that this is a lesson to be learned. In a way, the ad is a reminder for people to be cautious and to think before they regret about their action. Last but not the least, this ad uses special effects and elements of imagination; even though we all clearly understand that Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein and Josef Stalin are dead, their legacy continues to haunt people. Advertisers mobilize and adapt these prominent icons as a representation of danger by using video techniques to get their key message across.   

Josef Stalin

 

France: The Human Hourglass

“Every 10 seconds, someone dies of AIDS in the world. Protect yourself.”

Who What When Where Why
France has yet made another breakthrough in creating controversial statements about AIDS. In October 2007, Leo Burnett Advertising Agency released a 38 second commercial titled The Human Hourglass for French AIDS awareness organization Sidaction. The commercial showed hundreds of naked bodies in what appears to be a sexual orgy. It is not until the camera zooms out when you first realize that that these people are contained in an hourglass, awaiting their time to fall through the hourglass. The tagline states “Every 10 seconds, someone dies of AIDS in the world. Protect yourself.”

As disturbing and grotesque this may look, it illustrates an important point- that time is running out and people need to take action now to avoid becoming one of the victims falling through the hourglass. The concept of this advertisement is said to be inspired by Chris Cunningham’s Flex. The Human Hourglass is an example of a viral campaign released on the Internet.  

Sidaction

Public Reaction
Readers’ comments show a mix of positive and negative feedback. While some felt that this commercial was very well executed and visually thought-provoking, others prefer that the advertiser extends the dying part at the end to dramatize the consequences of lack of protection. But in comparison to the print ads from Germany (see posts above), I was actually quite surprised that this campaign effort did not garner as much controversy. I think the main reason is that The Human Hourglass is a viral ad, which means this relies on the method of word-of-mouth and that people have a choice whether they want to watch it or forward the link to their friends.

The Human Hourglass- Time is running out...

Advertising Appeals and Executional Style
This viral ad is an example of drama and special effects. The drama derives from telling a story because there is a beginning, middle and end. Also, the ambiguity and grotesque movements among the naked people in the beginning immediately engages viewers right from the beginning. What is happening? What is the commercial trying to say? Moreover, the lighting and special effects dramatizes the message (especially the part when the human starts falling to the bottom into darkness) while the hourglass is metaphor for time.

 

France: Deadly Insects

“Without a condom, it’s the aids you’re making love to. Protect yourself.”

Who Who When Where What
In 2004, AIDES the French AIDS organization (created by TBWA Paris) launched these two print advertisements showing a man and a woman engaged in sex acts with a scorpion and tarantula to promote the importance of protection. My initial reaction to these two advertisements was confusion. Is it directly saying that sex with insects/animals is bad? What are the implications? I find these ads very disturbing and graphic because even though my instincts told me this was wrong, it was hard to decipher the underlying message until I read the tagline at the bottom which reads, “Without a condom, it’s the aids you’re making love to. Protect yourself.” According to this French AIDS awareness campaign, “having unprotected sex is like having a gigantic arachnid perform cunnilingus on you, or mounting a spread-eagled scorpion in the missionary position, its poison-dripping tail wildly thrashing about in the throes of its ecstasy.” In other words, the campaign tries to associate AIDS with deadly poisonous creatures that will eventually kill.

Controversial Ad #1

 Public Reaction
The advertisement is effective in that it catches people’s attention. But how far should advertisers go with a message that so strongly affects everyone? For example, the message may only target those who are sexually active, but it can ultimately offend and hurt those who are already affected by the HIV virus. In this case, people who have HIV/AIDS are associated with poison and deadly, which in fact puts them in negative light. Will this raise discriminatory issues? One response highlighted the controversial aspects of this ad, “I personally do not appreciate being likened to some kind of deadly spider or scorpion. I’ve spent more than half my life fighting the pointless stigma which our society dishes out to people with AIDS. I’m sick and tired of being compared to some kind of bugs, diseased germ-infested vermin, or otherwise belittled and denigrated.”

Controversial Ad #2

Advertising Appeals and Executional Style
These ads work because they invoke an emotional response, which not only forces people to think about the consequences, but also the reality of unprotected sex.

This advertisement is a result of association transfer and drama. Just like the “mass murderer” ad from Germany, the deadly creatures illustrated are directly associated with poison and death. The tagline “without a condom, it’s the aids you’re making love to. Protect yourself” puts things in perspectives by helping people realize what they may be getting themselves into and unveiling the reality of unprotected sex. This ad also reflects drama because it delivers a “slice-of-life”. This message in fact takes on a more indirect form than lesson in that the disturbing images are more open to people’s interpretation. The solution to keeping these deadly insects out? “Protect yourself.”