My friend Matt Kehn from Uganda sent me this ad, where the government is successfully waging a war against AIDS.
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Perry Marshall has launched two revolutions in sales and marketing. In Pay-Per-Click advertising, he pioneered best practices and wrote the world's best selling book on Google advertising. And he's driven the 80/20 Principle deeper than any other author, creating a new movement in business.
He is referenced across the Internet and by Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, INC and Forbes Magazine.
48 Comments on “The Ballsiest Ad I've ever seen!”
Why?
Because it’s awesome, that’s why.
Wow! That is amazing!
I think it would be great if all people, including the Africans and the Western world, received some solid education about HIV/AIDS. They do not automatically go together and if someone is HIV positive, it’s very likely they don’t have AIDS and it’s very likely they are not going to die. The main issue behind this entire epidemic is that the majority don’t seem to understand this simple concept? People in Africa believe they are cursed and will die because they are HIV positive. When in actual fact, with some education and guidance, they still have their whole lives ahead of them. I know two people who have been HIV positive for more than ten years now and live perfectly normal and healthy lives. This is due to the fact that they had the right information and support from day one. Those who believe they will die, will die..the power of the mind is incredible. I just think it’s a shame that so much negativity is fed to us about this virus.
Hmmm, very interesting.
Thats a Ralph Ginsburg Swipe…
Want To see The Orginal?
Simon
Sure.
I wonder how effective billboards really are at changing what is culturally accepted? I’d be shocked if the answer is “very”.
It appears that HIV/AIDS in Uganda has reached somewhat of an equilibrium state, rather than a great marketing victory which is stopping its spread.
That subject line made me open the email. Again, great copy works even in very small doses.
Unfortunately, an ad of that nature would probably land you in court here in Canada, unless of course it was government sponsored. Even then, it would be open to challenge. While harsh, it does make a point and in this age of ‘reality’ programming, harsh maybe the only way to get the message across.
While I forget which particular government body was responsible, we had a substantial ruckus raised recently when government sponsored ads targeting youth and gangs was shown during afternoon soap operas. Basically the criticism was that very few felt that persons involved in gang activity would be watching shows of this nature and as a result, the campaign was a huge waste of money.
Maybe our government ad agencies need to take one of Perry’s courses to learn how to target their audience.
I think this is a sickness, and the social message gets lost. A more powerful ad would be one that threatens placing their face on the next ad. Just not sure what the ad would say.
While Ads like this look smart, they NEVER work. How many offenders would look at this ad and have a change of heart? ZERO.
Probably a message like ‘Imagine 15 years of fever, chills and coughs that won’t go away – for 15 minutes of unhealthy pleasure’ written on condoms and handed out in sleazy alleys might work better.
It is always easier to frighten people with immediate bodily harms than to talk sense with someone who has no morals in the first place.
kishore dharmarajan
Kishore,
Remember that not only are the two men in question seeing this ad, so are both of their daughters.
I think one of the most powerful drivers of the civil rights movement and eradicating racism in the U.S. was making prejudice based on color SHAMEFUL. Many of us have grandparents who, truth be told, have “Archie Bunker” style opinions about people of other races. But they know it’s best to keep their opinions to themselves.
Perry,
As the adwords expert, you could probably do a small test to see how people respond to extreme messages like these.
(That is, if google adwords has any accounts left after the googleocoust.)
kishore
And so are the fathers, mothers, uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters & cousins. Making these people – in a nation where family ties are still very strong – aware of the problem will likely make it a lot more difficult for the people targeted in this ad to continue as before.
Have you considered the effect of simple AWARENESS that this ad creates? Does this ad not primarily sell an idea?
“Ew gross!” is all I could think the first time I read it.(just like a teenager would!) I was a little fuzzy on what was meant about “Cross Generational Sex”, but it still make me cringe anyway. I’m a woman in my mid fourties and he doesn’t look all that appealing to me, let alone a teenager. But it did make me think “what are they really trying to say?” When I read the link in drhowell’s posted comment describing the situation, I was much clearer on what they were trying to get across. Although the message is “ballsey” it still loses something in the translation…
I can assure you that for middle aged men, this ad strikes within a second. And they are the target audience as well. That laser focus on target audience makes this ad strong.
Here’s a good one from a New Zealand church (just in time for christmas!)…
…Depicting Joseph & Mary in bed together
Can see why this one got worldwide coverage!
Sometimes you just have to whack them between the eyes with a rough hewn 2×4, then yell “AIRBORNE!” into both ears to get your clients’ attention so you can get the point across! Hoo-rah.
Call it tough, but effective, love.
Sometimes you just have to hit ’em over the head with a sledgehammer, right?
Uganda was one of the worst-hit regions of Africa when it comes to AIDS. They have since become practically the only country to have any real success in the fight against AIDS.
A big hint WHY is in this ad. Notice how the ad isn’t promoting safe sex or condoms. It’s promoting greater morality. Uganda followed the Catholic Church’s advice that a focus solely on condoms instead of on abstinence, monogamy and MORALITY would fail and lead to a larger AIDS problem. The Church was right.
This ad seems mild to me, compared to the war Uganda is waging on homosexuals, who can get the death penalty if they are convicted of having gay sex and are HIV positive, or if the “victim” is under 18. Not only that, but anyone failing to report an “incident” of homosexuality can receive a jail sentence of up to 3 years! The populace is naturally afraid to speak out against this “war”, since to do so might brand the person as a “homosexual sympathizer”. I’m not giving my website URL, since I may want to visit Uganda some day, and I don’t want to be arrested for being gay, since I’m not.
Sometimes sugarcoating just won’t do it. To make a difference in this world, you often have to be bold.
Mark
Perry, in this case, you mean that figuratively and literally, don’t you?
Wow that’s harsh….
I am not into the issue, but I might consider having sex with that man. The more we share…the more we care.
huh?
Interesting in light of the recent proposed legislation in Uganda to enact the death penalty for gays:
Uganda debates death penalty for gays
Why interesting?
It seems to be a country where you can study the fine line between effective marketing and propaganda and a good reminder of how we as marketers must be thoughtful in using the power we have to convey a message.
Don’t worry people. The Catholic Church will save Africa & Uganda with their highly effective Abstinence Program….You know the same one they teach the Priests…
Merry Christmas from an Atheist!
Thank you Perry for a great platform and superb content.
Actually Uganda’s AIDS rate dropped for the first time in recent history, shortly after an African Christian radio station aired programs teaching people that abstinence is a respectable option for those not wanting the same fate as their dead parents who slept around.
You seem more proud of your atheist religion than the fact that Uganda is actually saving lives.
Thank you for that comment. It’s always easy–and PC–to make fun of those who espouse self-control, but in the end that’s what will save us.
Hmm, It says stay away from older men…..assuming all older men have AIDS?where’s the AIDS MESSAGE?
I don’t think it’s AN EFECTIVE ad.
I’m not sure you should jump to the conclusion that it is not an effective ad so quickly.
When you actually LIVE in a place like Uganda, where the devastation of AIDS is played out daily before your eyes and virtually every family has been DIRECTLY touched by the effects of AIDS. Where people are buried literally daily, just on the edge of the village; NOBODY needs to contextualize an ad like this – everybody is CLEAR on the context.
Knowing your target audience intimately is a crucial part of your ad. If you really want to get inside your “customers” head space, sometimes it’s necessary to go and live in their shoes for a while and not simply judge yourself an expert from your (presumably) Western experience, TV talk shows & documentaries, or even the mighty Google. Especially true in Africa.
In this ad, calling attention to the “elephant in the room” will provoke discussion and promote awareness in a socially based culture as is Uganda. Where most people actually spend real live face time with each other daily in the real world, where lives are not largely hidden behind TV’s & computer screens, Facebook & Twitter …
Absolutely.
When you are in Africa, the spectre of AIDS is *everywhere.* There is not one single person who has not lost an extended family member to AIDS.
This is a very interesting advert, although how effective it is I would say is debatable, I don’t think a poster campaign is really gonna do much, cultural changes in my opinion take more than a poster to take effect.
Hi Perry, thanks for sharing. If a person like you, who’s seeing/doing/reviewing/ thousands of ads every month, found this ad worth a mention, then I must surely study this a bit more for its underlying structure. Overall, given the quantum of ads that come at us these days, the only way to make ads stand out it to be bold, or balsy as you call it.
Here’s wishing you all a Happy Xmas and New Year!
Shankar
I wouldn’t say being ballsy is “the only way to stand out”. I’m getting a bit annoyed by how over-the-top many TV ads are – most are just stupid.
What made this ad successful is the fact that it isn’t stupid – it delivers a hard-hitting truth to all the men who see it who are doing that, who also are the ad’s target audience.
Advertisers need to do more than just get me to watch the ad, because stupid ads actually turn me off to their products, or ads that waste my time. Those kind would only work if your target audience responds to stupid ads.
It’s Ballsy alright but will people get it. Cross Generational Sex is a big sentence when driving down the road at speed. – It will get more publicity this side of the world. I do hope it has the desired impact though.
If you’d traveled to Uganda, you’d know that “down the road at speed” would result in you driving a vehicle without any wheels. The pot holes in the roads are big enough to park a VW Beetle into …
Also the pace of life in Uganda is nowhere near that of your average western country.
That’s a pretty forward advert. Havent’ seen anything like that here before.
Chris
This is Uganda, a strange country that is now on the verge of passing some of the draconian laws in history against homosexuality. Penalties for offenses will carry prison time or even death.
I don’t think this country has any PC “police.”
Yes, I hate PC, and that particular ad doesn’t bother me, but there’s more to the story of their success against AIDS. The laws they are looking at are frightening, to say the least.
It’s amazing how simple things can get when you’re fighting to stop your entire population being wiped out within a generation or two!
Either it works or it doesn’t & you get to count the score in lives lost as opposed to Click Thru rates …
Their laws might seem frightening to a westerner like you, but they aren’t too PC-wish-wash to admit the fact that abnormal sexual relations are one of the largest causes of the spread of AIDS there.
Everyone knows there is an absolute standard of right and wrong, and when a whole society throws that out the window, it destroys lives and families because everyone does whatever brings them pleasure regardless of the consequences (not bound by any moral standard).
We don’t exist for our own pleasure. I’m convinced we exist for God’s pleasure – and the God of the Bible tells us to love others just as we love ourselves, and to consider others as more important than ourselves. That kind of thinking can really heal a society – just ask people in the churches in Uganda that teach this if that’s true.
wow. Have a young daughter myself & my friends and I always joke about what we’ll do when the girls get to dating age. Guess in the grand scheme we in the US should feel very thankful for the challenges faced when raising daughters.
This is a very effective ad for certain! The questions is “how far does one go and where do we draw the line”.
Very interesting campaign!
Nice ad. But comes in second ballsiest to this bud light ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZX9Rv_2_C0&feature=youtube_gdata
Getting into the mind of your reader is the holy grail of marketing, and this one does it spot on…and the “So Why Are You With His” could be tweaked for even bigger impact.
In case your are wondering what is cross-generational sex and why it impacts the spread of AIDS. See this link: http://www.prb.org/Articles/2009/crossgenerationalsex.aspx
I’m sure lots more ads & campaigns would be more effective like this if our internal ‘editors’ and external ‘p.c. police’ could be temporarily silenced.
andy
Classic example of getting the message spot on.
Some of the Drink Drive Ads we get over here in the UK at Christmas can be equally as blunt which is surprising considering it’s our Civil servants who approve them.