/2011/12/08/shock-and-awe-advertising/
{"item":{"status":"visible","url":"\/2011\/12\/08\/shock-and-awe-advertising\/","trash":"","name":"shock-and-awe-advertising","parent":"","title":"Shock and Awe should be used for war, not advertising","date":"2011-12-08 11:08:36","filepath":"posts\/2000893_shock-and-awe-advertising.xml.json","type":"post","content":"<img class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-894\" style=\"margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;\" title=\"smile train censored\" src=\"http:\/\/www.8bitrobot.com\/media\/uploads\/2011\/12\/smiletrain-Copy.jpg\" alt=\"smile train censored\" width=\"77\" height=\"105\" \/><strong>Smile Train<\/strong> is using war tactics to shock viewers and to elicit an emotional response from\u00a0unsuspecting\u00a0magazine and web page readers. \u00a0What they dearly wish is to have the viewer feel a deep seated pity for the disfigured child enlarged for a full page advertisement and shake\u00a0loose people's purse strings.\n\nThe technique is\u00a0reminiscent\u00a0of brain washing techniques (<a href=\"http:\/\/youtu.be\/_NMzepSePD4\">A Clockwork Orange<\/a>, for instance) by showing vile images to disturb the reader (of magazines he purchased, no less) and change his behavior. \u00a0Technically, Smile Train is <em>no different from abortion protesters<\/em> who display <em>dead fetuses <\/em>on large signs in public.\n\nIf you give money to a dirty panhandler, at least he will leave you alone afterwards. \u00a0However, if you give money to Smile Train, they will simply spend it on more advertising and plaster more media with grotesque images of children in agony instead of using the advertising money to help those affected with <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cleft_lip_and_palate\">cleft palate<\/a> deformities.\n\nRead a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aviewfromthecave.com\/2010\/09\/smile-trains-marketing-decisions.html\">letter<\/a> by A View from the Cave to Smile Train about the choice of marketing and Smile Train's <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aviewfromthecave.com\/2010\/09\/smile-trains-marketing-decisions.html\">response<\/a>.\n\nA <a href=\"http:\/\/www.8bitrobot.com\/2011\/12\/08\/shock-and-awe-advertising\/\">previous post<\/a> called Smile Train emotional blackmail. \u00a0Well, Charity Watch has an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.charitywatch.org\/articles\/smiletrain.html\">excellent article<\/a> describing the blackmail\u00a0fundraising\u00a0techniques by Smile Train and how they actually spend donation money. \u00a0It is highly recommended.\n\n<em>image above is under a Creative Commons license\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/File:Cleftlipandpalate.JPG\">more<\/a><\/em>"}}
