2024-04-10 15:37:19
The advertisement offended the people of Vilnius
“As residents of Vilnius, the advertisement is offensive and humiliating. I grew up in Vilnius, and I really don’t remember the city that is “put” in those advertising seconds. I read the statement of Dovilė Aleksandravičienė, the manager of Go Vilnius, that this is a bold advertisement. I think that it is thoughtless, and in the current situation it is controversial”, Vilnius University sociologist dr. Rūta Žiliukaitė.
She drew attention to the fact that advertising creators explain and justify their decisions with the research conducted by their partners, but that research is not available to the public.
“I would suggest that the manager simply make the research report public, because we only see some percentages, but we don’t know how the study was conducted or what method was used,” suggested the Vilnius University sociologist.
Stereotypes – made up?
According to R. Žiliukaitė, the fact that the stereotypes depicted in the advertising video, which residents of foreign countries supposedly have in their heads, never existed.
“We are not destroying any stereotypes,” said the Vilnius University sociologist.
Part of the show’s listeners also agreed with her.
“Imagine if Germany now promoted itself with such a shameful history as the period of Hitler’s rule,” Arthur gave an example.
According to him, there is no need to remember the consequences of the Soviet era.
A sociologist from Vilnius University agreed with him, saying that it is not clear what the new “Go Vilnius” project invites you to look at in Vilnius: wild toilets or poor neighborhoods that look much different today than they did a few decades ago?
Opinions differed
Residents have mixed opinions about the new ad aimed at German and UK audiences – some say it’s a big shame, others say it’s cool, but the majority of critics have it.
“I would like to say that the advertisement itself and the idea of the advertisement are clear and understandable, everything is nicely arranged. The problem is that the time is perhaps disproportionately distributed – the first part of the advertisement is much longer than the second. Knowing today’s consumer society, the second part should have been stronger. I would like to show more and reveal Vilnius more”, said one of the listeners of the show.
Another listener of the show had a similar opinion.
“It’s a good advertisement, we watched it with our family and that’s all. I thought it was brave, as always with Go Vilnius ads. The only thing I would change would be that they could have put an image of reality after each stereotype, instead of separating the two parts,” Lina criticized the structure of the advertising video.
Dalis emphasized that the stereotypes about Lithuania among the residents of foreign countries are still bad.
“I am not offended by this advertisement, because I do not think that Vilnius is as it is portrayed. I no longer have a complex that we are somehow worse than others. Therefore, I am ashamed that there are still people abroad who think that there are no traffic lights in Lithuania. Maybe it’s worth destroying stereotypes”, said Akvilė.
True, not all advertising appreciates so benevolently.
“This ad made me angry. Living abroad, you have no idea how many times I have had to feel second-class in various Western European countries. I’m so glad that the attitude is finally changing, and this is the kind of advertisement – angry, sad and just a shame,” Jolanta shared her experience.
Some were also confused by the fact that a considerable amount was invested in advertising – 81 thousand. euros.
“I have seen tourists in the library of Vilnius University, they go to old books, I have even met them in the Karoliniškii Nature Reserve, they have many interesting things here. I was wondering if this will all end with us talking and that’s it, or if we will be asked to return the money for the advertisement that offends the people of Vilnius,” said Dainius.
Missed the point
Kęstutis Gečas, a partner of the communication agency “INK Agency”, said that a large wave of indignation from Vilnius residents and other Lithuanian residents is a bad sign.
“The city is a large organization, many people live here and cannot separate advertising from those interest groups for which the city is important. If we have a situation where quite a large number of people do not like the advertisement, this is a serious signal and argument that something is wrong with it”, said K. Gęčas.
He said that the technical solutions of advertising also raise questions.
“I doubt the advertising is too aggressive. If we want to disprove stereotypes, we need to give a small part of advertising time to naming a myth or stereotype,” said a partner of the communication agency “INK Agency” about the technical problems of advertising.
According to him, brave decisions are made by a small part of people, so one should not make decisions aimed only at a narrow group of society.
K. Gečas also added that the city does not have a strategy on how to show it.
“One advertisement tells us that here is the undiscovered “G” point of Europe, now we talk about myths, but basically we don’t tell what the city is really like,” said the interviewer of the show, adding that the advertisement cannot only attract attention, it also also has to convey some kind of message.
According to him, we have to understand for ourselves what Vilnius is.
“The city is old and it doesn’t change much over decades or even centuries. We need to talk about the city and offer a message that is consistent enough, for example, how Paris is the capital of fashion and culture, London is a busy and commercial hub. And what is Vilnius like?”, asked K. Gečas.
He singled out several aspects that could distinguish Vilnius from other European cities: food, safe environment, green urban spaces.
Emphasizes that the goal is to attract attention
The head of “Go Vilnius” D.Aleksandravičienė herself said that it is much too early to judge whether the advertisement is successful or not.
“The goals of the campaign are focused on abroad and a foreign audience. From what we can see from the reactions, it is received positively. I can admit that we did not expect such an uproar from the townspeople, we hear what people are saying, we partially understand why they feel this way. I can repeat that this is not really a presentation of the city, it is a way to draw attention”, said D. Aleksandravičienė.
According to her, the goal of the creators was to strongly thicken the colors, which is reflected in the advertisement.
“All this is intended to make it obvious that this is not true, and at the same time, it is possible to arouse interest to come and see what it is really like,” explained the manager of Go Vilnius.
She revealed that even before the launch of the campaign, tests with the target audience showed that the advertising idea was successful.
D.Aleksandravičienė also emphasized that foreigners understand that the purpose of the advertisement is to shock, and they do not see and identify Lithuanians as they are depicted in the advertisement clip, so the wave of indignation that arose after the presentation of the advertisement due to the inappropriate image of the nation is wrong.
“Abroad, the echoes are positive, foreign portals say that we are a brave city that breaks stereotypes,” said the manager of Go Vilnius.
2024-04-10 15:37:19