PUBLIC HEALTH OF FENGXIAN | THE 70-METER SPIT | 2011
Spit Flies 70 Meters—You Just Can't See It / PUBLIC HEALTH OF FENGXIAN "THE 70-METER SPIT"
Spitting. Just that one act sends germs flying 70 meters on the wind. It's a fact so ordinary in China that nobody ever gave it a second thought—until a single wall made it impossible to ignore.
The problem
Shanghai's Fengxian District is home to many migrant workers, and the habit of spitting remained deeply ingrained there. The public health bureau needed a way to raise awareness among these workers.
The insight
Workers already knew, in a vague way, that spit carried germs. But none of them imagined it could travel 70 meters on the wind. Knowing something isn't enough to change behavior if you don't actually feel it. So the thinking was: why not make the invisible germs visible?
The idea
51 people—graffiti artists, designers, and art students—came together to draw a giant mural in charcoal, showing how droplets of spit and the germs inside them spread outward. At the center of the image, an arrow pointed to the message, and the mural was placed right next to the area where the workers lived.
What happened
The story was picked up by various media outlets, helping the fact spread much more widely. At Cannes Lions it won Gold in the Grand Prix for Good category, and it also received a Wood Pencil at D&AD.
Afterthought
Having 51 people fill an entire wall—honestly, that's a lot. But I think that very excess is what said "we're serious about this," and that's exactly why it got through to people. Deliberately turning something invisible into a picture—that's a pretty powerful move for a public health ad.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2011
