Hot on the heels of MasterCard’s far left-themed ad campaign, the History Channel — and/or famed ad agency Ogilvy & Mather drop the mask and demonstrate their own punitive liberalism, as James Piereson would call it. Click here to read the story over at Red State; click on the photos below to see them in larger scale, and read the text on the message board Photoshopped into each ad:
Update: Before it scrolls off or is airbrushed out of existence, here’s a screen capture of the 2009 Clio Awards page, the advertising industry’s chief award, showing the three photos above, complete with History Channel logos.
More: On Monday, the Silicon Alley business Website dubbed the ads, “Certainly thought-provoking, possibly anti-American”, (Gosh, you think?) adding on Wednesday that “We liked the ads — or at least appreciated their ability to spark conversation. We only wish digital publishers could come up with units that allowed agencies to get so creative.”
Yes, brilliant way to creatively tarnish the History Channel’s largely positive brand name.
(Bumped to top.)
Update (5/22/09 1:27 AM PDT): Airbrushing — it’s not just for creating ad campaigns any more! The ads appear to be removed from the Clio Award site, or at least they’re hidden safely away somewhere; compare the screen capture I have above with the current Website page. As of now, they’re still listed in the site’s accompanying PDF folder (I’ve downloaded a copy), but who knows for how long?
Update (1:56 AM): As of now, the originals are still online at the Clio site, even if no longer linked to via Webpage. Follow the links here to view them.
Update (12:37 PM): Caleb Howe of Red State, who’s owned this story adds, “CLIO Removes Ogilvy Ads Pending ‘Investigation.'”
Update (6:30 PM): New update from Caleb: “Rewriting the History of the History Channel Ads.”
Late Update (5/27/09): These ads, and a couple of others along similar lines are the subject of my latest Silicon Graffiti video. Click here to watch!
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