“Spelling and grammatical mistakes in graffiti around London have inspired a new tongue-in-cheek campaign by Arc, a division of the Leo Burnett Group, for the online English tuition service The Tutor Crowd.”
The award-winning brand activation agency have appointed Out of Home International to implement outdoor advertisements for The Tutor Crowd, executing 6-sheet billboards in the London areas of Lambeth and Croydon, with additional 48-sheet coverage in Lambeth.
The campaign shows the offending graffiti on walls, toilet doors and public areas around London, corrected with paint pens and stickers which direct children and their parents to The Tutor Crowd’s online service for a free English tuition trial. Playing on the colloquial linguistics of the urban drawings, each advert offers amendments to phrases like ‘so hot rite now’ and ‘cheep date’.
Written and art directed by Arc’s Dan Kennard and Ben Smith, the work aims to debunk the myth that education is stuffy, old-fashioned and expensive, repositioning it as online and available from expert tutors anytime and anywhere.
The outdoor advertising experience of Out of Home International provides The Tutor Crowd with an effective pathway to a successful marketing campaign, strategically targeting urban London areas in order to reach a relevant demographic. The high-frequency coverage of billboard advertising is an efficient method of constructing a presence for The Tutor Crowd amongst a young audience, exposing the brand within their outdoor social space.
Patrick Wilson, founder of The Tutor Crowd, said: “Good spelling and grammar is fundamentally important to young people. But teaching it doesn’t have to be old fashioned and stuffy. We wanted to engage parents and young people alike, and make them realise that online tuition is an option that’s available to try.”
Beri Cheetham, Executive Creative Director of Arc said: “To change the traditional perception of English tuition, we needed a non-traditional approach. It’s tongue-in-cheek, free and makes people smile. But most importantly, we hope it helps young people engage in grammar and spelling and get support they need.”