Cause Advertising - Aids Concern

Above is a copy of a popular video published on Youtube last week (The original video was removed by the publisher). The title reads: HK Girl Scolds Aids-carrying Boyfriend. Page views skyrocketed to more than 80000 in just three days before a NGO, Aids Concern, revealed that they were behind the video and that it was part of their promotion campaign urging people not to stigmatize Aids carrier.

The most fundamental thing of this ad, the message, was very, I would not say wrong, but, certainly controversial. It gave me an impression that it encouraged people not to discriminate or isolate Aids victims even if they got the disease from soliciting prostitutes. It was a big step forward compared to Aids Concern's previous campaign in 2007 (video below). Back then, the message was superficial because it mentioned Aids victims only without going deeper into how these people got Aids at the first place. But I suppose they had their answer on this. All the spokespersons they used are the "good guys". They did not use any villain actor even everyone knows the actors are only normal people in their real lives. The logic flows something like: Good guys don't pay for sex and they do not commit promiscuity. So if they got Aids, they must got it from accidents in blood transfusion or things like that. And because it is an accident, they deserve to be treated equal.


That the new ad argues we should care for those who paid for sex and for aids, begs the question:
Is it right to solicit prostitutes?
This is an ethical question that has no definitely right or wrong and I have no interest to discuss it here. Throw your ethical hat away and let's focus on what it means to this advertising campaign. The Hong Kong society has yet to reach consensus regarding this topic but I am quite sure the majority holds negative attitude towards it. Many commented that the girl in the clip had the right to be angry and that she was not angry enough. (That's also a reason why people suspected the video was fake before it was officially announced) Hong Kong is far from liberal. Being the devil's advocate on an ethical question in such a place is a death strategy. So, why go such a step forward when Hong Kong is so conservative that many still think it is not good to have any kind of contact with Aids patients?

I do not know whether what I interpreted was what they meant. If it was not, they better revise their execution to make things clearer for the audience. If it was, they better evaluate the whole strategy, what their organization was supporting and why they did so.

Cause advertising is very different from commercial advertising. It is so different that a large part of its success is built on the righteousness of its message; we do not donate because a charity is cool and trendy but because it is doing something good. So get the message right when you do advertise for a cause. Do not compromise the message for the sake of minor things like execution and choice of media. Be very clear about what you are doing and what you are saying.