THE LOTUS LIGHT CHARITY SOCIETY | UMBRELLA BAGS | 2010
This Is an Umbrella Bag / THE LOTUS LIGHT CHARITY SOCIETY "UMBRELLA BAGS"
In 2010, a print ad from Hong Kong reached the world. A charity message built around umbrella bags.
The problem
Hong Kong is a rainy city, and handing out disposable clear umbrella bags at building entrances is just a normal part of life there. But just outside its borders, in northwestern China, things were completely different: many people depended on scarce rainwater for their drinking water.
The insight
It felt like a waste to just let the rain dripping off an umbrella run into a drip tray. But if you drew a bucket, a cup, or a bowl at the bottom of the bag, that picture would slowly fill with water every time someone slid their umbrella in. The same rain that was a nuisance in one place was a lifeline in another—and this was a way to make whoever received the bag suddenly notice that gap.
The idea
On rainy days, shopping malls hand out clear umbrella bags at their entrances. On these bags, they printed images of homeless people. When you slid your umbrella in, it looked as if the person were wrapped up in a sleeping bag.
What happened
These umbrella bags won Gold at Cannes Lions. They also received a Gold Lotus at ADFEST under the name "Umbrella Bag."
Afterthought
We couldn't confirm detailed results or reactions, but the simplicity of the idea and the way it hits you the moment you see it are undeniable. Advertising always starts with a small discovery.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2010
Featured in
- What Was Already There Became the MediumFrom chalk to banknotes: 11 media nobody had to buy
