You're familiar with the notion of 'bloopers', I'm sure. 'It'll Be Alright On The Night' has been cataloguing the trips and slips of TV production for decades, while 'You've Been Framed' records disasters on the home front - usually involving elderly people on pogo-sticks and grooms fainting at their own weddings.
Of course, the advertising industry is far from immune to the odd 'banana-skin' moment. In fact, classic tales from the studio and boardroom have often appeared on Creativepool. And it seems not a single lesson has been learned, because in the last few weeks two agencies have managed to execute a couple of blunders so spectacular, they're sure to find a place in chronicles of advertising disasters.
First out of the traps is an ad for Flora - the buttery spread which is supposed to keep your ticker healthy. Quite an inoffensive product you might think, until you see the advertising, which shows a heart about to be shattered by a bullet in the form of the words ‘Dad, I’m gay' and the strapline 'You need a strong heart today'. Good grief.
The ad was produced by Lowe and Partners South Africa and has, as you might expect, caused a firestorm on social media where it has been accused of rank homophobia and more.
The Flora brand is owned by Unilever - and they are now engaged in a rather embarrassed damage limitation exercise. Their spokesperson told The Drum magazine “This advert was prepared by an external agency in South Africa and was not approved by anyone at Unilever. The advert is offensive and unacceptable and we have put an immediate stop to it. Unilever is proud of the support that our brands have given to LGBT people.”
If you accept an advertising agency created an ad, produced it, booked the media and sent it live without bothering to involve the client at any stage, this seems like a perfectly rational explanation. However, some people may suggest we're actually seeing a squirming manufacturer using their agency as a scapegoat, frantically back-tracking as Lowe twist in the wind. I couldn't possibly comment.
Unilever isn't the only firm kicking their agency all over town. Barclays, the cheque book people, have demanded BBH explain what on earth went wrong with their ‘Thank You’ ad.
Actually what went wrong is pretty apparent, thanks to The Sun - who kindly pointed out that the ad, which stars real life football fans (Barclays being the sponsors of the Premier League), features a convicted paedophile. This what the bank said:
“We’re very grateful to The Sun (oh yeah?) for bringing this serious issue to our attention. We have asked the advertising agency that produced the film to explain to us what went wrong in their vetting process to allow this to happen, and we have also ordered that the advert be immediately recut to remove the individual from the footage before it is broadcast again.”
BBH London has confirmed the ad has now been edited to exclude the unsavoury gentleman - and one has to feel some sympathy for them. Almost every human being appearing in a TV ad is an actor, but occasionally members of the public are hired for authenticity - as was the case here. True, the agency could have demanded background checks on every member of their crowd scene, but why would they? And, would you? It's a million-to-one chance that one of your performers is a dreadful wrong 'un and worse, will be spotted by a national 'newspaper'.
But that's the trouble with bloopers - they defy the odds to bite you in the soft tissue. What's more, no matter how hard we try, they'll probably continue to do so as long as there are advertisements.
Be careful out there.
Magnus Shaw is a writer, blogger and broadcaster
