A recently launched PSA campaign by Toronto agency Taxi for the See You in Athens Fund – a venture created by former athlete Jane Roos to raise funds for athletes heading off to Athens for the 2004 Olympics – has created a stir because of its depiction of athletes as panhandlers.

The national PSA campaign includes print and two television spots, one of which spotlights the economic concerns of a Canadian competitive swimmer, who, instead of being focused on the race ahead of him, is preoccupied with thoughts about loans and mortgages.

Roos says most people don’t know that Canada’s Olympic athletes are having trouble financially, hence the need to raise awareness of her organization. She says some people have misinterpreted the meaning of the print campaign since it has been reproduced in media without accompanying text to explain the point.

While some people may view the campaign as belittling the plight of homeless people, she says that was not the intent.

‘The campaign isn’t about homelessness, it’s about athletes having to beg. If our athletes had all the basics, if they didn’t have to worry about living on $1,100 a month, how many more role models would we have?’ Roos says she would like to raise $5 million for Canadian athletes who are heading to Athens.

Philippe Garneau, partner and ECD at GWP Brand Engineering, Toronto, says the campaign likely rings true. ‘They have used some imagery which could be considered excessive when you consider that the ultimate goal is sports. [But], it’s probably not far off the mark. These people are living hand to mouth in many respects.’

Garneau says that the controversy is just another example of Canadians being too sensitive about images in advertising. ‘[The campaign is] playing on the distress of the notion that this is what our athletes have been reduced to: having to beg. Because of the social impact or importance of the message, I didn’t go to the idea that this was exploitative.

‘If the controversy around it is that: ‘How dare you use this imagery to do this?’ I think that’s just our culture of complaint – something to bitch about. I think people need to lighten up.’

Credits

Client: See You in Athens Fund

Agency: Taxi

President: Paul Lavoie

Creative Director: Zak Mroueh

Art Director: Ron Smrczek

French Creative Director: Jean Jacque Streliski

French Account Manager: Catherine Patry

Account Manager: Nicole Kranz

Photographer: Ron Fehling

Sprinter: Leia Ince-Mercer

Boxer: Jason Douglas