NZ visual diary - entry 49

K Road - BE OUR GUEST campaign

Many cities have a tourist perception problem. You need only read the online reviews from disappointed travellers.

The "BE OUR GUEST" campaign was launched by the Karangahape Road (aka K Road) Business Association in partnership with the creative team at Motion Sickness to challenge, playfully but directly, the perception of K Road gleaned from bad online reviews of the iconic street in Auckland.

In an interview about the campaign, Sam Stuchbury, executive creative director at Motion Sickness, explained: “When we began to concept on this brief we found ourselves in a black hole of K Road reviews. These reviews actually said more about the person writing them rather than the business they were reviewing. Contrasting each negative review with the positive reality of each business experience speaks volumes. Karangahape Road has attitude so the result feels right, the perfect proverbial middle finger from the business owners to its snobby reviewers.”

My image above captured a billboard I found at the Saint Kevin's Arcade, the storied K Road destination for food, eclectic shops and entertainment.

If I had to vote for my favourite poster, it would be the "FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY" billboard reproduced here.