Most city dwellers tend to avoid eye contact with the homeless, a fact that made one advocacy group wonder: Would you recognize your own relatives if they were living on the street?
New York City Rescue Mission partnered with agency Silver + Partner for a hidden-camera stunt that filmed people as they walked past loved ones dressed to look homeless. Later, the passersby were shown video footage of themselves walking past their relatives without a second glance.
As you'd probably expect, no one recognized their family members. One woman even walked right past her mom, uncle and aunt.
The stunt doesn't lead to any emotional breakdowns or similar histrionics, which is somewhat refreshing at a time when "gotcha" videos focus so hard on over-the-top reactions and immediate life-changing self-reflection. But the unwitting participants clearly feel ashamed of their oversight.
Director Jun Diaz from production house Smuggler tells Fast Company that one person who was filmed asked not to be included in the final video "because they couldn’t handle the fact that they walked by their family."
On a related website, MakeThemVisible.com, the rescue mission further humanizes the needy by sharing photographs of real homeless New Yorkers, smiling while sharing their personal passions and hobbies.
After years of the hard sell, some regional and national retailers are actually trying to build brands. Last month, Men's Warehouse jettisoned its bearded chairman from its advertising (after jettisoning him from the company) in favor of a music-driven approach. And last week, Sleepy's put its first outside agency to work with playful new ads. Now, Burlington gets a brand makeover in a character-driven campaign from Silver + Partners.
Directed by Harold Einstein, TV ads feature adults in public spaces oddly voicing their internal thoughts about their clothes and what they represent. And while the clothes don't make the man (or woman), they may reflect his or her personality—at least according to the campaign. Each ad segues from a series of verbal thought balloons to pop-up images of clothes and a male voice that says, "Style says it all." Oh, and there's a bit of hard sell via on-screen copy that notes, "Up to 65% off department store prices every day." The tagline: "Style is everything."
The effort broke this week and follows a similar push by the retailer for back-to-school clothes in ads featuring kids speaking their minds—via internal voices, this time—as they view themselves (and their clothes) in the mirror. Best of that bunch: a boy in a striped shirt and jeans who thinks, "I'm about to go ninja in here," before he strikes a karate pose.
CREDITS Client: Burlington Campaign: "Style Says It for You Agency: Silver + Partners Chief Creative Director: Eric Silver Creative Director, Copywriter: Ashley Marshall Creative Director, Art Director: Jaclyn Rink Crowley Managing Director: Michael Stefanski Account Director: Lauren Pollare Senior Producers: Chris Thielo, Terry Brogan Production Company: Station Film Director: Harold Einstein Managing Partner: Stephen Orent Executive Producer: Eric Liney Editorial: The Now Corporation Editor: Jesse Reisner Executive Producer: Nancy Finn Post, Finishing: Suspect Managing Partners: Rob Appelblatt, Tim Crean Director: Hoon Chong Creative Director: Colin McGreal Director of Photography: Evan Cohen Producers: Tsiliana Jolson, Kevin Daly, Alexander Decaneas Lead Animator: Damien Cho Lead Flame Artist: Brendan O'Neil Telecine: Co3 Colorist: Tim Masick
CREDITS Client: Burlington Campaign: Back to School Agency: Silver + Partners Chief Creative Director: Eric Silver Creative Director, Copywriter: Ashley Marshall Creative Director, Art Director: Jaclyn Rink Crowley Managing Director: Michael Stefanski Account Director: Lauren Pollare Senior Producer: Chris Thielo Production Company: Coverdale Director: Amir Farhang Executive Producer: Andy Coverdale Editorial: The Now Corporation Editor: Jesse Reisner Executive Producer: Nancy Finn Post/End Tag Animation: Hornet Inc. Designer: David Hill Executive Producer: Jan Stebbins Producer: Cathy Kwan Post/Finishing: Suspect Producers: Tsiliana Jolson Telecine: Co3 Colorist: Tim Masick Audio Mix: Sound Lounge Mixer: Tommy Jucarone EP: Vicky Ferraro
Who's in charge here?
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
