They DO make these commercials!
Over a New Year’s Eve dinner, my wife, her two sisters, and I got into a discussion about drinking and driving and, in particular, TV commercials advising against it.
Half-sardonically and half-whimsically, I opined that there were no “don’t do drugs and drive” commercials, so clearly doing as much remained legal.
Obviously not, but the remark touched off a wee discussion about whether such commercials might even exist, and whether they were necessary given that, with few exceptions, drug use is itself illegal, whilst alcohol consumption is not. In Canada, at least.
Although, now that I think about it, being drunk in public (that is: outside of a home or licensed establishment) may well be illegal; I’d have to check.
Anyhow, the table’s conclusion was that ads of this nature probably didn’t exist. And that is probably true of Canada, at least.
ADVERTISER U.K. Department for Transport
SPOT “Eyes”
AGENCY Leo Burnett, London
COUNTRY United KingdomThe U.K. launched a campaign this year warning young people not to do drugs and drive. In this spot, a pack of friends cruise around town, high on something or other, with their freaky big eyes evidently a dead giveaway for police.
And now you know, good reader.
By the way, the above-article is worth a read for other reasons than that it offers the above example: it’s interesting and somewhat disturbing to see what sorts of shocking, disgusting, and outright odd things advertising agencies cooked up in 2009.
