ABC CANADA BREAKS NEW CAMPAIGN
By Adnews Staff
ABC Canada Literacy Foundation began a new public awareness campaign on Thursday with an "interactive" talking subway poster with no words on it. Created by ABC Canada's agency Taxi Advertising and Design of Toronto, the campaign, which also includes a television PSA, is intended to generate awareness and encourage adults with low literacy levels to enrol in upgrading programs. The poster is located at the entrance to the King subway station in Toronto. It was created by ABC Canada, Taxi, the Toronto Transit Commission and TDI, which handles advertising sales for the TTC. The poster displays a blank piece of foolscap with a red button in the centre. When pushed, a voice explains there are no words on the paper because "five million adult Canadians would not be able to read them." It will run for a six- to eight-week period and then be replaced with creative from ABC Canada's print campaign. Those ads display a piece of foolscap upon which the lines form a maze, a brick wall or prison bars. They read: "When you struggle to read and write, words can't describe it." The new "Can You Read?" public service announcement focuses on the success-story of one individual in a literacy program. It closes an invitation to viewers to "Look Under Learn" in their local telephone directories for information on literacy programs in their areas. A partnership between ABC Canada and broadcast members of the Canadian Cable Television Association will result in 30- and 60-second versions of the PSA running nationally until the end of the year.