Digest Number 2596

August 20, 2007

Asian Animal Protection NetworkSorry to say this, but really not a single

toffee/chocolate/mint ad is supposed to remotely be taken seriously; they are

figurative and very spoofy and I honestly do not think this will lead to anyone

feeding toffees to crocs in the zoo. I do respect your concern but the new

advertising idiom for such products in India is extreme exaggeration, so I

wouldn't worry, however tacky and stupid the creative platform. In fact (I have

been in advertising for 25 years) I am quite certain that these ads perform no

more than a recall-purpose, and have little to do with how the product is used.

Many youth products are presented in absolutely wild and unreal scenarios in tv

commercials.

Devika

The Cattitude Trust

-

aapn

Monday, August 20, 2007 7:12 PM

Digest Number 2596

Asian Animal Protection Network

Messages In This Digest (1 Message)

1. (IN): The new Alpenliebe ad with Kajol - animal rights anyone? AZAM

SIDDIQUI

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1. (IN): The new Alpenliebe ad with Kajol - animal rights anyone?

Posted by: " AZAM SIDDIQUI " azam24x7 azam24x7

Sun Aug 19, 2007 5:33 am (PST)

Link:

http://infovista-beta.blogspot.com/2007/07/alpenliebe-toffee-for-man-poison-for.\

html

The new Alpenliebe ad with Kajol - animal rights

anyone?<http://infovista-beta.blogspot.com/2007/07/alpenliebe-toffee-for-man-poi\

son-for.html>

--

Fight captive Jumbo abuse, end Elephant Polo

http://www.stopelephantpolo.com

August 21, 2007

It is always sad to pick up a debate with an animal person, considering the

fact that despite being on the same platform we tend to differ on issues

which are so simple and straight. Issues which do not call for a debate at

all.

But having said that I would only like to Ms. Devika not the animal person

but the creative professional, someone who has been in the field of

advertising in India for 25yrs long and yet sees no harm defending such a

nonsensical and damaging TVC, which by now most of our AAPN members and

people worldwide have probably seen on the youtube link that was given in my

earlier mail.

I work for the electronic news media as a camera person in a national

television channel of India. I am in this profession for past 8years.

In the eight years of my service in the northeastern region of India, I have

unfortunately been covering massacres, killings, blasts, rapes, murders,

child abuse etc much much more than other happy stories.

Now that is because those are burning issues which demand more attention.

There is something called 'Corporate Social Responsibility' which an

organisation or an individual whose target audience is the common public has

to adhere to, and it is a must.

A responsible media house will never show the face of the woman or a child

who is a victim of rape. We cannot, and now even the Supreme Court of India

has issues strict orders on such matters.

I am always reminded by my organisation to be extremely careful in taking

pictures of blasts and massacres where bodies and body parts are strewn all

over. Even if I manage to shoot horrifying and gruesome pictures it does not

get aired.

Now why does an organisation pay so much attention to all this?

Because you are responsible.

Because your medium reaches the homes of millions of people.

Because there are children watching television.

.....and for many such becauses that can go on and on..

Now another important fact.

Indian is not a Banana republic. You can not do anything and everything and

get away or go unchecked.

If you can recall that very recently two entertainment television news

channels 'AXN' and 'F-Tv' were banned in India by the Ministry of

Information and Broadcasting, Government of India for showing flesh.

And mind you this flesh was not of blast ripped bodies of humans in

massacres but of lively and mind blowing top models who perhaps were walking

nude or posing for photographs.

Now perhaps you may ask why is the Government keeps mum when it comes to

speak for animal rights.

Well because the minority called animal people is so so divided when it

comes to raising issues of interest that Governments do not bother to revive

issues which are drastically low on priority.

Otherwise why on one hand we condemn 'Jallikattu' race and other Bull/

Buffalo fights and yet we do not raise a word of objection or protest when

the show: PRO BULL RIDERS is aired on Zee Cafe every Sunday night at 12am

and then repeated throughout the week.

Would not the organisers of Bull/ Buffalo fights in India or others get

ideas to start something of that sort back here as well.

Nip it on the bud my friends if anything wrong is in the process before it

snowballs into something so big that all we can do is cry.

I have myself documented and inspected many zoos in India.

from burning the nose of a wolf with a cigarette butt, to feeding liquor to

rhesus macaques, I have documented them all and also got the offenders

punished.

Now, in a society which already full tummy with weird ideas of so called

'FUN' while visiting a zoo, you have a commercial TVC to add fuel to fire.

Devika, since you have defended the TVC, will you also go to say that you

find nothing objectionable to someone from the public feeding a wild

scheduled animal in the zoo?

For God`s sake advertisements are huge money spinners which are created by a

team of professional creative artistes and now any Tom, Dick and Harry.

They own a lot of 'Corporate Social Responsibility'. The understand the law.

They understand the repercussions. They know very well that even if their

advertisement is removed , they will get much much more free publicity when

the advertisement will be repeatedly telecast on news televisions. As MMS it

will get circulated. It will be the talk of town. Children will discuss

about it in schools and the next time they go to a Zoo an alligator or the

crocodile will quite naturally remind them of the stunt.

Children are amazing. They much more intelligent to pick up things than we

feel. And advertisers know that very well. They have very smartly developed

this advertisement, and they need to be punished.

In the past even film makers from Bollywood have had to appeal to the

Children.

Rakesh Roshan who made 'Krish' had to ask children not to attempt to

duplicate the stunts performed by the superhero a Superman like character

played by actor Hritick Roshan.

Some boys also had lost their lives in trying to do so alike 'Shaktimaan'.

Lastly I can only recall your own words which I found on your website, very

correctly put though, and I quote:

" Please remember, for each cat we save or rehome, literally hundreds go

homeless, are victims of cruelty, or simply die of starvation or unattended

health problems . Let's please work together to change those figures. " Link:

http://planet-lynx.net/ctude.htm

Let us please work together.

Regards,

Azam

On 8/20/07, devika khazvini <copycatt wrote:

>

> Asian Animal Protection NetworkSorry to say this, but really not a

> single toffee/chocolate/mint ad is supposed to remotely be taken seriously;

> they are figurative and very spoofy and I honestly do not think this will

> lead to anyone feeding toffees to crocs in the zoo. I do respect your

> concern but the new advertising idiom for such products in India is extreme

> exaggeration, so I wouldn't worry, however tacky and stupid the creative

> platform. In fact (I have been in advertising for 25 years) I am quite

> certain that these ads perform no more than a recall-purpose, and have

> little to do with how the product is used. Many youth products are presented

> in absolutely wild and unreal scenarios in tv commercials.

>

> Devika

> The Cattitude Trust

> -

> aapn <aapn%40>

> Monday, August 20, 2007 7:12 PM

> Digest Number 2596

>

> Asian Animal Protection Network

> Messages In This Digest (1 Message)

> 1. (IN): The new Alpenliebe ad with Kajol - animal rights anyone?

> AZAM SIDDIQUI

> View All Topics | Create New Topic Message

> 1. (IN): The new Alpenliebe ad with Kajol - animal rights anyone?

> Posted by: " AZAM SIDDIQUI " azam24x7 <azam24x7%40gmail.com>azam24x7

> Sun Aug 19, 2007 5:33 am (PST)

> Link:

>

http://infovista-beta.blogspot.com/2007/07/alpenliebe-toffee-for-man-poison-for.\

html

> The new Alpenliebe ad with Kajol - animal rights

> anyone?<

>

http://infovista-beta.blogspot.com/2007/07/alpenliebe-toffee-for-man-poison-for.\

html

> >

>

> --

> Fight captive Jumbo abuse, end Elephant Polo

> http://www.stopelephantpolo.com

>

August 21, 2007

Dear Pablo,

If you sincerely feel that it is ads that are responsible for such behaviour, I

strongly recommend you write to the papers or even the marketing managers of the

client company and the ad agency in question with your objections. If those who

agreed with you did the same, it would have an impact on future ads I am sure.

regards,

Devika

-

Pablo

devika khazvini

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 10:24 AM

Re: Digest Number 2596

Be it an ab-vibrator which claims to reduce your waist line by over an inch in

an hour or driving down a cliff after consuming a carbonated drink, the very

concept of advertisement apart from publicizing a product, targets gullible

consumers who many a times blindly believe what is aired. 70% of these

advertisements (be it products/ programmes) target the younger audience

5-15years who many times leap out of the building believing a 'Shaktiman' or

'Spiderman' would save them or bring down the roof in a shopping mall to get a

packet of chocolate drink which has a 'superfast' car as a freebee.

And just a couple of weeks ago did I circulate snapshots and videos of

children feeding choclates and potato wafers to the deer and bear (as I had

seen) at the Bannergatta National Park in Bangalore (issue already escalated to

the Director of the park).

So its not just about being tacky and stupid; I personally feel ad makers need

to be more responsible in their creations. Not just that; since our area of

focus is predominently animals and wildlife, and one visit to a zoo/ national

park will convince anyone that not only such ads need to be recalled

IMMEDIATELY, ad-makers need to understand the consequences of their ads.

Thanks, Pablo.