This advert produced for the World Wildlife Fund really, really crosses the line! (Don’t watch it if you’re easily upset.)
I understand that environmentalists need to get people’s attention and more people need to take conservation more seriously, but how does using – not just imagery – but also recreated scenes of the 9/11 attacks on New York City achieve this? If anything, it nauseates reasonable people and makes them think environmentalists are cranks. Not only are they cranks, but they are inhuman, unfeeling, insensitive, misanthropic cranks.
This is an outrage. Sure, it might get people talking about WWF… but what will they be saying?
How can they even begin to equate religiously-fanatical terrorists with a force of nature? Are they suggesting if we “listen” to the demands of nature, it won’t bomb us like Al Qaida did? Is this an image of America “reaping the whirlwind” as we all will do if we don’t follow WWF’s advice on the environment?
Apparently, the advert was produced by a Brazil-based advertising agency – DDB BRASIL – and rejected by the WWF, but published anyway. They’re pretty upset about it. As they should be. DDB apparently published the advert so it would be eligible for awards. Whose awards? One can only sit open-mouthed and bewildered!
I wonder if they need an award winning cartoonist?