Jessica Alba Strikes a Provocative Pose for Declare Yourself

Shocking! Outrageous! Scandalous! Give me a freaking break.

Conservatives are predictably outraged over Jessica Alba's advertising for Declare Yourself, a voter drive aimed at 18-29 year olds. The campaign features the tagline "Only You Can Silence Yourself" and a tearful Alba in bondage photograpy by Mark Liddell. The multimedia end includes videos with Zac Efron (High School Musical), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), and Jazzy Jeff (The Fresh Prince of Bel Air).

Was the clothing-free photography the "correct" thing to do? Right now, 7,320 web pages reference this advertising (make that 7,321 after this post), and the press release went out yesterday. If Declare Yourself wanted millions in free publicity for their cause -- an honorable goal -- score this one a major win.

Voter apathy is appalling. High voter turnout is exciting.

So ... are you for or against this campaign? Tell Freaking Marketing readers where you stand.

Comments

[Gene Stevens]

I've seen more of Jessica Alba when she's on the beach in a bikini. So I have to assume that those who will be outraged by this image already have their minds in the gutter and are thinking something nasty and kinky. For them, the message that accompanies this image will slip on by without registering.

Would she have been better off with a prim and proper add? Probably not. It wouldn't have gotten the attention this one did and we wouldn't be talking about it now. It's sad that we have to use disturbing images to shock young people into registering to vote and going to the polls.

If you've seen the other images in this campaign, this one's mild by comparison. Other celebrities are shown silenced by fish hooks, needle and thread and staples thru their lips (all done digitally, of course). So the only reason this one might draw special attention when the other images are clearly more disturbing is the hint of nudity. Everyone else is dressed or we assume is dressed (we see the bare shoulders of Christina Aguilera, but no further down). This kind of fits into the pattern this country has of being more outraged by nudity than by violence. Even when the nudity is not visible, but merely hinted at, as in the case of this image.