Posted on 06/09/2009 12:54:57 PM PDT by RatherBiased.com
Prominent Vietnam veterans and their families are appalled by an advertisement for a major local mall that shows a woman in front of a wall that strongly resembles the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, with the names of the center’s stores appearing instead of the names of the war dead.
Tysons Corner Center reacted quickly to condemnation from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and ordered the immediate removal of 440 of the ads from the Metrorail cars where they have been posted, mall spokeswoman Allison Fischer said Tuesday afternoon.
The Tysons ad features a black granite wall engraved with a list of shops over the slogan, “It’s time to defrost.” The store names are presented in virtually the same font on a highly reflective surface like the Vietnam Memorial. There is an image in the background of a what could be a rose, a flower commonly left at the Wall.
“There’s no question my generation will see this as The Wall,” said Marshall Carter, chairman of the New York Stock Exchange and a veteran of two tours in Vietnam. “There’s no getting around it. It jumps right off the page.”
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
I think The Wall has been a failure in the eyes of those who designed it.
I think it was meant to be hated, as it was in the beginning.
There are many ways to use a black wall with light text and not make any allusions to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Had this ad used a different font and not used the diamond to delineate the words no one would have made any connection at all.
As GranPa Jone used to say "Outrageous!"
Nope! Nothing "clueless" involved in this desecration. This was an intentional act.
You can see the same sort of messages throughout all the textbooks used in the government brainwashing institutions that most of the government's children attend.
It takes a lot of effort to do something that dumb.
The ad was brainstormed a couple of months ago, when DC was still snowed under in a late spring, so they came up with a "Spring on the DC Mall" concept and then belched out the lame head "It's time to defrost."
Then they handed this off to the production artist, who was instructed to come up with some stock photo combining fashion and the DC Mall in the spring.
He came up with the model imposed over the Vietnam wall, with the flowers reflecting on it. there were likely other alts, such as the cherry blossoms, or the washington monument, but this one looked best with the whole black on black thing.
Some "creative" director (or mall marketing manager) said, "Hey, could we replace the names on the wall with our store names?"
And there you have it. Sad thing is, this ad passed through many, many hands in the approval process before it turned up on the buses.
“True Religion”?
Is that a reference to True Religion Brand Jeans?
I had to look it up online to even see what they sold. I was certain that it couldn’t be theological.
The Left is “anti-price war”. You work. You wait in line. You buy loaf of bread, comrade. Next month you buy something to go on bread you bought.
It’s copying The Wall. With a dumb tagline. Overall rating: Fail.
I remember when they built Tysons Corner.
I agree. When I first saw the design I thought it was awful, along with pretty much everybody else. Then I started to hear people say that you have go there to get it. Finally years later I did go to DC and got to see it in person, and I have to say that it was uniquely powerful.
[Shakes head as mouth opens and closes repeatedly]: I...I...just don’t even know how to respond to this kind of utter thoughtlessness and lack of respect...well, in any way that’ll keep me out of the hoosegow.
Colonel, USAFR
It’s the product of a new generation that has reverence for nothing.
One vote for over the line, and I have a pretty thick skin about this sort of thing. Got some friends’ names on the real thing. Could have been me.
ping
Think about this, though, it’s not like just one person created this ad. It would’ve had to have been created, approved, and reviewed by the ad agency, and then reviewed and approved by the marketing dept. of Tysons.
And if any one of them had had any military service or family who have served, wouldn’t the thought, “this just isn’t right”, have at least flitted across his/her mind?
Colonel, USAFR
Y’know, you’d think, considering that this mall is less than fifteen miles from the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, that SOMEBODY at Tysons would’ve looked at it and said, “Uh, guys, this may not be the best idea...”
If they tweaked the font and removed the reflectivity, they’d probably be able to get away with it. As it is, it’s hard not to think that it’s an intentional play on the Wall, for whatever reason. It’s just stupid.
}:-)4
Almost certainly the “idea” of some characterless 20 something idiot ad firm whizkid whose only knowledge of the sacrifices made to keep him in his 6 figure “job” was accidentally catching a glimpse of a trailer for “Band of Brothers” while switching channels from VH1 to MTV.
He probably campaigned for another idiot with similar values named Obama.
My God. HOW HAVE WE FALLEN SO FAR SO FAST???
I didn’t know I could laugh my ass off and nod vigorously in agreement at the same time! Serious consideration for post of the day, HIDEK6! And thanks...
Colonel, USAFR
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