The creative curve thrown at viewers in this spot for the Nova Scotia chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has ironically made gaining a widespread audience a bit more difficult than the ad’s creators had envisioned. But the mini-controversy generated by the spot has helped to garner publicity and exposure well beyond original expectations.
In the :30 titled "Kids," children talk in a fearful manner about being punished for misdeeds or behavior beyond their control. The spot opens with a little girl who asks, "If I wet my bed, will you rub my nose in it?"
A boy then queries, "Would you hit me if I scratched the couch?"
Another youngster says, "Will you leave me if you have to move?"
Other questions are just as disturbing, such as a boy who relates, "My parents are allergic to me. Can I come live with you?" Also a kid asks, in reference to himself and his siblings, "Which one of us will you get rid of?"
The nature of several of the questions leads us to suspect things aren’t quite what they seem. Then we are hit with a sudden detour in the form of a super that simply reads, "A message from the SPCA." The initial assumption that we are watching a PSA about child abuse jarringly gives way to the fact that the issue being addressed is some people’s poor, unfair treatment of pets.
We then cut back to a child who shares, "I cry when I’m left alone. Will you have me put down?"
The public service spot ends with an SPCA logo accompanied by the slogan, "Pets are for life."
This unnerving parallel between kids and pets indeed struck a nerve at the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC), which has balked at running the PSA. A CBC e-mail sent to the Halifax SPCA’s ad agency, porkpie hat, Halifax, reads, "In equating pets with children, the message expresses a point of view that some people would find very disturbing. All messages accepted for broadcast on CBC services (and most specifically, advocacy messages) must conform to CBC policy on Standards of Taste. Such messages must be suitable for introduction into the intimacy of the home and must not demand audience attention through use of shock value. The SPCA advertisement titled ‘Kids’ does not conform to this policy."
Meanwhile, Canada’s two other major broadcast networks have accepted and aired the PSA.
John Mastromonaco directed "Kids" directly for porkpie hat. He is repped for commercials in the U.S. by Bravo Zulu, a Santa Monica-based production house headed by executive producer Ron Hacohen.
The porkpie creative team included creative director Michael Scher, copywriter Michael Aronson and producer Courtney Graham.
Line producer was Scott Westerlaken of Cenex, Halifax, which served as production house on the job. The DP was Barry Parrell.
Editor was Scott Blackett of Third Floor Editing, Toronto. Colorist was Randy Perry of Eyes Post, Toronto. Audio mixer was Roger Leavens of Krystal Music & Sound Design, Toronto. Composer was Krystal Music’s Chris Szczesniak.
Harriet Wiegert, Sebastian Grossett, Koumbie Traore-Thompson, Nicholas Campbell, Ashton Slawter, Kate Barkhouse, Savannah Green, Dylan Beaton and Jack Watson were the principal actors in this spot. The SAG/AFTRA Commercials Contract Standing Committee has granted a waiver to allow commercials to be available for viewing on SHOOTonline.com. The spots cannot be copied, downloaded or e-mailed.
