Yes, Yes, but how "graphic"?

[jpic.etre]

Maybe this is more of an advertising or even a photography question, so feel free to move the thread if that's the case. Wasn't sure where to put it.

I might be a getting a shot at a smaller retail client later in the year through a connection of mine -- long and short is that they mostly do photo ads and just need some typeface work and basic retouching, I won't bore you with those details. The interesting part is that they want to start aping some kind of risque designs they've seen elsewhere and I'm wonder how far exactly you can push that sort of thing.

Here's a sample: http://picasaweb.google.com/jpic.etre/StuffILike02/photo?authkey=S_6tQhwngxE#5199618176515262578

This is an ad for bulldog gin that is currently in European magazines but supposedly got help up in the US market for being too aggressive. FYI there is no nudity or obscenity of any kind, it is all suggestion, I'm not linking to porn! :)

My friend sent me this as a kind of reference for the vibe they want to give off. I for one can't see how an ad without nudity or overt obscenity got held up, but maybe "vibes" are getting censored now, too? Obviously this would only play in certain markets.

[Silence04]

I don't know why that would be offensive in the US, maybe in certain magazines... you should be able to make something as risque as that for a mature magazine, as long as there is no nudity.

[budafist]

Just keep their clothes on and you should be fine. I think these kinds of things are more about the pose and hot models than nudity.

[garricks]

That ad is quite nice. It would be fine for GQ, or Elle, or any other magazine catering to adults, especially singles. Particularly young singles. I don't think it would fly in any magazine that has even a tinge of family friendliess.

[jpic.etre]

That ad is quite nice. It would be fine for GQ, or Elle, or any other magazine catering to adults, especially singles. Particularly young singles. I don't think it would fly in any magazine that has even a tinge of family friendliess.

Oh, I agree, and I definitely see why others would want to go for that kind of edgy vibe...the "young singles" point is interesting, I hadn't thought of that angle. Then again I'm not a marketer!

[DesignStudio]

I could see where many publications might not want to run the ad. It leaves alot of question as to whether it is portraying domestic voilence, or a mutual act. I think that is your one very important distinction that is going to make a big difference in something like this. Tough love or discipline as the ad says, in a consentual act should be pretty widely acceptable, but portraying domestic voilence, non-consentual acts, or other things that are illegal is definetly going to cause hesitation even among more edgy mags in wanting to pick up the ad.

[garricks]

Hmm. I went back and looked again, and DS has a point. The photo with the copy is right on the edge. The photo alone is much more over the line. It' looks like she's about to crack him one with the bottle.

So make sure you balance your message between the copy and the image just as carefully.

Every once in a while I hit the bookstore or the grocery and just stare at the magazine racks. There are so many niche pubs out there it's redonkulous. You might suggest creating several ads with differing levels of edginess.

[jpic.etre]

Thanks for all the help here. I agree that the combination of the text and photo makes for a very specific experience and there's definitely a balance to strike here. I think the next step will be finding more references in actual niche periodicals that the company wants to advertise in (as someone above suggests). Thanks again!

[lucdesaulniers]

Like Roger Vadim has once said, erotism is not what you see, it is what you suggest..

[Riya]

Sounds a bit like Benetton's famous campain. Good luck with it.

The company is known for sponsorship of a number of sports, and for the controversial "United Colors" publicity campaign. The latter originated when photographer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photographer) Oliviero Toscani (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliviero_Toscani) was given carte blanche (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carte_blanche) by the Benetton management. Under Toscani's direction, ads were created that contained striking images unrelated to any actual products being sold by the company.
These graphic, billboard sized ads included depictions of a variety of 'shocking' subjects such as a deathbed scene of a man (AIDS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS) activist David Kirby) dying from AIDS, a bloodied, unwashed newborn baby with umbilical cord still attached, two horses mating, close-up pictures of tattoos reading "HIV (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV) Positive" on the bodies of men and women, a collage consisting of genitals of persons of various races, a priest and nun about to engage in a romantic kiss, and pictures of inmates on death row (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_row). The company's logo served as the only text accompanying the images in most of these advertisements.
Briatore explained how they raised the company's profile: "We decided to do something very controversial that people would pick up on - 50% of people thought it was great and 50% thought it was awful, but in the meantime everyone was talking about Benetton." [1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benetton_Group#cite_note-briatoref1fbio-0)

[Schmitty]

Ive seen way worse in fashion ads. I just cant see that being a problem unless they tried for Good Housekeeping or something.