yo_sarrian ([info]yo_sarrian) wrote in [info]graphicdesign,
2008-02-23 08:41:00
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Interesting Ontario Ad

I found this on the adlandfeed and thought it was fascinating... what are your guys' thoughts on it?

Last week when the mysterious ads for Obay cropped up around Ontario many a blogger speculated what it might really be selling. The Accordion Guy Joey Devilla posted the 15th about the Mysterious Ads for “Obay”
It’s obvious that the product doesn’t actually exist and that it’s some sort of viral marketing campaign. As for what the campaign is meant to promote, most people with whom I’ve spoken to about the ads think that it’s some kind of jab at parents who are following the disturbing trend of medicating their teenage kids out of normal teenage behaviour and into Stepford adolescence.

The comments are full of speculation on who the sender might be, from drug companies to anti-drug companies to churches before someone working for a College in Ontario reveals that they are the ones behind the campaign. So, now that the buzz it built, will people care?
Image from *J-Bl*'s photostream
Today in Canada.com the story Mystery ad gains momentum: whodunit? looks at the risks with a campaign like this. Just because people were curious when the campaign first went up doesn't mean they'll care when the sender is revealed.
In early 2007, an unbranded video of a bridezilla lopping off her hair in a pre-wedding fit drew 12 million views on YouTube but garnered next to nothing in the way of publicity for Sunsilk when, two weeks after the Canadian clip was uploaded, the hair-product company revealed its involvement.
...
Though Scientology and anti-pharmaceutical lobbyists have been widely named as suspects in the Obay whodunit, detective work by Canadian blogs Accordion Guy and Torontoist have pegged Ontario Colleges as the likeliest source of the ads - which despite being clustered in eastern Canada, have gained national attention online.
Questioned about their involvement with the campaign, Ontario Colleges spokesman Rob Savage was cautiously vague ("at this point, we don't have any information we can give you"), but told Canwest News Service he would follow up before the end of the month about the "long-term marketing stuff" being undertaken by the organization.

See the whole thang
Tags: advertising, critical discussion

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  • 31 comments

[info]peterbilt_47

February 23 2008, 16:45:45 UTC 4 years ago

I don't care about "whodunit." That's a complete afterthought to an on-the-money message.

[info]yo_sarrian

February 23 2008, 16:59:19 UTC 4 years ago

I would tend to agree with you. However I think you've got to be careful not to swing too far into an anti-medication view, and so knowing the intentions of the people behind the ad is something I'm at least curious about (plus I love a good mystery).

I definitely err on the side of less-medication (it frustrates my wife that I'll just live with a headache because I don't think to reach for the Ibuprofen), and I'm pretty alarmed about what I perceive as the over-medication of our societies, but it seems like 90% of the time they're only looking at treating the symptoms. But I guess there are so many different hypotheses for cause that it's nigh-on impossible to pin that down.

[info]evilsherbear

February 23 2008, 18:21:59 UTC 4 years ago

I agree. The message of "talk to your kids, don't sedate them" is a good one. Just because there's a pill for everything doesn't mean you have to use it.

[info]yo_sarrian

February 23 2008, 21:15:34 UTC 4 years ago

Heh... I don't know about you, but I didn't want to talk to my parents really at all from about 13-19. Granted, I wasn't an out of control kid. No depression or hyperactivity or anything like that. But kids, especially teens, are notoriously hard to get through to.

I agree with the sentiment, but it's not quite that simple.

[info]evilsherbear

4 years ago

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[info]agent139

February 23 2008, 21:45:30 UTC 4 years ago

I agree that personally I found the ad amusing and could kind of care less. However, the "reveal" in general is a serious issue with a viral campaign like this.

Also, some of the "commentary" on the commercial-archive site (quoted from elsewhere, looks like), made me want to poke my eyes out with pens.

But whatever.

[info]scotty2naughty

February 23 2008, 17:08:03 UTC 4 years ago

Oh thank you for posting this. I ran across one last weekend while visiting Toronto and could not stop to reread it. I thought I was either losing my mind, or my eyesight!


I'm really proud of the campaigns I've seen in Ontario recently. From the WSIB to this... you have my attention!

[info]angelina_zooma

February 23 2008, 18:15:56 UTC 4 years ago

I drove past one of these 2 days ago and had a 'wtf?' moment. I think if they can manage to pull of the reveal of whodoneit with the hype as well, and it's actually something that makes sense, then that's awesome.

I've seen a few times where you get all curious about something and then when you finally get the punchline it's just a let down.

and I hear ya on the WSIB ads, the funniest part about that was a friend in NY who was just showing us random cool things she'd found on the net pulled up ones of those. i was very amused

[info]turi

February 23 2008, 17:26:08 UTC 4 years ago

scientology comes in pill form?

[info]evilsherbear

February 23 2008, 18:20:39 UTC 4 years ago

LOL

[info]yo_sarrian

February 23 2008, 21:07:16 UTC 4 years ago

I think it's put in the water supply, actually

[info]so_blah

February 24 2008, 07:50:03 UTC 4 years ago

which is a contradiction to their beliefs.

project chanology ahoy.

[info]brokenspirit85

February 23 2008, 18:18:38 UTC 4 years ago

From the makers of why because I said so is the best part about that whole thing lol. Very interesting, but i wonder if it's just a joe of somekind. Weird how people would advertise a joke though?

[info]iaaphoto

February 23 2008, 18:29:52 UTC 4 years ago

I mean, could it be (gasp) art? I'd pay to publicly put out art, and maybe it's someone's thesis project?

[info]peterbilt_47

February 23 2008, 18:35:20 UTC 4 years ago

My thoughts exactly- it could be a promotional piece just for an agency or individual creative to show off their chops, or it could be JUST BECAUSE. That is a perfectly good reason to do things.

[info]iaaphoto

4 years ago

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[info]innoxia

February 23 2008, 18:35:42 UTC 4 years ago

More info from the Torontoist: http://torontoist.com/2008/02/obay.php

It's interesting the number of people taking it literally to mean that people are oversedating their children!

[info]iaaphoto

February 23 2008, 18:39:10 UTC 4 years ago

I think it's quite possible that people are over sedating their children. At least from personal experience I remember being on aderall (sp?) and riddlin (sp... eh who cares) as a kid (one of the questions on the test for it was "does the child like to climb trees?") and I finally moved out and refused to take it at 16, and managed to get all As in school instead of Cs, and I haven't taken it for 5 years and have been getting straight As in college...

[info]innoxia

February 23 2008, 18:44:27 UTC 4 years ago

I'm talking about the ad itself, not whether or not people are over-sedating their children. If it has been confirmed that the sponsors are the Ontario colleges group, then it makes sense that the ad is trying to increase college enrollment (due to the fact that parents perceive college education being less valuable than university, as is often the case here in Canada).

[info]iaaphoto

4 years ago

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[info]innoxia

4 years ago

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[info]iaaphoto

4 years ago

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[info]peterbilt_47

4 years ago

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[info]jryson

March 31 2008, 02:46:25 UTC 4 years ago

OBAY

"It's interesting the number of people taking it literally to mean that people are oversedating their children!"

And probably about as many trying to find the damn pill at the drug store!

[info]iaaphoto

February 23 2008, 18:41:04 UTC 4 years ago

ohh it represents like 27 colleges. I think that's great. They're concerned about the effects conformational drug use has on children all the way up to a higher educational level. Genius.

[info]zhyndra

February 23 2008, 20:06:41 UTC 4 years ago

I love that, thanks for sharing!

[info]so_blah

February 24 2008, 07:47:32 UTC 4 years ago

they're supposed to have a press-release with an explanation on monday.

that's what the torontoist and some other sites said at least.

[info]polystyrene

February 24 2008, 15:56:22 UTC 4 years ago

It's a good message, although I wonder how it makes children that actually benefit from medication feel.

I agree that kids (and adults) are often carelessly prescribed psychiatric medications, but this is a bit insensitive to both doctors and patients who responsibly and effectively employ meds. I fear many people are going to just barely pay attention and come away with the hilarious message that all medication is bad.

At the same time, it's clever and intends to spread an important message. I hope people do their part and actually pay attention to the actual message.

[info]yo_sarrian

February 24 2008, 17:38:27 UTC 4 years ago

My thoughts more or less exactly.

[info]readherring

February 24 2008, 22:10:15 UTC 4 years ago

I think it's absolutely fantastic!

As someone who learned that I am extremely ADD after I completed my master's in robotic engineering, I am a staunch believer that all this medication does is provide a crutch for people with not-too-terribly-abnormal thought processes, which never allows them to learn how to cope with it for themselves.

[info]pixeldrift

February 25 2008, 17:25:51 UTC 4 years ago

Off topic

I *heart* your icon! LOL
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