Superbowl PSA is Effective and Genius

A PSA about domestic violence aired during the Super Bowl, and it has all the signs of being extremely effective.

In the advertisement a woman calls 911 and orders a pizza. The officer explains to her that she had called 911 and that they were not in the business of delivering pizzas. However, the woman keeps adding details to her order as if she does not understand the situation. After a while, the officer realizes what is happening: the woman is in an emergency situation and unable to talk about it. He asks her "is anyone in the room with you" and she answers "yes". At the end of the advertisement, he finally promises to send help.

There are so many great things about this PSA. For one thing, it aired during the most-watched television event of the year. Domestic violence has been an issue that has been ignored for far too long. Victims have a tendency to stay silent about their situation given all of the societal pressures we place on them to put up with violence, or worse yet, to blame themselves for their situation. As of right now, the issue has been raised in front of an audience of a hundred million people. Needless to say, this advertisement has sparked a great deal of discussion and millions of spectators around the world promise to continue the conversation long after the buzz dies down.

The advertisement is actually based on a true story, which you can read about here. An officer actually received a 911 call like this and the story has been circulating around the internet for some time now. To tell the story, the advertisement adds powerful imagery of what appears to be an ordinary house. After a while, we start noticing small details like a turned up carpet and a dent in the wall as the phone conversation becomes increasingly more ominous. Finally, the true message of the advertisement is revealed: "when it's hard to talk, it's up to us to listen". This message is central to the issue of domestic abuse. In many cases, it is incredibly difficult to remove yourself from an abusive partner. Therefore, it is our job to watch and listen closely to what the people in our lives are trying to tell us.

Finally, what makes the PSA so effective is how well it grabs your attention and manages to hold it right through to the conclusion. PSAs often rely on grotesque imagery or fear tactics to attract the viewer's attention. These ads are often ineffective because they are either hard to believe or off-putting enough to make you criticise the organisation rather than the issue the organization is raising. In contrast, this PSA presents an issue in an understated yet powerful message that no one can ignore.

As an advertising student, I admire what the NFL has been able to achieve with this PSA. Which brings me to my last point--it was a good move by the NFL to release this ad given all of the recent domestic abuse scandals that it's been a part of. Though I'm inclined not to forgive the NHL for ignoring domestic abuse for so long, I'm pleased to see that it's taken a step in the right direction. For now, the organization has done well to spread the word. However, as consumers, it's our job as to make sure that from now on, it "practices what it preaches". At all times, in any situation, we must keep a watchful eye if we ever hope to end domestic violence.

How to Survive a Recruiting Event

This past week, I went to my very first recruiting event at Sheridan College. Against everyone’s advice, I didn’t spend time researching the companies who were going to be there. I didn’t update my resume, I didn’t design eye-catching business cards, and I didn’t take the time to make sure that my blazer was wrinkle-free. But these are all small details. Last Wednesday, I learned that the most important thing about recruiting events is not how you look or what you bring, but how you present yourself to potential employers. So in this blog post, I’m going to let you in on the dos and don’ts of recruiting events. Consider this post a Career Development advice column from someone who really, really knows what they are doing. If you haven’t already guessed, I learned most of these the hard way.

• Don’t pretend you know what a company does when you really don’t. I thought I could get away with saying “I have certainly seen some of the advertisements your agency produces, but I have yet to discover what philosophies and corporate practices make the company so successful and unique”. To this, the recruiter said “well we’re actually exclusively a research and measurement company, so that makes us pretty unique…compared to advertising agencies”. It’s pretty hard to recover from that one.

• Don’t let people know you aren’t qualified for a position. There was one recruiter who was looking for someone with a background in software development to create the website. I responded “what a coincidence! I also need someone like that to help set up my LinkedIn profile, which I can’t figure out”. He didn’t laugh.

 

• Don’t stand around and wait for a table to clear up. Be aggressive, or there is a very real chance that you will be standing awkwardly in the middle of the room for hours.

• If there is swag on the table, grab it all up. Those pens are there for you! Don’t ever miss an opportunity to get free things.

• Before you approach a recruiter, think really hard: “have I met this guy already?” I cannot stress this point enough. It is really difficult to convince a person that you are interested in their company if you don’t remember talking about it 20 minutes before.

I hope this list has been helpful to you. I know that I have learned a lot. Now that I know what to expect, I can’t wait for my next recruiting event. Well, maybe I can wait a little bit… at least until all of this blows over.

 

Terrible Jokes About Advertising

Hey, guys!

So it occurred to me today that there are not nearly enough jokes about advertising students. Therefore, I took the liberty of writing a few of my own. Everyone brace yourselves--hilarity is about to ensue.



What did the 12-99 title say to the advertising student?

I’m all about that base  

How many advertising postgraduate students at Sheridan College does it take to screw in a light bulb?

PFFFFT the entire class! So yeah just that one guy.

An advertising student picks up a garbage can, dumps it on his head, and then runs around campus yelling and chasing people. His Professor asks "what are you doing?" The student responds "trying to get some gross impressions".

Why did the advertising student throw hornet’s nests at all of his Facebook friends? 

He was trying to engage in Swarm marketing


Why did no one show up to the Sheridan Advertising Association meeting? 

I don’t know, I guess they didn’t really get the message out there…

An advertising student walks into a mattress store. Immediately, they pull out a knife and start poking holes in all of the mattresses. A sales representative runs over and yells “what do you think you are doing!?” The advertising student responds “I’m looking for something”. The sales representative goes “what could you possibly be looking for inside a mattress?” The student responds “I’m trying to have a springsight."

What's black and white and red all over?

A print advertisement in a newspaper that’s black plus one colour

What did the Sheridan student say to the HR representative at the advertising agency?

In addition to having extensive experience generating an advertising campaign, I am proficient in various industry-specific software including Adobe InDesign and Nielsen Clear Decisions. Yah she nailed that interview.