Members of the campaign group Justice 4 Grenfell have used the premise of Oscar-nominated film Three Billboards Outisde Ebbing, Missouri, to create an OOH advertising experience that uses timely pop-culture references to keep the tragedy that claimed 71 lives at the forefront of people's minds. We discover the insights behind the ads and understand how blurring the lines between art and reality is encouraging accountability for the national tragedy.
A growing fear among campaigners seeking justice for the 71 who died in the 2017 Grenfell Tower Fire, is that the memory of the tragedy is beginning to fade. While images of the towers charred skeleton dominated the media in the latter months of 2017, coverage has dropped off. Campaigners from the Justice 4 Grenfell group have joined forces with creative agency BBH Labs to create an out of home advertising experience that uses a reference from the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri to keep the tragedy front of mind for both the public and campaigners. Reading "71 dead, and still no arrests? How come?" the billboards highlight the lack of response and action the incident has received from the British government.
"We were told that even as the public inquiry is ongoing, there was going to be an interim report by Easter," says Yvette Williams, a Justice 4 Grenfell campaigner. "Now that’s not happening. We want the truth. We want prosecutions. We think they’re playing with time, hoping that the story will be downplayed."
The premise to keep Grenfell at the front of the general public's conciousness is as straightforward as it is necessary, but the means Justice 4 Grenfell and BBH Labs have used is extremely clever. Blurring the lines between art and reality by using the main thematic device from a film tipped to win film's grandest prize is inspired, especially at a time when the awards season is dominated by protest movements.
At a time when shock advertising has lost its clout, sometimes the simplest questions asked to the right people are the most effective. "Creativity can, and must, be used to raise public consciousness around important causes and issues," says Lilli English, head of strategy at BBH Labs. BBH and Justice 4 Grenfell have done this superbly, understanding that while art sometimes needs a dose of reality to capture its authentic essence, art can be used to do the same, bringing its message to life past the movie screens.
Matt McEvoy is the deputy editor at Canvas8, which specialises in behavioural insights and consumer research. In a former life, he was a journalist working in the sports, music and lifestyle fields.
