The day before…
Posted on 19. Apr, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry in Advertising
Copy: Monday 10 September 2001 – The world can change in a day. Don’t miss your daily edition of in-depth news.
It’s not often that a print ad literally jumps up and throttles our attention like this one – done for local newspaper brand Cape Times – did this morning.
There are four executions. This one in reference to 9/11, another (beautifully shot) for Hiroshima 1945, the JFK assassination and the ‘76 Soweto riots [all after the jump].
Using iconic events from history, the campaign highlights the fact that world-changing events often can¹t be predicted and that the course of history can, quite literally, change in a day.
Love the art direction and the hard-hitting message of these ads. Stunningly arresting.
Makes you think what the Virginia Tech campus looked like on Sunday morning.
Agency: Lowe Bull Cape Town
Creative Director: Kirk Gainsford
Head of Copy: Alistair Morgan
Art Director: Brian Bainbridge
Copywriter: Simon Lotze
Account Manager: Lindsay Keen
95 Responses to “The day before…”
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Mandi
05. Oct, 2007
Really amazing photos. It’s stunning how much of an impact these little moments in time can make when you know what happens next. Really touching!
Mandi
05. Oct, 2007
Really amazing photos. It’s stunning how much of an impact these little moments in time can make when you know what happens next. Really touching!
Mark
05. Oct, 2007
The Kennedy picture is fake. Look at his hands and then look at Caroline. Manipulation is lie.
ckris
05. Oct, 2007
The Kennedy picture was taken on Oktober 10th, 1962. according to the “An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy” by Robert Dallek.
Kelsey
05. Oct, 2007
why should it matter that the first one wasn’t taken near the world trade center? I’m pretty sure 9/11 affected the rest of new york too.
and while the date on the kennedy photo isn’t accurate, it’s still a really nice photo.
and what is the story with the hiroshima photo?
maht
06. Oct, 2007
wankers
salamander
06. Oct, 2007
@ckris: What are you talking about? Aren’t those the twin towers in the background?
Metagg
06. Oct, 2007
Metagg is tracking this post
Find out what Social News Sites are discussing this post over at metagg.com
Craig
06. Oct, 2007
This is the lowest form of advertising.
glastohead
06. Oct, 2007
It’s a shame it’s an advert for a product for which truth and fact are imperatives, as it seems the photos are not factually accurate – one day after (at least most) of these photos nothing much had changed as their purported date is inaccurate.
subcorpus
06. Oct, 2007
there is no lowest form of advertising …
if they can sell it … they’ll stoop even lower …
amazing photos … thats all i can say …
robg
06. Oct, 2007
Trite.
Yawn…
Katrineholm Review
06. Oct, 2007
For each of you, live today as if it were your last day. At least let the photos teach you that much.
Paolo Dina
06. Oct, 2007
human being and its creations are bounded to obey rules that some invisible force has established in advance, and this shots perfectly emphasize how as a result of this, the whole is ephimeral and uncertain.
Demosthenes2010
06. Oct, 2007
Pics From This Month
Some of my favorite pictures from this month -
A Map of the Americas from 1694 -
Monday Sept. 10th -
5th of August 1945 -
Underwater Antarctica -
The Japanese photographer who was shot during the Myanmar protests -
Bryce
06. Oct, 2007
The idea represented by “The Day Before” is powerful and emotional.
However, I have to say that using these tragedies as an advertisement is disgusting.
Also, discrepancies between the posted date and actual date of the pictures is fairly assumed, and doesn’t take away from either the message or the terrible use as an add.
celio
06. Oct, 2007
Hiroshima picture could be made anywhere in Japan ( kid has too much clothes for summer time).
mark knowles
07. Oct, 2007
Nice pictures, but I have a problem with the whole idea of using tradgedies like these to SELL NEWSPAPERS. Part of the problem is the damn things in the first place. It’s a shame they couldn’t have come up with a better message. How about, “let’s create a world where this sort of thing doesn’t happen” rather than, “don’t miss the next photo of someone getting their head shot off”?
And how interesting would the photos have been without the tragedies? Not very I’m afraid. All to sell a newspaper. Well done guys, sleep tight at night do you?
Robert Rubin
08. Oct, 2007
Interesting concept. I am sure we all now realize the photos have no connection to the dates. Wonder when the supposed Hiroshima photo was actually taken, maybe last year? We can give the world trade center one a pass because the scene like any photo taken of NY makes the point. The others where it is focused on pure people crosses the line and is too easy. Anyone could do it. I hope Cape Times can get some of their money back! As a photographer I like the photography, not impressed with the application at all. Mission accomplished – did these guys do that show as well for Rove?
jordan
08. Oct, 2007
I think these ads are appalling. Yes, the photography is nice, but seriously. Using these tragic events to sell a paper? Unacceptable.
Rick McGrew
09. Oct, 2007
Excellent series of photos;it puts events in
a different perspective.
Jon - The DC Traveler
09. Oct, 2007
Great concept. Fantastic photos.
shivam
09. Oct, 2007
memories of an event that shook the whole world are still very painful. Anyone with a heart would be cursing the culprits… but for what the actual ones are dead and the masterminds are planning other.
May god give us all peace.
Neece
11. Oct, 2007
Wow. Amazingly powerful images, although it’s funny how just adding the date makes them awe inspiring. Thank you for sharing them.
Josh
14. Oct, 2007
Boooooo. Exploitative. Sell your newspaper some other way.
wtf
14. Oct, 2007
“Makes you think what the Virginia Tech campus looked like on Sunday morning.”
yeah, that sure changed the course of history in a day.
fucking dumb ass, VT campus looked exactly like it did this morning and tomorrow morning.
Bob Fry
17. Oct, 2007
Summary:
1. Almost certainly the photos shown were NOT taken the day before each tragedy.
2. Rather slimey to use tragedy in adverts to sell product.
3. Do 1 and 2 matter? Whatever works, eh?
I think it does matter. Karl Rove and company, like many egomaniacs and messianic kooks before, effectively lied to accomplish their goals, often for bad ends. This is just a minor–but instructive–version.
Joy
18. Oct, 2007
i don’t think the point was that the exact photo was taken that day,
i think the point was just that it could have been that day and could not the next
Tuqui
18. Oct, 2007
A lot of comments about the fail in accuracy of the photos.
But then ALL the beers Ads are fake!. Who cares. The message is the point.
Jen
23. Oct, 2007
amazing.
Cool Photos
24. Oct, 2007
I still remember that moment when I got a call from a friend of mine’s grand mother saying that 2 planes had hit the twin towers
we were out fishing, we immediately left to go home and saw that horrible images on TV
CL
11. Jan, 2008
I think the Japanese one is great, but the photo was probably reversed. Kimono are worn left over right.
PH
12. Jan, 2008
Wow, really makes you think about . . . ah. who am I kidding? It’s an ad, made to make us buy more crap we don’t need. “Ad people” are fucking leeches, and even worse are people living off leeches, ie. ad bloggers. Make yourself useful!
doug
27. Jan, 2008
These are great; I wonder what kind of camera was used?
D
12. Feb, 2008
The poster needs to learn how to use the word “literally”.
ryan smith
13. Feb, 2008
way to use tragedy to sell something!
Les
13. Feb, 2008
Let’s not get carried away on this. It is very clever advertising but manipulative photography. Several people have commented to point out that, for example, the Kennedy photograph was taken in October and it is highly unlikely that the others were taken ‘the day before’. I agree that it is a very clever concept but it is misleading photography. Some might even say this is making commercial opportunity out of tragedy. When the next tragedy occurs how many people are going to dig out their old photos and change the EXIF date for a little fame?
D Douglas
14. Feb, 2008
Very interesting ad creative – memories, time, and reflection on the moment. Reality.
AnnoyedinNYC
13. Mar, 2008
I saw the 9/11 ads before any of the others and I am appalled that this tragedy and three others have been trivialized to sell a newspaper. That tagline makes me angry. “The world can change in a day. Don’t miss your daily edition of in depth news.” Come ON.
Incidentally, that field did exist the way it is in the photo [it's on West St; the cross street is one block south of Chambers St.] However, there is no way in hell that picture was taken on Monday the 10th. The youth sports practices and meets for this area happened on weekend mornings and early afternoons.
tp
19. Apr, 2008
i think its original advertising.it may be tragic but its reality. i dont agree with using tragedy to sell products but non the less, it is impactful!!!well done to the ad agency tho, just a pitty it has to be OUR reality.
Ankit
15. May, 2008
amazing who could believe ” if only we could know the future”
md
03. Jul, 2008
I definitely started crying at the JFK picture. I think its kind of gross that the Cape Times is using tragedies to sell newspapers. If this was just an art exhibit i think it would be extremely powerful and touching. However using such tragic events that still affect people is more than kind of gross
The empiricist
23. Apr, 2009
How can the course of History change? If it did not happen, it is not part of History. After it happened, it is the only History. History doesn’t change courses, we just don’t know the course beforehand. But we like to create narratives that make us believe we know “the course”…
Apart from this remark, I found the pictures very beautiful and dramatic.
Dave
26. May, 2009
Way to go you people complaining about dates and location and yet totally missing the point. The photos aren’t supposed to be an accurate representation of what REALLY happened the day before (don’t you think that would be a little too convenient that photos happened to have been taken just before something momentous happened?) they’re supposed to make you think that on one day these normal, everyday activities were occurring and the next…
But well done for showing how clever you are by taking them literally.
grant
07. Apr, 2010
I agree with you Dave. Let’s not miss the point here. News is news, good or bad; it’s unavoidable. The ads makes people think about how news can go from ordinary life to a world-changing event… in the space of a day. Who could have seen it coming? Isn’t that the incredible thing about news?
They illustrate that the Cape Times see’s the story from a different perspective, not just the sensationalism route… the obvious road so many papers choose. This paper seems more story-focused, I could be wrong, but it’s about thinking about the news, not just being bombarded with hectic images. By the way, who cares about dates of photo’s etc. get on with the next best campaign already so we can all crit it robg.