Rethink Trident Advert 20/09/14 This weekend my name appeared in the Guardian again, this time however the appearance was authorised and paid for. The Labour Party conference is on and CND has a fringe meeting taking place this evening in Manchester to debate the future of the Trident weapons system.
Rethink Trident is a current CND campaign; in the run up to the fringe meeting, CND published an advert in the Guardian funded by, and indeed featuring, CND members – and my name was in the list (see across and below).
The Scottish independence question put Trident firmly back on the agenda in recent weeks as the nuclear deterrent and the submarines that carry the missiles are based in Faslane. A ‘Yes’ vote (thank goodness it wasn’t) would have required the entire Scottish complex to be moved elsewhere and that would have been a worrying undertaking.
Given that Trident is back in the public consciousness, it is little surprise that CND is out there reminding the country that a very significant amount of public money (£ billions) has been earmarked by the Government for its replacement and that the cash could be used for greater good.
The British nuclear deterrent is centred on a fleet of four warhead carrying submarines – only one of the submarines is at sea at all times. Even those that advocate retaining nuclear weapons should ask themselves whether three subs would do.
Dear Reader, It is not my intention to preach in this post. For the record, I think Trident is pointless and I’ll share my reasoning with those that care to hear it (let me know if you do). In the same way that I don’t want Mormons trying to convert me to their faith, I am not going to try to impose my beliefs/views on you.
Well aside from one – did the advert have to look so bland? As a marketing man, I am disappointed that it was so damn easy to miss.
My view is that the advert only has value if the people that see it stop to read it. For those flicking through the Guardian on Saturday, the advert was too easy to miss altogether and that’s a shame because the debate is important. There is a risk that the only people that read the advert were those looking for it in order to see their name in print and know their donation had been used for its stated purpose.
My final disappointment is that CND didn’t tell me what paper the advert would actually appear in. Having part funded the piece; I had to work out for myself where it was. So that’s poor service on top of poor creative.
Staying on the subject of things nuclear; a good friend of mine has suggested I watch a film called Pandora’s Promise. The 2013 documentary, which until this morning I had never heard of, is a piece about the positive potential for nuclear power. Is it all propaganda or a potential mind changer? I’ll let you know in due course. Due course may take a little while – I was sent a Netflix link. I am not exactly sure what to do with that.
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Rethink Trident is a current CND campaign; in the run up to the fringe meeting, CND published an advert in the Guardian funded by, and indeed featuring, CND members – and my name was in the list (see across and below).
The Scottish independence question put Trident firmly back on the agenda in recent weeks as the nuclear deterrent and the submarines that carry the missiles are based in Faslane. A ‘Yes’ vote (thank goodness it wasn’t) would have required the entire Scottish complex to be moved elsewhere and that would have been a worrying undertaking.
Given that Trident is back in the public consciousness, it is little surprise that CND is out there reminding the country that a very significant amount of public money (£ billions) has been earmarked by the Government for its replacement and that the cash could be used for greater good.
The British nuclear deterrent is centred on a fleet of four warhead carrying submarines – only one of the submarines is at sea at all times. Even those that advocate retaining nuclear weapons should ask themselves whether three subs would do.
Dear Reader, It is not my intention to preach in this post. For the record, I think Trident is pointless and I’ll share my reasoning with those that care to hear it (let me know if you do). In the same way that I don’t want Mormons trying to convert me to their faith, I am not going to try to impose my beliefs/views on you.
Well aside from one – did the advert have to look so bland? As a marketing man, I am disappointed that it was so damn easy to miss.
- The advert appeared on the left side of a double page spread – the right side would have gained much more attention
- The type only treatment didn’t include the Rethink Trident logo device that features so prominently on the Rethink Trident and CND websites – it’s not pretty but at least it is more eye-catching than plain text and it helps introduce education and health into the mix. The logo device is even presented in black and white so it’s not as if colour print cost considerations were a barrier.
- The CND branding (surely one of the most recognised symbols in the world) was only given the same prominence (i.e. little) as the clutch of other, much less recognisable, logos
My view is that the advert only has value if the people that see it stop to read it. For those flicking through the Guardian on Saturday, the advert was too easy to miss altogether and that’s a shame because the debate is important. There is a risk that the only people that read the advert were those looking for it in order to see their name in print and know their donation had been used for its stated purpose.
My final disappointment is that CND didn’t tell me what paper the advert would actually appear in. Having part funded the piece; I had to work out for myself where it was. So that’s poor service on top of poor creative.
Staying on the subject of things nuclear; a good friend of mine has suggested I watch a film called Pandora’s Promise. The 2013 documentary, which until this morning I had never heard of, is a piece about the positive potential for nuclear power. Is it all propaganda or a potential mind changer? I’ll let you know in due course. Due course may take a little while – I was sent a Netflix link. I am not exactly sure what to do with that.
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Rethink Trident Advert - Guardian 20/09/14
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