this fight with oscar de la hoya will probably become either his greatest fight or his worst as de la hoya seem to be a formidable opponent. winning in this fight is a must for this filipino icon. and as the country is mostly catholics, this is where the nike ad fits into.
it is a brilliant ad. the concept of manny in prayer in the corner of the ring and the copy that goes with it, "give us this day" is an excellent fit specially to the audience and to the fight.
the artwork is also brilliantly done. very high concept as well. manny in his knees, praying at the corner of the ring with the ropes and the corner post forming an obvious cross.
but that is what we find offensive.
manny's outward stretched hands, resting on the ropes, with the obvious image of the cross in front of him show manny in a position where it appears he is mimicking the position of Christ on the cross. that to me is the obvious double meaning intended to be communicated by the art director.
outstretched hands the way it is done in the ad is not the position for prayer. it is holding the hands together, even with the boxing gloves on, is the position for prayer. we see many boxers do that in the ring and most of them do the sign of the cross even with their gloves on.
the art director choosing to show manny with his hands stretched apart is not really to show manny in prayer, but it mimicks the position of Christ on the cross. manny's hands stretched out that way in front of a cross is what i find offensive. it violates one of the most revered images in the catholic faith - Christ's sacrifice of his life during the crucifiction. the nike ad wants us to think that manny is nailed to the cross, as Christ was. that is very offensive.
the viewers of the ad are also being asked to contribute or post their prayers or wishes for manny. and one particular shoutout seem to be the favorite of the ad:
BECAUSE OF THE FILIPINO FAITH... GOD WILL INDEED GIVE US THIS DAY! GOD BLESS YOU MANNY! - gabby, nueva ecija
with that kind of message - what if manny does not win? should filipinos feel guilty that we do not have enough faith and that is why manny lost? and should we see God in that way? is that the proper way to look at faith and religion?
we like creative work. we like brilliant work even more. but this creativity and brilliance need to be sensitive and respectful of religion and the beliefs of people.
on the whole, this ad offends us.
click here to view in full : http://nike.com.ph/giveusthisday/
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Of course you have the right to be offended--but I don't think Catholics can claim ownership over cross or cross-like imagery.
ReplyDeleteAnd the claim that the writers of the ad need respect over beliefs of people as if they don't have any, is yours alone.
i think this has been banned (cease and desist order?). i agree also with your opinion on this.
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say? When reality clashes with rigidly held belief, reality is generally the loser.
ReplyDeleteMarket T Market: disrespect of others like gender, race or belief is always not a good thing. aside from it being offensive, that is very bad advertising. the reason for being for ads to sell products. being offensive will not do that. another point of advertising is building a brand image. being offensive will also not do that.
ReplyDeleteStop whining.
ReplyDeleteYou should be glad people don't complain to you about the ORIGINAL image. You know, the one with the man nailed to the cross... this is a graphic scene of torture (and as a figurine no less) and is quite disturbing and distressing to kids.
The things people have to put up with for "freedom of religion".
anonymous: yes it is torture. it is gruesome. and in the catholic faith there is meaning in that and how that is transformed into a bigger sense.
ReplyDeletei think that's what's brilliant about the ad - its offensiveness is subjective. it's definitely an image that's meant to stop you on your feet and make you debate. and its been effective in doing that.
ReplyDeletei commend nike for continuously pushing the envelope. whatever happens, they will sell a lot of product and will still be an admired brand.
Interesting debate here. but do you mean to say we shouldn't encourage prayer when there's a possibility of our prayer not coming true? but haven't we been taught that prayer is our only weapon when we're faced in a situation that's seemingly impossible?
ReplyDeletetama ba naman na pa-guilt trip ang mga pinoy? hahaha
ReplyDeleteanonymous: "The things people have to put up with for "freedom of religion"."
ReplyDeleteano ba yan? hindi naman yan ang topic. hindi naman "freedom of religion" ang issue. ang issue ay respeto sa relihiyon at religious beliefs. wag lapastanganin ang mga simbulo na mahalaga sa relihiyon.
"And the claim that the writers of the ad need respect over beliefs of people as if they don't have any, is yours alone." - AMEN.
ReplyDeletewith that kind of message - what if manny does not win? should filipinos feel guilty that we do not have enough faith and that is why manny lost? and should we see God in that way? is that the proper way to look at faith and religion? - YOU ACTUALLY THINK THAT IF MANNY LOSES (GOD FORBID) THAT MESSAGE WILL CAUSE FILIPINOS TO THINK IT'S THEIR FAULT? I THINK FILIPINOS DESERVE MORE CREDIT THAN THAT. THAT COMMENT MAKES FILIPINOS SOUND LIKE THEY CAN'T THINK FOR THEMSELVES.
ReplyDeleteoffensive to you, not offensive to the next person. aaah...isn't that the beauty of freedom of speech and expression. so, get off your high horse and quit bickering. you know what is offensive? that your purpose in life is to spew negativity and constantly put others down. spend sometime being positive and maybe you'll see the bigger picture.
ReplyDelete> yes it is torture. it is gruesome. and in the
ReplyDelete> catholic faith there is meaning in that and
> how that is transformed into a bigger sense.
What bigger sense are you referring to?
From where I'm sitting it seems that it is mainly being transformed into whining [over some purportedly violated symbolism].
But please don't feel like I'm ragging on you specifically, I have to acknowledge that muslims are guilty of far far worse. This is a problem endemic to just about all theists. Their idols (whether physical or symbolic/intellectual e.g. doctrines, etc...) are more important to them than genuine spirituality.
if you google "offensive nike ads", you will get quite a number of entries. apparently, it's not the first time nike has done offensive ads.
ReplyDeletecorporations, just like citizens, need to be good citizens. they need to recognize and behave in a way that they will not disrespect others and their beliefs. it is the way of a civilized society.
ReplyDeleteanonymous: "I THINK FILIPINOS DESERVE MORE CREDIT THAN THAT. THAT COMMENT MAKES FILIPINOS SOUND LIKE THEY CAN'T THINK FOR THEMSELVES."
ReplyDeletethat is one of the problems i find in that ad and the choice of that line. in fact the point i raised is that it's a poorly chosen line.
anonymous : What bigger sense are you referring to?
ReplyDeleteyou need to refer back to what Christ crucifixion and His death means to the Catholic faith.
anonymous: "But please don't feel like I'm ragging on you specifically, I have to acknowledge that muslims are guilty of far far worse. This is a problem endemic to just about all theists. Their idols (whether physical or symbolic/intellectual e.g. doctrines, etc...) are more important to them than genuine spirituality."
ReplyDeletewhether there is too much emphasis on phsyical symbols or not, whether that is the best way to practice one's faith is really not material.
the fact and reality is - they do matter, and companies like nike need to be more socially responsible respect those beliefs and not violate them.
as a christian, it's hard for me to understand why muslims cannot eat pork. i know why they don't but i can't understand it. BUT if a muslim goes to my house, i will NOT serve him pork to eat out of respect to his/her religious beliefs.
anonymous: "offensive to you, not offensive to the next person. aaah...isn't that the beauty of freedom of speech and expression."
ReplyDeletethis is not about "freedom of speech and expression", this is about corporate responsibility and how they should respect and not violate relgions and relogious beliefs.
we can also take it from the "freedoms" you speak of --- the ad violated the right of individuals to their own religious beliefs. and that companies and even people should respect those.