j'aime les hamsters!

Answering the answer
Thank you for answering. We disagree on several points. Of course you're entitled to your opinion, regardless of what the heirs of Martin Luther King Jr. choose to do with his legacy. But I would tend to place more import on the way they view the spot than the way in which you do. Why? Because Coretta Scott King was married to him, and doubtless has a better handle on what is appropriate. Ditto his children. I take issue with the reaction I have seen to the ad by most people on this site and on adcritic.com. It is one of "He was a great man, don't use his image in a commercial. It's crass." For me, it would be crass, tasteless and offensive only if it failed to respect his memory and his message. This spot honours him. It is tasteful, beautiful to look at. I love great communication, and I love this spot. I do not accept the dictate that this or that must NEVER be used. I find that people treat certain musical and literary pieces this way. They're "classics". Leave them alone. Don't examine them. Put them in a museum and don't think about them anymore. I don't agree. MLK lives! His message lives! This ad honours that. Every piece of advertising, every piece of any communication for that matter, should be examined on its own merits. If it is crass and disrespectful and hollow, it should be savaged. This ad, in my opinion, is none of these things. But advertising, by nature, is not the most noble of occupations, is it? That's probably why there's money in it, in our filthy little Kingdom of Mamon. Spark, to read you proudly declare that you don't "whore (your) culture" is more than a little laughable. You're the most virtuous tart in the bordello, you are. And let's be clear on one last point. Martin Luther King was a great man, but he was not Jesus Christ. A religion which has been one of the dominant moral guides of the Western World for the past 2000 years was not founded upon his teachings. He is not held to be sacred by thousands of millions of people. In fact, of MLK and Christ, the former worshipped the latter. And that is the difference, babe.

11:31 a.m.

Ok, I'll answer
your 'oft-repeated' query. For me, the reason that I don't care what thea heirs of MLK thought about the idea, or that they didn't find it offensive is because my opinion or feelings about that image or that man don't derive from what they, or even he, would do in this situation. If he were alive and let that image be used, then I'd think he was a fucking shill as well. the fact that his heirs think so little of their father's legacy that they would rent it out for a few bucks is a bit sad really. But I'm not such a sheep that I would think that because THEY say it's ok, that it must be so.

your point is well taken though. It's a good ad, well made and brings home a cogent point. I've never argued that it doesn't. I've just said that it's crass to take something that for some people (a large number of people actually) means a great deal on an almost mythical level, and reduced it to commercialism. It's just a tad insulting. Because let's face it Alcatel isn't doing it because they support the work of MLK, they're doing to sell stuff. And if we have reached a point in our society where nothing is held with any regard anymore, if we don't recognize feeling, art and belief, if it's all fodder for moving goods to people, then that's a little sad.

And yes, I do work in Advertising, and YES I do like it, and YES I am proud of my work. But that doesn't mean that I'm willing to whore out my own culture or legacy to sell crap to people. We can have standards and ethics.
and your statement that the only reason the "JEsus saves' is worse than the MLK is because its a bad pun, reveals how addled your thinking has become. ----spark

11:09 a.m.

Re: Cannes Winner
The only thing worse than hearing that Chris won is the idea that he's the one spreading the rumor...

10:43 a.m.

about unoriginal work
didn't mlk's doctoral thesis get busted a few years back for having some significant amounts of plagiarism? not to say less of him, just that i try to admire without the hagiography and pedestals, which i don't find so helpful. there was something about the monday national post article on our glorious dead that irked me too, but i have to work on my spec book before oprah starts

09:39 a.m.

Cannes Winners are.......
A team from Roche Chris Taciuk and a some other dude. If you are not them, you didn't win. Better luck next year. Bitch away.

09:47 a.m.

Looky looky...
It's a memo to Bill Bernbach: "Bill, I beg you, don't run this ad. The Volkswagen is way too small. And the background is all white. And the type is reversed. And the headline!?!?! Don't make me angry, Bill! Lemon? You don't make car ads that say, 'We make lemons.' I beg you not to do this, Bill. Some things are sacred."

09:27 a.m.

I don't make monkeys
"Don't make me angry" is not an argument, by the way. It's a statement. Made by children. Who are told it's time for bed. Nighty night, junior.

09:21 a.m.

Jesus Saves
The difference between your glib "Jesus Saves" proposal and the Alcatel ad is that "Jesus Saves" is built around a cheap-o pun, and the Alcatel ad is based on a solid idea, which I've expressed three or four times below. What I aspire to, in advertising, is to make really good ads that sell. I'd be proud to have my name on that Alcatel one. Now, can anyone answer my oft-repeated question: if the heirs of MLK did not find the idea offensive and gave consent, why are you self-appointed guardians of the integrity of his memory objecting to it? And, in conclusion, what makes you believe that YOU would ever be in a position to be looking at MY portfolio, piss-ant? You may have seen some of my work, already, depending on which award annuals you peruse. -Pride in the name of Love.

09:13 a.m.

www.canadacannes.com
Tomorrow, the Canada Cannes Travel Package will be live on our website @ www.canadacannes.com.

We've been able to reserve 25 seats leaving Toronto and 25 seats leaving Montreal on Sunday June 17th, with Air France. The name of the travel agency will be on the site and they can book and/or accommodate any other flight arrangements that you may request. This offer will expire April 30th.

Check out www.canadacannes.com tomorrow.

The Cannes Committee

09:11 a.m.

I saw a killer, killer ad today. It was for a jeans store. They've got this sale on until Friday. Every pair of denims in the store for thirty bucks! You know what the creative team did? It's a picture of Jesus being walked to his crucifiction. He's bleeding and there are more than a few nasty Romans whipping him and stuff. He's even carrying a painful looking cross over his shoulder. But he's smiling and winking at the camera. And he's wearing a smmmmokin' pair of Hilfiger jeans. You know what the headline says? JESUS SAVES. Man, whoever is supporting that Alcatel stuff is smoking crack. It offended me in it's print incarnation. Some things are sacred. It was a world changing speech. Not an invitation for some flatulent creative team to use MLK's image to sell shit. Christ, you're an idiot. If this is what you aspire to, I hope I never have to review your portfolio. Don't make me angry. You won't like me when I'm angry. Leave the sacred alone and stick to the real world. Fuck. As if it needed saying in the first place.

06:21 p.m.

I had a dreamy day
Having posted the intial remarks on Acatel, I'm feeling quite fulfilled at this, the end of the day. A healthy debate, peppered with some colourful language about something like ethics in advertising (tongue placed firmly in mouth) that's what this site is about. Love and kisses.

03:46 p.m.

Iam...pthd

05:45 p.m.

young creatives
anyone know the judging date? who thinks they're going to cannes

05:33 p.m.

MLK it does a body good
This was our Young Creatives entry: a homeless dude sitting in the street with a sign out that said "Please give me some money so I don't have to suck an old man's dick tonight." One Show Gold, come to daddy.

05:38 p.m.

Tacky and crass are the perfect words to describe the spot. And Forrestgumpifying film footage is sooooo '93.

05:17 p.m.

Alcatel's new tagline
Alcatel. We're tacky. But not as tacky as your Uncle Murray's golf pants.

05:18 p.m.

The Idiot
Oh, and thanks, whoever called me a "fuckn idiot". The first one to use profanity loses the argument. Perhaps you can't find the "e" because you take too much "e". Bless us all.

05:01 p.m.

go team
Alcatel builds next generation networks, delivering integrated end-to-end voice and data networking solutions to established and new carriers, as well as enterprises and consumers worldwide. With 130,000 employees and sales of EURO 31 billion in 2000, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries.

05:00 p.m.

Good Feelings
Yes, the ad seeks to make people associate Alcatel with good, uplifting feelings associated with MLK. Umm, generate good feelings toward the client among consumers. What's that. Oh yeah, THAT'S OUR FUCKING JOB DESCRIPTION.

04:58 p.m.

Alcatel.
Now that I think about it, I don't find it so morally offensive, so much as just tacky.

04:54 p.m.

My friend, advertising is crass by nature. If you work in advertising and object to this nature, perhaps you should consider leaving for another occupation. Yes, Hitler would not be used. He was a great force of evil, therefore he would not be used. Bad idea. Very bad. If you are ever on Jeopardy, I hope that there is a category titled "The Bleeding Obvious". Answer me this, though. Why did King's heirs agree to let his image and voice be used in this ad? Because it's easy money, yes, and money is useful. But also, I surmise, because the man's message and his memory are treated with great reverence and respect. And I would like to suggest that King's heirs are better judges of the relative crassness of this ad than any of us are.

04:51 p.m.

ohhhhh thank jesus they gave MLK his "props". you're a fuckn' idiot. Like the poster below your dopiness said - you won't see nuremberg in a spot because that doesn't make people feel good. MLK makes people feel good. And they're using him as a prop and are piggybacking on all those uplifting good feelings that his struggle ultimately gave everyone.

04:50 p.m.

Thank you for not making a point
Grassroots? Word of mouth? So, did he use microphones? Did he use the telephone? Did he use television? Weren't the images of Bull Conners' goons and police dogs being sicced on civil rights activists while hate-filled citizens cheered them on the most important weapon in the civil rights movement, once those images got on the six o'clock news and turned every right-minded person's stomach. Did MLK use technology? Uh, yeah. Would he have used the internet? Yes. Is this a moot point? Uh huh. Because the ad is just a very good use of the old "What if.." , or "Imagine", if you will. It's an example of what you can do when you have a lot of money to spend and do not confine yourself to rules and politically correct orthodoxy. An ad that mocked King would be crass and morally suspect. But go back and look at the ad again. Full respect is given. The final image shows him delivering his oration to the throngs who came to hear him speak. And the message? "Connecting is important." Who can argue with that? Come on, now, kids, you know I'm right.

04:40 p.m.

alcatel assholes
listen, while the metaphor is there. "we make shit that help people hear what you have to say" and the what if etc. the fact remains that using the image of a guy who got his fucking head blown off in an while trying to do something way more important than any one of us will ever do. Using that image is crass. And don't for a fucking minute tell me that noone in that room had the secret guilty thought that some of the good emotional reaction that a picture of MLK conjures up in people wasnt' going to rub off on them.

you know how you can tell? because there ain't gonna be an ad with Hitler at the Neuremburg Rallies. Right!!! Becuase god for-fuckin-bid that Alcatel have their name associated with something as vile and crass and hurtful to people as that. But they're as happy as shit to have people link, in their minds and hearts, the name Alcatel with Martin Luther King. And that's what makes it wrong. Not the black/white thing. not the 'it's sacred 'cos i say so' thing. but because it is CRASS. 04:33 p.m.

Young Cannes
Any young creatives out there care to share with us, the hot young creative they submitted?

04:39 p.m.

my ass is itchy
what's wrong with these chairs?

04:23 p.m.

It's somewhat ironic that a technology company is using a speech that was the culmination of perhaps the largest grassroots word of mouth movement in fucking history as a metaphor to what it does. We connect people with technology. Well, MLK did it with human contact.

04:23 p.m.

i have a wet dream
he has a point the only dot coms making moula are porno sites. that's the only thing i've ever bought over the net. i have a wet dream...

04:34 p.m.

i have a wet dream
he has a point the only dot coms making moula are porno sites. that's the only thing i've ever bought over the net. i have a wet dream

04:34 p.m.

Young cans
The young Cannes creatives winners will be announced just as soon as you show us your young cans.

04:23 p.m.

Hey kneejerk
Nice riposte. This 'fuck off ' thing, that 's Shakespeare, right, or Milton? Now, your argument. "Some things are sacred". So...it is so because...I say it's so. Fine. Well done. Supporting points: there is porn on the net. Yes, and because some surgeons perform needless cosmetic surgery for purposes of vanity, the study and practice of medicine is bad, do you agree? Anyone else?

04:18 p.m.

when do they announce the young cannes winners?

04:04 p.m.

Alcatel makes and hosts websites. You know, websites that show important things like people fisting cows, recipes for quiche, peepcams looking up from toilets, etc etc. Using MLK's speech to sell this shit is offensive. end of story. Some things ARE sacred so fuck off.

03:47 p.m.

Pete Townsend, "Can't Explain"
Please, someone, anyone, explain to me why it is morally wrong to use the "I have a Dream" speech, a great example of communication, in an ad by a communications company. And is any of your righteous, humourless anger directed at MLK's heirs, who were surely rewarded royally for this spot? Oh, and lastly, do you actually know any black people, and are they okay with you being the self-appointed guardian of their culture? (Please note, Hootie of Hootie and Blowfish is not actually black in the context of that band, nor are any members of the Dave Matthews Band, aka the Eddie Vedder Jazz Experiment.)

03:58 p.m.

"Fun at the Alcatel Company Picnic"

03:55 p.m.

Hey, Mr. Literal
Alcatel never claims what they do is as important as what the Reverend Doctor King did. It's a classic, dramatic, "What if..." proposition. "What if no one heard one of the greatest speeches in the history of civil rights? What if we could not watch the speech on film?" That's how important connections are. "If a tree falls in the forest, but no one hears it..." That's all they're saying. And they're sure as hell getting our attention. What else can you ask of an ad? And with full respect given to Dr. King, and with a good sound mix of the majesty of his words. Nicely, nicely done.

03:50 p.m.

Black and White
What earthly difference does it make what the colour of the skin was of the creators of the ad? Anyway, his estate certainly received a healthy checque,and they're black, if that makes any difference to you.

03:47 p.m.

the fact that alcatel thinks what they do is as important as what that speech did makes them really fucking stupid.

03:46 p.m.

Re: Everyone's a critic
whether I write advertising is unimportant. Please tell me you don't approve advertising.

10:38 a.m.

Get off your high freaking horse and kiss my ass!
I wasn't trying to pretend I was english, I was just being goofy. Lighten up. Toot toot, Cheerio!

03:44 p.m.

I'm with me, you're with stupid.
I posted "Who's With Me", and I stand by every word of it. If you'd like to refute it, I welcome your response. If you decline to refute it because you will look a fool and would like to continue to pretend that you're English, please sod off.

03:43 p.m.

Whiteys just dont get it.
Whaddya wanna bet no one involved in the Alcatel fiasco was black?

03:41 p.m.

Everyone's a critic
Whoever posted the review from Ad critic is a dolt. The sarcasm in that piece is so thick it could run uncut on theonion.com. Your first clue should be when the writer claims the speech "isn't that good". It's acknowledged as one of the greatest orations ever delivered. Please tell me that you don't actually write advertising for a living.

03:40 p.m.

Re: Who's with me
I really really hope that post was a form of sarcasm so advanced, It 's brilliant irony was rendered almost imperceptible to the layman. Good show, chap, jolly good show!

03:36 p.m.

Re: Sarcasm
Yeah, that's pretty fucking funny. That's like saying the Holocaust was't that bad because they didn't hit 6,000,001

10:30 a.m.

re:embarassed
The more you proclaim your virtue, you morals, sir or madame, the more I am inclined to doubt it. And yes, I love the Alcatel ad.

03:37 p.m.

Who's With Me?
Pull back from your knee-jerk reaction to using Martin Luther King Jr. in an ad for a second. Look at the ad. What I see is a very interesting illustration of what Alcatel does. They help you connect to the people to whom you want to speak. They dramatize the importance of this by illustrating a little "What if.." proposition. What if...nobody had been there in Washington to hear the Reverend Doctor's great speech. They use technology to make the familiar strange. We see the speech being made, but no one's there. The ad respectfully pays homage to King, while making a hero both of Alcatel and to its potential customers. Obviously, the messages I transmit through Alcatel aren't in the same league as that delivered by MLK , but I'm flattered by the comparison. I call that a great ad. Great, great work.

03:30 p.m.

Tha reveiwer was no knob!
dude, cant you recognise sarcasm when you see it?

03:32 p.m.

Everyone's a critic
This is from an adcritic.com 'review' about the MLK spot. I think the messge here is that no matter how truly awful something is, there's always someone out there who's a bigger fucking knob that you could have imagined: "I am so sick of the PC whiners thinking this type of creative work shouldn't be expressed. I for one was never a huge fan of the I HAVE A DREAM thing, now don't get me wrong it's an OK speech, but just OK, I for one, always felt the speech was lacking a certain something, it was kind of static, I mean if a speech is suppossed to be "moving" shouldn't the speaker move a little? That's what makes this spot so good, you see, since Martin Luther King messed up the speech by not moving, the director moves the camera, and he moves it a lot, sometimes he tracks out, then he dollies around. This is great, for once someone who understands what "motion pictures" are all about. Another thing I didn't like in the original was that, well frankly there were just too many people at the speech, I mean c'mon that can get distracting. If you really want to understand a speech, you don't want any distractions. No disrespect meant to Dr. King, but what were all those guys in the white hats doing looking over his shoulder, and all that yelling. Again this spot is great because you don't have all those people, yelling and carrying on. Yeah I think that the original would have been much better if it was read to nobody. Oh wait, maybe that wouldn't have been as effective. Oh well, the dolly move was kind of cool..."

.

re: embarassed
So you like the Alcatel spot? Or were you just taking a cheap shot at me because I have morals?

03:27 p.m.

Juice Newton
"Playing with the Queen of Hearts,/ Knowing it ain't really smart,/ The Joker is the only fool/ Who'll do anything for you./ Playing out another nine,/ Thinking 'bout a life of crime/ If that's what I have to do/ To keep me away from you."

03:27 p.m.

Fascinating Fact!
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history. Spades - King David; Clubs - Alexander the Great; Hearts - Charlemagne; and Diamonds - Julius Caesar. However, only one of the Jacks represent a real person - Lief Neilsen.

03:23 p.m.

embarassed
I'm also embarassed that you work in advertising. Nothing is sacred. Kill your idols.

03:18 p.m.

Alcatel heck
Let's face it, we sell shit to people. You'd like to think that certain images, people and events are so meaningful to at least some of us that they are above being used for a sales pitch. But that blew right by the folks at Alcatel and the dicks who did this ad. This is what burns my ass. When I see how hard it is to get work by all the levels of shit-scared clients and AEs, then I see someone making something as patently offensive as this and it makes it to fucking TV!??!?! The suits at that place must be REALLY good salespeople geez --- spark

03:09 p.m.

ALCATEL HELL
"Before you can inspire, before you can touch, you must first connect. And the company that connects more of the world is Alcatel, a leader in telecommunications networks."
You could do it with MLK with no pants on and then as you pan around, say
"Before you can inspire, before you can touch, you must first have pants on. And the company that dresses more of the world in comfortable khakis is the Gap, a leader in casual clothing."
what a shit spot.

02:58 p.m.

Alcatel.
Wow, that makes me embarassed to be in advertising. Truly. What next? I know, how about an ad for Volvo safety features featuring the famous Zapruder film of Kennedy's head becoming vapour? "If he'd been in a Volvo, he'd still be with us". Or maybe the Rodney King beating, what could we do with that? An ad for Rub A-5 3-5? "When your body has taken a beating...". I could go on, but I'll leave that up to you folks! -Wanda

02:37 p.m.

I has a Dream
eeek. some ad people are gross.

02:06 p.m.

Ebonics
"I has a dream". Print, I think.

09:02 a.m.

Alcatel- MLK
Saw that Alcatel thing. Nicely done. but yeah, they oughta not really go near that eh? what ebonics thing were you talking about? I didn't see that one. what was the client?--spark

02:02 p.m.

Adcritic: Alcatel - I Have a Dream
We've all thought about it. Some of us may have even committed it to paper. But eventually, even the most hardened of us all has dismissed the idea as bad taste. That certain people, special moments and such magical events in history shoud remain untarnished by some dispicable desire to sell shit...until now. The anti-ebonics ad was forgivable because of the audience it was trying to reach and because of the message it was trying to convey. This is inexcusable.

11:44 a.m.

A Hard To Hear Days Night
Yeah, I posted about that crappy sound mix a while back, but no one said anything so I thought maybe it was just me. My ears have been vindicated!

10:57 a.m.

Dear Wayfd & Phtd
The tension between you to is too much. Just get it over with and have sex already.

10:56 a.m.

Beatles Fab 4 Commercial
Worst sound mix ever. Worst, worst, worst. Can't hear what anybody's saying. Not that I want to. Actually I take it back. Thanks for fucking up the mix and making the spot even more incomprehensible.

10:38 a.m.

Well...
if a playground response is what you think you received, then you shouldn't be dissapointed. Now take that alphabet block outta yer ass and replace the soother you've been sucking on...pthd

10:15 a.m.

Wayfd's last post
Hey Wayfd: What are you babbling about now? Need some attention? Why don't you go talk to your therapist?

10:03 a.m.

How to suck Ted Rogers dick?
Compare the accomplishments of his 'fab four' wireless techies to the coming of the Beatles. Soon to be followed by Teddy boy himself walking on water and carrying the cross. Holy fuck!

08:39 a.m.

Re: Pithd
Yes. Excellent indeed. Shouldn't there be a 'rubber hose' element to your exquisite rebuke?

08:37 a.m.

pthd
excellent "I know you are, but what am I?" comback!

09:07 a.m.

Re: boring each other to death...
too late you beat us to it...pthd

06:14 p.m.

This also just in!
Scientists have decided that earth does not, in fact, revolve around the sun. It revolves around two, small planets called "Wayfd" and "Pithd". Although there is no intelligent life believed to exist on these two dull, lifeless rocks in space, it is believed that meaningless radio waves bounce the two bits of dross constantly, wreaking havoc on any normal communications contact attempted on Earth. NASA is currently conjecturing on how to eliminate the petty annoyances. However, most believe that the two will eventually cancel each other out by simply boring themselves to death.

04:52 p.m.

chicken suit
If the idea is manure, you must be obscure.

05:51 p.m.

Been Busy, Have We?
Well, it's nice to see that my comments piss people off in here to the point where they have to resort to grade school antics. Good one. Maybe that's why you're still working on Val-Pak coupons. ...wayfd

Re: This just in!
Oh dear.

04:46 p.m.

This Just In!
Potato suicides are on the rise as a result of the Imperial margarine advertising! A Charlie's Angels Remake is in the works inspired by a new Hudson's Bay commercial! Blinki 182 thanks Labbat for the nude streaker idea! Grandmothers all over Canada are following the patato suicide trend thanks to recent Rogers TV e-mail commercial! ACTRA signing up stick figures; soliciting union fees for English/French stig figures and stunt stick figures! Eaton's leapfrogs into 1972 with "I feel the urge to emmerge" commercial after realizing their 'Funny Girl' ripoff left the store feeling a little dated! Ford proves that advertising doesn't need an idea, it just needs a great song! Blue Light, rejuvinated by the ideals heralded in Beer.com advertising, makes a return to mindless dribble and babes with boobs with, wait for it, "Free your time!" And last but not least, General Foods reminds us to salute our Olympic atheletes with a pun;Three Cheerios for our atheletes!

04:00 p.m.