The ad I chose to subvert for this Culture Jam assignment is a print ad from 1955 for the insect killer product Raid. There are so many different advertising campaigns worthy of analysis – ones that use the female body as an object, ones that rely on toxic stereotypes of masculinity, or ads that exploit a political movement for monetary gain and attention. I found this ad so interesting because it does none of those things. This vintage print ad is pretty simple; it clearly explains the intended use for the product in an easy to digest manner. I like the juxtaposition between the happy house and happy flower with the word ‘kill’ next to them, because without meaning to be, the ad is slightly disturbing. That being said, it has no clear political message, nor does it actively stereotype any person or gender. What drew me to the ad is the product itself – Raid. Raid does what its name implies, raiding one’s house with the intention of removing unwanted insects. I was immediately reminded of the raids conducted by Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). While the ad itself is fairly benign, I thought I could use the vintage aesthetic to instill a feeling of a ‘backwards’ policy, one that belongs in the past.
I’ve always been fascinated with state propaganda and war-time informational posters, so I tried to make this ad feel like it could have been made by ICE in an alternate reality – one where they clearly state their mission, instead of operating under the guise of national security and anti-terror efforts. Instead of the language and rhetoric employed today, why not bring your racism right into the open? I imagine a 1950’s era radio voice saying “Use Raid by ICE to get rid of those pesky immigrants!” or “Illegals got you down? Try Raid by ICE.” I think the positive tone and happy colours of the ad juxtapose the upsetting information included in the print in a similar way to the original ad, but to more of an extreme. The vintage aesthetic mixed with the modern institution implies that ICE’s policies belong in the past, and have no right to exist in a progressive society.
I think going through my subverted Raid ad piece by piece will help explain the thinking behind the changes I made. My version of this advertisement uses the Raid can as a stand-in for the actual raids conducted by ICE in the years since its formation in 2003. The smiling house and happy flower have been replaced by a frowning house and a crying baby – there is no room for subtlety in my version of the ad. Above the drawing of the house and baby the tagline “for House insects/ for Garden pests” has been replaced by “for Loving families/ for Innocent children”. Both taglines clearly outline who is being targeted by Raid. Below the Raid can I included a brief definition of the product, still using the format of the original quote to maintain the feeling of an advertisement. Below that, in place of the ‘consumer education director’ pictured in the original ad, I thought it would be both funny and infuriating to include a matching headshot of George W Bush, the founder of ICE. His image is kind of a call back to a different time – remember when he was seen as the stupidest president America had seen? How times have changed. On the left-hand side of the advertisement I included some more specific information about ICE, still stated in an overtly honest fashion. Finally, I replaced the writing in the upper right corner of the ad with the tagline “Immigration reform without regard for basic humanity! A post 9/11 overcorrection”. I think this aptly describes ICE to those quickly glancing at the ad.
I’ve seen the effects that ICE has had on families up close – this is personal to me. ICE operates without regard for human rights, let alone basic human dignity. This vintage Raid bug spray ad felt like the perfect innocent ad to distort and remind people what is happening in the United States in plain sight. I want people to feel uncomfortable when they read it, because once you become comfortable, you become complicit.
Links to Images Used:
https://www.scjohnson.com/en-gb/a-family-company/the-johnson-family/samuel-c-johnson/sam-johnson-led-sc-johnson-to-winning-brands-from-raid-bug-spray-to-glade-air-freshener-and-beyond
https://ya-webdesign.com/image/george-bush-png/1837887.html
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GeorgeWBush_Signature.svg
http://clipart-library.com/clip-art/white-house-transparent-background-6.htm
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_of_the_United_States_Immigration_and_Customs_Enforcement_Agency.svg