When it comes to anti-bullying campaigns, the Words Can Kill by Armando Testa advert showcases face-shattering ideology. Each picture conveys a person with a stereotypical name attached to them— leaving part of their faces shattered off. The advertisement is meant to portray how these words slowly chip away at the true identity of the person, until they are amounted to nothing but the words they have been called.
Featuring terminology like thief, terrorist and fatty, the Words Can Kill by Armando Testa advertisement is showcased throughout Italy and leaking its way through the Internet. Each poster quotes, "Say no to discrimination. We are all the same." Not only is the ad meant to target youth, it is also meant to reach adults.
Face-Shattering Bullying Ads
The Words Can Kill by Armando Testa Campaign Targets Offensive Terms
Trend Themes
1. Anti-bullying Awareness - The Words Can Kill ad campaign highlights a need for increased education and awareness on the damaging effects of bullying.
2. Language Consciousness - The campaign shows how important it is to be conscious of our language and how it affects others, creating potential for a market of products that help people learn more respectful language.
3. Virtual Advertising - The spread of the ad online shows a growing trend of virtual advertising and the potential for reaching a wider audience through digital means.
Industry Implications
1. Education - Opportunities exist for companies to create anti-bullying education programs and resources for schools and communities to combat the issue.
2. Marketing - Marketing firms could develop campaigns that encourage more diverse and respectful language usage in advertising, or create products to educate companies about the importance of language and tone in their messaging.
3. Digital Advertising - The Words Can Kill campaign shows digital advertising potential for multinational campaigns with global online reach, representing opportunities in online advertising to reach a wider audience at lower costs.