Get Used to “No Pressure,” You’ll Be Hearing It Often
While exploding school children (and others who disagree with us) may not seem the American way, some of our friends from “across the pond” have embraced this method of getting a message across to hilarious results. The hilarious results are not what we see depicted in the 10:10 climate change organization’s advertisements, but the public reaction which can best be described as “explosive.”
We can expect that people offering others a choice will be tacking “no pressure” to their requests and it will become the latest catchphrase; look for it on t-shirts. Perhaps Staples’ “Easy” button sales will increase as well, proving that there are still silver linings to be had in polluted skies.
In October, employing the darkest humor ever displayed in mass advertising, 10:10 produced three spots: a teacher who encourages her young charges to take action to save the environment, then pushes a button to blow up those who decline; a man visiting a codger’s soccer team who meets a similar fate; and a group of employees gathered together for an environmental pep talk—those who demur are given the button. All of the victims have been assured that they do not have to agree or drink the Kool-Aid—“No Pressure.” (If you've got the guts to watch, stick around for the denouement--it's worse than the three ads combined.)
If “No Pressure” had been a Monty Python sketch, it would probably have its fiercely loyal fans, but as a propaganda piece for a sociopolitical campaign it has earned the tag “Epic Fail” throughout the blogosphere. It’s not just that the explosions are so unexpected, but that one of the ads features a classroom full of children. What must have gone on at the creative meetings that came up with this series of public service announcements? One person may have thought it funny, and one or two others may have agreed—but that’s not the same as getting the green light from the powers-that-be.
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