SMA’s Blog is always looking for articles from our community and beyond. Here’s one that was submitted by one of our readers.
** Guest Writer: The Z – Renegade Marketer and Social Conscience Advocate**
So there I am… red eyed after another night of work, beverages, and not enough sleep. I am aimlessly staring at subway billboards when one catches my eye. All it says is “You do look fat in those jeans Sarah Marshall” (see picture). There is no corporate logo hidden anywhere, no recognizable slogan; just a message that taken at face value is quite insulting. I write down the link to a website apparently connected to the ad. It’s called www.ihatesarahmarshall.com. I figure there has to be some catch… Well, there is. The ads are actually for an upcoming movie called Forgetting Sarah Marshall, from the producer of Knocked Up and starring Kristen Bell of Veronica Mars fame. But the website is done quite cleverly, and certainly entices the viewer to read on.
It got me thinking…
(working on getting this picture upright)
It’s no wonder viral marketing has become such a hot trend. People are used to having a message spoon-fed to them; having to work for it actually turns out to be quite stimulating. The essence of viral marketing is to plant the proverbial seed in the mind of the viewer and push them to dig deeper. But who controls the tone of the message? What kind of guardrails are in place to protect the viewer? Alternatively, should the message be controlled at all? Is the freedom we North Americans enjoy not intrinsically linked to the right to free speech?
I guess my main issue with this ad is the use of the word “hate”. While often employed in common speech, hatred is not something to be taken lightly. Think of it from a geopolitical standpoint; hatred is generally used when describing one’s sworn enemy. It is used for justifying bombings, invasions, and other such light-hearted matters. “They hate our way of life”; “we hate the fear they terrorize us with”. Regardless of what the subject matter may be advertising, hatred is just un-cool. It promotes what so many have fought to overcome. The more we tolerate the use of the word in a public setting, the more it becomes acceptable. I think it’s time for the geeks from Knocked Up to grow up and hit a library. Let’s raise the bar on our use of vocabulary in the public space, and avoid appropriating hatred on things that really don’t deserve it. Oh, and btw… I think Sarah Marshall looks pretty darn good in those jeans!
