Comments on: ING Direct pulls RSP “Suffering” ad over complaints

By: Brian Cleven

Brian Cleven — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:04:00 +0000

Hard to keep a sense of humor after my Dad killed himself from depression.

By: Paul Greenberg

Paul Greenberg — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:52:57 +0000

Very well said Jim.

By: Rand

Rand — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 22:25:43 +0000

Tim, have some fun deriding people’s concern over messaging that makes fun of those with an illness. But please remember this: only psychopathic societies have no regard for the feelings and wellness of others.

By: dude

dude — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:06:39 +0000

god, you posted dumb comments about brent choi and cundari, here you are again….

dont you have some freelance work to do? humour at the expense of mental illness if not humour.

By: Janet

Janet — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 04:35:43 +0000

I happen to LOVE the BIC spot so thanks for giving it another mention.

By: Barb

Barb — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 00:01:59 +0000

Depression and anxiety are different for different people. My experience, as a former Scotiabank employee, is that Corporate Doesn’t Care. Not only that, but they’ll try to get rid of you if you don’t “fit in.” Buzzwords and PC advertisements – or non-PC advertisements – are no substitute for compassion and admission that this is a huge problem in the workplace.

Again, my experience is that the corporate environment is hugely dismissive of mental illness, as if somehow, illness below the neck is acceptable and illness above the neck is laughable. You’re either lazy or crazy in the so-called “real world.”

Thanks to therapy and my own resources, I’ve been able to say, “To hell with that crap” to the corporate attitude.

I say, “You can’t hurt me if I don’t value your opinion.” And Corporate Canada does not deserve any of my respect.

Yay, me!

By: Tim Das

Tim Das — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 23:11:00 +0000

I respectfully suggest that complete lack of sense of humour and perspective is also a form of mental illness – one increasingly affecting more and more people in this country.

By: Lionel

Lionel — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 21:48:13 +0000

“insensitive and disrespectful” sums up ING’s parent company Scotiabank’s ads telling me I’m richer than I think… considering I am well aware of the pathetic state of my finances

By: Olivier Tran, Transcend Publicite Inc

Olivier Tran, Transcend Publicite Inc — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 20:54:17 +0000

Jim, as i remember you. very well said, with depth, intelligence and human dignity.
I could not agree more.

By: Jim Diorio

Jim Diorio — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 20:30:32 +0000

On the very same pages of marketingmag.ca that this story appears, a TV ad from Bell’s Let’s Talk Campaign, which aims to tackle mental illness, demonstrates why the ING ad is inappropriate.

The Bell ad uses the somber tone, look and language familiar to ads that depict depression and mental illness to show a man suffering, in silence and darkness, from mental illness.

The ING ad uses the somber tone, look and language familiar to ads that depict depression and mental illness to show a man suffering, in silence and darkness, from RSP anxiety.

I believe that it’s appropriate to use the metaphor, imagery and suggestion of an extremely serious disease to sell support for an extremely serious disease, but not banking services. Or anything else, for that matter. Even, and especially, if you’re just kidding.

The legendary creative Ernie Schenck talks about the need to resist ads that “call attention to one person’s pain by riding on the back of another’s.” He describes them as “no-fly zones”, places that we just shouldn’t go.

I would suggest, and hope I’m not the only ad creative to feel this way, that mental illness—perhaps unique in the scope of its cruelty and toll—is one of the darkest of those places.