Splitting Image

Now I'm never shocked. Ever. But these ads kind of shocked me. They're pretty brutal and I'm not sure if it's a good route to go down. Don't get me wrong, I love hard-hitting ads, but are these a step too far? They were created by French agency CLM BBDO, Boulogne-Billancourt and are attempting to rid football of violence and racism, which is a huge problem in their country. I really do like the idea of a split personality, it highlights that these sorts of people are family men, normal people, and this makes it more personal for the reader, which I like a lot. But I still can't decide if it's okay to create these ads, because after all, these ads are attempting to eradicate racism and violence in football by being racist and being violent. Yes they highlight the issue superbly, but I suspect that the majority of readers will simply be shocked. The concept is excellent and exceptionally brave and bold, there's no denying that, but perhaps it's just a few steps too far. I hope I'm completely wrong, and that these ads work wonders, because racism has no place in sport, or for that matter, anywhere in society.