Shallow Ads & Deep Issues

 

At first glance, the above ad looks like it is designed to sell designer lingerie or perfumes. But a closer look reveals that it is sponsored by the Organ Donor Foundation, and the message is supposed to encourage people to donate organs. The ad not only uses blatant sexual imagery to capture the viewer's attention, it takes an additional step and taunts the viewer with its message - "Becoming an organ donor is probably your only chance to get inside her". But I think the ad fails on a few other aspects too.

First, with its blatant sexuality designed to attract a male audience, the ad alienates potential female donors. I seriously doubt the effectiveness of a similar campaign targeted at women. Second, it would be really creepy if someone donated organs just to get inside a particular person. So the question is whether an average male reader looking at this ad will be motivated to sign up for organ donation. My guess is - not very much. In my case, I barely remember the website mentioned in the ad. Of course I can google it, but I have other important stuff to do. So after ogling at the ad for a customary few seconds, I move on to the next one.

How could marketers use this?

Could the foundation have followed a different tactic to really motivate the reader to consider organ donation? What would be some of the factors that prevent one from being an organ donor? Maybe people are fearful or apprehensive about the actual procedure (even though it is done after death), or whether the donation would be meaningful. The marketing communication from the Organ Donor Foundation could have creatively addressed such topics as part of an ad, instead of throwing a picture of a sexy young woman and hoping people will pay attention.

The PETA-esque strategy of using sex to sell a social (arguably ideological) issue does not always work. So, for a serious issue, marketers can use sex to capture the viewer's attention, but then provide some data to create a sense of urgency. The following ad does exactly that.