Stupid nonprofit ad: Extreme Abstraction

Another Stupid Nonprofit Ad. This one brings weird to a whole new level.

So in response to the tragedy in Burma, warplanes from around the world converge on Burma and drop flowers? We respond by blanketing the human-devoid landscape with sympathy blossoms? Excuse me, but could you go over that concept again? And what exactly is this intended to motivate people to think, feel, or do?

Then, as if to make sure we don't transition into something comprehensible, the ad gives the URL MTVBurmaAction.com where you are greeted by all-caps copy over a dark and varied background (maybe they don't want you to read it because they know they're not saying anything useful), and continued abstraction about the suffering people of Burma.

Following the footsteps of the many other Stupid Nonprofit Ads, abstraction, confusion, and lack of audience awareness combine to create a goofy puzzle.

Enjoy!

Thanks to AdGabber for the tip.

Technorati Tags: fundraising, advertising

Comments

[Terre]

This video is meant to stimulate curiosity and emotion, particularly in young people (it's MTV, after all).

First, capture attention, which the video does through a beautiful rendering that looks like a high-end video game. Second, engage emotion, which the video does with the unexpected shift from cold, gray war planes dropping what looks like cluster bombs to colorful flowers floating over a beautiful landscape. Third, curiosity. Why flowers? Because the situation in Myanmar is tragic, and flowers are a common human response to tragedy. What's the tragedy? Massive deaths. Why not aid? Because Burmese dictators won't allow it. Hey, there's Bono. Who is this person he says should be freed? ...

Those of us who've been in the business awhile need to be careful our thinking doesn't become arthritic.

I have a very hip 18 year-old working here doing database entry, but we include her in campaign planning because her thinking is fresh and different in significant ways. She's untrained as a marketer, but lifelong exposure to marketing and the internet gives her a perspective that we find valuable. At first her responses were limited to "it's boring" or "why?" Now when she thinks something is boring she knows to qualify that - it's been done (not engaging), it's dumb (dumbed-down), the look is lame (artwork not as sophisticated as, say, the MMOG Eve)...

I think the video and website are good attempts to reach this demographic.

[J. Echols]

This is a hot mess. At the end of the ad, the call to action is "Burma Emergency. To donate, mtvburmaaction.com" - but when you go to that website, not only are you greeted with the all-caps copy, etc. but they make it hard to donate! Instinctively, you would assume the "your contribution" tab would be the place to go to make a donation; but no, that's the place to leave a "message of hope" that may or may not be posted on a blog. Once I found the links to make a donation under "the cause" tab (one of which didn't work), I was redirected to the home page of the Red Cross. From there, I clicked on yet another link and was finally able to make a donation.

If the ad manages to succeed in stimulating emotion and a desire to participate, why not make it easy for the viewer to act?

[Brad Bell]

I’m not sure age has anything to do with the criticism.

I find it an odd spot because it’s basically a branding ad for a feeling; a feeling about Burma that has little to do with the Burmese and everything to do with us. I find the ad very kitchy - like a non-satirical version of Team America, directed by Tim Burton.

Looking for some way to measure the ad, I compared it to a Burma relief video from Avaaz.

Read more