"Bagging the Structured Settlement" , An Awful Socially Unaware "Dumbtoon" Ad by Chronovo

by Structured Settlement Watchdog®

Good god. For all the good they think they are doing, Chronovo has today published a truly awful, socially unaware advertisement that kills the structured settlement message and, in my opinion, is an embarrassment to the mission of the structured settlement industry. 

Millions of Animals Are Dying and Chronovo Shows No Sensitivity With "Smartoon"

At a time when millions of animals are being killed by wildfires in Australia and when Facebook postings of poseurs standing in front of magnificent elephants killed for sport are widely met with the highest disdain, Chronovo has presented what they call a "Smartoon" that:

1. Presents an elephant as an  "evil beast" in a caricature by New Yorker cartoonist Pat Byrnes that is reminiscent of Saddam Hussein in his pomp, but is a "large tasty prize"
2. "Bagging the Settlement" rhymes with elephant. No wiggle room there.  The settlement in the image is a hairy evil beast with ivory tusks. A mammoth is an extinct elephant. There are only 7 two-syllable words in the English language that rhyme with mammoth.
3. The giant image places the emphasis on animal killing will offend vegans and people offended by cruelty to animals at a time when millions of animals are suffering, at the expense of a message which is relegated to the small print at the bottom of the page.
4. Bagging the structured settlement is targeted to plaintiffs, a significant segment of which may find the use of "Spearchuckers" to be racist, even though the people in the "Dumbtoon" are white.
5. On the other hand it may also conjure the thought of cavemen with “useless tools” to the task at hand. Maybe that's a self-inflicted wound.
6. The caption to the image of bagging the elephant, implies that the better alternative to killing an elephant is killing a rabbit "because you can get it fresh everyday".  "Bunny boilers" that's all the industry needs.
7. Chronovo says "Seen through this fresh perspective, structures are a win-win for all parties.  Begs the question of the fate of the elephant and the bunny.

In my opinion Chronovo needs to demonstrate more social awareness of what is happening in the world today and better judgment than is on display in publishing the Bagging the Stuctured Settlement "Dumbtoon". 

Postscript

I received a response from the CEO of Chronovo  on January 21, 2020 which I'd publish but for the fact that it was laced with an ad hominem attack. Chronovo's ad remains posted. Chronovo's choice.  That's the original point.  They chose the ad and chose to publish it, leaving them open for criticism. Some will be offended and perhaps some not.  My readers are mature enough to consider the talking points and judge for themselves. I even offered to proof read Chronovo ads before publishing.

In 4 Cross Cultural Marketing Flops You Wont Forget in a Hurry,  you will find a fascinating history of major companies who have paid millions to ad agencies whose message bombed in translation. It comes from a company called Kwintessential which takes take professional “translation” to the next level. They have an extensive team of native language copywriters that specialize in advertising and promotional translation, to ensure that your company’s key marketing and business messages are accurately localized for your target market. When our copywriters ‘Transcreate’ these messages, they take into consideration not just the language, but also the culture, political and economic climate, hyper-local colloquialisms and local perceptions of the market.

Symbolism represented by elephants in Asian culture

Hinduism & Elephants: The elephant is a very powerful and significant symbol in the Hindu faith as one of their favorite gods, Ganesha, is depicted in the form of an elephant. Ganesha is thought to be the remover of obstacles, as well as the god of luck, protection and fortune.

Chinese Culture & Elephants: In Chinese culture, the elephant is believed to be a symbol of good luck and happiness. In Feng Shui, elephants can also symbolize good luck, wisdom, protection and fertility, depending on the position they're depicted in. An elephant with its trunk raised up represents good luck, while fertility is symbolized when the trunk is down. It's notable the Chronovo elephant's trunk is down. Killing the symbol of fertility misplaced metaphorically, figuratively or whatever, as a value proposition for a structured settlement? No thanks.

According to Univerrsalsymbolism.com. rabbit, the "fresh" meat alternative depicted in the caption of the Chronovo ad, is a sacred symbol of good luck, radiating all of the energies of good luck. It is as if good luck and fortune seem to blossom upon, surround and bless the path of the Rabbit spirit animal. Rabbit appears on the horizon as a messenger that something new is on it's way to you. "Killing your luck" misplaced metaphorically, figuratively., or whatever, no thanks.

Do injured claimants of these cultures or claims adjusters come from these cultures?  You bet they do.

And finally Genesis edited out a helicopter from its Super Bowl ad in the wake of the helicopter accident that took the lives of 9 people in Calabasas CA on January 26th out of sensitivity to its victims.