Shockvertising

(2008 Tessa Tape Advertisement: George Bush)

"Are you going to ask that question with shades on?
For the viewers there’s no sun."
George W. Bush, addressing a blind reporter during a press conference.

(2008 Tessa Tape Advertisement: Hugo Chavez)

"I am not a populist. I am a democrat."
Hugo Chávez, rebutting criticism of the press.

Earlier this year, Tesa, a multinational industry and crafts company, created controversial advertisements that featured global leaders with the company's tape over their mouths. The advertisements highlight how juxtaposing a simple campaign tagline, "The world needs a tape like this," with a shocking visual can create waves of awareness for a product or service.

With billions of websites and over 250 million social networking profiles and blogs, it is difficult to create advertisements that stand out and capture a viewer's attention. Frequently, it is rewarding to create shockvertisments that highlight a product's functionality and also captivate a viewer's attention with a captivating visual or message. Although a brand has to be careful not to isolate a target audience, adding controversy or shock causes viewers to pause, reflect and engage more in an advertisement, product or service. Love it or hate it, shockvertisments will continue to be discussed, highlighted and shared for years to come. ...Just ask Perez Hilton.