August 8, 2011

“Love is Louder” shows that positive emotions can work in social advertising

Love is Louder is an online movement that aims to show support to those who have ever felt “mistreated, misunderstood or isolated”. It’s a direct response to last year’s multiple teenage suicides in the US. As a social campaign, Louder aims to build on the momentum of other online campaigns (such as the “It Gets Better” campaign) to invite those who have been bullied into the conversation.

Although many celebrities have already been involved with this campaign, I’ve never heard of it until recently. I was channel surfing when the commercial below — featuring some CTV personalities — came on and immediately caught my attention.

I’ve already written before about the use of advertising in social campaigns. In a previous blog post, I’ve said that the use of emotional appeals bring up some ethical issues that marketers need to address. What I didn’t mention in that blog post is that the type of emotions matter: negative ones such as fear or guilt definitely have ethical implications.

What I like about this “Love is Louder” video though is that it uses positive emotions to drive home its message. Similar to the “It Gets Better” campaign, Louder gives hope to the victims instead of going after the bullies.

Unfortunately, bullying is something that many people have experienced in their lives, and reminding kids that “love is louder” hopefully offer these kids optimism for the future. I’ve never been bullied (thankfully), but as a gay man, I do know first hand that life gets easier as you grow older. So, hang on, kids, and in the meantime, talk to your parents or call the Kids Help Phone line if you’re being bullied.