Mightier Than This Blog
Daily/weekly musings from Toronto reporter Jenny Yuen. Get the scoop by reading more about her escapades while writing about the news.Thursday, August 30, 2007
War Child's Camp Okutta Gives Kids AK-47s
This week, I wrote a story about War Child's new campaign to bring awareness to kids being trained overseas to fight in wars.
I first heard about the news on the CBC, which reported a woman furiously tearing down many of the signs along Queen West. After interviewing some marketing experts and critics, I agree with the ones who said that the ad is definitely not clear enough. It should say at the very least that Camp Okutta is a War Child spoof. I get that you need something attention-grabbing for your audience, but unless you click on the "Where is Camp Okutta" link on the Web site, it doesn't give any indication that it's fictional.
A minor correction to my story, though: The YouTube video posted online doesn't depict children being drugged to combat homesickness. There is a video available online that does show a counsellor teaching the campers about landmines, though.
I first heard about the news on the CBC, which reported a woman furiously tearing down many of the signs along Queen West. After interviewing some marketing experts and critics, I agree with the ones who said that the ad is definitely not clear enough. It should say at the very least that Camp Okutta is a War Child spoof. I get that you need something attention-grabbing for your audience, but unless you click on the "Where is Camp Okutta" link on the Web site, it doesn't give any indication that it's fictional.
A minor correction to my story, though: The YouTube video posted online doesn't depict children being drugged to combat homesickness. There is a video available online that does show a counsellor teaching the campers about landmines, though.
Labels: war child spoof cbc outrage okutta camp
Friday, August 10, 2007
Nothing like Paris; Except for the Ad
This week, I interviewed three different "marketing experts" on the city's ad campaign it unleashed back in January to several U.S. border city alt-weeklies. Yes, you may remember the Live With Culture ads.Earlier this month, Paris released its own breed of ads -- one with a team of rugby players on the field with the frontmen embracing. The caption says, "Enjoy rugby in the capital of love." Bang! Hit the nail right on the head.
I didn't understand why these ads didn't work until one marketing expert, Sergio Meza, explained that it was because we were lying about our cultural aspects. We get that we're really "nothing like Hollywood, except for the film," but people in Rochester don't. And to them, we'd be a bunch of phonies.
That, and well, who doesn't like to see burly sports players making out?
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Monkey See, Monkey Peek-A-Boo
A few weeks ago, I wrote a story in NOW about these mysterious monkeys on Cambridge Ave. (near Broadview and Danforth). Cute and cuddly, all 15 of them hung on hydro wires. I thought this might've been a recent thing, but to my surprise, they've been there for over two years. I'm glad some high school teachers -- namely, John Turner -- still have a sense of humour and playfulness.The day the story goes to print, I get an early morning call from Turner. He tells me that the chimps are gone. Rogers came around and took them down. They didn't confiscate them, but the neighbourhood kids are upset about this. I feel awful. I mean, I had to call Rogers to get their view on this because it makes sense to add balance to the piece. And yet, I kinda wish I didn't. It was probably because I had brought this to their attention did they go and send the animals to monkey heaven.
Thankfully, Turner didn't sound angry about the incident and perhaps when the fire dies down, these elusive apes will make another appearance. There needs to be another zoo in the city, anyhow.
Photo: Devin Leslie
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