Muammar Gaddafi in topical ad for Lifebroker

Borrowed interest. Yuck.

Not funny, and in poor taste. Not even edgy , in fact there is nothing smart about it. And the client should realise the tag line could be referring to people oppressed by him, not just Gaddafi himself, which makes it even worse.

Pull the ad.

It feels like it’s meant to be funny… But it’s just… well, NOT.

Seriously, the biggest ‘lol’ came from the work experience kid. And that’s saying something.

I think I look pretty good in that shot.

I have a feeling this was made to feel like it’s funny, without actually having a scent of humour. It’s simplistic, and extremely childish. Something I probably would have come up with in a high school business class as a joke marketing ploy, but nothing more.

It will be interesting to see if the media grab onto this tomorrow.

I find this really offensive!! Whats happening in Libya is not funny and this campaign is very insensitive. Embarrassing for everyone involved!

Noni, I agree. The work experience kid was the only thing that raised a laugh from me.

He is styled by Roger David

Run it! Run it! Go on. It’s hilarious!!!!

They all want shooting!

أجد أن هذا الإعلان المضحك! لقد حان الوقت معمر وأنا واحد الأمل هو وعائلته لم يؤخذ بها مع سياسة Lifebroker. أسمع أنها شركة ذات سمعة طيبة. تحيا الثورة!

I’m not sure this is that clever.

I’m not sure it’s that funny either.

It seems cheap, rather than satirical. More shock than topicality.

It’s saying something when people don’t even want to put their name on the credits.

This cannot be serious?

This simply must not go to print?!!!!

Very poor indeed (taste wise.)

New balls please!!!

So given that everyone on that credits list is fictional (including, let’s face it, McCann) isn’t this just a bait to get everyone to post their anonymous rants and then write a scathing column about people hiding behind pseudonyms on this site?

The thing I find sad is what tipped me off was John Bosley when I should have been classy enough to spot the Rosenbergs without Googling them to make sure. Talk about your shibboleths.

p.s. Who’s Felix? Felix Unger? Felix the Cat? Felix Felicis? The gag’s funnier if it’s Felix Felicis.

I suspect some of the earlier posters have forgotten a very basic but forgoten aspect of the industry.
Keep It Simple Stupid. While gripping it just a bit too hard the colloquial non PC humour is allowed to shine through.

Too many people out there with too much time on their hands.

lame, dumb, unevolved and not even creative

is this actually an ad? or some kind of piss take? if an ad then i fear the ad industry is completely stuffed. it begs the question – who in their right mind from a creative, account service and management position thought this a good idea?

haters will always be haters. Real or not, this ad is funny, maybe not too original, but effective as hell. Run it, and you’ll drive a few thousand new hits to your website. Who cares if a bunch of admen don’t like it…

First rule of advertising: Get noticed.

Second Rule: Get noticed or throw money off top of your building instead of advertising, at least you’ll get noticed.

Third Rule: Stop being a cry baby pussy on blogs and write better ads.

The person that wrote the copy and the credits must be the same person. Neither raise a laugh.

Nice photo. Wonder who did the shooting on this camapign?

It looks like something a smart arse kid came up with for the marketing component of their Year 9 Commerce class.

Mick, it’s got nothing to do with being un-PC that makes this ad suck. It’s the fact that the punchline isn’t clear, and really isn’t that funny.

I’m all for the KISS principle, but really, this is more simple than even that old rule would permit.

All questions of taste and political correctness aside, I still don’t *get* it. Every time I think I’m getting close, I end up finding fault with the angle that just makes me more confused.

And I had to come back to this article three times to actually register who the client was. So, it’s obviously not working for the client, therefore making the whole thing kind of redundant.

You can’t be serious

Come on guys, you’re all taking this a bit seriously. It’s naughty, topical, funny and gets people talking. The message is “have you got life insurance? If not, get it before it’s too late.” Well done McCann!

shame on the agency and the client. Here’s hoping it drives a lot of negative PR.

It seems as though McCann have decided to make light of the thousands that have been killed and seriously injured in Libya. Great work guys. Good idea, let’s flog some life insurance, of the back of other peoples serious misfortune. You guy’s give a bad name to the advertising industry. Shame on YOU.

Amazing Campaign – And relevant to todays interpretaion of world events!

Gee thanks @hacker. Not sure any of us had the intellectual capacity to make that enormous leap of understanding before you pointed it out. You should teach at Uni.

In other news, it is indeed on page 9 of The Aus today.

Bit torn here.

The ad is without question bloody terrible. BLOODY terrible.

But then i see all the other people toasting mccann and their lack of creativity. I can understand this is possibly the worst ad I have ever seen.

BUT

For all you people attacking its lack of creativity? I would suggest you live in the big brother house with no access to TV, radio or newspapers. Bar one or two exceptions almost all australian advertising is BLOODY terrible.

I cannot remember the last genuinely creative ad I saw? A handful in the last year. But for that handful there are thousands of BLOODY terrible ads out there. Ads that took thousands of hours and millions of dollars, and were forgotten before they even aired or appeared.

By all means attack the ad for it’s lack of relevance to the new world psyche, and the new order of things. But don’t lambast McCann for a lack of creativity. Unless you can post something you think would contradict me…

Get real guys.

Goodness me it’s amazing how isolated, culturally-deprived morons can be rendered unable to see the error of their ways.

Get off your island, immerse yourself in another language, another culture, another worldview (and no, not Texas please, that wouldn’t be much use) perhaps experience a disaster or war or two, or perhaps an up-close snap or two of a mass slaying like the warehouse full of bodies Gaddafi presented to the press only days ago, and get your head in a mature, appropriate place for goodness sake.

What lack of brain power and creativity must you be suffering from with so many brilliant ideas out there to be conceived and projected, and all you can come up with is something that puts you and your people’s lives in danger just that little bit more. Wankers. Pull the Ad someone please and fine its producers.

PS: Take a moment out to consider your Ad in 6-months, a year, and five years time. Goofs.

This is not the first time a political figure is featured in an ad nor is it the first time news is capitalized on in advertising. Why complain there have been worse incidents and no one opened their mouth. http://bloganubis.com/2011/01/.....uper-glue/
http://bloganubis.com/2009/08/.....vertising/
http://bloganubis.com/2008/10/06/drivers-wanted/
http://bloganubis.com/2008/03/.....ibow-milk/

Would someone please tell me what this ad tells you about the client “Lifebroker” and what response its likely to get from a potential customers for life insurance?

I’m not even a creative, but surely something as simple as a picture of Gillard, with the line “Time to think about insurance?” would have been better? Non offensive. It would still be lame, but better. Did the client pay the agency for this?

Hey Louai,

I don’t think the ads you’ve noted with political figures, ever ran, they were spoofs.
So tell me what this ad, which has run, actually tells you about Lifebroker

Hey Geepers 😉 you are absolutely right, the ads never ran in the form of paid ads but some where published in book such as The Design of Decent” while others are still featured on advertising awards blog/websites. Back to the issue at hand;

The ad tells me that Lifebroker are either very brave for accepting this artwork from their agency or very stupid for steering the wasps nest, anyone remember the aftermath of the cartoons mocking Islam by a Danish illustrator?
From a pure creative point of view, I think it is minimalistic, witty (smile in the mind), attention grabbing complies with AIDCA & VIPS (visibility, identity, promise, single-minded) formulas but from a communication point of view (according to Shannon & Weaver communication model), the ad failed to communicate its intended message clearly, as the encoded message could be decoded in several ways other than originally intended. Most importantly, from a cultural point of view, it is morally insensitive and has racism connotations. A Big fail in my book.

The ad is in terrible taste, and could be the worst ever – but surely every dictator and his dog can see it’s in reference to Gaddafi himself, not his victims.

Good response Louai.
“failed to communicate its intended message clearly”

This ad is terrific. It’s topical, gets peoples attention, and is memorable. Of course, everyone is entitled to an opinion. Mine is that it’s great.

@Rabs Smells like astroturfing?

McCann copywriters can’t even write fake comments very well.

The biggest problem with the advert is that it is not clear if it is suggesting Gaddafi is considering Life Insurance or if the millions Libyans under Gaddafi’s regime need (ed) life insurance. Someone at either McCann or Lifebroker should have had the brain-cells to see that interpretation.

There is no need to sacrifice good taste to be clever, to shock and make people angry when trying to make people think and consider insurance.

Is Gaddafi being used as a modern day Mr Whipple?

In the end, a cheaply made piece of media has caused ~40 to write something about it here. Does that make this campaign a success?

Only if you don’t understand brand value and image.

Well for a non ad according to so many on here the amount of bile found in the proceeding coments have been quite entertaining.
If the advert gets pulled from the media then it’s a double bonus for Mcann as all publicity is good publicity.
Now if it gets tugged then a segment is run on the news about it? how muuch is a 1.30 TVC slot worth in prime time? You know if one chanel runs with it the others probably will. Result… Priceless.

I would say for all of those hurt little comments and Noni who just can’t grasp the simple pleasure of humour… I grew up in a war zone, I have lost family members to terrorist attacks one of them directly attributed to Gadaffi himself.
So build a bridge and get over it.

Now if I can still see the humour in this I would say either get back to your desk and actually get creative or get out there and get a job in the real world as your sooking in here is quite deplorable.

‘stevem’ I don’t work for mccann or for any agency for that matter, I just think it’s clever. I can see the other points of view, but I like it.

@rabs. Judging by your response you are a freelance copywriter who used to work for McCanns and now don’t. You should have put that craft into the lifebroker ad you wrote. Sorry the question mark you wrote.

Erm. It’s not clever. Btw.

42. Fake! … but humorous.

Google please people!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J....._Rosenberg