I remember seeing this ad last term and since then, always seem to reference it when thinking about ads that seem to go too far in trying to convey a message. This ad in particular, seems to be pulling on the heartstrings of an event that shook not only the United States, but also impacted the rest of the world ... and became one of the driving forces behind the war. From the WWF's perspective, I understand that they were trying to bring awareness to the public, but using this iconic scene ... it seems they went too far. With a headline reading, "The Tsunami killed 100 times more people on 9/11. The planet is brutally powerful. Respect it. Preserve it," the ad acknowledges the damages but pushes to illustrate the destruction the planet is capable of. Created by DDB Brazil, the ad was initially rejected by a client for WWF, but DDB went ahead and ran the ad anyway, even entering it into a competition. Mentioning 9/11 still pushes buttons and as such, should remain outside of the advertising world. What's worse,this particular theme should have a no fly respect when it comes to creative work. Especially by agencies in other countries. This was NOT a natural disaster, but rather a carefully planned execution by terrorists. This ad makes me angry. I understand that shock was the initial intent as well as raising awareness ... but using such a symbolic and iconic image sends the wrong message and ultimately ruins the message.
