The producers at the ABC have decided to pull one of “The Pitch” ads from tonight’s episode of ‘The Gruen Transfer’. The show, which features a segment where two ad agencies try to ‘Sell the Unsellable’is, in my view, hit and miss. However, the Australian agency  apparently The Foundry went too far trying to sell ‘obesity’, using The Holocaust, Jews and Black people in their commercial.

When it was aired in the studio during taping, it apparently ‘went down like a lead balloon – no one laughed’. 

No doubt The Foundry will defend their tactics – and there will be those within and out of the industry who join in. I, however, won’t be one of them.

Most top creative directors around the world will steer their eager departments from using easy cheap shots to gain attention. Farts, poo (or any bodily fluids), stereotyping for laughs and other similar methods are often put to the CD by eager young creatives, thinking they’ve hit the attention-seeking jackpot – “nobody will forget this!” they’ll say to each other as they trot off to the present it internally (I know, I was one of them many years ago).

A good creative director will gently point out that we’re not in high school anymore (even if the product is aimed at that audience). Others won’t be so kind. And sadly, there will be a few who don’t know the difference between a clever idea and an easy target.

Over the years, there have been scores of ads that have pushed the boundaries of taste – some were just the generally accepted view at the times, others were out and out offensive. Some prod the line of taste and still get away with it. It’s subjective – everyone’s view will differ.

In today’s politically correct world, it’s great to see some buttons being pushed. I might not always agree with tv, print or radio ads that do this (today, even Twitter posts fall under this category) but that’s part of living in a democratic society.

My view is that bad taste ideas just gain attention without necessarily winning any admirers – aside from some teenage boys, perhaps. Thought-provoking creativity demands going beyond the bleeding obvious to find new ways of shaking us out of our collective complacency.

 Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind certain forms of political incorrectness, even when some people will most certainly be offended (Benetton ads of the past are a case in point – they were created specifically to spark conversations).

Back to The Gruen Transfer. Not having seen the ad yet (apparently the show will run it on their website after tonight’s episode) I can’t say whether or not I think it pushes the boundaries. All I do know is that, if no one in the audience laughed, that speaks volumes.

UPDATE:  Here’s a link to the ad, as well as a healthy debate between the creator and three Gruen panel members. It’s a long debate but very interesting nonetheless. Judge for yourself.

Posted by Dana Minter