Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: It's not OK to just make stuff up

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  • Russell Brown,

    The local one is damn skillful. It is delivered in pretty much the same tone by both men and women and does not actually specify the gender of who needs to change their behaviour.

    In case anyone was wondering, the script in the ads was 100% supplied, and there were quite a few takes to get just right tone.

    They knew what they wanted, and I was actually asked to dial it down a bit: less "that's unacceptable" and more "a word in your ear, mate", basically.

    The hardest thing was keeping meaning in the words after saying them 20+ times.

    But my word-in-your-ear voice obviously had something. The same agency asked me to voice the outro to the most recent version of the Kirwan ads: "Don't let depression get the better of you -- or your friends."

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • FletcherB,

    But my word-in-your-ear voice obviously had something

    <Ralston mode> It had the required smugness that was missing from the earlier versions of the Kirwan ads</Ralston mode>

    :)

    West Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 893 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    The idiots need our empathy, understanding and goodwill as much as the victims...

    I wouldn't go that far. They need some understanding, yes, but not the same amount or type of goodwill as the victims.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Mark Harris,

    idiots may need empathy, but that doesn't stop them being idiots

    Waikanae • Since Jul 2008 • 1343 posts Report Reply

  • Michael Savidge,

    idiots may need empathy, but that doesn't stop them being idiots

    Speaking of smug bastards...

    And....oh I give up.

    Somewhere near Wellington… • Since Nov 2006 • 324 posts Report Reply

  • Jason Kemp,

    On the effective ad front I do like the

    Not Our Future anti smoking ads.

    The Truth campaign in the US annoyed more than a few of the right people Truth

    Not our future also seems to be pitched about right and should definitely be continued.

    But am I off topic or are we all done?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 368 posts Report Reply

  • Isabel Hitchings,

    See the "not our future" ads get right on my tits - smug celebs being all holier than thou yet faux-hip.

    Mind you as a non-smoker in her thirties I'm not exactly the target demographic there.

    Christchurch • Since Jul 2007 • 719 posts Report Reply

  • Jason Kemp,

    I think it is younger and I my 7 year old is impressed. I'd suspect the target is teens or younger. The online side of Not our Future is possibly better than the the side.

    There is that "S" word again.

    I don't hear smug at all. I see role models that kids know about saying something useful. There is a fair bit of posing but that goes with the territory.

    I try not to watch any TV at all so its always a shock to see something wit a bit more cut through. I think NOF is mostly on C4 which makes sense as well.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 368 posts Report Reply

  • Jason Kemp,

    Should have said online website campaign better than TV

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 368 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    Agreed, Isabel. I don't like the "not our future" ads.

    I'm not the target audience, either, but I suspect if I was a "hip", non-conformist stick-it-to-the-man young person today, I might feel a bit patronised by it. It'd make me want to sing: "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me!" at the screen.Therein lies the danger of using a kind of peer presure to try to counter peer presure.

    It's all so false seeming, too.

    And I would like to ask the guy who says something like "I can't believe modnern society allows shops to sell poison in the same place as milk..." if he has ever bought booze from the diary.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Emma Hart,

    See the "not our future" ads get right on my tits - smug celebs being all holier than thou yet faux-hip.

    Mind you as a non-smoker in her thirties I'm not exactly the target demographic there.

    Ditto, unbelievably annoying. It's not the posing that bothers me, it's the absolute black and white preaching I find obnoxious.

    So not the target demographic. But I have found the more absolute you are with teenagers, the less they listen.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    Jason, you might be right that it could be effective on early teens and younger.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Isabel Hitchings,

    It's not the posing that bothers me, it's the absolute black and white preaching I find obnoxious.

    Oh boy yeah and I think I loses the ad a whole wodge of credibility - i can't believe none of them have ever had so much as an experimental puff so it sounds like they are lying.

    The less inflammatory language of the "it's not OK" campaign means that is much less of an issue.

    Christchurch • Since Jul 2007 • 719 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie,

    Surely the all-time benchmark for public service pious dorkiness would be those mid-80s stay-off-the-crack cinema spots, featuring such unlikely Hollywood types as poor old Dudley "alcohol abuse" Moore. In crackless NZ they only served to pique a vague puzzlement and curiosity.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • Jason Kemp,

    Actually ask any parent - all children are genetically encoded to do the exact opposite of what parents say but - they do respond to peer pressure in huge numbers especially in the younger age groups.

    The NOF series is still 5:1 male but the female characters all seem to be anti hero figures and some like Shavaughn are at least aware of sending herself up.

    On the positive side I like that most of them are musicians across lots of genres and they might be junior celebs to some but most have a degree of obscurity to them.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 368 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    See the "not our future" ads get right on my tits - smug celebs being all holier than thou yet faux-hip.

    At one of Russell's sublime soirées I was nutting off about those ads, and someone piped up with "Who said [X.] doesn't smoke -- lying [expletive] doesn't buy any, you mean." Ouch.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Jason Kemp,

    Isabel - a fair number of them are ex smokers. Dave Gibson of elemnop (12 years) . This might not be obvious from the TV spots but there is a cast of 21 and they get rotated around a bit.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 368 posts Report Reply

  • Jason Kemp,

    Ok - so who is going to call Bill - we've found the topic for his next column right here. :)

    I'm off for the swim!

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 368 posts Report Reply

  • Isabel Hitchings,

    Isabel - a fair number of them are ex smokers. Dave Gibson of elemnop (12 years) . This might not be obvious from the TV spots but there is a cast of 21 and they get rotated around a bit.

    And if the ad out-and-out said "I used to smoke because I was a dumb-fuck" that'd be cool but the message I get is "we're cooler than you suckers" which is rather less cool. I find the ones that focus on quitting rather than just how evil cigarettes are somewhat less offensive.

    Christchurch • Since Jul 2007 • 719 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    The same agency asked me to voice the outro to the most recent version of the Kirwan ads

    <ralston> Pah. Bound to be chardonnay swilling Labour stooges. </ralston>

    I can see these new tags being useful - maybe we could have ones for other writers?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    I find the ones that focus on quitting rather than just how evil cigarettes are somewhat less offensive.

    Agreed, and again with Emma:

    But I have found the more absolute you are with teenagers, the less they listen.

    Jason wrote:

    they do respond to peer pressure in huge numbers especially in the younger age groups.

    Well, maybe - see my second post on this matter, you could be right with the younger ones. But I have a feeling for many the ads will be seen as too bossy, and as Emma suggested, too absolute. It will seem like being preached to, and thus lose the peer presure factor. Peer presure's actually kind of subtle. These ads make it too obvious that they're trying to manufacture a kind of peer presure: "Hey I'm cool - be like me"

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    And if the ad out-and-out said "I used to smoke because I was a dumb-fuck" that'd be cool but the message I get is "we're cooler than you suckers" which is rather less cool. I find the ones that focus on quitting rather than just how evil cigarettes are somewhat less offensive.

    Personally, Isabel, I find it seriously uncool getting health lectures from people who look like they could do with eating -- and fully digesting -- three balanced meals a day. Just sayin'.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    Teh Wimminz, with their sneaky mind-fu! They will manipulate you into acting crazy with their feminine wiles! You are a simple-minded male, and you cannot handle their trickery!

    Stuff like that, you mean?

    More or less. Like in the fable with the apple, you know.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Fable? I thought that were a documentary.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    Fable? I thought that were a documentary.

    Yeah, sorry about that. Must be that I boarded one of them atheist buses today. Got me all discombobulated.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

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