A recent blog post by AdWeek discussed Sleep Aid’s new advertising campaign for it’s product, Snore Stop. The billboard, as shown above, has unsurprisingly caused a fair amount of controversy. AdWeek expresses that the campaign is deliberately left open to interpretation, the purpose being the buzz that the billboards will generate. This will obviously serve to increase brand awareness of Sleep Aid, and quite likely change the reputation of the company, for better or worse.
There are several interpretations of this simple image, a great deal of them being far more complex than the simple statement, “Sleep Aid brings people together.” An article by the Daily Mail quotes the company’s impression of the campaign being one that is “designed to prompt conversation about stereotypes.” However many would disagree with this claim, claiming that the ad is “exploiting the image of a U.S. serviceman and a Muslim woman to sell a seemingly unrelated product,” which also is a fair claim.
Ad campaigns such as this have become increasingly prevalent as consumers become more and more adept at tuning out and ignoring the advertisement-saturated world they are immersed in. However, a campaign such as this is an effective way to break out of the monotony of the typical advertisement, and generate a reaction out of the people that will create a lasting impression of the company. And really, when considered objectively, the image portrayed shouldn’t be controversial. No one is being wronged or inaccurately portrayed, and the simple fact that this campaign has been so controversial already while still in its infancy speaks volumes about the intolerance of society.
Clearly Sleep Aid’s attitude is that no press is bad press, and when considering that, the ad has been a wild, wild success.