Morality Advertising’s None But The Brave
In the main, advertisers globally avoid associating their brands or services, with discriminatory sexual orientation and gender identity issues, fearing controversial backlashes.
But laudably some advertisers, have taken a moral stand to use the power of their media reach, in brave initiatives to motivate the acceptance and embracing of soul-felt, gender orientation lifestyles in society.
1. J&B Rare, She
Advertising Agency: El Ruso de Rocky, Madrid, Spain
Production Company: Agosto, Madrid, Spain
Masterly directed by filmmaker Gabe Ibáñez, with emotive empathy, the J&B Rare short-film, featuring a soundtrack rendition of Charles Aznavour’s song “She” by Music Production House Chaco, is for me, one of the most movingly produced, scenarios of recent times.
On the Muse by Clio website, Angela Natividad, author of Generation Creation, provides erudite introductory context, to J&B and El Ruso de Rocky ‘She’s’ advertising initiative, that makes for highly recommended reading.
Here’s one insightful excerpt: “You can’t help who you are. It’s a nature that’s stronger than our forces and our discipline. But we’ve perhaps all had the experience of discovering that, in the context of our society and our time, that same nature, inoffensive on its own, can make our lives a solitary tragedy”.
“It’s up to us how to negotiate, and maybe transmogrify that pain to as much for ourselves, as for the ones like us who follow. This is the beating heart of ‘She’, a J&B Tale”.
2. DIESEL Fashion, Francesca
Advertising Agency: Publicis, Milan, Italy
Production Company: Division, Paris, France
Renzo Rosso, Creator of Diesel Group: “I am very proud of ‘Francesca,’ and of the DIESEL values that inspired this story”.
“When we created ‘For Successful Living’ many years ago, our thought was the same then as it is today. Individuality, pride, and the power to live as one wants, is the ultimate success in life; and being true to oneself is the single most important element of life”. (Source: Gloria J. AdStasher 17 June 2020)
Directed by masterful filmmaker François Rousselet, in collaboration with ‘Diversity’, an Italian association committed to promoting social inclusion, Francesca is played by the eminent, multi-talented Canadian transgender model, and activist, Harlow Monroe.
The story centres on Francesca’s transgender journey from being assigned male at birth, to the awakening of her female identity and feminine self, and living-out her soul-felt calling of becoming a nun.
Publicis Milan and DIESEL’s Francesca commercial is a laudable humanitarian initiative, that very few brands would have the moral consc
3. Telekom, Cyber Mobbing
Advertising Agency: DDB, Hamburg, Germany
Production Company: Markenfilm, Hamburg, Germany
Laudably conceived, Telekom Germany bravely addressed the issue of online-abuse, and prejudiced social exclusion, that still today, many governments ignore, or worse still, even incite with discriminatory policies.
The sense of fear and isolation, of a young person’s experiences of Cyber bullying, and efforts to rise above weaponised words and messaging, have been powerfully and emotively captured, in this true story portrayal by South African filmmaker, and director, Kim Geldenhuys.
The brutal reality of the story underlines Telekom Germany’s concerted efforts in working with various partner initiatives, to expose the effects of cyber bullying, and fight for a hate-free Internet.
4. Renault Clio: The French Exchange
Advertising Agency: Publicis-Poke, London, UK
Production Company: Academy Films, London, UK
Not surprisingly perhaps, the commercial’s LGB theme received some negative viewer reactions. However, in the main, the touching love story, directed with laudable sensitivity by filmmaker Frederic Planchon, was widely praised for its sterling portrayal.
The analogy of Renault Clio’s, ‘Thirty Years In The Making’ scenario, about the awakening of a loving relationship between two women, who grew up as best friends, plays out against a resonant soundtrack, by music arranger and producer, Luis Almau at Soundtree Music Studios, London, of ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis, performed by London-based Hejira Band member, Rahel Debebe-Dessalegne.