RIDICULE IS A CREATIVE WEAPON.

Ridicule is a political weapon. 
The United States know the power of ridicule all too well.
In 1948, the U.S. distributed a film to Italy called Ninotchka. The film starring Greta Garbo poked fun at life in Russia.  
After seeing the film many Italians changed their vote in the Italian general elections from the Communist party to the Christian Democrats. 

Al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi lost his aura of invincibility in 2006 when the U.S. military released raw outtakes of a captured video showing the terrorist chief to be a befuddled bumbler who didn’t know how to operate a machine gun.

Dictators, terrorists, and totalitarians cannot tolerate being laughed at. Ridicule  is a robust underground phenomenon in any society.

In Venezuela, women stripped off their pants and threw them at riot police, taunting the young men to “man up” and put them on. Jeering crowds laughed and chanted for them to “wear some pants.”  Once the public could make fun of the repressive regime,everyone knew the police state’s time was running out.

The Soviet leadership is so fearful of humor  the KGB have a Department of Jokes. It's a sub unit of their political enforcement section designated to prevent jokes spreading about the state.

Recently, the Russian authorities encouraged musicians to upload pop videos to Youtube which ridiculed the anti-government protesters. Alisa Vox uploaded a video which scorned the protesters over mispelt placards.  

And rapper Platkha likened young Russian protesters to  'rich brats on  lamp posts'. A reference to the lamp posting protesters in Red Square.

If ridicule works for governments and for their opponents would it work for brands?  

Could a brand move an audience closer to a purchase by humiliating them?

Would  commuters carrying Apple phones be photographed and instantly converted in to an image of a sheep on Samsung's digital posters with baa baa sounds bleating from nearby speakers?


Would drivers  caught texting have to change their car number plate to: TWAT.?   (Texter Who's A Tosspot)

Would Gillette appoint welly wearing fisherman as bouncers at hipster night clubs in front of neon signs that say,  Beardies. Comb  out the maggots  or you're not coming in?

Would Ambre Solaire erect pop up cinema seats in front of sleeping sunbathers on Spanish beaches and invite an audience to watch The British  Idiot, with a live  kazoo orchestra ?

Would Mcdonalds hire a bunch of Ronald Mcdonald  clowns to flash mob Burger King and taunt the staff and customers with derisory chants?  

No, of course they wouldn't. That would be too ridiculous.

Disclaimer:
The views of this blog do not reflect in any way  the opinions of my employer. They do, however, reflect the views of Harry the hedgehog who lives in my shed.

SCHOOL FAILURES APPLY HERE.

You failed your Maths. 
You failed your Chemistry. 
You failed your Biology.
You even failed Geography.
And everyone said Geography was easy.

Or, maybe you didn't fail. 
You just got poor grades.

Your parents are worried. 
They look at you and ask, 'What are you gonna do with your life?'

You tell them this:

The educational establishment can't grade Energy.
They can't mark Intuition either.  
And they certainly can't give you a diploma in Instinct. 
There's no Degree in Attitude.
No GCSE in Fun.
No certificate in Thinking On Your Feet, Talking Your Way Out Of A Tight Spot or Making People Laugh In The Pub On A Sunday Afternoon.


If you are not right for university you might be able to get the best qualification out there. A Degree in Life. 

So here's what you do:  you work, you travel, you meet people, you have fun.

Hand out club flyers in Prague.
Or bottled water to refugees in Lesbos.
Scrub down the decks of yachts in Sydney Harbour.
Talk  to Peruvian farmers.
Get lost in the Atacama.
Busk in Paris.
Play cricket with the locals in Mumbai.
Serve cocktails in New York, ribs in Dublin and coffee in Naples.
Wash cars in Vancouver.
Dig irrigation ditches in Djibouti. 
Paint a school in Uganda.
Then come back to the UK, make a cup of tea and apply for the Watford Creative Ad School.

This crazy business called advertising doesn't care about what you did or didn't do at school. 

It cares about what you do and who you are.
Ad agencies value your personality. 
A personality which has been formed by your worldly wisdom.
and your emotional insights. 
They want your taste in  Ethiopian music, Armenian pottery and Ecuadorian art.  
And they want your desire and your passion in problem solving.

If you are an academic failure, that could be an advantage.
And you should think seriously about a career in advertising. 
The creative industry needs you.
And so do I.

Apply to The Watford Creative Ad School. 
Not now, of course.
After you have lived a bit and learned a lot.
(The average age of people on the course is 24.)

The more you fail on the course the more successful you'll be as a creative.