I saw this exact thing happen right before my eyes yesterday. So maybe the sign is working.
But I have to say, I feel like the message here is getting a little bit convoluted. The headline urges you to be vigilant and thoughtful in interacting with fellow passengers: spot, tap, return. The tagline asks that you be careful about your own property. Taken together, it all adds up to a less umbrella-littered commute for everyone, but, separately, the two parts of the sign are addressing different people and different behaviors. The message is not consistent.
Even just saying that, I realize it's crazy. Of course the cartoon can be about both looking out for the other guy and looking out for yourself at the same time. This is clearly the technical editor in me who's protesting. (She's not really a good time.) Being professionally hypervigilant about grammatical problems is a particularly painful occupational hazard around here. (I imagine it would be pretty rough in the US, too, actually.)
So. Even though this campaign is ringing a little funny for me, I still like it and am grateful to it for making me realize that I may be losing my English marbles.
PS Saying that one is "professionally hypervigilant about grammatical problems" all but guarantees a few typos. Wacky KitKat (or York Peppermint Patty, for fellow Japanlanders) to the first person who finds mine in this post.
6 comments:
"Do it again" seems a little harder to riff on than "do it at home" ... still an awesome campaign that I am glad they decided to keep going.
When I was there I think it was the guy shaking off his umbrella. And was there one about loud music? Or am I imagining that? That might have been something from the London tube system, I can remember...
Adamu, yep. Nice for the artist to have a slightly different angle to come at the same stuff from, I guess.
Zinc, yes, they've done that one twice. And I wouldn't be surprised if they, ahem, do it again.
Bunpei Yorifuji is a great artist and does some hilarious books. I have a few, one is entitled "The Catalogue of DEATH" - where he illustrates in minute detail how we die.
I feel he's a little unfortunate to still be on this contract as the posters messages are obviously dreamed up by a committee. Rarely do they take a chance to tackle the real social problems on the underground.
Problems which I'm sure Bunpei would take a stab at illustrating given half the chance.
The guy in the yellow coat doesn't have to look so smug about it.
Josh! I know, right?
Hawken, thanks for coming by! Yes, I've been wanting to check out his other work, but sadly haven't gotten much further than his website, (www.bunpei.com) where "works" is under construction. I'll keep an eye out for that book. Sounds fascinating.
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