Thursday, September 14, 2006
Mocking the Death of a Salesman
Call it a new low in marketing in bad taste. The Liberty Life insurance company of South Africa is running television ads using a man who was murdered as the pitchman.
Brett Goldin was
murdered in April and the
company pulled the ads, but now they are back with the family's blessing.
If they guy was working for any other kind of company besides LIFE INSURANCE I'd say fine. But using the images of a guy who was killed in the prime of life is despicable. Look -- if it happened to him, it could happen to you, so send in your money now!
It is disrespectful and opportunistic.
Posted By John Gartner at 02:44 PM
Permanent Link: Mocking the Death of a Salesman
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(5) Comments on Mocking the Death of a Salesman
That seriously is taking advantage of a loss to gain customers. That is paying absolutely no respect to the loss of a man. He was a human being, not just a marketing ploy.
Comments by Vulturevalley : Thursday, September 14, 2006 at 04:05 PM
While it must be easy for you to pass judgement up there in the safety of your ivory tower, perhaps you can consider the following story and quotes from Brett's own parents and sister. This is a man who worked very, very hard to make it on stage, in television and in film.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20060913133400354C707652
Or perhaps you could consider the hundreds of people who begged for the ads to come back, wanting just 30 more seconds of Brett's golden talent.
Comments by Kaye : Friday, September 15, 2006 at 01:40 AM
Having worked with Brett's father for almost 10 years, I was devastated at the news in April
When my daughter (who also worked with us) told me that the Liberty Life adverts had been pulled, I was upset that I missed seeing him just once more.
Bring it on and let us relish in his talent.
Comments by Dorothee : Friday, September 15, 2006 at 09:12 AM
Isn't one of goals of marketing to get the consumers attention?
Both Liberty Life Insurance and the memory of Brett Goldin are served by airing the commercial.
How many new people now know about Liberty life?
Wasn't Brett hired to acheive that goal?
Comments by Jason : Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 11:26 AM
having been a friend of bretties and a colligue i have to totally disagree with you. brett's truly wonderful and amazing family knew brett better than any one and they want his huge talent to go on shining for ever more. you should respect their wishes. brett was an entertainer of the highest order and the fact that even after his disgusting and appling death he is still doing that is testiment only to his extraordnary personality. rather than getting angry about this may i suggest that you should infact be far more angry at the south african government that still allows this level of violance to continue, get annoyed at the people who commited the crime, get annoyed that samantha goldin's eloquent and prevoking letter to your president is still waiting for a response, then you will be honoring the man and not commenting on the image.
Comments by amy bonsall : Wednesday, January 03, 2007 at 08:31 PM
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