This is abit old actually, but over at Ad-Pit … Rob Mortimer raises an interesting point …
Apparently a TV ad for breakfast serial ‘Frosties’ is so annoying, the child actor appearing in it is getting death threats.
Now I’m sure most people will agree that as much as certain commercials may drive you to the edge of despair … making an actual death threat is going way too far. [Imagine how the poor little kid must be feeling!]
However Rob’s point is this …
Could/should creatives or the agencies, be responsible for all aspects of communication produced on their clients behalf? In this case, is the agency behind the Frosties ad liable for the distress this poor kid has experienced?
Sure, there are many ways to look at it … many people you could blame [from the client who approved it, to the network who showed it, to the parent who let their child appear in it] … however I believe that this is ultimately an argument about creativity and the freedom of expression/speech.
Of course sense, decency and consumer understanding should prevail [otherwise you’re just as bad as the M&C India idiots I talked about] … but my ultimate view is that whilst communication/media has the power to influence negative individual actions, ultimately the responsibility HAS TO be with the person undertaking the acts otherwise life will stop.
As my Father argued – if Musicians and Video Game Producers are to be held responsible for all acts of violence [by individuals who claim their ‘inspiration’ came from other peoples ‘creativity’] then the bible should also be banned.
He said that not only did it feature incredible acts of violence throughout the book … but given the human mind is so powerful, words could be imagined in far more outlandish, violent, detailed ways, than any video game or song could achieve.
In essence, he believed words had a far greater ability to inspire ‘wrong-doing’ than audio/visual creativity [because the brain has zero limits on its imagination] and so if we were solely blame the ‘creator’, then it would lead to the destruction of creativity.