"Text and Drive" billboard in Toronto creating a stir

[EvilDDS]

Clever marketing? This billboard is along a road here in Toronto, and has caused outrage and laughter from people passing by.

Apparently, it's not a a real funeral home, it's a PSA marketing idea designed to grab your attention

What do you think?

Link to article

http://www.adweek.com/news/advertis...l-home-toronto-leaves-motorists-aghast-171404

And when you google the funeral home, you'll see this message

If you're here, you've probably seen our "Text and Drive" billboard. And if you have, you probably came to this website to tell us what horrible people we are for running an ad like that. And you'd be right.

It is a horrible thing for a funeral home to do. But we're not a funeral home.

We're just trying to get Canadians to stop texting and driving, which is projected to kill more people in Ontario this year than drinking and driving. That's right. More. And while most people wouldn't even think about drinking and driving, over half of Ontario drivers admit to reading texts while behind the wheel. That's more than half of the drivers on the road today risking their lives, their passengers' lives and the lives of their fellow motorists and pedestrians.

Which should make you even madder than our billboard did.

 

[John Wang]

Is that a ramp that drivers can use?

 

[CoolB]

It's a sign. Moving on.

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

It's a sign. Moving on.

It's not a sign, it's a placard.

 

[EndlessCritic]

Like Facebook comments, the advertisement does a great job of getting idiots to out themselves.

 

[spamking]

People who text and drive should be smacked up side the head until they learn to drive without their phone in hand.

 

[rearnakedchoke]

Pretty clever. But its not breaking any rules. Imo its poor marketing for the company. I bet a few people will make sure not to use them. But i heard their is no such thing as bad publicity (which isnt true). So maybe they are on to something.

 

[Dolomite]

Kids these days suffer complete mental break downs when they are told when they can and cannot use their phones.

You could authorize the State to pull over everyone they catch on their phones and summarily execute them in the middle of the road - it wouldn't change a thing.

 

[Organic Damage]

I like the spirit of the ad, but people are just dumb enough to use big block letters on a billboard as license to do dumb shit.

 

[Gref]

Genius. Makes me think of They Live.

 

[Jermei]

It fills my heart with joy knowing people are outraged over that sign.

 

[sangreporsangre]

In Toronto I would say the overwhelming majority of people text behind the wheel. At the very least they immediately reach for their phone when they get to a red light. It's so fuckin stupid.

 

[GSPOAB]

Lol classic Wathan Funeral Home

 

[Primitivo]

I approve all rustling.

 

[HunterSdVa29]

pre losing it at some cat inevitably seeing the sign, pulling out his phone to look up the funeral home, and then gets in a crash and dies.....

the irony

 

[lakersfan45]

I like it but the funeral part is way to small. It should be like a giant casket with the text text and drive on the casket

Something needs to be done about it I'm not sure freeway signs r the way to do it.

 

[Kick Strickland]

they don't want you to look at your phone while driving

here look at our billboard while driving instead

 

[The Diplomat]

Rubbernecking is also a yuge cause for many car accidents. I guess it's better than voluntarily staring at your phone while driving in public, though.

 

[CubicleGangster]

Pretty clever. But its not breaking any rules. Imo its poor marketing for the company. I bet a few people will make sure not to use them. But i heard their is no such thing as bad publicity (which isnt true). So maybe they are on to something.

What company? It's not an actual funeral home, it's just a PSA to stop texting and driving.

 

[BJ@LW&WW]

i think its great. concise, simple, and gets the message across. i dont see why there would be any controversy.