Advertising Age [sub] reckons a TV ad featuring actor/singer Harry Connick Jr. touring Katrina-ravaged New Orleans in a Lincoln MKX [YouTube] is unconscionable exploitation. In the great TTAC style, columnist Bob Garfield doesn't pull any punches. "They seem to have persuaded themselves somehow that they are doing something positive — celebrating the spirit of a city, shedding light on its challenges, recognizing its heroes. Bullshit. What they are doing is exploiting its victims to advertise luxury SUVs. It is vulgar. It is grotesque. It is disgusting." From there, Garfield returns to GM's contribution to the "automaker with a heart" ad theme. "Who can forget GM's 3,000-Dead Sale-a-bration, a yearend price promotion staged on the still-smoldering ashes of Ground Zero? Ford got in on the Sept. 11 sweepstakes too, with its own version dubbed "Ford Drives America." Yeah, to the brink of depravity" While we're not quite sure how these ads deprave American citizenry, hats off to Ad Age for calling out Young & Rubican's execrable example of Lincoln's dopey "Dreams" campaign.
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Both Ford and GM did a lot to help New Orleans during Katrina. Both company mobilized what resources they had in the area. I think advertising walks a fine line between promoting goodwill and taking advantage of a situation. Should auto companies not be allowed to advertise fuel efficiency because they’re just taking advantage of people’s fears about the weather? I think not. Just I don’t think one company should be singled out for advertising about the assistance they’ve provided to New Orleans. I would like to know what people from that area think though.
There is a fine line with this sort of advertising. What some see as “beyond the pale” others see as pride of place.
I’m sure we all saw the chain e-mail in the aftermath of 9/11 about GM’s and Ford’s donations and assistance to the recovery effort, and the donations not made by Toyota, Honda, etc. And any moral offense not withstanding, GM’s “Keep America Rolling” campaign was very successful and (mostly) warmly received.
I think the same dynamics are present with the Lincoln ad with N.O. Native Son Harry Connick, Jr. Especially given that it’s been over two years since the Katrina disaster.
Having sale banners and logos on the rescue helicopters would have been tacky. Saying, “this temporary housing brought to you by Lincoln” would be outrageous. But having a respected local figure – who really doesn’t need Lincoln’s money – involved in the ad is a different matter entirely.
The ongoing recovery in New Orleans includes replacement of the area’s automobile stock. We live in a capitalistic society. I don’t see the problem.
Self-aggrandizing ads like these are all lumpy turds. When I first saw that stupid Chevy truck commercial with John Mellencamp (hack) blathering on about how great America is and images of Watergate and Vietnam and I think even 9/11, it made me think, “Toyota’s new Tundra isn’t so bad…”
The only thing all corporations want to do is charge you as much as possible for the lowest-quality product they can produce without consumer backlash. If they could figure out a way to take all the money away from every Katrina victim without suffering national outrage, they would do it without a second thought. It is lazy, stupid advertising to co-opt a complicated piece of American history and associate your brand with the uplifting points.
Ford isn’t doing this because they love Katrina victims so much. Ford is doing this because they’re counting on you, the consumer, to be stupid enough to believe they love Katrina victims and will grow goodwill for the brand. It’s lazy, short-cutty, lame and a lumpy turd. Ford FTL.
Hey, I’m glad that Ford did a lot for the victims of Katrina and all… but how does this ad make me want a MKX? Does it make we want to aspire to own a Lincoln some day? Why not leave this type of advertising to Ford trucks, and how tough and rugged they were in helping the rebuilding effort.
Does this company know what a brand stands for?
Yawn. As usual, a company has come up with an ad that creates a metric ass-load of furor which gets the spot run for free on news channels as part of a
“news story.” People like Bob Garfield pile on, giving the company even more free advertising by talking about the ad/brand. Then, the company “apologizes” and gives some money to a worthy cause and the whole mess is forgotten. This pattern is oft -repeated in all mediums, from ads for cars (Lincoln, VW’s suicide ads), book banning, etc. And don’t think for a minute the company never considered that their ad would generate controversy…they knew it would.
I believe the term for people like Bob Garfield and others that decry ads/books like this is “useful idiot.”
Who the hell is Harry Connick Jr.?
And when I went to NOLA this summer, the place looked fine.
I like the ad, but I don’t think it has much utility for selling cars. Connick’s love for his home town is evident and I though the ad was sweet. It didn’t make me want to buy a Lincoln, but I was not offended.
Robert—my thoughts exactly. I have seen several stories over the last 2 years on Connick and his work in New Orleans. He simply does not want people to forget Katrina and its toll on his hometown.
Apparently he had no issue attaching his name to Ford because he saw Ford actually do something (both time and money) to help out his hometown….they did not sit on their asses like some of the other so-called American Car Companies other wise known as the transplants. I do not question Connick’s motives…he is a stand up guy.
Like you Robert–i do not think it will sell many MKX’s however…Lincoln MKX should stick with the “hot mom” ad….that ad moved metal.
Is no one drawing a connection between SUVs, emissions, global warming, withdrawing marshlands, intensifying hurricanes, and flooding?
kazoomaloo:
Relax. Its not THAT offensive.
Just think, all the free press Lincoln is getting now probably helped get some people into their showrooms.
Lousy ad for a gussied up Ford CUV. Then again, maybe the ad folks could do more than image/lifestyle ads if Lincoln had some unique, distinctly American Luxury product.
Kinda irrelevant, though. The MKX is selling pretty well and this ad won’t change that.
I don’t see exploitation in this ad.
Exploitation was when unscrupulous photo developers in Manhattan secretly kept duplicate negative films of the 9/11 attacks for themselves and then turned around and sold these pictures to tourists, clearly trying to make a fast buck off of this tragedy.
This is simply an ad showing a proud man reminding America that his city is still here, that it’s down but not out, and that it will survive. Take out the MKX and one could easily think this was an ad by the New Orleans chamber of commerce trying to revive their tourism industry or lure businesses back to the city.
Certainly, I don’t think that any N.O. resident that returned to help rebuild the city would look upon themselves as a victim, especially as the city is in the midst of trying to rebuild itself.
Exploitation? Not from where I stand.
We had some borderline bad-taste advertisements here in Southern California recently.
One radio ad that stands out was for one of the major auto parts store chains (AutoZone?).
The spiel went something like “We at [auto parts store chain] want to help the victims of the recent Southern California wildfires. So come into one of our stores and we’ll give you 20% off when you purchase a new air filter….”
Yeah, that $5 they save on a Fram is *really* gonna help them rebuild their burned-down homes and shattered lives…