There aren't many times we wish we worked in an ad agency, mainly because of things like "taking meetings" and "having to wear pants" and "clients," but we'd likely have donned pants and attended meetings if it meant we got to make this beautiful "lock up your guns" PSA that features small children mock sword-fighting with dildos they've fished out of mommy's underwear drawer or wherever people that have children keep their sex toys fuck if we know.
Yes, saying "how 'bout that dildo ad, hmmmm?" is likely not the way you'll want to begin a conversation with your aging father about gun safety, but septuagenarians are probably not the target market here, as those individuals generally do not have small children of their own running around unless they rich and/or famous old people like Rupert Murdoch or Tony Randall. The target market is apparently hip sort of youngish parents with youngish children, because chatting about the dildo PSA is less awkward than just straight up asking if the family little Bobby or Brandi or Babby is visiting locks the guns up or just leaves them hanging out on a table, casual-style.
The ad comes from Evolve, an organization committed to reducing gun violence while taking no political position on the issue of gun control. The group's co-founder, Rebecca Bond, said Evolve aims to "motivate people to make behavior changes" when it comes to firearms safety and responsibility. [...] The ad's release was timed with National Safety Month and the start of summer. Bond pointed out that summer brings playdates and sleepovers that put children in unfamiliar environments. Parents ask their kids' hosts whether their homes have pools, their cars have cars seats or their pantries have peanuts, she noted. But the same doesn't apply to guns.
"You just ask those questions automatically," Bond said. "We're right on the cusp of potentially being that comfortable" with asking about guns.
While we generally find the no-position position on anything, really, to be some bullshit, we'll put up with it if it means that some timid mom or dad somewhere will actually say "oh hey, Jimmy's Mom, could you please tell us if you have a trampoline or if you let the kids eat candy or oh also too do you keep guns in an easy-to-reach cupboard?"
Bonus points if said timid mom or dad actually references the dildo ad while asking.
[ HuffPo ]
Who, Dan Quayle?
You'd think "Smart dildos" could be the answer, but there's a lot of pushback against them.