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Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign

By Jeralyn, Section Civil Liberties
Posted on Mon Jun 12, 2006 at 02:10:05 PM EST
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Amnesty International Switzerland has an amazing new ad campaign. Just scroll through all the pictures. The campaign is in German, so I have no idea what the text is, but the graphics are so universal, who cares?

Via Living on an Island, the overseas blogger whose created the WordPress theme Relaxation (out of hundreds, it's the one I selected for TalkLeft. How cool that he also cares about civil liberties.)

Update: TalkLeft reader PJ writes in that the sign reads, "It Didn't Happen Here, But Now." Another commenter says it is "It's Happening. Not Here. But Now." More translation below:

From a TalkLeft reader who is good with German:

With this campaign Amnesty International wants to (bring/call into consciousness)(raise awareness) that human rights are being lost day-by-day in many places/spheres of life. This is not an abstract finding, and especially so for the people afflicted by the bitter experience of this reality. Amnesty would like/desires to trigger awareness and animate the discussion among the people in Switzerland â€" but also to show how important it is for individuals to put themselves to work for human rights (i.e. get involved).

The central purpose of Amnesty International it to uncover, document and bring to the public attention/sphere knowledge of violations of human rights. In the first place, if many people know what goes on in other places and then collectively engage themselves with it, [only then] can human rights be practically advanced.

The pictures

There are many forms of violations of human rights, and they can take place in many different sets of circumstances. But there is one constant: people are victimized by it. The constitution/basis of AI is, exactly, [while remaining] true to practicality and with respect for the victims, to accurately report, which decidedly also means naming names. It means to show what really happens. With few substantiated exceptions, these pictures are recent press photographs. (i.e., where they can’t get press photos but the incident is substantiated, they would use a re-creation)

The Partners (i.e. donors, supporters)
We thank our partners and supporters for their encouragement/engagement and support. This campaign is made possible through Walker Werbeagentur [advertising agency] (Creative and execution), Federico Naef (photography), Keystone (pictures) und APG (poster places/ outside advertising places).

The Placard placements

The campaign started on May 29, 2006 and can be seen through June 23 in selected sites in large Swiss cities.

The last link is for examples of the photos/ads.
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Anyone wants to challenge my translation, they can go ahead - but no BS'g. I'm 99 44/100 sure on the thrust of it and very sure of the accuracy.

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    Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign | 13 comments (13 topical)
    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jun 12, 2006 at 02:38:19 PM EST
    This is a typical four language Swiss Summer ad campaign. All the various inscriptions translate to "It's happening. Not here but now." Takes me back. I lived there 9 years. Something like this happened every summer when the ad spaces at the tram stops were hard to fill with copy.

    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#2)
    by kdog on Mon Jun 12, 2006 at 05:03:40 PM EST
    It's happening here and now. It seems I can't leave my house without seeing an officer. It don't feel like safety...It feels creepy.

    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jun 12, 2006 at 05:16:03 PM EST
    Wow, that's amazing. I wonder how the US public would recieve the same campaign.

    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#4)
    by kdog on Mon Jun 12, 2006 at 05:25:07 PM EST
    In todays America cosmo, with thunderous applause. As long as it's an arab with the club to his throat. Sad but true.

    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jun 12, 2006 at 05:31:01 PM EST
    Stunning. Could ads like these ever make it a day in this country without being defaced? How long would that ad actually stay up in a place like Bloomfield Hills, MI? The fact there are bus stops at all is nearly intolerable enough for some. Here in Farmington Hills, the cops themselves would see to their removal out of some "public safety concern", I'm sure. Bloody fascists.

    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#6)
    by jondee on Mon Jun 12, 2006 at 06:34:00 PM EST
    Forget about adds, we're lucky Shrubco only colors and dosnt read; otherwise they'd be pulling Tolstoy, Twain, Marx and Kropotkin off the shelves and replacing 'em with Conan, I the Jury, and the collected works of Leo Strauss.

    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Jun 12, 2006 at 06:58:51 PM EST
    JonD, or Readers Digest...that "Drama in Real Life" is really swell!

    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#8)
    by squeaky on Mon Jun 12, 2006 at 09:04:24 PM EST
    For a rough google translation you can go to "It happens not here. But now."   It is so amazing that the photographs look like they were taken on the exact location they are shown. They appear to be site specific and blend in to the surrounding environment almost seamlessly. The super realistic photograph are enhanced by the refraction of the glass. In the third picture, for example, the image is out of sync with the real world, quite literally a metaphor for "It happens not here. But now." The double take draws you in. As a voyeur you vicerally get to experience the disconnect between 'reality' and human rights abuse life size, up front and center. It makes you feel like an accessory to the horrible inhuman crime. The message is that we are, and we must end it.

    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Jun 13, 2006 at 12:45:40 AM EST
    Squeaky, spoken like a true artist. Thank you.

    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#10)
    by HK on Tue Jun 13, 2006 at 01:38:41 AM EST
    This is an inspired and meticulously carried out ad campaign. (I'm still trying to figure out how they make it look like the people in the ad are actually at the location. I guess they must be figures on a transparent background, but it still leaves a lot down to the skill of person putting the ad up.) The only down side is that it might meet with outrage from parents. I have young children, but when issues such as these come up on the news - or wherever - I try to explain in honest but simple and non-frightening terms the reality of the situation. I think you can put across the message when they are small that they are safe, but some people in the world are not. I don't think it is necessary to shy away from such things. On the other hand, I was rather glad when my seven-year-old misread a piece of graffiti in the street recently and asked me, "What does 'Tony Blair is the blasted son of Margaret Thatcher' mean?"

    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#11)
    by jondee on Tue Jun 13, 2006 at 04:57:02 PM EST
    Actually "Dadler" means the same thing in certain parts of Wales. Bet you didnt know that.

    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#12)
    by jondee on Tue Jun 13, 2006 at 05:05:45 PM EST
    If someone on the Right is concerned about "the real violaters" (checked Mynamar lately?) maybe start a movement to put pressure on American businesses some of whom of invested billions in countries with horrendous human rights records like China.

    Re: Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign (none / 0) (#13)
    by jondee on Tue Jun 13, 2006 at 05:52:04 PM EST
    Dadler - Now dont go checking dictionaries of obscure european slang. I was pullin yer leg. Sorry, our eternal adversary, my unconscious and the patriarchy made me do it.

    Amnesty's Great New Ad Campaign | 13 comments (13 topical)