Save Our Libraries Campaign Battles Government Funding Cuts with Dystopian Ads

Last month, the Doug Ford provincial government announced a 50% cut to library services in Ontario, a budget decision that resulted in the immediate termination of inter-library loans and even layoffs.

The Save Our Libraries campaign from Juniper Park/TBWA imagines a future in which there is no government funding for public libraries. In that dystopian future, our beloved books, classic pieces of literature, are invaded by the most objectionable, intrusive thing imaginable: ads.

A change.org petition was started by Shauna Costache to restore government funding. Juniper Park/TBWA partnered with her to amplify the cause. The campaign featured digital transit shelter ads and newspaper ads that showed what books might look like when private-sponsorship became necessary. Now, when Oliver Twist asked “Please, sir, I want some more,” an advertisement for oatmeal was the answer.

And in radio, audio books were peppered with product placements too. In Alexandre Dumas’ masterpiece, The Three Musketeers, the iconic chant of “All for one, one for all!” became a segue for a local pizza to tout two-for-one large three-topping pizzas.

The ads all closed with the same message: “If we don’t support public libraries, someone else will,” and directed Ontarians to sign their name at SaveOurLibraries.ca, which redirected to the Change.Org petition.

“Public libraries are cornerstones for information, education and entertainment to every community,” said Graham Lang, chief creative officer at Juniper Park/TBWA. “This is a campaign that calls on Ontarians who share the same view and allows their voices to be heard.”

To date, the petition has earned nearly 70,000 signatures.