Ad for tap-to-donate teddy bear designed for street youth is part of provocative campaign
A nationwide billboard campaign that appears to promote grunge-chic clothing for street youth is causing confusion and igniting debate.
That’s exactly what the people behind it hoped it would do.
One such advertisement found at a bus stop on Vancouver’s busy Burrard Street features a teen in a poncho that doubles as a tent, so that the wearer can “set up camp anywhere.”
The ad includes a URL, at which viewers can see a glitzy video featuring other products by streetswearkids.com.
Products include a jacket for cold nights that can be turned into a sleeping bag, as well as fire-resistant pants.
Perhaps the most provocative item is the so-called Tap-me Teddy, a stuffed animal that can collect spare change with a credit card tap to its belly.
The video is so well-produced, viewers might believe the items are actually for sale, until the very end.
That’s when the production takes a dark turn and the captions read: “This collection doesn’t exist. Neither should youth homelessness.”
“It gives people quite a bit of a visceral reaction when you see that, and it did for us too," said Shoshana Coodin, marketing manager of Raising the Roof, the organization behind the campaign.
The make-believe clothing line is meant to represent temporary solutions that Coodin and the team at Raising the Roof believe don’t work.
The poncho/tent for example, will only provide shelter for a few nights. Just like the teddy bear might only provide enough money for a few meals.
“We believe (the) long-term solution is affordable housing,” said Coodin.
The billboards are featured in cities across the country, and have been posted for free by companies that support the provocative campaign.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.