Paralympian Out Runs Tragedy

The spot above, a PSA ad for the Canadian Paralympic Committee takes the cake for inspiring storytelling. And with the Paralympic only being about six weeks away I thought I’d share. The spot uses amputee runner Alister McQueen races around a track at night, initially he only dodges wheelchairs but as he progresses through different elements of a car accident.  For example, he runs through a rehabilitation room, a trauma ward staffed with medical personnel and even a row of emergency crews.

Interestingly, the PSA was filmed in one continuous shot to accomplish the project quickly due to threats of rain. As for the order of events, the ambulance crews and rehab scenes were placed ahead of the actual crash so it would seem more like a dream sequence.

This spot was created by BBDO Toronto.

Best,

-A.B.

Disability Series: The R-Word

The ad above is a commercial on behalf of the Special Olympics. The campaign is aimed to educate and stop the spread of the “R” word, it being the derogatory term “retarded.” It aims to educate people that the R-word is just as derogatory as any word out there.

I believe the commercial was created by BBDO, New York.

Best,
-A.B.

Disability Series: Ads Featuring People with Disabilities

I wanted to do a series of posts that feature people with disabilities. To see if the majority of the ads focus on the disability also known as “pity ads” or do they focus on the person as an authority or the product. Also, I want to see if most of the spots that feature a disability are advertising a product related to disabilities in general.

The ad below is for overstock.com, besides being all about the O the spokesperson in the ad is Briana Walker. Walker uses a wheelchair but the wheelchair is never shown in the ad. I am ok with the fact the chair was never shown that way it doesn’t take away from what is being advertised.

This is a great brand awareness spot and Walker did a great job in it. This is defiantly not a pity ad.

Brianna Walker Overstock Ad




Ad agency: Ads done in-house.

Stay tuned for more disability related ads in the following week.

Best,
-A.B.

Disabled in Non Pity Ad, Success

I saw the ad above on Adfreak and I just had to write about it. Why, you ask? Because the featured model is missing a limb, it is extremely rare that a person with a disability is featured in an ad that doesn’t scream, “Pity me.” Granted the ad was created for a campaign to help raise awareness about disability issues in the French speaking area of Belgium. But be honest, disability isn’t the first thing you thought when you saw the ad? As somebody with an advertising background and a disability I was extremely proud of this ad.

The advertisement—placed in newspapers and postcards distributed in restaurants around Brussels. Again, the campaign was meant to bring awareness to disability issues. The company behind the campaign is CAP48, a non-profit that helps raise awareness of disability issues in Belgium.

The model, Tanja Kiewitz, a Belgian graphic designer is missing her left arm just past the elbow. Kiewitz has become quite the celebrity since the ad first began to appear. I wonder if that's because Belgians were shocked or surprised?

The ad is a play on another ad that featuring Eva Herzigova, in the apparently famous Wonderbra print ad below.

Also, the headline reads, “look me in the eyes ... I said the eyes.”

The agency behind the print ad (above) is Air Brussels.

Best
-A.B.