The above is an advertising folder on the desk of my suite in a luxury hotel. The second page contains details of the merchandise being offered by the hotel's own outlet, within its precincts.
I was very disturbed that the first page had only the message shown in the picture above. If the viewer was not curious enough to take a look at the second page, there was no way for him or her to know what the invitation to Loot, Pillage and Plunder referred to.
Thirty or fifty years ago, these three words would not have had the same connotation. One would have attributed them to a clever creative artist of an advertising agency. In today's environment, however, are these words not in very bad taste, if not altogether despicable? I wonder, and ask of every guest visiting me. Am I troubled because I am dated and have become out of synch with the prevailing times?
Life outside, and inside, on your newspapers and other reading materials, and ultimately on TV channels, is already so violent and frightening, with the mayhem prevailing everywhere, that exhortation to engage, even in what is to be assumed to be a humorous tone, in violent activity, merely for the sake of a sales pitch, for selling goods, should be condemned, if not proscribed altogether. And that too, by an international brand name.
That is my question, and in that question is the hope that even as I point this out to the management of my hotel, others, both consumers as well as the vendors and, especially, their advertising agencies, would take note, and be responsible about the use of language and illustration that, given the enormous power of media on social behavioural psychology, can have such a forceful and irrevocable impact.
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Update -- Immediately after I posted to my blog, I received this from the head of marketing of the luxury hotel in question, who profusely apologised and, having circulated worldwide new norms for advertising, sent me the proof of the replaced card, with an altered, decent message:
Your agenda for the day
3 comments:
May i offer my humble assurance to you sir that it is not you that is out of sync with the times.
One will have to grant the benefit of doubt to the designers and selectors; their inspiration comes from that most disturbing trend of negative advertising which Onida popularised.
But it is difficult to extend that benefit (of doubt) to a corporate chain that has earned prestige as a responsible business house.
Other than the aesthetics of the (re)presentation of treasure, there is the huge question of ethics which the management seems to have totally overlooked.
The words on the card blatantly uphold the embarrassing 'no holds barred' depths to which public conduct seems to have descended particularly in incredible India.
We may lack the individual and collective will to remedy matters but to remain silent would amount to condoning and being complicit in the rampant violence.
i hope the staff take note and act upon your concern without delay.
You are not alone in being disturbed by this image and text. Nine years ago, one day something got into me, and I went around the city shooting pictures of bill boards -- starting in the morning and winding up late in the night. One bill board that shook me up more than the others was for a garments shop. The copy read, "aao loot lo." The only difference between your reaction now and mine then is that I did not write a protest note. I just felt numb!
I was interested to read this when you first posted it. Soon afterward I received an advertising mailer in which the ad had changed substantially: the same illustration of three suitcases remained, but the text had been altered to read "Your Agenda For the Day." The timing leads me to suspect that your piece here had come to the notice of the right people, and that they had taken action to revise the advertising campaign.
Congratulations -- keep up the good work.
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