Edmonton Transit System's 'Cool Bus' video ad has it in some hot water - The Globe and Mail
The Edmonton Transit System tried to improve that image recently with a bit of Hollywood sheen. In May, it launched an online video entitled Cool Bus , with the kind of sonorousness usually reserved for movie trailers that begin with the words, “In a world. ” Scenes of gleeful transit riders enjoying transit amenities played out in dramatic slow motion. Those are modest numbers for a big advertiser, but for a regional transit system, it’s a blockbuster. The tongue-in-cheek video was nearly identical to another ad campaign , for Midttrafik (a regional public transit system in Denmark), down to the slow-mo, the music and the lines above that were taken verbatim from the Danish version. That award-winning campaign launched in 2012. Last week, the ETS began promoting the video again, but it has received some negative feedback, including accusations of plagiarism. While she said there have been positive comments too, the ETS has been in a bit of damage control, responding to comments on Facebook and YouTube trying to be transparent about their inspiration. Since May, the ETS has given a nod to the Danish campaign in media interviews. Laraway said the ETS has reached out to the transit company in Denmark. Source: www.theglobeandmail.com
