After Todd Akin, the U.S Representative in Missouri's 2nd congressional district, made comments on women's reproductive rights and rape that essentially destroyed his current public standing, the 'Legitimate Rape' parody has taken off and given birth to the 'Legitimate Drowning' PSA.
The Legitimate Drowning PSA warns of the dangers of using floatation devices and the life-saving techniques medical professionals use to save those who have drowned. Rather than acknowledging the use of floatation devices as a preventative measure for drowning, they hysterical ad plays on the idea that they "encourage risky behaviours." The clear comparison between legitimate drowning and legitimate rape as both ridiculous ideas has an amazing ability to get right to the bottom line in both situations.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Parody Psas
- Parody public service announcements are gaining popularity as a way to bring attention to important issues with humor and satire.
- Controversial Public Figures
- Public figures who make controversial statements are becoming increasingly popular targets for satire and parody.
- Social Commentary Through Humor
- Satirical and humorous campaigns are achieving more social commentary and engagement than traditional serious campaigns.
Sectors Adopting This
- Advertising
- Ad agencies could incorporate more humor and satire into their campaigns to increase engagement and bring more attention to important issues.
- Political Campaigning
- Political campaigns could use parody as a way to address controversial topics and make light of opponents' views.
- Public Relations
- PR firms could use humor and satire to help clients recover from damaging comments or scandals by gaining back public trust through entertaining campaigns.
