CLOSE X

November 27, 2009
Login | Register Now

Advanced Search

Advertising Age: Your Online Source for Marketing and Media News

More from Ad Age:
Creativity
Ad Age China
Bookstore
Jobs
Ad Age On Campus
Sign up for E-mail Newsletters
Stay on top of the news, sign up for our free newsletters


World Wildlife Fund Did Not Create That 9/11 Ad

Strongly Condemns Garbage Produced by Brazilian Agency

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 09.01.09 @ 05:52 PM

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Submit to Digg Add to Google Share on StumbleUpon Submit to LinkedIn Add to Newsvine Bookmark on Del.icio.us Submit to Reddit

If you've been reading any of the ad blogs today, you may have seen a WWF ad featuring multiple planes flying toward a downtown Manhattan in which the World Trade Center still exists.

WWF, however, didn't commission the ad.

Indeed, it "strongly condemned" the ad in a press release. It's an unauthorized concept created by an agency seeking the group's business in Brazil. According to Advertolog, the ad was created by DDB Brasil.

What's surprising is that so many people actually thought this ad came from WWF. It's not known for insensitive advertising or PETA-style tricks. Aside from the ridiculously crass imagery, the biggest tip-off for me was the copy. In the version on Advertolog, the copy (in English) reads, "The Tsunami killed 100 times more people than 9/11." Uh, which tsunami? It continues: "The planet is brutally powerful. Respect it. Preserve it."

That last line is troublesome on a few accounts. First, as one fellow Twitterer pointed out, it sounds like something that would come from the old WWF -- the World Wrestling Federation. Secondly, it's insensitive. Thirdly, it shows the creators not only to be tone-deaf but also to be scientific idiots: Tsunamis, after all, have nothing to do with preservation or conservation. They're typically caused by earthquakes or other geological forces, which, last time we checked, are not affected by animal extinction, deforestation or global warming.

25 Comments
Subscribe to comments on: World Wildlife Fund Did Not Create That 9/11 Ad
  By edstate | New York, NY September 1, 2009 08:21:23 pm:
The creatives responsible for this should be fired, and the agency should be blacklisted. Also, if this POS won any awards (which wouldn't surprise me at all, as they never check to see if work is scam or not), the award shows should be publicly flogged.

This crap represents the worst elements of our industry.
  By pblks.com | VANCOUVER, BC September 1, 2009 09:05:38 pm:
This is so bad it's suspicious.
  By caprityme | SAN FRANCISCO, CA September 2, 2009 12:21:35 am:
If this abomination doesn't spark a major rethinking of the crazy, money-driven awards culture that leads to these even crazier "shadow" ads, then our industry deserves all the crap it has coming to it. This fake WWF ad is a disgrace. The senior management of DDB Worldwide (wherever the hell they are based) should fire the lot down in Brazil for this. John Wren should make sure heads roll. This is just crap and there is no excuse for it.

All of that said, I am sure nothing will come of it. Business as usual.
  By lncalhoun | Washington D.C., DC September 2, 2009 01:10:59 am:
Shock and awe.
  By rcsulli33 | Mobile, AL September 2, 2009 09:39:49 am:
Not cool.

Rich Sullivan
Red Square Agency
http://redsquareagency.com
http://twitter.com/redsquareagency
  By melanie.stinson | Chicago, IL September 2, 2009 09:59:57 am:
DDB Brasil has been blamed for several bad and disrespectful ads lately. are they the scapegoat if the ideas don't go over well? does DDB Brasil even exist??

i agree - so bad it's suspicious.
  By Steve | Calgary, AB September 2, 2009 10:02:34 am:
In bad taste, definitely. But Ken Wheaton, "which tsunami?". Really? It was only five years ago. Boxing Day? Ring any bells?
  By Ragman | Bedminster, NJ September 2, 2009 10:17:58 am:
Idiotic, moronic, shameful, tasteless - what were you thinking???
  By rfoxworth | Carrollton, TX September 2, 2009 10:22:56 am:
One lesson from this is not to immediately assume every ad is legit or condoned by the supposed advertiser. In the rush to be first, news is spread by media (social and otherwise) with speed taking priority over veracity.

Reginald Foxworth
http://foxworthcreative.com
http://twitter.com/rfoxworth
  By copyboy1 | San Francisco, CA September 2, 2009 10:58:26 am:
Here's a sure fire plan to eliminate fake ads forever. I guarantee you it'll work.

http://tinyurl.com/ljay8x
  By pedrodelpriore | Sao Paulo September 2, 2009 11:03:07 am:
What about Cannes? DM9DDB were awarded agency of the year 2009.
Their celebration video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7KX8oC7pZs
  By leightonhubbell | Orange, CA September 2, 2009 11:18:06 am:
It's amazing to me that the obvious fever to get something into the awards books superseded sheer common sense. Obviously, this is an ad the WWF would never run and they knew that. But, did anyone step back and really think about WHY they wouldn't run it?

No, they didn't.

In an odd twist to today's viral spread of all things good and bad, this fine example of bad judgement on the agency's part will get all the publicity they thought they wanted and even more.

So, in the end when you're trying desperately to build that great agency portfolio, you end up getting people fired. Nice work.
  By shymishu | Waterloo, ON September 2, 2009 11:23:46 am:
Talk about 'in bad taste'. Wasn't there someone at that agency that thought 'hmm.....maybe this is going a little too far'?
  By Elaine924 | Simi Valley, CA September 2, 2009 12:14:17 pm:
When you end up on Keith Olbermann's #1 spot on Worst persons, you know you've screwed up! Terrible, insensitive and downright tasteless. What were they thinking?
  By Postpro | Northbrook, IL September 2, 2009 12:44:36 pm:
Geez! The ad business is going down the toilet. This reminds me of the old joke where the doctor tells his patient 'I have good news and bad news. The bad news is, you have terminal cancer. The good news is, I'm f*cking my hot receptionist'. So, the bad news, client, is that the ad work we did for you has not increased sales. The good news is, the work won our agency a Gold Lion at Cannes! Leo Burnett used to have a policy not to enter award shows. He felt it took the focus off the client's needs. He was correct, of course, but our culture is now tuned to instant and often unwarranted, fame and celebrity.
  By tomm9050 | Beverly Hills, CA September 2, 2009 01:03:33 pm:
9-11 should be put into perspective. The ad makes a very good and graphic point. Since when are "good taste" and "advertising" synonymous? Looks like this ad is more successful than the creators could have imagined. Kudos.
  By craigcooper | craigcooper.com, NY September 2, 2009 02:25:14 pm:
It's crappy on several levels, but the real question is: how did it get out into the wild (so to speak) in the first place?
  By diznum | Woodland Hills, CA September 2, 2009 02:51:39 pm:
What were they thinking?!!! or were they thinking?
  By LTSP | São Paulo, SP September 2, 2009 05:17:17 pm:
In case you haven´t seen, thers is also e TV Spot for the same "campaign".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1mFoTQNivc ou go to youtube and search for "WWF 9/11"

It´s even worse and more aggresive.

I really don´t why they did that! Something has to be done by DDB Worldwide
  By bgately | Chicago, IL September 2, 2009 05:19:28 pm:
I have no problem with an ad like this being created. In fact I say good for them. It's provocative and bold. Creatives should be encouraged to cross the line on occasion--if only to define where that line is. The real question is how did this find its way outside of the agency's walls? Holy crap. I thought that that was what creative directors and account people were for—to stop junior art directors and copywriters from actually producing what they're all too frequently taught to do in portfolio school.
  By LTSP | São Paulo, SP September 2, 2009 05:27:44 pm:
BTW, as Brazilian, I feel ashamed. Sorry about that...

But you can see how "crative" DDB is here, by checking their video to celebrate Agency of the Year in Cannes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7KX8oC7pZs
  By edstate | New York, NY September 2, 2009 05:45:04 pm:
Adage: if you had any integrity you would lead an investigation into Award Shows, and the plague that is fake/scam work.

Award shows are good for our industry. Cheating, however, is not.
  By Postpro | Northbrook, IL September 2, 2009 06:39:01 pm:
I saw this idea for a Coca Cola spot. We see a gallows in a town square. A crowd of people surround the gallows as the hangman puts the noose around the condemned man's neck. A small boy is seen pushing through the crowd toward the front. The executioner places a hood over the condemned man's head. The small boy breaks through the crowd just as the hangman releases the trap door and the man's body falls and snaps his neck. The small boy raises a Coke bottle to his lips and we see a Coke logo. Brilliant! It has all the proper current ad biz elements: keeps your attention, breaks through the clutter and has a company logo or tag line at the end. It's provocative and bold. It crosses the line. It might win a Gold Lion at Cannes? Let's get Pytka!
  By editorAdAge | New York, NY September 2, 2009 06:51:15 pm:
This story has been updated.

After the WWF appeared to initially deny approving the ad, DDB Brasil and the WWF hammered out a statement posted in Portuguese on both groups' Brazilian websites Wednesday afternoon apologizing for the ad and attributing it to "the inexperience of some professionals on both sides, and not bad faith or disrespect toward American suffering."

The statement continued, "WWF-Brasil and DDB Brasil reaffirm that the ad never should have been created, approved or run. They deeply regret that this happened, and apologize to everyone who has been offended."
READ MORE:
http://adage.com/globalnews/article?article_id=138775
  By shadygol | Rio de Janeiro, RJ September 3, 2009 10:12:34 pm:
I find it funny that when you mess with the pride of Americans they forget what they did. They make war movies where all Muslims are evil, show a picture of Brazil where people speak Spanish and where monkeys, elephants (in Brazil we do not have elephants) snakes (simpsons) on the loose in the street. In many movies the Americans themselves destroy New York and Los Angeles (if not destroy the world with atomic bombs, meteors or Et's. Now when an advertising tells the truth about what the Americans and the world more watching everyone complains about? Oh yeah because it hurt right? I'm not anti-American, I find it silly, but you only think of you. do not worry about the world (cade a signature Bush / Obama in the Kyoto Protocol?)
Again I repeat I have nothing against the United States and I'm simply demonstrating against all that noise they made because of an advertisement and notice that it does not cease to be true is not it? think carefully. If you want to talk about shadygol@gmail.com
Rio de Janeiro, September 03 of 2009
:

Note: Comments submitted to AdAge.com are posted automatically and will include the user name with which you registered. Ad Age reserves the right to delete comments that are insulting or personal in nature. Comments may be used in the print edition at editorial discretion. Comments are restricted to 500 words or less.




Stay on top of the news and stay ahead of the game—sign up for e-mail newsletters now!


›› Adages

Advanced Search

Advertising Age: Your Online Source for Marketing and Media News