Advertisements that take you by surprise and disturb you

Can you spot something wrong in this photo? I don't watch a whole lot of sports--and I only watch enough hockey to keep updated with my team (so, only about 2-3 times a week.)

But I have never seen an ad like this on the boards. I guess I don't have much to say about it...I find it just a little bit unusual and disturbing.

Has anyone else seen a Monsanto ad in sports or anything like that? It really just feels very out of place for some reason. I'm used to seeing ads for Subway, Tim Hortons..maybe some banks and auto insurance.

To be honest, I never even heard of Monsanto before I started visiting ATS.

Should I just ignore it and keep focused on the game? (an appropriate metaphor for how most people react to Monsanto anyway.) I am very passionate when it comes to GMOs. I usually try to subtly keep people aware of them and educate them. I, myself, very carefully read all the labels when buying anything.

It looks like Frankenfoods are just a way of life sneaking into our future

Sorry there isn't a lot of meat on this thread--which is unusual for me--this just jumped out at me right now while watching. And I'm curious to know what others think of this because I really don't know what to make of it.

Can you think of any ads that felt 'out-of-place' for inexplicable reasons? Any that disturbed you or took you by surprise?

It's certainly odd to see this at a sporting event, but I think it's a good thing. Perhaps people will see this ad, then google Monsanto and discover how evil they are.

Heh, that will totally work against them.
People associate Monsanto to poison.
Strange that it is being advertised at a hockey match though.

Ever wonder if they just want people intentionally pissed off all the time?
Or maybe it's sheer arrogance.

Either way Monsanto is synonymous with evil, for sure.

Originally posted by ThinkingCap
Ever wonder if they just want people intentionally pissed off all the time?

I was thinking along the same lines--why would they possibly need to advertise at a sports arena? It's not like they have a vending kiosk where you can go buy Roundup and GMO soy beans during the intermissions.

Just what kind of PR are they hoping to build here?..it's weird, and that's all I can say about it.

Wow that is really eerie.. Good eye!
It is strange that they're advertising for a sports event but I wonder if they were sponsors of some sort?

Maybe since they are receiving a whole lot of flak and people are waking up to their lies and poison, they now are trying to make a publicity stunt of how community based and wholesome their company is.. (I can't even say that with a straight face)

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha

The whole thing is disturbing. The boards are included in the playing area, they are part of the hockey play area. No ads should be allowed on them, and a long time ago they didn't have them (when did the ads take over the boards? I haven't watched hockey in years.). As it often does, the movie "Idiocracy" comes to mind when I see this amount of ad placement. So not just the Monsanto ad is out of place and unusual, the entire ring-of-ads should be disturbing. I can't wait for the first major sport team owner turn around the practice and clean the ads off their stadiums - especially on the playing area.

Originally posted by Aleister
reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha

 

The whole thing is disturbing. The boards are included in the playing area, they are part of the hockey play area. No ads should be allowed on them, and a long time ago they didn't have them

That's an excellent point. It's kind of like the commercial creep, right? Classic Star Trek episodes were something like 50-55 minutes long while modern Star Trek episodes ran about 43-44 minutes---care to guess why?

I agree with you there. There should be no ads in the playing field itself. It's kind of like how NASCAR drivers have the ads all over their vehicles and uniforms...there is just something very unsportsmanlike about that.

I think what struck me so much about the Monsanto is that they're pretty controversial, and they're placed right next to all these other places that supposedly provide a service/ good.

Is that the mindset they're trying to accomplish with this? That they're providing goods and services just like Subway and Geico?

reply to post by Aleister


You haven't watched hockey in years? Well, the ads are not only along the boards, but even in the neutral zone!



And not to mention that they play in places like:

"The Honda Center" (Anaheim)
"American Airlines Center" (Dallas)
"Pepsi Center" (Denver)
"Verizon Center" (Washington D.C.)
"Wells Fargo Center" (Philadelphia)

and my favorite with ".com"..."Jobing.com Arena" (Phoenix)

reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha
I don't really watch much hockey but I do find the banner disturbing. Now I shall be on the look out for Monsanto sponsorship at other large public events. Maybe a boycott of Monsanto sponsored events is in order? If large enough groups of people start boycotting all Monsanto sponsored public events they could become less appealing as a sponsor and their advertising could be avoided. Such tactics have worked in the past.

Originally posted by littled16
reply to post by NarcolepticBuddha

 

be on the look out for Monsanto sponsorship at other large public events. Maybe a boycott of Monsanto sponsored events is in order?

I really like the way you think! I will do the same. Spread the word, everybody!