Promotional Consideration: Humanitarian aid crosses with the DS
Promotional Consideration is a weekly feature about the Nintendo DS advertisements you usually flip past, change the channel on, or just tune out.
As we've discussed before, a company's logo or branding can be just as important as the commercials and ads used to promote a product. This week, we'll take a look at a print piece that combines our favorite handheld with one of the most recognizable emblems in the world. Join us past the post break!
Left. Right. Up. Donate blood.
Though this ad pokes fun of gamers, suggesting that your play time would be better spent on "real world" matters, the chiding seems weak, merely a creative vehicle to get your attention and its message across.
After decades spent controlling thousands of games with the directional pad, one of Gunpei Yokoi's many contributions to the industry, we rarely, if ever, associate the symbol with the Red Cross emblem, a reversed Swiss flag. Seeing the controls recolored to reveal the similarities, though, we're surprised someone didn't make this ad sooner!
Interestingly, the Beirut arm of advertising firm Leo Burnett was commissioned for this piece. The North American division of Leo Burnett (as well as many other divisions of the multinational company) manages Nintendo's marketing and advertising. We wonder if Nintendo minds the jab to its customers ...
If you would like more information on the Lebanese Red Cross, please visit the organization's official site. You can also learn more about the history of the Red Cross's different emblems at the ICRC's official site.
[Via Communicadores]
