The video produced and shot on Bayview Ave by Leo Burnett Advertising has been released on the website of the charity Raising the Roof. The deceptions used to obtain comments are revealing. The audio is all taken from phone recordings of people who were invited to “reach out” to the fictitious Jefferson Homeless Shelter with “questions, comments and concerns.” Callers were well primed for their calls with misinformation that a 62-bed shelter with a three person volunteer staff would be installed at 1591 Bayview. In the final decision-making by Leo Burnett, there may have been some concern by legal counsel about what was being done because the video carries a tiny-type advisory that “We’ve re-recorded and edited the messages to protect people’s’ privacy.” It isn’t too clear just what that means — are these the actual callers we are hearing?
MISSED THE MARK
There were cameras rolling from a high point on the west side of Bayview across the street and seemingly from a moving vehicle. There are eight clips. One man calls the homeless “drug addicts and drunks.” Others express concern about what the presence of such a hostel would do to business and property values. Councillor Jon Burnside says he thinks the effort “missed the mark.” He told CP24 that he did not think the hoax did anything to address the needs of the homeless. He questioned the claim by Raising the Roof that Leaside was picked at random. The charity however seems to firmly believe that its trickery is justified by the end. What was the purpose? Promotion of the charity? A spontaneous outpouring of interest in opening a shelter in neighborhoods across the country?
TRUST BROKEN
In South Bayview the hoax has broken a trust in many homes. These are neighborhoods of unparalleled generosity. Will ordinary property owners and business people everywhere find themselves comfortable with this standard? What other tricks might people with a certain zeal attempt? Public relations codes are replete with the insistence that members of the public be dealt with fairly and honestly. The advertising council proclaims Truth, Fairness, Accuracy. YouTube
