Dove hires a sketch artist to show women how they see themselves

Dove’s Canadian agency, Ogilvy Toronto, just keeps setting the standard for “virtuous” brand advertising. After pranking Art Directors with a Photoshop Action that undid their work on women’s bodies, and a powerful outdoor installation about girls’ body image, they’ve now hired a forensic sketch artist to show women just how bad their self image is:

Nonprofits in the full glare on Times Square

Time Square in New York is one of the most famous advertising spots. The Bank of America is one of the advertisers with their own spot.
Last weekend the bank used its Times Square billboard to feature its partnership with 12 of their nonprofit partners.
In this post you see the ads from the Special Olympics.

The other partners: Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill Industries, Vital Voices, Feeding America, Just Food, United Way Worldwide, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Year Up, Wounded Warrior Project, CURE Epilepsy, Citizen’s Committee for New York City, Police Athletic League.

Alyse Nelson, President and CEO of Vital Voices: “Getting your logo and mission promoted on the iconic Times Square billboard is an amazing opportunity for a nonprofit like Vital Voices. This is a demonstration of how the bank partners with nonprofits and helps promote the valuable work we are doing together with leadership and mentoring to empower women around the world.”

The ads also puts in the nonprofits’ social media details so people can follow and learn more.
The bank offered a great opportunity for nonprofits. I love to see more Corporate Social Responsibility this way.

Food Fight - Fight against food waste

Every Scandinavian wastes 50 kgs of food per year. Christoffer Åhlén and Chelsea Frangie, two Miami Ad School graduates have suggested a solution by introducing an app where you can see what you have in your fridge - just by entering the supermarket card number.

At Scandinavia’s biggest supermarket chain, ICA, most people swipe their supermarket card when they buy food. For many, it means getting a reduced price, but what most do not know is that every purchased product gets stored in their system.
Then the smart part begins. All data is stored in the app on the smartphone, complete with expiration date and quantity. It track what you consume and what goes to waste.
Chelsea Frangie: “So, you save money, avoid long shopping lists, and manage your food effectively”.

Nobody can live with Swiss chocolate

Swiss chocolate is the best, say experts. And that opinion is about the final product.

The production of chocolate is a different story. The raw materials are harvested under bad conditions, like child labor and human rights violations.

Swiss chocolate companies and dealers are implicated in this, according to the Die Erklärung von Bern (The Berne Declaration). The organization started a campaign, in advance of Easter, to inform the Swiss public.

Companies such as Nestle, Lindt and Mondelez (formerly Kraft Foods) neglect their social responsibilities, and still a third of the industry refuses to provide any information at all.

The main problem is the lack of traceability of the cocoa raw materials. It is the outcome of a recent study by the Berne Declaration.

More than 20 million people make a living from cocoa farming. This requires transparent and controlled supply chains and major investments in actions against child labor and price guarantees that allow cocoa farmers a decent living.

“Free Pussy Riot” lingerie campaign: Appropriate, or appropriation?

We’ve been covering the saga of Russian protest punk group Pussy Riot for over a year now. The feminist collective performed guerrilla musical protests around Russia against Vladimir Putin. One in particular, in a church, ended with members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina sentenced to two years imprisonment for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred”. The human rights implications of this sentence attracted much worldwide attention, with Amnesty International and celebrities like Sting, Yoko Ono and Madonna speaking out for the women.

But something else happened. The “Free Pussy Riot” movement, with its iconic knitted balaclavas and provocative language, became a popular meme. The cause célèbre was even appropriated by the fashion industry.

Which is what makes this video by Blush lingerie an intriguing conundrum. While it legitimately promotes the freepussyriot.org fundraising site to help the women, it is also promoting a product using a woman’s sexuality as the bait:

On the first anniversary of the Pussy Riot concert in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Berlin based Lingerie label blush supports the free pussy riot movement with a sexy protest march through icy Moscow (-15° C). Support Freepussyriot.org!

These safety ads aim to hook a very specific audience

This New Zealand water safety campaign intrigued me enough that I had to look it up. As the father of an avid young fisherman, I’m used to the hyperbole of the genre. So I have to admit, the story pulled me in at the end.

Hutchwilco is an NZ marine sport and safety products company. So if you’re an angler down there, you would most likely make the brand connection with this very targeted corporate social responsibility campaign. It leads to an iPhone app:

Hutchwilco know that it’s boatie folklore not to tell anyone about your secret fishing spots. The only problem is, if no one knows where you go, finding you is close to impossible.
Secret Fishing Spots is our iphone app based system that lets you securely chart all your favourite spots, for family or Search and Rescue to access in the event of an emergency. Simply download the app to get started, and then add your spots or check in to existing spots each time you go out. The only people who can see them are a nominated person of your choice or those who are coming to find you.

That’s a pretty obscure need for some, but could be a lifesaver for a good chunk of Hutchwilco’s customers. And it’s some fine copywriting to boot. I took the bait, anyway…

“Let’s Talk” about mental illness on February 12

Bell is Canada’s classic phone company, now diversified into mobile, satellite and DSL. As part of their corporate outreach, they have adopted the issue of mental illness for “Bell Let’s Talk Day” on February 12, 2013:

In 2010, Bell announced the launch of an unprecedented multi-year charitable program dedicated to the promotion and support of mental health across Canada. Over the next several years, this multi-million dollar initiative will support a wide range of programs that will enhance awareness, understanding and treatment of mental illness and promote access to care and research across the country.

Often invisible, mental illness is one of the most pervasive health issues in the country with far-reaching consequences for every Canadian. One in five people will experience a form of mental illness at some point and most will be reluctant to talk to a co-worker, friend or family member about their struggle, let alone seek treatment. While you may never experience mental illness first-hand, it is likely that you know someone who will.

They will come for us, and they are right

Look in the mirror and ask your self: “Are we doing this?”
The animation is from freelance artist Steve Cutts. It’s his look at mans relationship with the natural world. And I think he is right. Unfortunately.
And if we continue like this ‘they’ will come for us, and they are right.

Music: In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg.

Are your hand and your breast spending enough quality time together?

That seems to be the message of this rather whimsical breast health campaign from Mozambique, although the actual headline is a little less direct. Produced by DDB for Vodacom Fashion Week in that country, they have great illustration. Although the disembodied breasts and hands are really weird, they don’t appear to be sexualizing cancer. I’d love to see the original language version of these ads, however, to know if they lead to more useful breast self-exam information than the basics given on the “international” (English) posters that were shared on Ads of The World.

Durex wants you to share its brand, not HIV

In the run-up to World AIDS Day, Durex has joined the legion of other brands asking social media users asking slacktivists to share their brand in return for a tiny corporate donation. As I have written before, I don’t really like this tactic. But it must work, or people wouldn’t keep doing it.

Here’s what they want you to do: You choose an update from the campaign site, and click to share it through Twitter, Facebook, or Chinese social network renren.com. For each share, Durex will donate one condom to a “local charity” that helps prevent AIDS.