'Hitler' stars in new AIDS awareness ad..... Savvy or sick?
By James72
@James72 (26790)
Australia
September 7, 2009 3:15am CST
I work in the marketing field, so I'm always appreciative of different angles taken to get a message across. Even if those angles are controversial, you sometimes can't help but admire the vision of those who created the campaign.
But every now and then, something comes along that puts me on the fence. Is it distasteful, or is it very, very clever? Check this article below and see for yourself what I'm referring to here:
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/newshome/5939295
So, is this savvy marketing, or is it a sick angle to be taking? It's certainly going to be memorable, that's for sure; but WILL it be memorable for all the right reasons? I'd be really interested to hear your own opinions on this one.
8 people like this
8 responses
@pixeltwistr (613)
• United States
8 Sep 09
Hmm...well I "got" it...but i also read the article next to it and if i hadnt maybe i wouldnt have gotten it...
You are definately going to have two sides on this one...there will be one group whe sees it as equating aids with hitler because it kills as many people as hitler did (which acording to the article is what the creators intended) but you will aso have a side that is totally offended or feels that they are comparing people with aids to hitler.....
personally i think it is pretty clever taken in the contex it was meant.
2 people like this
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
8 Sep 09
I'd like to think that most people could appreciate how a mass murder angle links the 2, even if they WERE offended by the Hitler inclusion; but I personally don't feel that the creators of this commercial portrayed things anywhere near as effectively as they could have. It had the potential to be clever, but didn't come close to reaching it! And "Hmm...well I "got" it...but i also read the article next to it and if i hadnt maybe i wouldnt have gotten it..." is a problem in itself if this was to be common across many viewers! (And I'm sure it will be common too)
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
8 Sep 09
Mike commented above and provided this link: http://www.aids-is-a-mass-murderer.com/
It shows the various aspects of the campaign and when it's all placed together like this, the concept actually stands out effectively I reckon! It's the TV commercial that's the let down, but the rest is quite clever.
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
8 Sep 09
AIDs is a virus. Until such time as we find out that it was deliberately set loose to kill off a certain segment of the population, I can't quite see where using something as distasteful as a picture of Hitler is appropriate.
2 people like this
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
8 Sep 09
I don't consider the use of Hitler in this context as appropriate either. I can see how someone may have thought they could be clever with the tie-ins, but they failed miserably. 
As for AIDS being set loose deliberately, I've often wondered the same myself. I wonder if we'll ever find out if this is the case or not? Maybe not in this lifetime I don't think.....
As for AIDS being set loose deliberately, I've often wondered the same myself. I wonder if we'll ever find out if this is the case or not? Maybe not in this lifetime I don't think.....1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
8 Sep 09
I doubt that it was, but I guess anything's possible in warfare.
@alokn99 (5717)
• India
7 Sep 09
The coomercial is in absolute poor taste James. Aids in itself is a cause for concern which needs to be tackled with proper preventive measures. Why compare it to something or someone and take away the focus away from the illness and also create controversies in the process. Stick to the basics about educating people and improve on that is what i think they should be doing instead.
2 people like this
@Palmerhusky (843)
• United States
8 Sep 09
I think that its execution is poor but i do see the point they are trying to make. Hitler was indeed a mass murderer as AIDS is also. So i see the connection that they are making here. It doesn't surprise me that they were as graphic about it as the were, considering that Europe is much more sexually free than many countries.
2 people like this
@aerous (13434)
• Philippines
9 Sep 09
We hope so, my friend. Because that is really good for those HIV and AIDS victim. If that is an organization that promote awareness about AIDS. I think there is good reason they do that. But if not an organization not promoting the awareness of this kind of disease I don't think they a have a good reason to that?
Have a nice day!
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
8 Sep 09
No problem jb, it happens! 
Thank you for taking the time to drop in and say so! (Search here is crap anyway and I've accidentally posted similar discussions on news stories even after searching first!)
I suppose now I'll have to go to your discussion and become abusive yes? Sigh. LMAO
Thank you for taking the time to drop in and say so! (Search here is crap anyway and I've accidentally posted similar discussions on news stories even after searching first!)
I suppose now I'll have to go to your discussion and become abusive yes? Sigh. LMAO
@mimpi1911 (25464)
• India
7 Sep 09
The kudos to the mastermind for the amazing creativity anddigging out Hitler from the grave. Having said this, its a downer for me to have thought to reach the mass like this about an important world issue.
1 person likes this
@mimpi1911 (25464)
• India
22 Sep 09
Couldn't agree more. This is fake sensationalism over a serious issue.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Sep 09
hi james72 I think thats going way too far and that the'message'
about Aids will be lost in allthat other crap.I think its a'sort of '
sick idea and will detract from what they really want to'
say about Aids,it will do mor harm than good is my point.
1 person likes this
