With the release of a breathtakingly tone deaf campaign last night, Vogue Brazil appears to have had its good judgment amputated.
In order to give visibility to Rio Paralympics, which kicks off in September, the fashion magazine used two soap opera stars — Cleo Pires and Paulo Vilhena — in its “We Are All Paralympians” campaign. Meant to raise awareness of the games, the photo went viral for all the wrong reasons: The problem, of course, is that the models aren’t Paralympians at all, but were made to look like amputees. For the photo shoot, Pires lost her right arm to Photoshop while Vilhena was given a prosthetic leg.
It didn’t take long after Vogue Brazil posted the image to Instagram last night for the internet to register its displeasure.
“I loved the initiative but why not call an athlete who will participate?” asked Twitter user @setebiz.
EU AMEI A INICIATIVA MAS POR QUE NÃO CHAMARAM UM ATLETA QUE VAI PARTICIPAR?? #SomosTodosParalímpicos https://t.co/GdDDzyUqES
— Felipe Bizzunci (@setebiz) August 24, 2016
Pires, typing with two hands, responded to the outrage that the campaign was meant to be an homage to Bruna Alexandre, a table tennis champion and member of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee. Clayton Carneiro, art director for Vogue Brazil, explained that Pires came up with the idea that the actors be Photoshopped as amputees. The shock value of seeing someone so recognizable in a new light would have a greater impact, he said.
“We knew it would be a punch in the stomach,” she wrote on Vogue Brazil. “But we were there for a good cause. After all, almost no one bought tickets to see the Paralympic games.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJf3RCaDbvI/
In spite of their good intentions, the photo raised the wrong kind of awareness. English digital content around Vogue Brazil has increased by 470 percent from yesterday to date, compared to earlier this week; and all the engagement around Vogue Brazil in English mentioning this amputee ad has been negative, according to Amobee Brand Intelligence analysis.
“It’s cringe-worthy,” said Angie Enger, director of engagement for agency Carrot Creative. “Vogue represents what’s in and good. They should have used the real athletes — rather than models – to show the diversity of beauty.”
Eunie Kwon, creative design director for agency Mirum, thinks that the campaign direction is odd choice, as well. “The root of the idea doesn’t support the meaning of and the spirit behind the Paralympics,” she said. “The integrity and the beauty of such an event gets lost through this campaign, as it becomes offensive by not showing the face of the athletes themselves.”
Others also agreed.
This is NOT cool: "Paralympic athletes replaced with able-bodied models in Vogue's promotional campaign": https://t.co/egXM4mvdIW
— level PF Agency (@level_PFAgency) August 24, 2016
O, give me a break! #a11y #Paralympics #Rio2016 #photoshopfails very bad, @voguemagazine as bad as blackface! https://t.co/17zU8NjbQP
— Marie L Belanger (@MarieBLibrarian) August 24, 2016
It was part of a promotional spread for Paralympics. They even had Paralympic athletes in studio as "inspiration," yet they chose models.
— Beth Elderkin (@BethElderkin) August 24, 2016
Ei Vogue, Cleo Pires? Ser deficiente só no photoshop é muito fácil né…FAIL. #Paralympics
— Luiza Augusto (@LuizaAugusto) August 24, 2016
Translation: “Hey Vogue, Cleo Pires? Being deficient only in Photoshop is very easy right…FAIL.”
-
Publishers say the competition is steeper than expected for event sponsorship dollars this year
Selling events was harder than expected for some publishers in Q2, but having a niche helped win some of the coveted sponsorship dollars.
-
Why some publishers are giving their AI chatbots a personality
BuzzFeed and Ingenio are hoping giving their chatbots a unique voice and tone will differentiate their AI products but others are prioritizing utility over entertainment.
-
Media Briefing: Publisher execs fear lack of visibility for Q3, but feel steady year over year
Publisher execs share how Q2 shook out for their businesses as they brace for an equally murky second half.
-
SponsoredWhat the measurement and currency discussion really means to TV advertisers
Ali Mack, head of TV and agency, Experian Major streaming video providers have recently made headlines by adopting new currencies for ad measurement, threatening Nielsen’s long-standing TV ratings monopoly. NBCUniversal, for example, has certified iSpot and VideoAmp as currencies for advanced audiences and formed the Joint Industry Committee with Paramount, TelevisaUnivision and Warner Bros. Discovery. […]
-
Digiday+ Research: Nearly two-thirds of publishers think they will lose when the third-party cookie dies
Publishers have been busy prepping for the end of the third-party cookie, but that doesn't mean they think they'll come out on top in the post-cookie era. In fact, publishers count themselves among those who stand to lose from the end of the cookie.
-
As AI spreads across the marketing landscape, data’s role will be key to success or danger
There’s a growing awareness of the risks inherent in AI's ultra-powerful potential, but whether enough steps are being taken to mitigate them remains a huge question mark.
