• The New York Times, Monday, September 11, 2006 12:15 PM

In creating 9/11-themed material, marketers are grappling with the fine line between commemoration and exploitation. Executives at the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and its agency, TBWA/Chiat/Day thought very hard about what images to use for its fund-raising campaign that asks Americans to "Think back, move forward." The advertising has to be emotionally engaging but respectful, says Joseph C. Daniels, acting president of the foundation. "It would not be appropriate or effective to show burning buildings or the planes crashing." Instead, the campaign uses photographs from everyday life--a classroom, an office, a locker room--superimposed with the phrase "Where were you when it happened?" to evoke an emotional response from the viewer. Ads to promote a CNN news special, "In the Footsteps of Bin Laden," are taking divergent tacks. Some seek to intrigue potential viewers, asking questions such as: "What if your best friend from childhood grew up to be the world's most wanted terrorist?" Other ads are more direct, carrying an assertive headline: "Know Your Enemy."

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