Mint Quick Edit | Breast cancer ad gone wrong: Don’t objectify
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The first major challenge of advertising, many ad creators would have us believe, is to break the media clutter and be noticed. It can go wrong, as seen in a poster campaign for breast cancer awareness asking women to do a self-examination every month.
Run by a non-profit organization, YouWeCan, it offended Delhi Metro users with an absurd analogy of oranges for breasts. An uproar on social media and elsewhere led Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to take down these posters, though many argued that its shock value would draw attention to a cancer that needs early detection. On its part, YouWeCan sought to defend its campaign by calling the fruit’s use a “bold creative choice." While India does need a taboo lifted on discussing this health risk, the ad’s defenders must admit its failure on gender sensitivity.
The use of oranges objectifies human body parts, playing into a pool of attitudes that should have no space in any society. Regardless of intent, the ad is too cheesy. Not just advertisers, but also the vehicles that carry ads should watch how they communicate.
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