Chapter: Absurd Yet True
In 2009, the marketing team at Sony came up with a truly clever advertising campaign for Peter Jackson and Neill Blomkamp’s science fiction movie District 9. The plot behind the movie: 28 years ago, aliens landed in Johannesburg, South Africa. A powerful private military corporation known as Multi-National United (MNU) moves all the aliens into a concentration camp called District 9. After years of protest from civilians, MNU finally decides to evict the aliens from District 9 and move them to a more controlled area. The movie’s setting echo the real-life conditions of poverty and prejudice.
Before anyone had heard of the film, signs forbidding non-humans from using benches and restrooms could be seen in major cities such as Los Angeles. Messages including phone numbers were also put up on billboards, shelters and inside comic book stores, asking people to report non-humans. If you called the number listed to “report” the aliens you reached the fictive MNU. The message of the advertisements was simple: Keep the aliens out.
During two weeks time, MNU received over 33,000 phone calls and about 2,500 people left voice messages about alien sightings. Of these, 92 percent came from cell phones, indicating that people were reacting, on the spot, in the streets.
Possible Moral
These advertisements blurred the line between the real and the fictional world created by the filmmakers. What’s important about this campaign is how it copies the civil rights movement for a generation of young people who don’t have first-hand experience with segregation and overt racism. I admire those who dare to make a statement about the world or even want to change it – by using metaphors. The parallels not only with South Africa’s apartheid history but with the attitude to refugee asylum seekers or “illegal aliens” in the west can be found in both the movie and in the advertisements. The campaign really brought out the essence the movie. In the era of “skipping commercials” this idea was sure to survive. In short, a great marketing campaign by Sony that made people react.
Story from We All Need Heroes: Stories of the Brave and Foolish.
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We All Need Heroes
Short StoryHey there! Here you'll find a collection of mixed stories from my debut book 'We All Need Heroes', which celebrates people with brave and innovative ideas. The finished book is filled with a huge mix of inspirational and fun short-stories of people...
