This Midas commercial really doesn't belong here.
Still, I couldn't resist including it as it persuasively makes the point about why it's better to use transit instead of driving in a Canadian winter.
Nicely done, DDB Vancouver.




Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008

A classic from my archives, this 1986 poster is an excellent example of destination-focused marketing. Here, it's the London Underground (affectionately - and in this case, playfully - called the Tube), promoting the Tate Gallery. Fine White Line was the design wing of CDP, the agency that produced the fine Intercity campaign I posted earlier in this blog. This piece was voted one of the 20th century's top 100 posters by Campaign Magazine.


Credits: David Booth, Malcolm Fowler, Nancy Fowler.
Agency: Fine White Line

Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008 






The summer of 2008 saw the highest gas prices in Canadian history
The CAA's 2008 Driving Costs Brochure, estimated the total annual cost of driving to be somewhere between $8500 and $15,000 a year.
 
The time was right to remind York Region's residents that their car habit costs them a lot more than they think. An online calculator at yrt.ca which let residents compute those costs based on their own lives (car model, distance driven and so on)  really drove the message home.

Client: 

York Region Transit


Creative Directors: 

Gavin Barrett, Mike Welsh


Art Director: Mike Welsh

Copywriter: Gavin Barrett


Photographer: Garth Grosjean


Studio/Print Production/Design: 

Deb Cochrane, Patrick Stolk-Ramaker



Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008






A truly classic UK campaign from the late 80s produced for Intercity Rail by (I believe) Collett Dickenson Pearce. Intelligent, articulate, persuasive. It will never seem dated. Apologies for the poor resolution however. My time machine has a screw missing.


Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008



A pretty cool, guerilla campaign to announce the launch of Google Transit for Vancouver's TransLink.

Agency: Grey Vancouver Canada
Creative Director: Craig Redmond
Art Directors: Leah Moy, Wayne Low
Writer: Mike Leger
Photographer: Hans Sipma

This dramatic, effective guerilla stunt makes it rather clear where you should park your car. By Chris Wareham for Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Transit's "Drive Less" campaign. Via Behance.

Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008.





This charming spot by Brooklyn director Keef, sees New Yorkers get creative in order to get around. A quirky, hooky soundtrack makes it light and likeable - my god, can you believe that? In transit advertising! The sign off is so simple. MTA. The easy way to get around. 

Director: keef :: Editor: Matt Shapiro / Crew Cuts :: Online Editor: Alexander Serpico / Crew Cuts :: DP: Joshua Kraszewski :: Colorist: Sean Dunckley / Company 3 :: Audio Mix: David Papa / Buzz, Inc.



Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008





Perth's Department of Environment and Conservation went out of their way to show their appreciation of riders who are helping the planet by taking public transport. Riders entering bus shelters activated a motion sensor which triggered recorded applause.
Simple, effective, immediate.

Advertising Agency: Marketforce, Perth, Australia
Creative Director: Andrew Tinning
Creatives: Andrew Tinning, Ryan Albuino, Andrew Chu, Danielle Glenister
Released: June 2008

Via Ads of the World and YouTube


Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008



This one comes from sunny Australia. Damn them for their summer in January. And, oh yeah, their good advertising.

Consider this simple immediate ad - for scooters.
Not buses/brt/lrt.

Still, I thought it illustrated perfectly the advantage of the vehicle over the kind of gridlocked traffic that is becoming ubiquitous the world over. And as such, worthy of pushing buses.



Article and blog copyright Gavin Barrett 2008.





A funny, direct campaign for the French national Railway SNCF.
A classic technique: exaggerate to make a relatively ordinary message memorable.
Mind you the train looks nice enough to make you want to believe the claim: you won't miss the road.


Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008.
A spot with no words, accompanied by a beautiful piece of classical music, makes the Madrid Metro rise below it all. An elegant, restrained, stunningly filmed spot, with a message that's crystal clear.




Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008.

A simple, effective campaign done in 2002 by Aaron Kwapisinski, a young art director friend of mine, for the now defunct agency Flavour. In his own words "We took the cost of all the things one would fork out annually in order to maintain their vehicle and compared it to the cost of riding the TTC for a year. The difference was enough to illustrate the benefits." Thanks for sending this in Aaron.

Art Directors: Aaron Kwapisinski & Drew Pautler
Writer: Karin Djelaj
Creative Directors: Craig Cooper & Briony Wilson



Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008.




From a campaign for the Tube in London.
Four tubes to sell the Tube.

Brilliantly simple. Simply brilliant.


Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008.


A now-classic (late 80s), edgy, award-winning TV spot for Oslo transit, promoting monthly passes.


Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008.


Somewhere else in northern climes (Copenhagen?), they're doing good advertising for public transit.
I give it ****.


Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008.



An intelligent, immediate bumper sticker, from London Transport.
BTW, feel free to vote on your favourites by way of the asterisk (shift 8) key.
Ratings should be on a scale of 5 stars.

My rating for this is ***.5 (3.5 stars).


Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008.




A bus wrap from our current winter campaign for York Region Transit.
Snow mobility. Now on a street near you.


Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2008.

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About the Bus Pusher

Gavin Barrett is Owner/Founding Partner + Creative Director, of award-winning Toronto agency Barrett and Welsh. In pursuit of big ideas he has: nibbled on pigs' ears (not on a live pig at the time); gone elephant-back in the Thai jungle (no elephants were hurt); gambled in a Macau casino (was utterly destroyed). His ads: have run in 35 countries, helped elect prime ministers, attracted the ire of the lawyers for Dolly the clone sheep, drawn an angry crowd in Lagos, have been studied in business texts in Canada and India and received derisive mention in a John Irving novel. His poems: can be found in Penguin’s anthology of 14 contemporary Indian poets, Reasons for Belonging. He cannot: sing.

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Barrett and Welsh is proud to support the cause of transit as contributor to CUTA and APTA

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We're not in the ad business. We're in the moving business. We move product. Perceptions. Behaviour. Market share. But most of all, we move people.

Pushing buses and other transit everywhere.

Pushing buses and other transit everywhere.
Barrett and Welsh is proud to support the cause of transit as contributor to APTA and CUTA.