Filed under: Comment
So a few weeks ago I came across an article about an ad agency in Belgium – Famous – an IT expert and a charity/government body who had come up with the idea of putting the faces of missing children on deleted web pages.
Now while I know there are a whole heap of negative comments you could throw at the concept – from the fact you rarely come across deleted web pages anymore through to it being like a poor mans version of the US ‘milk carton’ campaign – I think it’s great.
You see at the end of the day, someone has done something that might … just might … make a difference.
Sure, the chances of someone being found are low … but they’re not as low as doing nothing at all and I’m sure that for the families of lost children, any possibility of being reunited with their loved ones is worth giving a go.
Years ago I wrote a post saying how I was pissed off that Madonna had been able to adopt a child while my friends – who arguably, would be better parents – were denied.
At the end of the post I had to admit that while I didn’t like how the system worked, the reality was a child was going to have a better life than they would otherwise of had and only the most heartless of bastards could criticize that.
And that’s the thing with this idea.
It didn’t cost any money … it made use of something that no one was using – or was thinking of using – and it might help bring a family back together … which is why it’s worthy of praise not nitpicking.
So well done to Famous/Missing Children and all the hosting firms, ISPs and media companies that have signed for this campaign … you might not win any effectiveness awards, but you are certainly deserving of a humanitarian one.
[I could now write a massive diatribe about how much I loathe it when ad agencies enter pro-bono charity work into creative awards … but apart from that making me look a total hypocrite, that’s something for another day. And it’ll come. Oh yes, it will come]
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Lovely idea and point of view Robert. This sort of concept is too important to dismiss, regardless how unlikely the reuniting of child and parent may be. The “Madonna” post you reference is equally as prejudice challenging. Nice work.
Comment by George November 15, 2012 @ 6:29 ami like this. it might be a long shot. it might not be seen. it might even be a fucking pr scam but if i was looking for my daughter, id fucking take any publicity i could fucking get to get her back.
Comment by andy@cynic November 15, 2012 @ 6:45 amIf it’s praised by you, it must be even better than I first thought … and I thought it was very good indeed.
Comment by Rob November 15, 2012 @ 9:10 amand its probably going to be as effective as most fucking campaigns these days. more so, because when samsung launches another brain rape, bland piece of shit, they dont get the bbc writing about it.
Comment by andy@cynic November 15, 2012 @ 6:47 amor campbell. with his reach of 5 fucking weirdos and a genius.
Comment by andy@cynic November 15, 2012 @ 6:47 amplus it cost basically fuck all to make, distribute, run and manage. and as some media monkey twat would say, it still has more “opportunities to be seen” than a billboard on hackney high street. or a microsoft 8 campaign that has been designed to feel like an ipod ad. from 4 fucking years ago.
Comment by andy@cynic November 15, 2012 @ 6:49 amMaybe it should win an effectiveness award after all then. Ha.
Comment by Rob November 15, 2012 @ 9:10 amSpot the dads.
Comment by Billy Whizz November 15, 2012 @ 6:52 amspot the twat.
Comment by andy@cynic November 15, 2012 @ 6:59 amThis is a fun game.
Comment by Billy Whizz November 15, 2012 @ 7:11 amI agree with everything everyone (except Billy) said.
I’m sure when I read this post I could hear the collective sound of people slapping their head as they said, “why didn’t I think of that?”
Mind you, we’re only being generous with our praise because it’s a genuine “good deed” idea and utilises something that costs nothing, that no one had considered doing/using before and doesn’t have any obvious commercial benefit or link to any commercial organisation.
If this was for Yahoo, I’m confident we’d all be laughing at their stupidity and cheek. Though they’ve been looking for their missing user base for the past 6 years.
Comment by Pete November 15, 2012 @ 6:58 amlook at pete getting all bitch slappy happy on yahoos ass. bit of an easy target but seeing mr nice turn in to mr bastard is a sight for sore fucking eyes. give that man a fucking bonus. im talking to you auntie, but hold back 35%, thats my management fee.
Comment by andy@cynic November 15, 2012 @ 7:02 amWhere are the Daily Mail readers saying this could help pedophiles?
They’re so inconsistent with their stupid comments.
Nice idea, but mainly for the reasons Poisonous Pete said.
Comment by DH November 15, 2012 @ 7:13 ampoisonous pete. that is fucking awesome. and itll stick. ill make it my fucking life mission to make sure it does. good fucking work dave.
Comment by andy@cynic November 15, 2012 @ 7:19 amI get “Auntie” and Pete gets “Poisonous”.
Comment by George November 15, 2012 @ 7:25 amI appreciate mine is much more of a “society friendly” name, but we all know the unspoken rules of the nickname. The more intimidating, the cooler you are. Even when it’s ironic.
I miss out again.
dont worry auntie. after your disasterous birthday cake buying escapade of a few years ago, you will always be known as the “dirty bastard pervert baker” to me.
better?
Comment by andy@cynic November 15, 2012 @ 7:32 amand thats way fucking cooler than “northern groper”.
Comment by andy@cynic November 15, 2012 @ 7:33 amGold.
Comment by DH November 15, 2012 @ 7:35 amNo David, that’s not gold at all.
Comment by George November 15, 2012 @ 7:38 ampeople are so fucking hard to please these fucking days.
Comment by andy@cynic November 15, 2012 @ 7:41 amNicknames are cool?
Comment by John November 15, 2012 @ 7:45 amDepends.
Thunder God would be. Jimmy Saville wouldn’t.
Comment by DH November 15, 2012 @ 7:58 amPoisonous Pete. That is brilliant and yes, I have a feeling that will stick.
Comment by Rob November 15, 2012 @ 9:11 amNorthern groped is actually quite lame andy
Comment by Northern November 15, 2012 @ 2:39 pmWhy stop at deleted webpages? You could have them pop up when morons like your brand on Facebook and actually have that lead-generation exercise mean something.
Comment by John November 15, 2012 @ 7:38 ambecause that zuck twat would charge the fuckers for it. or hed give the missing their own facebook page so he could boost his “user” numbers to try and con some more finance twats into giving him more fucking cash to flush down the fucking toilet.
probably.
Comment by andy@cynic November 15, 2012 @ 7:44 amIt’s a great idea, using empty space for a good cause.
Comment by Rob Mortimer November 15, 2012 @ 9:50 amThe Daily Mail are probably too busy printing images of 16 year old girls to notice this campaign.
Nice.
Comment by Lee Hill November 15, 2012 @ 10:45 amExcellent idea
Comment by Northern November 15, 2012 @ 2:46 pmIf my little boy or girl went missing I’d want every chance no matter how small
Speaking of my devious little angels my 1 year managed to reach the sky remote and I came into the room to her laughing and pointing at playboy chat tv
For anyone interested in knowing, Mr Northern is writing his comments while sat on a train on his way to London where he will no doubt marvel at the latest innovations such as central heating, cars and civilisation.
In addition, it appears his lovely daughter takes after her Father, but fortunately Mrs Northern is there to stop it before it all gets out of hand.
Comment by Rob November 15, 2012 @ 2:55 pmAnd for the record, I’m not staking him, I just saw it on twitter.
Where I stalk him. Ahem.
Comment by Rob November 15, 2012 @ 2:55 pmOh very droll
Comment by Northern November 15, 2012 @ 3:01 pmTheir may be advances in technology but tea making is in the dark ages
And I know I spelt ‘there’ wrong
Comment by Northern November 15, 2012 @ 3:04 pmSo is their wit and politeness.
And brains.
Can you tell I’m from semi-oop North?
Comment by Rob November 15, 2012 @ 3:49 pmSemi
Comment by Northern November 15, 2012 @ 4:04 pmAlso from twitter – proof that some planners study stuff completely outside their world https://twitter.com/Robertc1970/status/268952047758475265
Comment by John November 15, 2012 @ 6:16 pmI thought you were linking to this: http://instagr.am/p/SC7A72rHyJ/
Comment by Rob November 15, 2012 @ 6:23 pmNo. You’re all about shopping for gaudy crap.
Comment by John November 15, 2012 @ 6:39 pmcampbell only buys gaudy electronic crap.
or fucking shitty sandals.
he probably thinks louis vuitton is a fucking cousin of louis theroux.
Comment by andy@cynic November 15, 2012 @ 9:50 pmOnly slightly worse than overpriced log cabins
Comment by Northern November 16, 2012 @ 12:33 amOr bloody little girls clothes come to think of it I can moan about mrs northern all I like she’s too much sense to visit here
but not enough sense to say no to your love.
fuck me, i sound like the hallmark channel.
and my fucking wood money pit is no longer a fucking money pit. its worth a fucking fortune. well it is if some fucked up middle eastern billionaire prince is pissed and has his credit card anywhere within 10 feet of where im standing.
want a laugh? were buying somewhere in venezfuckinguela. ive been told its so we can be near the grandparents. my side of the family apparently dont matter, just hers. campbell gets the glamour fucking cities and i get tinpot dictator places. fuck my life.
Comment by andy@cynic November 16, 2012 @ 6:28 am