AOL's Anti-Internet Ad: WTF Were They Thinking?

Adrants points to an anti-Internet ad for AOL, running in Europe.

It calls the Internet "somewhere your identity can be stolen, your home invaded and your savings robbed ...one of the most dangerous weapons every created...a place for mankind to exercise its darkest desires... " In only 30 seconds, AOL's agency, Grey London, squeezed in images of Osama Bin Laden, Nazis, babies for sale, the atom bomb, the klu klux klan and a whole lot more.

Freaking weird, especially considering that AOL has always been marketed as family-friendly and easy to use. My prediction: AOL will shut down before the end of 2006. Then maybe the AOL software discs I use for coasters will be worth something on eBay.

The flip side of the ads is that they present AOL as the "safe" place to be on the Internet.

And they are hosting debates on the UK website in which people argue the pros and cons of the net. (http://discuss.aol.co.uk/home.aspx?id_Content=2) - for example, has the Internet made us happier? for one. (These are also promoted via billboard posters around London).

It's a risky move for sure. However given it shows the the company's willingness to embrace issues like this and encourage debate, I say AOL is to be encouraged rather than criticised.

FYI, I have no ties to AOL and am not even a user (in the interests of fair disclosure)!

Wow, I never knew that Anti-Internet Ad: WTF Were They Thinking?. That's pretty interesting...