I just recently became aware of mtv's Exit (End eXploitation and Trafficking) campaign. Exit hopes to aid in the prevention of human trafficking by holding concerts, producing mini-documentaries and short promos to raise awareness and money for anti-trafficking organizations. My critique of the content and touchpoints of the campaign aside, I was intrigued by the question of the value and impact of the campaign's visual identity.The identity above is about 2 years old, and has since been redesigned; the art-nouveau-ish, fleuron-heavy aesthetic trend has apparently reached a saturation point (too many graphic-tees and even here as a short lived identity for court room drama) and is already outdated.
The new identity reflects a trend away from the ornate to the minimal that can be seen in other more youthful brands.
the question that all this raises for me is what does the capricious nature of the campaign's visual identity do to the legitimacy and urgency of the cause?
does appealing to design fashion and trends help or hurt the fight to end human trafficking (or any fight) in the long-run?
6 comments:
MTV targets a specific audience and a specific generation. The way they approach their campaigns and design aesthetics have a lot to do with who they're talking to. That being said, i don't think that the MTVexit's visual identity lessens the value or legitimacy of the campaign. I think that visually, MTV is just designing to reach their target audience. They know that if it's designed a certain way or style, their audience might be more inclined to respond. I think that content is just as important as form when trying to get your message across. MTVexit still has the MTV look and feel, yet it's appropriate for the subject matter. It doesn't look like a campaign for their annual music video awards.
I think this is a really interesting point that you bring up. It relates a bit to the corporation's motivation behind the cause they are promoting. When Campbell's soup decides to donate money to the Susan G. Koman Foundation when a can of soap is bought or when Gap decides to donate money to AIDS vaccination when they sell a Product(Red) t-shirt, are they concerned for the cancer and aids patients or are they concerned for the profit of their company? Hopefully the answer is they are concerned for both. It is interesting and I think applaudable that MTV is addressing and making the viewer think about topics and problems that are currently happening in the world. The bizarre thing is that you do not turn on MTV to think or to be challenged, you turn on MTV so you don't have to think. If MTV is presenting something that is challenging to the viewer, they are going to have to make it as visually and formally relatable to the audience as possible. The content is not relatable, so how else can you relate and communicate this content so that it seems that it could be relatable. Visuals of course.
When it comes to branding for social change, shouldn't a major goal be to create an identity that can last at least as long as the cause? I agree with both monina and jessica on the comment that the identity is designed to make relatable this foreign idea; to draw in an audience by speaking to them in a way they are familiar with. But It's more than marketing, or a way to let people know that they're at the right concert, it's the face of the cause. It is (or should be) a sort of visual manifestation of the fight to end human trafficking.
it's one thing for retail company to "update" it's identity, it's another for an important social issue to be treated as a marketable piece of fashion. I fear that, for mtv's audience, seeing the face of this cause succumb to these sort of pressures, equates to "human trafficking is the new global warming". If the identity is so easily supplanted, couldn't the identified be as well?
But maybe my criticism is misplaced, maybe I'm just not a part of mtv's intended demographic.
Grant, yeah...I don't think you're a part of MTV's demographic. I think their brand for this social issue is much more compelling than the brand of those more established organizations for the same cause (like this). MTV Exit's site is filled with engaging content such as personal stories, short films, documentaries, resources etc. I don't get a sense that MTV is trying to promote this issue as the next "Global Warming" nor is the seriousness of the message lost in Exit's identity. If anything the seriousness of the matter is enhanced through the tone used in the design.
I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with updating the identity of a social issue. I'm guessing that MTV's motivation for re-branding Exit is to keep the issue as well at the visual approach current and relevant to their audience.
I think that the fact that they have updated the identity shows that they are looking for a way to evolve the identity in order to make it last. By that I think that they definitely see it as an important issue that needs to be addressed. I agree that the first identity that used the trendy flourishes probably was on target at one point in time and fit the demographic that MTV was looking for, then updating it to either get more people to get on board. Possibly it was changed because through market research they found that the previous identity was hitting the wrong demographic. Maybe it was appealing to a crowd that was not interested in helping with this issue, so it was time to retarget.
I think that the current Identity hits the mark that they are looking for a little bit more. Though it is still moving toward the trendy sort of design, distressed graphics and san serif fonts, this seems to fit the aesthetic a bit more as the flourish is a bit too happy for the subject matter. Where the current takes a more "edgy" aesthetic which might fit the subject matter better.
I think that the old identity definitely hurt the cause. It made human trafficking look fun and fashionable which is definitely not the case. I think the new approach helps to bring awareness to the cause and hits the mtv demographic. I agree with grant "it's one thing for retail company to "update" it's identity, it's another for an important social issue to be treated as a marketable piece of fashion." I find it a interesting that a corporation that exploits people on a daily basis would be advocating a campaign against human trafficking.
Post a Comment