Actress Mira Sorvino wants marketing pros to get the Darfur message out
By Chantal Walholz
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 9/26/07 — Oscar-winner and Darfur activist, Mira Sorvino, hopes there will be more involvement from advertising campaigns in representing the problem genocide-stricken Darfur.
Taking a different tack than other Hollywood Darfur activists Steven Spielberg, George Clooney and Mia Farrow, Sorvino hoped to get the word out by going right to the message experts, the ad community.
She wants them to look upon the long-suffering populace there as a client, and design powerful campaigns to help them.
During Advertising Week, held in New York from Sept. 24-28, Sorvino called upon marketing professionals to reach out through the media to help end the ethnic killing in Sudan’s Darfur region.
Sorvino, also a goodwill ambassador for Amnesty International, was part of a panel discussion where she explained that among advertising, other media outlets need to get involved.
Partnering with TV networks and magazines could help publicize the strife across seas. But Sorvino points out that a concern for TV ratings and disinterest on newsstands pushes the media away from tackling such subjects.
The developments of benefit concerts and purchasing ads to promote documentation on Darfur could be a way to grasp attention.
However, graphic images from harsh realities like Darfur create a problem for advertising companies. “At first blush, it might seem like a subject like genocide would be simple to communicate,” said David Mitchell, partner at GMMB to Ad Age. “But it poses a problem for NGO’s (Non-governmental organizations) who have to approach Darfur appropriately without the use of disturbing material.”
Sensationalism is another dilemma for these companies. It’s all about smart advertising and if they come off too sensationalist with international crises, they will lose credibility in the field.
But celebrities themselves are the real “marketing” tool in such cases. Their voices and opinions have impact to get people involved. “Instant Karma,” a CD that features various popular artists such as Green Day, U2, and Christina Aguilera, was released in mid-June. The profits that are made from this CD have all been given to the Darfur cause.
