Sensitisation adverts
I have always been a big fan of adverts, especially TV adverts. It takes a lot of talent to cram in meaningful messages into 30-second videos. Many advert directors have actually gone on to become big Hollywood film-makers, like Ridley Scott who was well-known for his rustic Hovis advert (which was named as one of the best ads ever made in the UK) and the advert made for the launch of the Apple Mac. A.R.Rahman, the Mozart of Madras used to compose ad jingles before taking Bollywood by storm (he still does for Airtel).
There are millions of funny TV ads all over the world. I have spent many hours watching them on TV and on video sharing websites. But the kinds of ads which always move me are usually the ones made for sensitisation campaigns. We all know the standard of ads on the channels of our dear national broadcaster, but since I have been in England, I have been fascinated by government ads. The shock element is used conspicuously, which I think, makes sense. If you want to convey a message about dangerous driving, shying away from shocking the audience will not help.
Here's a small selection of the ones which I have seen on TV and which are particularly impressive:
Get Real, Get A Prescription
This is a brand new ad by Pfizer and some other Pharmaceutical entities. It encourages people to buy real medecine instead of knock-off medecine off the internet. It is particularly disgusting and disturbing!!
It's 30 for a reason
This is an ad for respecting the 30 mph speed limit near schools. Please augment the volume of your speakers to the max to appreciate the sound of breaking bones better!
Think UK: Drink driving
Anti-drink driving ads are rampant on TV, but this one stands out for me for its brutality and its unpredictability.
Think UK: Kill your speed or live with it
This one is about speeding and really hammers the message home in a very creepy way!
Alcohol, Know Your Limits
There are 2 versions of this: the one above and the one with the boy, which is equally good. As the title suggests, they are about binge drinking and shows you the disgusting side of being utterly drunk (especially the one with the vomit in the hair).
There are loads more, especially the health awareness ones which do not feature often in this post. Let me know if I have missed any other excellent adverts made for sensitisation campaigns.
Oh and if you have not worked that out already, the poster at the top of this post sensitises people about how smoking can reduce your sperm count.
