Quality Control

A recent awareness campaign launched by DDB New York has gone viral, and like all viral videos it is receiving a wide range of criticism and praise.

What is it?

The ad campaign was created by DDB New York for the non profit organization Waterislife, which is a company focused on getting clean drinking water to third world nations. The video shows Haitian citizens reading Twitter posts with the hashtag “#FirstWorldProblems.  Towards the end of the video the phrase “#FirstWorldProblems Are Not Problems,” appears on the screen. Throughout the video we see disenfranchised people standing in front of inadequate housing and saying things such as, “I hate it when I tell them no pickles and they still give me pickles”. The video does an extremely effective job at pointing out poverty issues of the third world while highlighting the absurdity of first world citizens and their lifestyles.

Backlash

There are those viewers who feel insulted claiming that that the marketing agency is insulting it’s target group of first world citizens who posted such tweets out of humour. DDB responded in one of their recent statements claiming they want to “eliminate the #FirstWorldProblems hashtag on Twitter,” as it “showcases concerns that seem important to those living in wealthy, industrialized countries, yet are, fact, trivial compared to the issues faced by those struggling to survive in many parts of the world.”

Takeaway

All things considered, this ingenious video is a piece of effective marketing communication. Any and all individuals associated with the marketing realm will most likely appreciate this unique marketing tactic.