- Reaction score
- 5,522
- Points
- 1,360
Unfreakin' believeable,...maybe we could spend $50,000+ seeing if black inner-city youth would be allured by suggestions of watermelons in all mess halls.................. :
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/30/canadian-forces-aboriginal-ads/
Shelved Canadian Forces ads aimed at aboriginals ‘offensive to the point of being comical’
National Post Wire Services Jul 30, 2012 – 4:56 PM ET | Last Updated: Jul 30, 2012 4:59 PM ET
Postmedia News Files
A Canadian Forces aboriginal recruiting ad that likened building a canoe to serving on a warship was torpedoed after focus groups found it “offensive to the point of being comical,” says a newly released report
OTTAWA — A Canadian Forces aboriginal recruiting ad that likened building a canoe to serving on a warship was nixed after focus groups found it “offensive to the point of being comical,” says a newly released report.
Groups in Vancouver were so put off by the radio spot, in fact, that a polling firm warned airing it could hurt the military’s reputation.
“Although commentary was at times measured from participants, likely due to awareness of being observed and politeness, body language clearly reinforced the negative reactions among two groups in Vancouver,” the report says.
“Indeed the degree of offence was deemed to be high, posing a potential risk to the reputation of the Forces were this ad to be released publicly, at least in British Columbia.”
Defence spent just over $53,000 to pre-test new material designed for young people with an aboriginal background, and to test existing material designed for the general population of young Canadians. Corporate Research Associates Inc. (CRA), the company that DND commissioned for the testing conducted in January, submitted a report to Defence in the spring.
While the mainstream ads were generally positively received, the same couldn’t be said for many of the ads aimed at aboriginal people. The posters lacked “certain elements to heighten credibility and improve comprehension,” the reaction to the web banners was “lukewarm at best” and the radio ads received some quite negative reactions, according to the report.
“[The Canadian Forces] should review some of the materials aimed at Aboriginal people to increase relevance and ensure it remains culturally respectful,” the report said.
The testers worked with six focus groups of aboriginal people (including First Nations, Metis and Inuit) aged 18 to 34 in Vancouver, Sept-Iles, Que., and Iqaluit, and another six groups from non-aboriginal populations of the same ages in Vancouver, Sept-Iles and Halifax.
CRA’s top recommendation was that a radio ad comparing canoe-making with serving on a warship be scrapped. The ad, looking to recruit mechanics, was received particularly poorly in the Vancouver focus group, which found it “offensive, not believable and reinforcing of negative stereotypes,” according to the report.
“Many felt that it was offensive to the point of being comical,” the report said.
“Findings suggest a risk to the reputation of the Canadian Forces should it decide to release this ad.”
Another recommendation was to ensure that the Inuktitut text on the posters matched the English content. One poster, recruiting for an administration specialist, included words related to “dragging” objects that weren’t included in the English version, the report said.
In that same poster, some people felt that the aboriginal person in the forefront was merely a “token” who wasn’t depicted as part of the team.
“It would be more appealing if they showed a mix of races or more than one Aboriginal,” one of the commenters in an aboriginal focus group said in the report.
In reviewing one radio advertisement, some of the people in the aboriginal focus groups criticized the speaker’s Inuktitut pronunciation of the letter “r.” In the radio ad recruiting mechanics, some Iqaluit participants said the voice used in the Inuktitut version was using the kutuk dialect, which they said is not respected.
The report recommended that the person’s accent should be selected carefully to make sure it’s accepted in the communities where the ad will be aired.
“This will ensure the ad is taken seriously,” the report noted.
There were some positive reactions to some of the aboriginal ads, citing the portrayal of proud and capable aboriginal people and a strong female presence in the posters, and the diversity of ethnic backgrounds represented in the web banners.
The Canadian’s Forces have a priority to better reflect Canada’s diversity, the report said, but noted that very few aboriginal people have joined the military.
One of the aims of the research was to understand the “values, motivators and reservations” that influence views regarding employment in the Canadian Forces among aboriginal people, the report said.
Among both test groups, the Canadian Forces was viewed as offering good pay and benefits, stability and adventure. But a military career was also viewed as a long-term commitment that implied discipline, strictness, hard work and dangerous situations.
Pride in serving one’s country was “more top of mind” among the aboriginal people in the study than in the non-aboriginal focus groups, the report said.
Defence did not immediately respond to an interview request Monday.
With files from Postmedia and The Canadian Press
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/07/30/canadian-forces-aboriginal-ads/
Shelved Canadian Forces ads aimed at aboriginals ‘offensive to the point of being comical’
National Post Wire Services Jul 30, 2012 – 4:56 PM ET | Last Updated: Jul 30, 2012 4:59 PM ET
Postmedia News Files
A Canadian Forces aboriginal recruiting ad that likened building a canoe to serving on a warship was torpedoed after focus groups found it “offensive to the point of being comical,” says a newly released report
OTTAWA — A Canadian Forces aboriginal recruiting ad that likened building a canoe to serving on a warship was nixed after focus groups found it “offensive to the point of being comical,” says a newly released report.
Groups in Vancouver were so put off by the radio spot, in fact, that a polling firm warned airing it could hurt the military’s reputation.
“Although commentary was at times measured from participants, likely due to awareness of being observed and politeness, body language clearly reinforced the negative reactions among two groups in Vancouver,” the report says.
“Indeed the degree of offence was deemed to be high, posing a potential risk to the reputation of the Forces were this ad to be released publicly, at least in British Columbia.”
Defence spent just over $53,000 to pre-test new material designed for young people with an aboriginal background, and to test existing material designed for the general population of young Canadians. Corporate Research Associates Inc. (CRA), the company that DND commissioned for the testing conducted in January, submitted a report to Defence in the spring.
While the mainstream ads were generally positively received, the same couldn’t be said for many of the ads aimed at aboriginal people. The posters lacked “certain elements to heighten credibility and improve comprehension,” the reaction to the web banners was “lukewarm at best” and the radio ads received some quite negative reactions, according to the report.
“[The Canadian Forces] should review some of the materials aimed at Aboriginal people to increase relevance and ensure it remains culturally respectful,” the report said.
The testers worked with six focus groups of aboriginal people (including First Nations, Metis and Inuit) aged 18 to 34 in Vancouver, Sept-Iles, Que., and Iqaluit, and another six groups from non-aboriginal populations of the same ages in Vancouver, Sept-Iles and Halifax.
CRA’s top recommendation was that a radio ad comparing canoe-making with serving on a warship be scrapped. The ad, looking to recruit mechanics, was received particularly poorly in the Vancouver focus group, which found it “offensive, not believable and reinforcing of negative stereotypes,” according to the report.
“Many felt that it was offensive to the point of being comical,” the report said.
“Findings suggest a risk to the reputation of the Canadian Forces should it decide to release this ad.”
Another recommendation was to ensure that the Inuktitut text on the posters matched the English content. One poster, recruiting for an administration specialist, included words related to “dragging” objects that weren’t included in the English version, the report said.
In that same poster, some people felt that the aboriginal person in the forefront was merely a “token” who wasn’t depicted as part of the team.
“It would be more appealing if they showed a mix of races or more than one Aboriginal,” one of the commenters in an aboriginal focus group said in the report.
In reviewing one radio advertisement, some of the people in the aboriginal focus groups criticized the speaker’s Inuktitut pronunciation of the letter “r.” In the radio ad recruiting mechanics, some Iqaluit participants said the voice used in the Inuktitut version was using the kutuk dialect, which they said is not respected.
The report recommended that the person’s accent should be selected carefully to make sure it’s accepted in the communities where the ad will be aired.
“This will ensure the ad is taken seriously,” the report noted.
There were some positive reactions to some of the aboriginal ads, citing the portrayal of proud and capable aboriginal people and a strong female presence in the posters, and the diversity of ethnic backgrounds represented in the web banners.
The Canadian’s Forces have a priority to better reflect Canada’s diversity, the report said, but noted that very few aboriginal people have joined the military.
One of the aims of the research was to understand the “values, motivators and reservations” that influence views regarding employment in the Canadian Forces among aboriginal people, the report said.
Among both test groups, the Canadian Forces was viewed as offering good pay and benefits, stability and adventure. But a military career was also viewed as a long-term commitment that implied discipline, strictness, hard work and dangerous situations.
Pride in serving one’s country was “more top of mind” among the aboriginal people in the study than in the non-aboriginal focus groups, the report said.
Defence did not immediately respond to an interview request Monday.
With files from Postmedia and The Canadian Press
