WHEN ADVERTISING GOES CRASS, IT'S TIME FOR ALL BUSINESS PEOPLE TO SOUND THE ALARM!

By Thomas Brennan

As a PR professional, it was with some horror that while watching a superb Clippers-Suns basketball game on May 16th, a substantial TV audience and I were treated to a Carl's Jr. ad that grandly excavated a new nadir in crassness.

The ad in question features Beverly Hills based cosmetic surgeon Dr. Robert Rey, comporting himself with a lack of dignity and professionalism that would gag a former KGB agent.

Now, my company has worked extensively with cosmetic surgeons, and generally we run into a mindset of, "I don't want to embarrass myself in front of my peers," which is a prudent way to proceed. In other words, "When you book me into a venue, don't allow me to do anything to make a jackass of myself." And while this doctor subculture likes to run amok now and again with "Botox Cocktail Parties" and soon may see some doctor attempt to rent space on a Space Shuttle for "Botox in Zero Gravity," what Dr. Rey has achieved is a true milestone in stupidity. I am surprised that there is not an immediate outcry from cosmetic and reconstructive surgeons everywhere.

The ad begins with a busty woman being admitted to the doctor's office, while a rather wan, smaller-breasted woman sits timidly in the waiting room. The ad then cuts to a close-up of Dr. Rey, shot as though speaking to the smaller-breasted woman. Now the question is: What physician, for posterity and for their legacy, really wants to be jabbing calipers at the camera, ostensibly onto the female patient's breasts to measure them and then saying, "Your breasts are too small. You should go to Carl's Jr." This is such a lovely piece of video tape to show the grandchildren, isn't it? This is why you took the Hippocratic Oath, correct, Dr. Rey?

It seems such a bold violation of the borderline of not only taste, but also a tactless venture into a misogyny that is unusual for a company of Carl's Jr.'s size and customer base to sign off on. While Carl's Jr. has had a long run of ads that feature salacious drippings of sauce, they are usually of the "Porky's" women-are-awesome-creatures variety, but hadn't yet arrived at the "a woman 's value is breast size alone" formula.

But again, the fault may be placed at many clay feet. If a PR company is responsible for arranging this travesty, or an agent, they are a disgrace to my industry. With the recent scandals involving workers in the PR vineyard, such as the DWP's over-billing by L.A.-based Fleishman and Hillard, it is time someone urges all PR teams to work with dignity and discretion in this city.

I do not want to saddle an obvious high horse, but I know of many PR firms in L.A. that do work with dignity, employed in an effort to make sure their client is credible and has a message, and contributes something to the community, be it an expertise on legal issues, medical issues, or good causes.

So, whoever is responsible for this garbage may well be a rogue firm or agent with no scruples whatsoever, and a card-carrying soldier in the "Americans are stupid and they'll yuk it up at this ad" wing of this industry.

In other words, whereas many PR firms and agents work with the intent that a message can have mass appeal and still be intelligent, there are others in this arena who, due to intellectual impairment and questionable views of women and all Americans, who dig, dig, dig a deep trench for themselves and for us.

And what of the doctor himself? It's a no-brainer to remind folks that polio vaccine humanitarian Dr. Jonas Salk didn't go around endorsing a particular wheelchair and doing ads where he pushed people out of wheelchairs for yuks. It's equally inconceivable that Dr. Robert Jarvik is going to embark on a series of ads where he claims, "SUV's get the same great mileage my new pacemaker does!"

So, why do cosmetic surgeons, burger joints, and idiot Hollywood types congregate so easily and conceive an ad this intent on pandering to the lowest elements of any audience? Does Dr. Rey feel that pimply boys in line at Carl's Jr. are his new demographic? If he does, he' s as dumb as the ad. Does Carl's Jr. feel that having a doctor on board grants their fast food the imprimatur of healthy? If so, they are as dumb as he.

The only answer to this problem is for all of us, whether in this industry or not, to set standards for those who sink to this level. Media placement of clients, especially doctors, who we are especially likely to invest our trust in, should be done carefully and with respect for those watching. It's our job to say, "Let's put an end to crap like this ad!"

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Thomas Brennan is a Santa Monica resident and co-owner of Tom Brennan Media, a media placement firm based in Santa Monica, California.

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