This print advertisement campaign was launched by To Live With Culture, a body to attract tourists to Toronto. The campaign landed in controversy when many eyebrows were raised over its style of presentation. The advertisements appeared in a number of newspapers in the U.S. The campaign aimed at attracting young visitors to Toronto by expelling the common perception of the city. The campaign focused on the cultural attractions of the Canadian city by comparing it with places such, Paris, New York, Italy and Hollywood in a humorous way.
However, in Toronto itself the campaign was fiercely criticized for using sexually explicit images and stereotypical characters. A section of media and politicians have argued that the campaign has offered a negative portrayal of the city and failed to convey a positive meaning.
On the other hand, Live With Culture reacting to the response has stated, ‘by provoking a debate about how Toronto wants to represent itself to the rest of the world…we’ve achieved our goals’. The campaign comprised of four print advertisements and it was created by DraftFCB.
