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"The small, ordinary freedoms of life are priceless." PJ O'Rourke

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Advertising Works

I follow a link to this badly written article from Reuters.

"A simulated suicide bombing will be filmed in downtown Los Angeles this weekend in a campaign by prominent Iraqis who want to dissuade the bombers who have wreaked a devastating toll on their country.

The 60-second edited film, a simulation of a Baghdad marketplace bombing that will kill or injure 200 people, will air on Iraqi TV in six weeks. "

Why isn't this article making it clear that this will be a public information tv commercial? I think it's weird not to be more explicit.

"Los Angeles-based commercial filmmaker 900 Frames will film and produce the staged suicide bombing, showing viewers the time just before, during and after the explosion, in an effort to capture the impact of the act.

A group of scholars, businessmen and activists in Iraq and abroad put up the $1 million in production costs, which includes hiring over 200 mostly local actors."

Nothing about the expected expenditure on air time! I don't know what the cost of spots are on middle eastern tv stations these days but I'd be interested in knowing the projected budget. Spending a million dollars on making the commercial means they expect to spend considerably more on the airtime so why not report it?

Iraqi leaders recently agreed on a national unity government to curb sectarian violence in the country where suicide bombings are an almost daily occurrence. More than 35,000 Iraqi civilians have died since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, hundreds in suicide attacks."

I know the general population doesn't "get" numbers, but I expect more from news sources and that should read thousands or tens of thousands rather than hundreds.

"900 Frames co-founder Drew Plotkin said it was "a tremendous responsibility."

"This is about saving lives," he said. "If we do our job right, it is quite possible this could be the way to stop suicide bombing."