Vanessa-Morning After Pill Debacle…
Levonelle One-Step:
-The Levonelle One-Step over the counter emergency contraception pill, caused huge amounts of contraversy when shown on UK television earlier this year. This was the first UK television advertisement for the morning after pill, following previous attempts to advertise in 2004 by Levonelle, with posters, which were banned after Christians complained about the use of phrase ‘immaculate contraception.’
-It was believed that the advert, featuring soft, feminine pastel-y colours and a sweet, cartoony, laid back approach (with pretty chilled music) was not taking the situation seriously. Leveonelle is advertised as an emergency contraception, but admittedly the advertisement makes it look like it’s a normal day. There are probably two reasons for this:
Taken fron the ‘BNS Vision’ (the advertising and brand identity agency that commissioned the advertisement, from advertising agency Milk, inc. Created by illustrator Karen Richter) Youtube explaination of the above video-
‘Pioneering’ One. The ‘Controversial’ One. Okay, fine: The ‘Sperm’ One. Yes, it’s the first-ever television spot for the morning after pill. Sperms gone wild, a screaming baby, a sexy chemist all help paint a day in the life of our anxious heroine as she contemplates an accidental condom split.
We knew we’d have fun when we saw the script starring animated sperm. We didn’t expect thousands of furious parents calling into radio shows across the UK complaining about it. You can read some of the news stories Here, Here and Here. So far, no typographers have called into any radio shows criticizing our use of sperm as quotation marks.
It seems the original brief was always intended to be quite lighthearted. What can be deduced from that was the approach Levonelle wanted to take was one of reassurance, of nurturing, which could be interpreted through the soft colours and calm little world where, in case something like a condom splitting could happen, there would be no need to worry.
‘Bayer said that it aimed to raise awareness that Levonelle is available over-the-counter as an alternative to visiting a GP or family planning clinic. The cartoon style had deliberately been chosen so as not to portray those who use emergency contraception in a negative light or stigmatise the product.
The ad did not depict a one-night stand or refer to casual sex, Bayer said.’’
REF: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jul/15/first-morning-after-pill-tv-ad-cleared-asa-complaints
It recieved 112 complaints at the ASA (advertising standards agency). Parents were worried about this approach, and how it was presented in an advert. Christians were in uproar that it has even been made into an advertisement at all, that this ‘emergency contraception’ was abortion, and pro-life campaigners represented the bulk of this.
-The reasons ASA stated that it did not need to be banned were:
- They determined that it made it very clear that it was ‘emergency contraception’
- Apparently, did not depict the woman in a ‘glamourous or fashionable way’ and thus, not appealing to teens.
- They stated that the animated woman in the advert ‘looked worried.’
However, over in Canada…
Introducing Plan B, the Canadian morning after pill. This advert did not recieve half the controversy that the Levonelle one-step advertisement did. This advert is far more leaning towards a more light-hearted approach than the former, using the whole overtired ‘sex sells’ philosophy of orgasmic noises and a view inside the womb of what might happen when the condom breaks.
http://www.planb.ca/ (download a free sperm font!)
Delving a bit further, it seems that the whole campaign is spread over many different areas. The web design of the website incorporates the advertisement, and even offers the ‘sperm font’ used, to be downloaded. You can also download a lovely screensaver of something similar…
Looking into the advertising agency TAXI, that created this, they haven’t just stopped there…
http://www.taxi.ca/ (on the main page there is a clip of the work they have done for Plan B, including webgames and interactive billboards, and interactive websites)
-It seems that they wanted to stretch the whole campaign over a number of interfaces that would be considered more youth-orientated. Games, fonts, interactive websites all to engage the consumer and to establish a form of brand identity? What I see here is something far more lighthearted than Levonelle, as Levonelle only had the TV advertisement. In fact, looking on Levonelle’s website, the design does not reflect any sign of the ‘t00 feminine and provactive’ style of the advert, and they have a hide button also.
-What an interesting difference between the two is that Levonelle is far far more gender-specific. The female protagonist, the typically pink girlie world. Plan B has a more robust look and gender-neutral approach, the advertisement featuring both male and female ‘voices.’ It seems, that along with a more laid back attitude, Plan B encourages that the responsibility of a broken condom is shared between both partners. Levonelle seems to say that your slacker boyfriend isn’t going to help so you best just do it alone.
-Whilst Plan B does have an effective and memorable approach, I’m not sure that looking at the campaign, Levonelle deserved all the controversy it recieved. Plan B seems to reach out to youth culture, but instead of having in the back of the consumer’s mind, that it is emergency contraception (and although ‘emergency’ is a word best avoided without wanting to scare) perhaps the previous worries about the UK campaign apply, in that it is making it seem more like another cool brand of contraception entirely, and to perhaps promote Plan B itself above other forms of contraception? It raises interesting questions of how far you can go to make something approachable, but to go too far and make it seem like it should be something you don’t worry about entirely and maybe even go lax on the whole contraceptive thing entirely. Differing cultural attitudes between us and the Canadians, eh?
It just makes me feel weird that they have screensavers and font of sperm.
ENDS.
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