CATS take over ad space at a Tube station. And they’re not even trying to sell you anything.
Ever taken a minute to look at the ads while sitting on the bus, train or subway? I notice them every time, because I’m bored and the ads are everywhere. While I obviously love a good ad, apparently I’m not the only one who feels like certain public spaces are overrun with ads.
Enter Glimpse, a group of friends in the UK who have decided to use creativity for good. Apparently they were sick of the daily bombardment of ads at their local subway station (they call it the tube). So they decided to run a Kickstarter campaign for Citizens Advertising Takeover Service (CATS). After raising over £20,000, CATS was able able to replace all the ads in the Clapham Common Tube. With what? Pictures of cats!
Why cats? According to founder James Turner, the initiative started with the idea of making people think differently about the world. Instead of being sold something, why not use ads to remind people of what they care about – which may or may not be cats. The group considered using beautiful pictures of forests or families, but ultimately settled on cats. The hope: that the idea would go viral with full knowledge of how the internet feels about cats. (Hint: We love cats.)
So what’s the deal? Does Glimpse have a vendetta against the advertising agencies of the world? Not at all. Turner writes, “We want agencies and brands to be mindful of the power they wield and to use it to encourage positive values in society. Things like empathy and tolerance, community and togetherness deserve to be at the heart of our culture.” I can agree with him and think that creativity is an awesome way to get people talking. And look, it’s working. More cats!
Note: The cats featured in these photographs are from Cats Protection and Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, two of the UK’s largest pet adoption and charity centers.
