Bang on target
Advertiser: Control Arms
Ad Title: The exhibition that shouldn’t exist
Agency: Leo Burnett, Lisboa, Portugal
4Ps B&M Take: Every year millions of people are killed, injured, and forced to flee from their homes in armed violence across the globe. Many of the weapons used in these killings are illegally traded small arms, yet there are no global rules for the arms trade. No doubt, several organisations have been campaigning for an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to regulate this deadly trade and save lives for years now, but in vain. However, recently Control Arms, a worldwide coalition fighting to approve the ATT, teamed up with Leo Burnett’s (Lisboa, Portugal) Executive Creative Director Luciana Cani and Art Directors Emanuel Serôdio, Fabio Cristo to come up with a brilliant idea – The exhibition that shouldn’t exist.
This latest campaign from Control Arms is a collection of paintings designed to look like abstract artworks in a first sight. But then, when people read their placards, they realise they are actually in front of gunshots stories. In fact, red splatters on white placards are actually meant to simulate the effects of a gunshot. Through a QR code on each placard, people can see the ballistics test that simulated the related story on the painting. Meanwhile, three simulations are associated with the three rooms in the exhibition: “Student gang-raped and killed”, “Reporter executed by terrorist group”, and “Young girl, victim of a stray bullet”. The campaign written by copywriters Pedro Ribeiro and Steve Colmar portrays, in simple yet effective manner, the reality of the irresponsible arms trade around the world, turning visible a violent truth that many really don’t see.
These paintings will also be displayed in the Electricity Museum in Lisbon and then sent to Control Arms in New York. The organisation will then show them in their opening press briefing, held at the UN Secretariat. As a matter of fact, the initiative is also complemented by an online version – shouldntexist.com, where viewers can have the same experience with the paintings and their corresponding videos.
There can be no doubt that it’s a brilliant campaign excellently implemented to get people to empathize with the victims of armed violence. In fact, by striking the emotional chord, the ad ensures that the audience is intrigued enough to listen to the message – the world needs a strong treaty to regulate the trade of weapons that is rooted in human rights and humanitarian law – and pay attention to it. A strong message and some great work, we would say!
