A somber sell

0 Comments | Insight on the News, Nov 12, 2001 | by Donna De Marco

An industry known for its brassy attitude, tongue-in-cheek humor and bold moves has toned down in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon. "Most clients want to stay away from the issue," says Matt Smith, executive creative director at Arnold Worldwide, based outside Washington. "No one wants to do anything in bad taste."

American flags are getting tacked on to TV commercials and print ads. Advertisers are replacing jokes with themes full of patriotism, integrity and American values. Some have even scrapped their original fall campaigns or pulled ads that could be deemed inappropriate for an audience that still may be grieving.

But many executives agree that advertising won't change drastically in the long run, despite lingering uncertainty about the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism. "It will get back to normal," says Doug Laughlin, president of Laughlin, Marinaccio & Owens, the agency that handles advertising for the National Guard.

Traditionally, advertising has toned itself down after tragic events such as the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. As Americans try to get on with their lives, advertisers strive to strike a balance between aggressive, crafty campaigns and the collective mood of the nation.

Immediately after the terrorist attacks, advertisers across the board began pulling ads that featured the New York skyline, airplanes or even violence. The Ad Council, a nonprofit industry group, created public-service ads featuring people of all ages, races and religions stating, "I am an American." Miller Brewing Co., Southwest Airlines and Lockheed Martin, to name a few, ran ads promoting integrity, hard work and the American way.

Budget Rent a Car put its latest funny ads on hold to run others offering special discount rates to "help people get going again," says Mike Gavelek, vice president of marketing. "We've been playing with humor but obviously at this time people don't want to laugh, so we changed the tone of our advertising. But we will go back."

Donna De Marco writes for Insight's sister publication, the Washington Times.