18 March 2012

Just what is ACT Policing trying to say with this video?

| johnboy
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ACT Policing has put a slick video onto YouTube as part of their “Too many drinks and you’re a galah” campaign.

Readers are invited to watch it and tell us what messaged they think it’s trying to convey?


UPDATE 18/02/12 15:19: No less than Clubs ACT and the ACT Branch of the AHA have issued a media release having a go too:

“The new clip from ACT Policing, set in the ACT, includes mixed poor messages and is unlikely to have any impact on excessive drinking”, according AHA ACT General Manager, Gwyn Rees.

“Whilst the message is too many drinks is bad, it also conveys a message that the choice confronting young people is either have no alcohol at all or having too much turns you into a squawking parrot. Messages that convey and encourage moderate drinking at sensible levels whilst looking out for your mates would better serve the community.

Chief Executive of ClubsACT agreed that a more realistic approach to advertising targeting young people needs to be adopted.

police video

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oh my god they didnt hahahahahahaha… so is it obvious that a 50 year old bloke who has lost touch with the younger generation has attempted to make a campaign targeting the generation he does not understand?

First of all, Young binge drinkers (and I know plenty) love to be loud, extroverted, nuisance etc, they think its FUNNY!! so all this ad is going to do is encourage that, second of all, they are portraying the drunken idiots as the extroverts, and the sensible guy as the quiet boring introvert.

Why not focus more so on what other things you can do during the week or weekends where if you drank you wouldnt have the opportunity? for example, a campaign that focuses on the real problem drinkers “You’re 30 years old, you’re not a party animal anymore, you’re a dead-sh!t alcoholic”

half the problem is people arent aware how much alcoholism affects your life or how depressed it makes you, how about a ‘reality’ based campaign? video deadsh1ts crying in the civic gutters and record them blabbing on about meaningless cr4p and get that in the media..

Tony encourages Derek to have one beer. Not ten beers, not a bottle of tequila, not a hit of meth.

Then Tony suggests that if he does have a drink he has safe options to not drink and drive. How very responsible!

The only criticism of Tony in this situation is that he presumes that Derek is welcome to stay at Jackie’s. He really should have enquired with her first before extending the invitation on her behalf.

This sends the message that there isn’t such a thing as “one drink”. Which is like that scene about sex ed in Mean Girls: “Don’t have sex, because you will get pregnant and die.”

Bramina said :

It’s like that ‘Drive and text ub next’ sign on Northbourne….

That sign (well, the same one on the Parkway) always makes me think of UB40.

Lazy I said :

This stinking pile of crap wreaks of a committee trying to be ‘hip’ and ‘with it’… trying to recapture the success of the ‘pinky’ speeding ad campaign (ie. influencing teenagers to label their peers who do the wrong thing).

It’s like that ‘Drive and text ub next’ sign on Northbourne, or the ‘Thank you for NOT speeding’ sign on Belconnen Way.

Maybe an ad where a cute girl spots a cute guy across the bar and walks up to him and the guy turns to her, obviously drunk, and says something stupid and she walks away. Or turns to his friend who isnt drunk. Then the tag line something like ‘at best you have missed out on a very enjoyable night. At worst, you have missed out on a life changing relationship’

ok, it sucks – but it hits the teens in the place it hurts. What do teens/young kids want – respect, sex, fun etc. Not being bashed (most of them). There have been a few of these ads, but they all tend to be softened by committee. Its like smoking – stop it being cool.

Ko. said :

Mr Evil said :

Could have been worse. They could have taken a leaf out of the Kiwi anti-drink driving book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIYvD9DI1ZA

Are you joking?
That is the best anti-drink driving ad ever.

It’s hilarious… though I’m not sure how effective it was.
Here’s another good anti-drink-and-drive one from NZ. “Maaaaaaaaaate”.

But, ultimately, this is an anti-drinking campaign, not drink-and-drive. It’s much harder trying to convince Australians to abstain.

What might be effective may be the gory re-enactment of drunken brawls, king hittings, and glassing that occur around Civic on a typical Friday and Saturday nights. And vomiting. Lots and lots of vomiting. Oh, and taking a leak in dark corners around Civic.

johnboy said :

christ-like

I was seriously wondering why he looked like an unsteady hippy on a high… There’s my answer.

Aaroncbr said :

Looks like an ad for the straight edge.

Yep, my thoughts too.

Myles Peterson12:49 pm 19 Mar 12

F*** me ….

How much did it cost? Where did the funds come from? What was the tendering process? Which local media company is enjoying the loot?

Perhaps they should show what happens when they taser “galahs” after said birds steal some biscuits.

Looks like an ad for the straight edge.

TheDancingDjinn11:47 am 19 Mar 12

While i am not a huge fan of this ad – i do think some of the ones in the past about drinking/drink driving/ driving dangerously were pretty good.
From time to time if its wet, my car will spin its back tyres a tad, i have a ford falcon and its an auto. I am not doing it on urpose i assure you as i dont let it slide out, it mostly happens when i am moving off on a corner after stopping. Everytime it happens though and people are around, i always think there is someone out there who seen it and is waving their little finger at my car HAHA.

Also the drink driving ad where the paranoid guy always seen police instead of what it really is? – if i seen a guy like that in his car freaking out, id think he had a body in the trunk – id pull him up too .

These ads are good because they stick in your mind, and while some people might ignore them, they do sink in to others.
Anyone remember the kombi going into the side of the truck ad? i was little when that came out but now i freak if i am tired behind the wheel, i wont drive tired. And on a lesser note – Death bowling people over with the AIDS ball? yeh that sunk in alright, again i was little but it makes a difference later on when the mind is an adult.

Skidbladnir said :

Correlation is not causation, and dickheads who have had a skinful were dickheads before they started drinking and remain so after sobering up, the booze is just an exuse that some people let them get away with.
(eg: “He only throws up on you or your car when he’s drunk…” or “He only hits me when he’s drunk…”)

So the message is anywhere from “Furries party way too hard“, to “Consider the message your clothing sends and how that may impact on your night“.
Neither of which should carry an ACT Policing closer…

I disagree. I’ve seen too many people who weren’t dickheads when sober, turn into dickheads when drunk. The common element? Alcohol.

The ad itself is pretty stupid. I don’t see it dissuading teens at all. In fact, I imagine I’ll see a number of drunken idiots in Civic pretending to act like galahs. I don’t know if they paid professionals to come up with the concept for this ad, or if the idea was birthed from inside the AFP, but the outcome is less than stellar.

I’ve always thought an ad like this would be good – young kids dont think ‘oh, I might die’ but they might be pursuaded to think ‘oh, I will make an idiot of myself’ (like the NZ ad). But ‘galah’ is not the right approach, you need much greater impact (who did you kiss, who did you punch, throwing up is not a badge of honour – girls think you are disgusting, boys dont like ‘easy’ drunks etc) (well, boys do like easy drunks but only for 15 minutes).

Lazy I said :

Thinking about this more, they should have put the money up for local short film makers in a competition, or made it the subject of a ‘Lights Canberra Action’ one year.

You’ll occasionally see pre-movie ads at the cinema that have been made this way – I think there’s one doing the rounds at the moment that discourages young people from driving to a party with four of their pisshead mates in the car. I thought it was pretty good, but I’m not sure I have the feel for the zeitgeist that I used to.

The ad means No Bad Chicken Suits Here.

The most notable point about this video is that nobody is shown having a drink. Pretty big oversight I reckon.

The only thing I took away is that it is perfectly acceptable to act like a fool… as long as you’re dressed like a galah.

wildturkeycanoe5:19 am 19 Mar 12

I fully agree with the campaign, drinking too much will make you try to fly across the road into the path of moving vehicles whilst your mates will follow blindly behind you. Eventually one will end up in the grill of a Commodore and blood and feathers will be everywhere.

Despite being a terrible ad for it’s intended purpose it does promote Galah suits very well! Everyone I know who has seen it has asked the same question as you JB- “Where do I get one?”

johnboy said :

Also where does one get these galah suits?

Lazy I said :

The Victorians also had some excellent positive reinforcement ads.

Here in SA we have a nice “If you’re thinking about drinking, leave the car at home” ad.

The clubs seemed outraged at at the thought that drivers should not drink at all. Whereas I’m with the cops on that one: for P platers that is exactly the choice. Considering that the clubs don’t do their share of the lifting in working against drink driving (no support for designated drivers, no key retension schemes, etc) they must be feeling pretty secure to issue that sort of media release.

AsparagusSyndrome12:12 am 19 Mar 12

I couldn’t help noticing that in the vehicular simulated gastric evulsion scene, around 0:30, the male costumed character did not appear to be restrained by a seatbelt or harness of any description. So, I don’t think his friends are sufficiently concerned about his safety. They’re not very good friends, are they? If I was him, I’d choose my friends much more carefully.

I recall seeing something about an drinking ad a while back that caused controversy a while back.

It looked at a whole bunch of people drinking.

There was a guy who was crapping on – then they showed a picture of a mosquito buzzing. There was a guy who was cackling unstoppably – then they showed a picture of a hyena. Then there was a who was getting really angry at his wife and having a go at her – then they showed a snake hissing.

Lastly they showed a woman chating and laughing – she was compared to a galah.

Apparently there was a huge controversy because you can’t just go around comparing women to galahs. That’s sexist.

Lazy I said :

The NZ ad is spot on.. it hit the target perfectly, used positive reinforcement.. and i’ve heard it quoted all over the place (so people are watching it).

The Victorians also had some excellent positive reinforcement ads.

That’s kiwis 1, galahs 0.

OMG. That was like watching a Christian rock band trying to be all edgy and out there. Kind of awkward but points for trying, though.

Give me “ghost chups” anytime.

I like Lazy I’s idea. There is, after all, nothing more embarrassing and futile than adults trying to pretend they know what appeals to young people.

Thinking about this more, they should have put the money up for local short film makers in a competition, or made it the subject of a ‘Lights Canberra Action’ one year.

Maybe RiotACT can rattle the tin and get local businesses to get some prize money together for a short film competition to make a replacement worth watching?

Ko. said :

Mr Evil said :

Could have been worse. They could have taken a leaf out of the Kiwi anti-drink driving book:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIYvD9DI1ZA

Are you joking?

That is the best anti-drink driving ad ever.

“bro, Monique thinks you’re dumb”‘
“you know I can’t grab your ghost chups”
“oh i was just being internalizing a really complicated situtation in my head”

IT’S A GOLDMINE YOU SPOON.

Puzzle time!

As I said in another thread, hopelessly out of touch.

Mr Evil said :

Could have been worse. They could have taken a leaf out of the Kiwi anti-drink driving book:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIYvD9DI1ZA

Are you joking?

That is the best anti-drink driving ad ever.

“bro, Monique thinks you’re dumb”‘
“you know I can’t grab your ghost chups”
“oh i was just being internalizing a really complicated situtation in my head”

IT’S A GOLDMINE YOU SPOON.

Not a PATCH on the New Zealand “ghost chips” Legend campaign ad:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIYvD9DI1ZA

Mr Evil said :

Could have been worse. They could have taken a leaf out of the Kiwi anti-drink driving book:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIYvD9DI1ZA

You seriously think this is better than the NZ ‘legend’ ad?

The NZ ad is spot on.. it hit the target perfectly, used positive reinforcement.. and i’ve heard it quoted all over the place (so people are watching it).

This stinking pile of crap wreaks of a committee trying to be ‘hip’ and ‘with it’… trying to recapture the success of the ‘pinky’ speeding ad campaign (ie. influencing teenagers to label their peers who do the wrong thing).

Galah? *sigh*

P.S. Monique says you’re dumb.

Mr Evil said :

Could have been worse. They could have taken a leaf out of the Kiwi anti-drink driving book:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIYvD9DI1ZA

I actually like that Kiwi ad, and I think it hits the right tone in mixing a serious message in a way that young people will want to watch. Personally, as a father, I think these kind of Ad’s are more effective:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymiF-okrdMg&feature=related

The ACT policing ad just looks stupid. I bet an advertising company somewhere will be laughing their heads off over how much they earned in making it.

Is this ad a joke or is it legit?

Personally I like the subtle bit at the end when, christ-like, he turns his back on temptation in the form of booze, his mate, and his girlfriend, to walk righteous, but alone away from all the sins of this world.

Also the implication that even one drink will see you punching on in Mooseheads.

Which in turn is in conflict with the slogan which seems to condone kids having some drinks and not ending up dressed as a galah.

Also where does one get these galah suits?

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd1:36 pm 18 Mar 12

lol

Correlation is not causation, and dickheads who have had a skinful were dickheads before they started drinking and remain so after sobering up, the booze is just an exuse that some people let them get away with.
(eg: “He only throws up on you or your car when he’s drunk…” or “He only hits me when he’s drunk…”)

So the message is anywhere from “Furries party way too hard“, to “Consider the message your clothing sends and how that may impact on your night“.
Neither of which should carry an ACT Policing closer…

Could have been worse. They could have taken a leaf out of the Kiwi anti-drink driving book:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIYvD9DI1ZA

I think the message is that native wildlife is evil and should be exterminated. Particularly birds.

there is no hidden Illuminati message here .. too many drinks and you’re a silly loud annoying but colourful bird

say no to hallucinogenic drugs kids….

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