Parkbench media - used well / Badland

Pro Bono and park bench media seems to go hand in hand around the world. Same idea I say. Rip-off artists.

Public Service worldwide.

When I first spotted the Miami rescue mission ads was pretty impressed. A non tear jerking but still a punch in the stomach feeling ad, and a clever use of media. I'm a sucker for clever use of media. So here it is in all it's glory.

Agency: Crispin & Porter.Seen in: Communication Arts Annual 1995 (Thats FIVE years ago kids)

Art Director: Markham Cronin. Copywriter and Creative Director: Alex Bogusky

It's this one that got me. Bed. Simple yet effective. How horrible to sleep on a bench.

A few years later I was flicking through the Eurobest 1998 book, when this caught my eye.

"Merry Christmas"

Image of a sleeping person....

"Please don't litter on the bench, perhaps someone will sleep here this christmas."

This Norwegian version was made by Kontoret Reklambyrå. The AD was Knut Røthe and the CW was Pål Sparre-Engel. It is a public service announcement for the Norweigan Salvation Army. Anyone else out there have a sense of Deja vu? Oh yeah, sure.. ....Maybe they never saw the american version, it could after all be pure coincidence. Like a total freak accident. Like being hit by lightning twice..It happens.....

What could actually prove that it was a coincidence is that the norweigan ad is so much worse that the american! An Image of a sleeping person?? Talk about writing people on the nose!!! What's with the word "perhaps" (Kansje = Maybe, Perhaps..) anyway? Is someone going to sleep here or not? And they didn't make a full campaign out of it......Just one idea on three benches.

A perfectly great idea, but a very half-baked execution and some lame copy and the general scandinavian tendency of art directors wasting space across three benches. ( or three posters or three consecutive pages or whatever thinking "Bigger makes better" when in fact it is just a waste of media-space and doesn't add anything).. *sigh* Man, it was like that close to being a great ad.... Darnit!

Hooray for the stomach-punching straight to the point US version.
But I'm sure you have a theory and opinion too, share it! Someone at my office saw this page and said:-"But that's not the same idea." Honey, if this isn't, then what is?? And please explain the difference between these two ideas. Anyone else out there agree with my colleague? I'd LOVE to hear your opinion! Really!

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