Is the MG Association's ad the oddest charity poster you have ever seen?

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Is the MG Association's ad the oddest charity poster you have ever seen? 8

Fundraising | David Burrows | 7 Jun 2010

The cryptic 'Give Us A Smile' poster campaign by the MG Association offers a lesson to all charities: make clear what you're advertising or deal with a confused public, says David Burrows.

I keep seeing a poster that has three faces that look sad, because they are unsmiling and in black and white. It is an odd, unsettling image, vaguely reminiscent of the mug shots of the infamous Moors murderers.

It is coupled with the cryptic headline ‘GIVE US A SMILE’. There is a logo that simply says ‘MG’, in red.

The problem is that this poster is usually displayed on bus shelters and I generally only see it from my car, so the image, headline and logo are all I ever see. Unfortunately the image, headline and logo leave me none the wiser.

Having investigated further I now know that this is a poster for a small - and no doubt very worthy – charity called the Myasthenia Gravis Association. I now understand that Myasthenia Gravis is a condition that causes muscle weakness and can be fatal, and that the Association are funding vital research into this condition.

I know this because I am the kind of weirdo who is sufficiently intrigued and perplexed by bad advertising to investigate further. Maybe millions of other people have been sufficiently intrigued and perplexed to do the same – but maybe not.

I think there are lessons for us all here. Anyone planning a poster campaign needs to be really clear about the objectives and the target audience. Are we primarily trying to engage families already affected by the condition, trying to raise awareness of symptoms to prompt earlier diagnosis, or trying to raise awareness of the condition among the entire general public?

Then we need to remember to keep it simple, stupid. If we are creating a poster that will be displayed on roadsides around the UK it seems a shame to have such a cryptic combination of image, headline and logo that leave passing drivers scratching their heads. Bus shelter posters aren’t just for bus queues.

I’m sorry to be mean about the advertising of a tiny charity who probably don’t have the resources to employ professional advertising people. If they want a better poster I’ll happily do them one. But it isn’t just small charities who get this wrong. Good posters need to be simple and single-minded. For a better example check out the latest National Trust posters, which are an object lesson in simplicity and clarity.

MG Association poster

Images

Directory: National Trust

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Don
31 Mar 2012

I wonder who funds this organisation. The advert may or may not be rubbish but it's EVERYWHERE and has been for years. That can't be cheap.

[Reply]

Jools Dyson
housing and suppprt worker
21 Jan 2012

For me the poster had massive and significant effect because I have had MG for 32 years. I recognised the MG logo and the faces of the individuals photographed. So for me .......well done in bringing this to everyone's attention. The only thing is that I found was that those totally unfamiliar with MG hadn't a clue what the fuss was about and what the poster was trying to say. It's got folk talking and that's a good sign, especially for my boss and colleagues that are seeking more info now. ***personal contact details removed by administrator...please see community standards***

[Reply]

Giovanni
17 Nov 2011

I saw the poster in Liverpool and when I saw the logo MG at the bottom I immediately recognise what it was. My father was affected by MG and.. since there is no cure... died of it.
I barely remember to have seen a smile in his face during those years and I also remember the months (yes usually it takes months to be diagnosed) we spent in and out of hospitals trying to find out what it was.
Don't forget that this is still considered a 'rare disease'.
so as you wrote I think the poster is

to me it is well done!

[Reply]

Mark
Marketing
8 Oct 2011

This web page has made my day, I have spent the last year trying to wok out what this poster is about! I've been close to pulling my car over and getting out to actually see what this cryptic poster means! As someone who works in marketing this poster and its message has frustrated me for a long time.

[Reply]

Anon
10 Sep 2011

I too was also intrigued by these posters sufficietly enough to google "give us a smile campaign" to find out more (that's how I found your article) so either I am also a similar weirdo or the campaign actually worked on me. Also I did stop once while out walking to read the small print. I think the poster is quite effective as the image sticks with you and with me at least made me want to know what it was about.

[Reply]

Eleanor Edwards
Give A Brick
26 Jan 2011

I have to agree with you David. I drive past a bus shelter displaying that poster every morning whilst taking my children to school. Those images have haunted me because I thought it was an 'advert' for child abuse but, because of the complete lack of clarity in the message, I didn't know what the organisation wanted me to do about it!

It was only this morning when I realised that this gave an example of how not to do something that I finally went in search of this poster online and found out, thanks to this article of yours, what it was really about.

Lessons not just for charities but for anyone with a message to deliver.

[Reply]

David Burrows
Head of Fundraising
TDA
8 Jun 2010

Fair comments, Anon. If I gave the impression that I only travel by chauffeur-driven Bentley or Sedan chair I can assure you that my rather clapped out car provides me with plenty of opportunities to enjoy the pleasures of bus travel!

All I am saying is that if you are going to put posters in the street, where they are visible to people at a distance and passing traffic, it is worth considering whether they can work without you having to stop and read the body copy. Given that these posters have indeed run for years I would have liked to have seen the campaign evolve into a more obvious message.

[Reply]

Anon
n/a
n/a
8 Jun 2010

This poster has been around for years and I think it's actually very effective. There are millions of people in the UK who, sadly, have to get the bus and are close enough to read the smaller print. I think your comments are a bit unfair...as you said - you did research it,it forced you to investigate, and for most people, that would just involve standing at the bus stop, or getting out of the car to find out. Whether the message is to raise awareness(which I think it does) or to make people donate (which I think it could) I find the stark image of people who are unable to smile because of a medical condition very evocative, and effective.

[Reply]

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