Smashing Ideas: The Power of Creative to Tackle Taboos

Courting controversy is an age-old tactic of marketers to grab attention but provocation needs purpose to lead real-world change. The best ‘controversial’ campaigns are so dubbed because they tackle taboos, taking on a subject we’ve shied away from or sanitised and backed them with a brand budget to break them.

Stigma Smashing Ideas: L to R Blood Normal, The Hornicultural Society, You Are Not Alone & The Boob Life

Here are five taboos and the campaigns that crushed them;

1. Periods. Yes unbelievably despite half the population having one, many of us still think periods are gross and something to hide. AMV BBDO’s Blood Normal campaign for Bodyform included the first advert to show real period blood. It shouldn’t be controversial but the fact it was perceived as such shows how much it was needed.
2. Infant Feeding. Boobs. Bottle. Both. My business right? Wrong. Society has a lot to say about how we feed our babies and whatever we choose we can’t win. We’ve worked with Tommee Tippee on campaigns from The Boob Life to The Social Feed to smash the stigma and spread the message that everyone should feel free to feed their way.
3. Old people sex. Despite the diversification of portrayals of intimacy many people still struggle with the idea of the oldies getting down to it which means it’s not discussed and as a result, sexual health in this age group can suffer. Ogilvy’s Hornicultural Society for Relate got tongues wagging on the topic of sex and STIs in the over 65s educating the older generation on the importance of still playing it safe.
4. Death. It’s the only certainty in life and yet we are particularly bad at talking about it, especially in the Western world. Lucky Generals’ Start your Conversation for Co-op Funeral Care did as the name describes, encouraging people to start conversations now to help loved ones later.
5. Suicide. Norwich City’s #YouAreNotAlone campaign in support of The Samaritans reminded us of the importance of checking in with our loved ones with a beautifully simple film with a powerful plot twist that carried an important message — sometimes the signs someone is struggling are hard to spot.

And here are three things I’ve learned.

1. If the brief fits. Not every brief will give you a stigma to smash, it’s on you to seek one out. Not for the sake of it and not when it’s a shoehorn but when it feels right.
2. Scaredy cats don’t smash it. If it’s a taboo some people are going to hate your campaign. That’s a good thing. Don’t be scared of the haters, see them as an opportunity to raise awareness of why it’s needed.
3. Simple is smashing. Marketing campaigns are often criticised for killing nuance with a hashtag but if clever copy compels action then the explainers can come after IMO. Better to create something contagious that gets people talking than fail to get people talking at all.

At its finest creative work uses controversy as a tool to create positive change. As individuals, we have an opportunity to take on the taboos that matter to us and look at every brief as an opportunity to do the work we’d be most proud of. As our founder says (often) a good idea is an idea you want to tell your mates about down the pub, a world-changing idea is one you want to tell your grandkids.