In the past several days Ottawa has started to see a demonic looking doll plastered on a hot pink backdrop inviting people to visit a website called “This Ain’t Flint.” Teaser ad for a horror movie? Nope. This is the video that appears when you load up ThisAintFlint.com:
Ottawa-based political writer Audra Williams’ scathing blog post tipped me off to the campaign. In fact, her post “This ain’t Flint! It also ain’t a good campaign!” rakes the creative, content and delivery over the coals. Summing it up as, “This is some of the most cringe-inducing writing I have seen in a while. It’s self-conscious and self-congratulatory at the same time”.
I visited the website, quickly discovered the only message was: Ottawa is “somewhat insulated” from the recession. The campaign and website are the work of Alphabet Creative and Newcap radio. My hunch was the end goal is selling radio ads.
I wanted to be certain. So, I contacted the Ottawa advertising agency responsible for “This Ain’t Flint” to get their perspective. Tony Lyons, creative director of Alphabet, graciously answered a few questions about the campaign:
Question: What are the overall objectives of the “This Ain’t Flint” campaign for Alphabet Creative?
Answer: The impetus of the campaign comes from a basic frustration we feel exists amongst a lot of local businesses. Although we are clearly in a recession, there’s no denying it, the level of doom portrayed by the media is not commensurate with the actual level of contraction locally.
“Locally” is the key word here. We are incredibly fortunate to live in a community that is somewhat insulated from all this. Not entirely, but somewhat. Our objective, as a communications firm, is to show that we can move a message using a proven media formula, outdoor and radio advertising, delivered in a unique way. That’s it. Pretty straightforward really.
Q: It’s a co-branded campaign with Newcap Radio (and both of their Ottawa stations); is the intention to sell radio ads?
A: Ultimately we are using the tools available to us to move a message. In this case, it’s a simple message about forming your own opinion and gaining a deeper understanding of the reality of the situation. If we can drive business for ourselves, then great! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.
Q: Are you worried this ad might offend those in Ottawa who are hurting because of the economic downturn?
A: Worried is not the right term. We don’t intend to offend anyone and I don’t think the campaign could be seen to be in any way offensive, except maybe to doll enthusiasts. But if people are experiencing difficulty, then they need to realize that we are actually on their side, by trying to change attitudes and to move the needle in a positive direction. It is a bit of an experiment, but we felt someone had to do it and I don’t see anyone else stepping up to the plate.
Q: The campaign’s first bit of online media is a scathing review by a local Ottawa writer. She suggests this campaign is “some of the most cringe-inducing writing I have seen in a while. It’s self-conscious and self-congratulatory at the same time.” How do you respond to criticism that the campaign isn’t effective?
A: The campaign’s hard launch was on Sunday, April 5th. It was preceded by six days of a teaser campaign. Today is Tuesday, April 7th. I know we live in the world of Tweets and instant messaging, but by any measurable standards it’s way too early to judge effectiveness. Subjective criticism is fine; we expect that, and we’re fine with it. The cardinal sin of advertising, and indeed any communications campaign, is to try and be everything to everyone; we definitely didn’t do this. A lot of people will really like what we’re doing, some people won’t care at al,l and some people will absolutely hate it. Some people absolutely hate advertising, period. That’s what we do. I suppose the writer in question falls into the latter category, we sincerely appreciate the time she spent with us. The risk of insult is the price of clarity.
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Even after the Q&A with the agency, I’ll admit, I still don’t really get it. Am I being obtuse? I can’t help but wonder what people in Flint will think. Please take a moment to let me know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter (@iancapstick).
(Full disclosure: I appear weekly on the Live 88.5 political panel. Live 88.5 is owed by Newcap Radio.)
