APPEALNOW.COM | KICKING | 2005
A parking warden kicks a man. / APPEALNOW.COM "KICKING"
Released in the UK in 2005, this shocking video shows a parking warden suddenly tackling a passerby, pinning him to the ground, and finally kicking him. It became a talked-about viral ad that was both darkly funny and full of anger at unfair parking tickets.
The problem
In 2000s Britain, overzealous parking enforcement and unfair ticketing by wardens had become a social problem. APPEALNOW.COM was a website that helped people challenge these unjust parking tickets.
The idea
From the tackle to the kick, the ad used extreme, exaggerated violence from a warden against an ordinary citizen to make visible the public's anger at unfair enforcement. Shot in a cinema vérité style, it gave the footage a documentary-like realism.
What happened
The ad won the People's Prize at a viral awards show.
Afterthought
It's extreme, but it's funny, and you really feel the anger behind it. For a viral ad from 2005, I think it's amazing they went this far with it. These days, something like this would probably get stopped for compliance reasons—but back then, they pulled it off. You can really feel the era, and the nerve it took.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2005
