Toronto is a big city with big issues. Polite Torontonians prefer to ignore the city’s underbelly, rather than talk about it, let alone voice opinions on the issues in a public forum like CFRB 1010 Talk Radio. The public passion concerning the city’s problems was dwindling, and with it, participation in public discourse. We needed to be heavy-handed in a way that was so ‘in your face’ that ignorance was no longer an option. People had to talk, and mainstream media had to stand up and take notice.So we turned the issues into the medium. Prostitutes questioned the legalization of their trade while beggars pondered the legality of panhandling. Chalk body outlines appeared on streets and smokers found themselves being called out for puffing away their healthcare benefits.

Huge crowds were drawn to the executions, and the press was all over it. Reporters were out interviewing sex workers and panhandlers, while discussions took place in television, radio, print, and online media, around watercoolers and in the streets. CFRB was everywhere. The advertising was so explosive it spurred its own debate: Is this advertising or exploitation?

The campaign launched in September of 2008, and took the form of numerous rounds of ambient executions in high-traffic locations throughout the city of Toronto.

Each ‘stunt’ was executed individually, with real panhandlers and prostitutes paid to enlist their support. Each ambient effort remained in place until it was removed by the public, or the person tired of holding the sign. The ambient work was supported by billboards and transit ads throughout the city.Crowds naturally flocked to the scenes of these stunts and our tips to local newsdesks resulted in live cameras catching the events. We made sure that any media that wasn’t there live, heard about it afterwards. We photographed everything, and made the photos and CFRB spokespeople available to discuss and debate the issues for weeks to follow.

So, did we get people to talk? Indeed we did. Passionate callers to CFRB’s talk programs ranged from the amused to the outraged, from first-time callers to those who hadn’t been inspired to pick up the phone for years. The resulting fervent hot debates examined the motivation behind the campaign and truly drove home its effectiveness.

Meanwhile, the media continued the discussion, interviewing the man on the street, experts on prostitution and homelessness and CFRB spokespeople. This resulted in media exposure of nearly four million people in the Greater Toronto Area- a value surpassing $100,000 + ad buy.Most importantly, the result was a talk radio station that had been perceived as outdated and irrelevant becoming the talk of the town.