The recent marketing campaign for the fifth installment in the Jason Bourne series, Jason Bourne, is drawing criticism with people vandalising the subway ads depicting Matt Damon in character, with an outstretched arm holding a gun.
People in New York have taken real offence to the image, especially with the debate around police militarisation and gun control in the US. In an interview with E!News, Damon said he totally gets why people are vandalizing the image, but that he doesn’t think the ad should be changed.
“I totally get it. I mean especially given what’s going on recently, and I get not wanting to see a picture of a gun right now, and I don’t blame her at all,” Damon said. “I mean for the marketing purposes of Jason Bourne—I mean he is a guy who runs around with a gun, so it’s not gratuitous marketing, but certainly in light of recent events I understand that impulse to want to tear the gun out of the picture.”
Social media response:
Glorification of gun violence is a part of the problem. #JasonBournepic.twitter.com/MLGGlXPCP7
— Broddi Sigurðarson (@broddi) July 10, 2016
Just saw subway ad for “Jason Bourne” Damon pointing gun I’m thinking we can’t have it both ways:no real violence & lots movie/game violence
— Theresa (@MuseyNews) July 14, 2016
Just watched two men tear the gun out of this Jason Bourne subway ad. I prefer the palm tree. pic.twitter.com/T1JCnIVWer
— Dalene Rovenstine (@RealDaleneR) July 13, 2016
@Tambone Done! (The actual most nerve-wracking 45 seconds of my life) pic.twitter.com/yrSflhvMWt
— Marshall Finch (@IsMarshallOkay) July 13, 2016
A photo posted by Peter Musante (@pmus) on
Also joining in the debate is independent American ad agency Wieden+Kennedy which removed it usual agency website information and instead issued a powerful statement around the Black Lives Matter movement.
