30/07/2020
“Smart Ideas for Smarter Cities,”
THE CAMPAIGN
The campaign itself featured three unique billboards that all contained the slogan, “Smart Ideas for Smarter Cities,” and they did more than just look beautiful. They were placed in London and Paris, and each one was a very clever solution to a common problem that urbanites often face.
✔️ THE BENCH
✔️ THE RAIN COVER
✔️ THE RAMP
WHAT WAS IT ADVERTISING?
These signs are incredibly creative and impressive, but the actual purpose behind them is more mysterious. They were advertising the People 4 Smarter Cities Program, and this is one which has the goal of providing a platform for the spread of smart ideas. The aim is to create an easier and more efficient way for city leaders to hear the creative solutions that citizens and other cities have to the various problems of running a metropolis.
THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX
The whole concept shows the advantages of thinking outside the box, and the People 4 Smarter Cities project is the type that can be difficult to educate the public about. Companies often try to push these ideas, but they get brushed off by the average person because they simply look like corporate propaganda. However, it’s hard to ignore a billboard that solves a problem, so people started paying attention.
THE RESULTS IN THE ADVERTISING WORLD
The People for Smarter Cities campaign was orchestrated by Ogilvy and Mather, and the advertising agency received a lot of praise in the creative world. At the Cannes Lions International Film Festival of Creativity in 2013, they won one of the most coveted prizes in the advertising industry, the Outdoor Lion Grand Prix award. The campaign was the top of 5,610 entries, and some of the reasons for winning included that they were such simple ideas presented in a new and innovative way.
ALL IT TOOK WAS A CURVE
One of the most spectacular parts of this advertising campaign was how a very simple concept demonstrated the whole purpose of the program. The only physical difference between these and the millions of other signs on the street was a curve or a bend. Without those, it would just be a flat board trying to push an idea, but the presentation was an actual example of the kind of intelligent thinking that they hope to achieve.
