Oh Future bards
chant from skull to heart to ass
as long as language lasts
Vocalize all chords
zap all consciousness
I sing out of mind jail
in New York State
without electricity
rain on the mountain
thought fills cities
I’ll leave my body
in a thin motel
myself escapes
through unborn ears
Not my language
but a voice
chanting in patterns
survives on earth
not history’s bones
but vocal tones
Dear breaths and eyes
shine in the skies
where rockets rise
to take me home.
A great video from Amnesty International on a poem from Alan Ginsberg: A Prophecy.
“Speak up. Don’t be afraid.”
On May 29, 2006 A volcanic mud eruption occured in Porong, Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia. After four years the mud-flow victims are still in limbo.
Greenpeace Indonesia made together with agency Publicis an art installation directly in front of the Presidential Palace. Within hours, the installation received huge media coverage, and thousands talked about it on Twitter.
“Help the victims of Sidoarjo mud-flow to build their life back.”
These kind of installations are done before. See The reality of the floods about a flood in Argentina.
Definitely European style this video from the German BV Frauenberatungsstellen und Frauennotrufe - BFF (The National Association of Women’s Counseling and Rape Crisis Programs – Women against Violence).
Is it too stylish? Advertising people love it, the video got shortlisted at this Years Cannes Lions Advertising Festival in the “Films” catergory.
Above the directors cut. The regular video after the break.
Everybody worked for free: the stunt girls, the actors, the 3D and 2D Animators, musicians and colour graders. The music was especially arranged for this commercial.
It sounds like an urban legend in the making: you’re driving towards a school zone, have failed to slow down, and suddenly a spectral 3-D image of a little girl chasing a ball rises up from the pavement in front of you, only to descend again to the depths after you’ve braked.
It’s actually all an illusion, an installation to be placed in West Vancouver on 22nd Street, just north of Inglewood Avenue, and very close to École Pauline Johnson Elementary School, by BCAA Traffic Safety Foundation, Preventable and the District of West Vancouver. The cost of the single installation is CAD $15,000.
There is obviously some concern about the startling illusion causing crashes. From the Vancouver Sun:
Bob Dewar, a psychologist who specializes in driver behaviour and traffic safety, said, “If [the image] really does look like a child, someone may slam on their brakes and get rear-ended or they may swerve to avoid this child that isn’t really a child.”
However, the advertisers insist that the effect will be gradual, with the 3D image looking like an indistinguishable mark from far away, but gradually forming the the image of the girl and ball at about 30 metres. The District insists that drivers will have enough time to stop safely when they realize it is an image of a little girl – if they are travelling at the posted speed limit of 30 km/h.
But that’s the question, isn’t it? Drivers who disregard school zone signs to begin with may react dangerously to a more sudden illusion, especially if they are intoxicated.
If any Osocio readers in Vancouver encounter this installation in real life, please send in photos or video and we’ll post them here.
Bee populations are in severe decline all over the world, but beekeepers and scientists are unsure what is causing these losses.
To address this problem the British Plan Bee is working together with the environmental friendly winery Banrock Station. They created the world’s first ad with live bees.
They used queen-bee pheromones to attract about 100,000 bees from a nearby honey farm to spell out an “SOS” message on a billboard.
Banrock Station is also donating 5p for every bottle sold.
Clare Griffiths from Banrock Station tells the BBC: “We thought there was no better way to raise awareness of the British bee decline than get the bees to tell their story themselves. We hope the billboard has created a bit of a buzz in Devon and beyond.”
It began with a small grassroots initiative: selling another version of those fundraising bracelets inspired by Livestrong. These ones, however, are for breast cancer awareness and fundraising, and what they say is “I Love Boobies”:
However, normalization of the word “boobies” by American teenagers has not sat well with school administrators. The Daily Mail quotes a Principal in South Dakota:
‘When we had an assembly the first day of school, I basically told the students we are not insensitive to the cause,’ he said.
‘I think everybody in the gym, including myself, has had a family member or relative or friend who has dealt with the issue.
‘I do think there are more proper ways to bring this plight to the attention of people and I don’t think this is a proper way.’
The kids, however, love the campaign. And the cause, Keep A Breast Foundation, have a different message for young people:
‘By wearing a “I Love Boobies!” bracelet or shirt you are proclaiming: “I love my boobies, and I choose to take care of them!”’ the foundation says on the website.
‘It’s a message about how important it is to appreciate, respect and love your breasts and yourself.’
They urge young women to realise their ‘breasts are an amazingly important and beautiful part of you’.
[Image from Daily Mail article]
Are some young Americans, especially boys, wearing the bracelets simply for shock and entertainment value? I would assume so. But the controversy has given this newest bracelet campaign the global PR it needs to make a real impact. And when it comes to reaching teens, what’s cooler than being banninated?
You can get your own “I Love Boobies” bracelets directly from the Foundation’s online shop, or you can just donate.
A few posts ago we saw the use of QR codes in a campaign from Greenpeace. The campaign in this post is from Canada done by The Big Wild, a collaboration by the Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).
The Big Wild is a conservation movement that makes it easy for Canadians to stand up for wilderness protection campaigns.
They posted outdoor ads in seven Canadian cities, hoping to entice smartphone owners to scan the image and access one of the mobile-friendly petition pages.
The outdoor ads uses a QR code, or 2-D barcode. These codes can be read by cameras on smartphones. They can store text information, SMS messages or a URL for a website.
Darren Barefoot, program manager for The Big Wild, explains the use of QR codes in this video:
This campaign from the Arabic world speaks out against terror: Say No To Terror.
The message is brought through a website, 5 video’s, 5 ads and a Android app.
The video’s are broadcasted on moderate & open minded channels like MBC group and Al Arabia news. According to Hayan, who helped with the translation, not the best place to send this message.
Although the message is clear feel free to add some information or translations in the comments.
Well, I guess Godwin’s Law ("As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1") doesn’t count when you’re actually talking about Nazis in a historical sense, as this Slovak ad for People Against Racism does:
It’s a chilling ad, assuming it is real. (The URL doesn’t seem to go anywhere.) The copy says, “After the establisment of the Slovak state on the 14th of March 1939 a lot of people lost lots of friends.”
And with more and more people marking up their profile pictures with Twibbons and such, it’s a stark reminder that not all badges are voluntarily worn.
This PSA from Illinois DOT is making the rounds of the ad bloggers today, some of whom believe it should be in the running for the worst ad of all time:
How does a wreck like this happen? And more importantly, how can you keep this heartbreaking tragedy from striking your agency?
The first role of social marketing is to raise awareness. Luckily, you’re already reading Osocio, so you’re aware of what makes a good socially aware campaign. Supplement your online diet regularly with blogs like this, along with Ads of the World, AgencySpy, AdFreak, Adrants and Copyranter, among others. Having shared the success of great ads, and felt the fail of the worst, you’ll be able to detect the telltale signs of a bad ad early. Before it spreads outside of the Creative Department.
The second thing you need to do is change behavior. This can be difficult, especially if you have a new client relationship and they are asking you to do something you know is wrong. The temptation to say “yes” is strong, especially among Client Services, but you must resist. Instead, you can show them this Illinois commercial. Consider it a “scared straight” campaign for would-be Creative Directors.
Finally, you have to prevent backsliding. But just as a dog returns to his own vomit, so does a worn-out adman (or woman) fall back on clichéd concepts and corner-cutting production.
I have a prescription for that.
Read the reverse-engineered script for the Illinois PSA that appears after the jump. Print it. And frame it in your agency,
A better public service campaign against bad creative has never been made.
You’d think so, after seeing this anti-drunk-driving at from the City of Nettuno:
The copy translates as:
If you stay sober, you stay alive
Every year, 6000 people fall victim to road crashes caused by alcohol, particularly after leaving the disco.
The City of Nettuna invites you to drink responsibly.
I found it interesting that the Ads of The World Translation was much looser: “Every year, 6000 people get killed in road accidents caused by alcool abuse, especially on weekend nights.” That may be because they were worried that “discotheque” would seem too dated outside of Italy (it’s still in common use there.)
But even considering that retro references are always popular, how many people under 35 have actually seen Saturday Night Fever? It was well-know by 20-somethings when I lived in Italy, but that was 15 years ago.
Does the joke resonate at all with today’s Italian teens and 20-somethings, who are the ones going to dance clubs? I suspect this ad was created for the appreciation of older creative folk worldwide (like me) rather than its proper target audience. I could be wrong. But this isn’t the first Nettuno municipal ad to push its way onto the global radar.
I do love the campaign name “Drink OR Drive”, though. That’s what it’s really all about.
And since I know you know you want to strut it out, the original “Staying Alive” video is embedded after the jump.
Have a look at this new social-media-based campaign from WSPA. It’s protesting against the new ‘super-dairy’ being planned here in the UK. Interestingly they are trying to create a new terminology – such as ‘factory milk’ and ‘battery cows’. Do you think it works? Will these new terms enter the language and change the way people think about cows and milk in the same way they’ve done for chickens and eggs? And what do you think about the approach – can social media campaigns work without a compelling piece of content to share?
The New Zealand government NZ Transport Agency aims to help citizens travel safely. As part of their efforts around creating awareness about private vehicle safety standards they’ve come up with the Right Car campaign.
Three videos explain safety ratings, airbag features and tips on buying safer cars – all using a cast of characters that are eggs. In typically relaxed Kiwi humor the campaign advises:
Ask any egg. Getting scrambled is the pits. The trick is to take precautions. Check how safe your car-ton is now and make sure you live to see another breakfast.
AdFreak posted this satirical video that makes an important point about the sexism of the “talking heads” on American male-oriented political news commentary:
The Wall of Silence is a project from Polish photographer Bartosz Nowicki. The project is about the existence and presence of black people in Poland.
The photo’s are modified with the Polish national colors red and white.
Poland never had a colony (although there were attempts to generate them). Human migration to this country never existed on a scale observed in Western Europe. Consequently, the history of Africans living there is minimal. An average citizen of Poland barely has any contact with a black person, especially in small cities or villages.
Today the number of people with African descent living in Poland is higher than ever (but still small relatively). Poles, as a society, appear not to be prepared for this fact; they seem not to be educated enough. There is a wall between the black and white people of Poland and this is not the wall of hate, but the wall of the unknown, the wall of silence. It makes the existence of Polish black people harder than it could and should be.
Emergency aid for Natural disasters mostly don’t lead in a design walhalla. It’s about direct action, fast and simple. This newspaper ad from the Canadian Red Cross have both, a great design and a call for immediate help.
“Don’t let hope get washed away. We are on the ground, providing aid to flood victims in Pakistan. And we need your support.”
Do you know more Pakistan Flood campaigns? Let us know.
A brand new campaign from downtown Rio de Janeiro for Ong Gente Brasil (People Brazil). They want the people to donate warm cloths for the homeless.
For this campaign a projection was used including a bucket for people to donate their coats. When a coat was donated the virtual homeless took the coat, put it on and said thank you.
The intention was to show the positive effect of a donation.
Today, a grassroots coalition of American Muslim groups launched a collaborative project, ”My Faith, My Voice”, in which everyday Muslims from all walks of life post videos on YouTube to let their countrymen know what they’re really all about.
Within a few weeks we will do a survey about shockvertising. We want to determine how far we advertising people can go in advertising.
For me this campaign from Poland about breast cancer awareness went too far. But until now I’m the only one. I asked a few friends and on our Facebook Fan Page and all comments are positive.
The campaign in brief: Warsaw ad agency Change Integrated recently replaced one of the models in the adult section of a popular Polish website with Edyta. According to the agency Edyta “trained” almost 175,000 men in a single week on how to examine their partner’s breast, much more than offline breast-check training courses. Men are big kids and they learn best while playing they agency said.
It is good for men to participate. And in advertising campaigns participation is done before. But I don’t like the idea of sexualizing a possible disease.
Breast cancer is already one of the most popular diseases to campaign about because of the erotic relation.
What is the next step? A campaign about colon cancer on a homoerotic website? Making tea baggers aware of testical cancer?
Three clever ads with real body painting. The Breast Cancer Foundation of Singapore wants women to become obsessed with the one which is mostly forgotten: breast examination.
“Are you obsessed with the right things? The difference between a pimple (big butt/bad hair day) and breast cancer is that of life and death. Regular breast checks are the best way to fight cancer. Show support for the women in your life by purchasing a Pink Ribbon.”
In my opinion this new WWF print campaign is one in the tradition of how print ought to be: a strong visual message that needs no further explanation. But this piece of art not only shows us the pain animals feel, it really transmits it in our own body. This is print beyond print.
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Hi! We are Judith and Gertjan, a Dutch couple with an open heart and mind for the people of South Asia. In 2010 we will move with our two kids towards South Asia to work as volunteers. Judith is a nurse with a medical management qualification and will be involved in a medical training program. Gertjan is an entrepeneur and will start an education program and an IT business. Our Christian faith is an important motive for us in doing this kind of work.
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Osocio is dedicated to social advertising and non-profit campaigns. It’s the place where marketing and activism collide. Formerly known as the Houtlust Blog, Osocio is the central online hub for advertisers, ad agencies, grassroots, activists, social entrepreneurs, and good Samaritans from around the globe.
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Within a few weeks we will do a survey about shockvertising. We want to determine how far we advertising people can go in advertising.
Osocio is proud to publish our 2,000th blog post! The next step is to get 2,000 friends on Facebook. So please give us 
Hi! We are Judith and Gertjan, a Dutch couple with an open heart and mind for the people of South Asia. In 2010 we will move with our two kids towards South Asia to work as volunteers. Judith is a nurse with a medical management qualification and will be involved in a medical training program. Gertjan is an entrepeneur and will start an education program and an IT business. Our Christian faith is an important motive for us in doing this kind of work.
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