Results: Disturbing Ad Campaign Sparks Controversy
Published on 03/04/2017
QUESTIONS
GO to COMMENTS
Comments
1.
1.
A bold new rail safety campaign by GO Transit, the greater Toronto commuter rail service, is sparking some controversy. With GO Transit increasing service, Metrolinx, the Toronto transportation authority said they wanted to boost rail safety awareness. The campaign began in January with the image of a vehicle parked on the railway tracks as a GO train barrels toward it. The caption below reads 'Killer View'. Complaints have been pouring in, calling this ad too disturbing. What is your opinion?
Agree it's too disturbing
15%
209 votes
Think the ad should be very effective, and some shock value is necessary
43%
587 votes
Actually think this ad isn't graphic enough
11%
148 votes
Not sure
30%
408 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
20 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.51% | 7 | |
| Na | 0.29% | 4 |
| I haven't seen it. | 0.07% | 1 |
| If you need to be reminded not to stop on railway tracks you should not have a license | 0.07% | 1 |
| tldr | 0.07% | 1 |
| Could give some people bad ideas. | 0.07% | 1 |
| American | 0.07% | 1 |
| n/a | 0.07% | 1 |
| THINK SOME ARE TO OVERBOARD OVER EVRTYTHING | 0.07% | 1 |
| What? | 0.07% | 1 |
| don't get it | 0.07% | 1 |
2.
2.
Metrolinx is listening to the complaints, but insists to get their message across, it needs to start people talking. A spokesman said, "We want people to stop and think about what they're doing because it can have deadly consequences. I know that it provokes people … that's actually good." Do you agree? Yes, these are the ads you will remember
53%
730 votes
No, there has to be a different way to get the point across
13%
183 votes
Not sure
33%
446 votes
Other (please specify)
1%
13 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.44% | 6 | |
| Na | 0.29% | 4 |
| For a company with financial problems they should really rethink about their wasting their funding on such a ridiculous ad. | 0.07% | 1 |
| American | 0.07% | 1 |
| bad bad bad | 0.07% | 1 |
3.
3.
The most important thing about an ad campaign is to get noticed. In advertising it's more important to be talked about than not to be noticed. Perhaps no one takes their advertising to such shocking heights as Benetton, the clothing retailer. Over the years, they have developed shocking, noticeable and always controversial campaigns. Often their campaigns had very little to do with clothes. How many Benetton campaigns do you remember?
The 1989 Black and White Campaign -- including photos of black woman nursing a white baby, and two prisoners, one white and one black handcuffed
7%
96 votes
The Ebony and ivory 1991 Campaign -- including a photo of a priest and a nun kissing passionately and interracial couples
8%
106 votes
The 1992 Real Life Campaign -- pictures of child laborers, murder victims and child poverty
4%
59 votes
The HIV 1993 Campaign -- shots of body parts with HIV positive stamped on them
4%
59 votes
Sentence to Death Campaign 2000 -- photos of death row inmates with Sentenced to Death over them
2%
33 votes
Unhate Campaign 2011 -- featured world leaders kissing, like Obama kissing his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Abbas embracing Benjamin Netanyahu
4%
49 votes
Remember all of them
3%
46 votes
None of them
78%
1066 votes
4.
4.
Here are some more campaigns. How many do you remember?
King Khalid Foundation - Can't Be Covered (2013) first ever campaign against domestic abuse, aiming to generate awareness of a subject long considered taboo
5%
69 votes
UN Women - The Autocomplete Truth (2013) -- Seeking to raise awareness of sexism and discrimination against women across the world, the ads show the autocomplete search options that appear when women shouldn't and similar phrases are typed into Google.
10%
131 votes
American Apparel (2014) -- Topless model covered with words Made in Bangladesh printed across her chest referring not to the clothes, but the model herself
7%
102 votes
None of these
82%
1131 votes
5.
5.
Here are some other controversial ads. Which do you remember?
Pregnant Man (1970)-- Pregnant man with tagline Would you be more careful if it was you that got pregnant
11%
148 votes
Dumb Animals (1983) -- Anti-fur ad with tagline It takes up to 40 dumb animals to make a fur coat, but only one to wear it
12%
165 votes
Dove Real Beauty Campaign (2004) -- Ad focused on real women of all ages, colors and sizes
30%
405 votes
None of them
58%
789 votes
6.
6.
Finally, how about these last ones. Which do you remember?
Strong4Life (2012) -- Anti-obesity campaign in Atlanta, caused controversy when it ran ads that some said stigmatized overweight children.
8%
103 votes
Calvin Klein (1999) --caused a stir when it ran photos of boys modeling its famous underwear. The campaign was nixed when critics equated it to child porn.
19%
258 votes
American Apparel (2013) -- campaign was criticized for photos of women in vulnerable, gratuitous and voyeuristic positions.
9%
119 votes
None of these
71%
974 votes
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