Someone Always Complains ...

I'm a big fan of advertising, of course it's the industry I worked in and am eager to return to (damn recession). I think there is such creativity and brilliance out there, especially as the only way to cut through all that advertising noise is to create something really artistic.

I just read about a new viral video using sheep. I think having an advertising campaign that is getting talked about on the other side of the world and becoming an internet hit is the sign of success. But of course someone always has to complain. There is a bit of credibility in getting complained about, I heard this from the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) that most ads will get at least one complaint, and if you don't get a complaint you've done something wrong because no-one is paying attention. Of course you don't want too many complaints, this could cause a problem if you've been a bit too risqué. Depending on your product though drumming up publicity with complaints could be favourable.
Interesting that the complaint for the Samsung viral ad is about animal cruelty. This just makes me wonder what on earth goes through some peoples heads. Now I'm not a huge animals rights atavist, I could never be a vegetarian, but I do believe in the humane treatment of animals (even the ones I plan to eat). I think it is a reflection on society how we treat animals when we could so easily exploit them. I cannot however see how herding sheep could be seen as cruel. I think it is fantastic that this still exists in modern times, sheep still need to be herded to greener pastures, which to me is the opposite of cruelty. It is something that is still done so traditionally as it would be difficult to replace with technology. I don't think donning LED vest would have worried the sheep too much, these are animals that have long been put through sheering so we can don our own woolly hats and jerseys. Getting trotted around the Welsh countryside also isn't really going to be a huge torment. So why on earth are some people so upset about the use of these sheep in advertising.

I personally see a problem with people who are bit too over enthusiastic about a cause, sometimes it can be detrimental to the wider issue. If people are going to tout 'animal cruelty' when a bunch of sheep are parading about the welsh countryside are we going to pay attention when something truly is animal cruelty? Sure there is a level of exploitation for advertising, but I don't think these animals are actually harmed, I also think unless you have some big problem with advertising in general there really shouldn't be any problems with this campaign. But instead some people do get upset, they shout cruelty as a catch phrase but we can't see the link to thing we do associate with this such as animal testing so hopefully people largely ignore them rather than next time assume 'animal cruelty' could be as harmless as LED vests.
I also read today about a failed home birth in Australia that led me to think about extremists ruining it for everyone. Safe home births should be encouraged, with medical professionals handy, but when people push that 'free births' are the way to go, but using the language for home birthing then the two can get mixed up. It is a tragic story in it's personal sense but it seems tragic on a larger level that a sad personal incident could be used to prevent safer exercises in home birthing.

Working for change and in advocacy can be a tricky business because of the people who's views are a bit too far. It seems unfair sometimes that most people will only look at one view and then label all people with similar ideals as being the same.
Of course I think most people understand its a few people with extreme views in this case of animal cruelty, because we can all see that attaching an LED to a sheep isn't quite the same as testing pharmaceuticals or locking up animals in cages to perform.
I like the Samsung ad, and I think the sheep deserve their 15min of fame for their work. Bring on more sheepvertising I say, it's interesting and innovative.