Publicis Canada, working for Toronto’s Livegreen Initiative, created a quite brilliant transit campaign which delivered litterbug shamming messages using product packaging. For example, a bag of Lays potato chips was combined with Crazy Glue packaging to form “Lazy.” A package of Reeces Pieces was combined with a bottle of Gatorage to form “Pig.” Sweet and Low packaging was combined with Lifesavers to form “Lowlife.” All the messages were signed off with “Littering says a lot about you.
Great campaign, right? Well not if you’re the brand being associated with littering and negativity. While the brands had no problem with the ant-littering message, they did take issue with the potential for brand damage.
Speaking to the Globe and Mail, City of Toronto Director of Strategic Communications Jackie DeSouza said, “It really had to do with trademark infringement on some of the products. Concerns were raised by various companies about the use of their trademarks and the potentially damaging effect to their brands.”
Sadly, the campaign has been pulled. And, perhaps, rightly so. It’s reported the agency nor the city sought consent rom any of the brands present in the campaign. While we can certainly understand the concern, it saddens us such brilliance was stunted.
