Archive for the ‘ Experiential ’ Category

Technology doing good: Volume 1

Nothing warms my heart more than when an organisation does something good, nothing warms my heart more than when media and advertising is used to do good, and nothing warms my heart more than when technology helps to do good.

Today I saw an amazing campaign that reminded me of something that happened a few years ago when I was in San Francisco with my mother. We were taking a stroll when we walked passed a homeless man sitting on the pavement with his dog. I remember having seen a programme about homeless people where they mentioned that the hardest bit was not the cold, not the hunger, not having nowhere to be…the hardest bit is people seeing right through you…as if being homeless all of a sudden makes you invisible.

I therefore looked at the man and said ‘Good afternoon’… as we walked away I heard him say to his dog ‘Did you hear that, she said good afternoon’. He was no longer invisible.

Remembering that moment still brings tears to my eyes.

But seeing this campaign aimed at helping the homeless gives me hope… Please do take a look.

As described by digital buzz ‘The above  is an extraordinary campaign from Pathways To Housing & Sarkissian Mason depicting a “virtual” homeless man projected onto a wall in NYC. The campaign to raise awareness hope to create interaction with someone most people just pass by, in prompting the public to interact with the virtual homeless man by SMSing a number that opens a door. Passers by are then given the opportunity to send another SMS to make a small donation instantly from their phone’.

I was so inspired by this that I will occasionally use this forum to bring to your attention examples of when technology makes a real difference in the non-commercial world.

In the meantime I sincerely hope that Pathways To Housing & Sarkissian Mason manages to raise awareness of the chronically homeless, and of course also that they manage to raise the funds necessary to help them in their quest to find a solution to any human being living on the street.

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2010
08/02
CATEGORY
Advertising/Media
Charity
Experiential
Social Media
Technology doing good
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If this doesn't do it, what would make a City boy stop in his tracks?

I’m not going to enter the age-old “how many ads we are exposed to a day” debate, suffice to say, a hell of a lot, too much, as in total over exposure and 100% wallpaper effect much of the time. Add to that all the other stimuli thrown at us such as street musicians and entertainers, shop windows, car radios blaring, etc etc etc…no wonder many of us walk around like zombies!

Basically it takes a lot in this world for people to stand up and notice, and even more so to stop and pay attention. Today in Canary Warf I saw something that did both those things (in a grand scale if I may say so!).

Edgar Müller (as spelt on sign on location) or Edgar Mueller (as spelt on his site) took his 3D street art to Canary Warf – Suit City.

I don’t know about you but I found this impossible to ignore!!!

cravace1

cravace

Between us, I did not exactly have to queue to get a glimpse as I was one of the few people interested in Edgar’s artistic expression. Does this mean that it takes a lot more than a huge cave appearing where only pavement has been before for the City boys to stand up and take notice? Or maybe they are afraid to look, just in case their bonuses are at the bottom of it?!!!!

Check out Edgar’s site it is quite amazing! http://www.metanamorph.com/

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2009
06/24
CATEGORY
Experiential
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