A controversial Canadian ad campaign that imagines what would happen if people cared about those living in poverty as they do celebrities has been turning heads internationally this week.
The ads for Toronto's
WoodGreen Community Services—a social services agent that helps people find safe, affordable housing and employment, among other things—focus on struggling single mothers, putting their everyday headlines on the pages of replica celebrity-themed magazines and television shows. One reads, "Tanya tries to avoid eviction—see inside her home," while another notes, "Can't pay for secondhand—Jenna Smith shops for children's shoes she can't afford."
"Our creative is a parody of popular celebrity media culture, but instead of celebrity-focused stories, it features hard-hitting headlines about struggling single mothers and the real hardships they face each day. Learning about celebrities is fun, but we want people to recognize that there are many others who are in greater need of our attention and support,"
says Denise Rossetto, executive creative director at DDB Canada, the firm behind the campaign.
A television commercial that has been airing on local stations features two entertainment reporters happily discussing the headlines as though they were celebrities, but instead the stories draw attention to the real life and often ignored struggles of women living below the poverty line.
Watch the video below.
Read the full story and see more photos
here.
Original Source: Jezebel