Canadian ads seek younger organ recyclers
Forget bottles and cans (and clapping your hands), the real cutting-edge area of recycling is organ donation. The Trillium Gift of Life Network of Ontario, Canada, has souped up its marketing efforts with an edgy new campaign to attract younger donors. It includes ads with a recycling symbol dripping with blood and fake sales fliers for internal organs. There's also an interactive Web site, RecycleMe.org, where a fit young person splays himself open like a Carcass album cover to give us a tour of his innards. There's something very dehumanizing about all this, which is perhaps the point, but the delivery risks overshadowing the message here. Plus, they're basing their visuals on the "spare parts bin" preconception about organ donation that dissuades people from donating in the first place. But at least there are no giant singing maggots, unlike some organ-donation campaigns were could name. And hell, if they want my corneas that badly, they can have 'em. I have keratoconus, so it's not like they're doing me any good. —Posted by David Kiefaber |
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April 28, 2009 in Canada, Kiefaber, Organ donation, PSAs | Permalink |
Comments
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while i am in support of organ donation, this is all eerily similar to the book, "never let me go." but instead of harvesting clones' organs, we are harvesting volunteers.
though, the ad uses great world play with recyclables versus donations.
Posted by: sllambe | Apr 28, 2009 9:38:01 AM
I love this campaign!
Posted by: Amelia | Apr 28, 2009 1:19:30 PM
Who is the ad agency behind the campaign?
Posted by: A.B. | Apr 28, 2009 5:51:49 PM
I understand what they are trying to do with this ad. However I think the risk of losing people who may be on the fence about donating is too great. This ad does cross over into dehumanizing people, like we are resualbe products...we are human beings! I support organ donation but I think this ad and the campaign behind it are literally taking the life out of humans and the humanity out of process.
Posted by: katie | Apr 29, 2009 12:20:15 PM
The campaign definitely grabs attention, which is the goal. Since the target is young people, it could shock some into awareness of organ donation. But some people might get a little grossed out if this showed up on their Facebook page (one place where the agency plans to advertise). It's basically hit big or miss big, but that's sort of what finding donors is like anyways.
Posted by: Brad B | Apr 29, 2009 9:25:54 PM
While this campaign will like catch the attention of many, it may be for the wrong reasons. I feel the campaign is misguided. It makes light of something very important and borders on offensive. I would have liked to see them an affective route. They should appeal to the emotional aspect of organ donation. Make young adults understand what it would feel like if they were the ones on the table waiting for a life-saving donation. That would be powerful!
Posted by: Casey N | May 1, 2009 5:07:09 PM
