Live5News wants to know: “Is this ad offensive?”
Not to me, I think Palmetto State Armory (Columbia, SC) either has a great advertising agency or someone very talented on their staff. I love this ad, it’s brilliant, clever, creative, and breaks through the clutter. The media disagrees:
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – Once again, the nation is dealing with the shock of a mass shooting, the second in less than a week.
…
Swerling has a concealed weapons permit, has been a crime victim himself, and keeps guns for personal protection and sporting use. He says the “Silent Night” ad is especially offensive.
“I just thought that was totally inappropriate,” Swerling said. “Silent Night is a beautiful song. And I’m Jewish. But I was offended for the Christian community that they would try to make that play on words and images.”….The ad campaign was already generating complaints to the company’s marketing officer Adam Ruonala when we asked him about it on Black Friday.
“There’s a lot of people that really enjoy the humor behind the advertisement. And there are some people in our community that don’t necessarily like it. We’ve spoken to them directly. I’ve received calls and I speak to them and you know as a member of the community one of the great things about this country is that everybody is allowed their opinion and we don’t by any means discourage that. And we just kind of explain to them that it’s not something that we’re not necessarily trying to tie Christmas and Christ to firearms. It’s more of people, this is their passion. Hunting. Shooting sports. All kind of things, it’s their passion. And so they have the right just like anybody else to enjoy the specials that we would offer this time of the year when buying is up,” Ruonala said.
University of South Carolina marketing expert Dr. Marianne Bickle stressed the need for responsibility in advertising.
“All retailers need to be responsible in how they advertise toward the public, especially when we are advertising where children are in view,” Bickle said.
Copyright 2015 WIS. All rights reserved.
Source: http://www.live5news.com/story/30653076/is-this-ad-offensive-gun-retailers-ads-create-christmas-controversy
Advertising doesn’t have to be responsible, IT HAS TO SELL. That’s the goal, that’s the point, why else spend thousands of dollars? Besides, what’s irresponsible about this billboard?
The “that’s offensive” card works better for Silent Night Deadly Night, a 1984 horror film.
This is a movie about a crazy person who dresses like Santa Claus and kills people. I was offended by how slow and boring it was, I’m offended for the time I wasted! The only good thing about that movie was the name, and this t-shirt:
So what do you think? Did Palmetto State Armory go too far? Or did they strike gold?
I don’t have a gun, don’t want one. Don’t care if others do. Own a million, it’s your money. But a silencer connotes murder, always has, always will. What other reason do you need to silence a gun? So the other deer don’t hear the bullet that just killed their friend? Mmmkay.
Mac, you need to get an education on suppressors. First of all they do not make a gun shot “silent” they only lower the noise level to something less that what would do damage to the shooter’s hearing. Second, any criminal that wants to lower the sound, there are numerous illegal ways to do so with objects from Walmart or 7-11. So, you are exactly on the wrong track to associate illegal gun use (e.g. murder) with suppressors.
Only in the movies and TV shows are silencers used for murder.
So you must believe everything Hollywood.
Hitman Blood Money and Absolution are just games, a gun silencer is just a devices that suppreses part but not all of the sound. It saves your hearing, it’s also good for hunting, and it might help shooters that flinch when they hear a very loud gun.
What reason do I need? Doesn’t matter, there’s a RIGHT to keep and bear arms, period. Do you need a reason to get a tattoo or buy a book? No, that’s covered under the first amendment.
Why are liberals so easily butthurt? The dear can’t hear the bullet anyway for starters.
2nd with a suppressor it makes it difficult for OBAMA’s minions to figure out where I’m hiding. Thirdly I’m offended that the MSM and liberal quacks keep referring to the latest terrorist attack as a mass shooting, as if Dylan Kleebold was re-enacting his WHACKO BIRD CRIME
excuse me Deer
Liberals are never happy. If not enough blacks join the military, they bitch that there’s not enough diversity. If too many join, they bitch we need to start drafting whites. I’m not kidding, I have read about this.
You’re right, this was a terrorist attack. The definition of terrorism is: the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.
Dylan Kleebold didn’t have political aims, his shooting was just about revenge and a suicide pact.