Comments

OUCH!

'nuff said.

Posted by Lee H. Igel at December 25, 2004 10:01 AM

I happened to be in Barcelona on 9/11/01 and saw the immediate reaction to the events from a whole different viewpoint. We Americans can likely never understand how the rest of the world thinks about us. But we had better start trying a lot harder. nuff said

Posted by Eric Lapp at December 25, 2004 10:32 AM

A frivolity no way. Frivolization of events is a common trend in spanish media, the invasion of "pink" affaires being the latest money maker for the TV channels. Lazy freaks who have done nothing in their lives are earning the money a Doctor or an Ingenieer can gather through a whole career, girls admitting being prostitutes are offered TV sessions...

In my opinion spanish collective consciousness has gone from the totalitarian and religious rigidity of previous times to a "everything counts", with few references in science, culture and so on.

If El Pais, a leftish paper, has done wrong don´t try with other rightish papers, real propaganda means for dried brains.

Posted by felix gerena at December 25, 2004 2:13 PM

Dear Brad, first of all, El Pais retired this campaign and sent their apologies to everybody after receiving many complaints from the readers (high IQ !!). Then, if trying to link this to the elections' result, we should rather consider about the American elections, when a President who lied about the massive destruction weapons was re-elected...You should not make stereotypes, specially when they are not true.
Anyway, El Pais campaign was not very fortunate...

Posted by Tive at December 27, 2004 6:57 AM

Dino-fossil Tive - Mr. low-IQ - the president is honest with the USA/world-citizens - thank heavens he and the USA are there to protect freedom/free enterprise/free people.

IRAQ and the perversely governed mid-east is crawling with WMDs - chemical, biological, terrorogical - please don't move there though to try to prove me wrong.

Posted by Sean at December 27, 2004 12:59 PM

Poor guy Sean if the only way to exhbit your ideas is to attack those you don't even know. Anyway, as I defend the right to express freely your opinions, not like you, I welcome you calling me Dino-fossil and Mr low IQ. I will always defend your right to insult me without even knowing anything about me, or my country. Happy New Year even for you also.

Posted by tive at December 28, 2004 4:50 AM

Thanks Tive.

The USA and its president are shaping World peace right now - it seems radical but in just 1 more year things will be much better. I don't think some Arabs are "stinking, lazy animals" like they say on IMUS - however, that part of World culture has been in the dark ages too long - especially when the Nazi-islamists act up on the World stage - they shall be killed, with their rat holes disinfected.

Posted by Sean at December 28, 2004 7:46 AM

How do ads like this ever get approved? Anybody have similar experiences?

Posted by Steve Yastrow at December 28, 2004 1:06 PM

Probably a team of creatives whose priority is to "impress" makes the proposal. It certainly does impress, for even you have been aware of the ad but not in a way adjusted to even social standards of decency.

Probably they thought they were not crossing that line of "moral aggression".

Posted by felix gerena at December 28, 2004 4:18 PM

Steve,
I think the bigger question is "Why do companies continue to try to evoke emotions from brand identities?" The ecology check here is that this newspaper was trying to tell us about its identity and to being to build an empathetic bond with us. The agency [i guess it was an agency] brought this idea forward that the newspaper was powerful in its ability to "make a hell-of-terrorisitic difference in the world" ...big fu@kcing deal. more eyeballs. yawn. The question we should be helping them understand is (1) what is your multi-dimensional, multi-sensory identity and (2) how are we going to help you evoke emotions through the relationships you are going to build with your consumers. right? Lastly, I think we should be the ones to start this new experience ..... this new reframe on marketing.

Posted by Wendy at December 28, 2004 5:57 PM

Hi Steve,

Personally, I believe it was lack of good judgment (and "global" common sense) instead of a deliberate attempt to hurt the sensibility of the American public. Maybe at El País they thought: "Nah! We are in Spain! Nobody will complain! Our readers would if we reference the Madrid terrorist attacks..."
Let's keep in mind that in some countries, there no such thing as "Political Correctness".

Happy New Year

Posted by Gabriel Salcido at December 31, 2004 3:25 AM