Take your own advice.

Posted by Shane Woodward, on August 17, 2009

I've spent a good part of the day trying to wrap my head around the "Think B4 You Speak" campaign that's started making the rounds. Before I jump all over the campaign (fear not, I will) I want to make it absolutely clear that I think that the cause is quite noble, and that, in fact, I agree with the message, but not with how it has been delivered.

think before you speak

The problems start at the very top with the strategic direction chosen to get the message across. Essentially, it's an anti-insult campaign that tries to assert itself by insulting the target of their message. This might have worked, except that the "slanders" used aren't brutal enough to warrant a second glance. Let's face it. Nobody ever responds to this kind of message, and lamely telling them to "knock it off" likens the whole thing to a group of 6 year old children on the schoolyard, exchanging insults that they don't really understand, eventually resorting to shouting things like "I know you are but what am I?", all while threatening to escalate the issue (tell their mother).

They're trying to regulate jerk behaviour by acting like jerks, and unfortunately, they don't have the chops to pull it off. Essentially, they've brought a knife to a gun fight, and the guys with the guns have itchy trigger fingers.