Red Cross Billboards: Scare tactic or innovative?

These photos have been causing a bit of a buzz among the San Francisco crowd. On first glance, I was blown away by the concept/execution of these boards for the American Red Cross set up at Justin Herman Plaza. The art is incredible and the idea of lining up billboards is something I’ve always loved and always attempted to conceptualize. They did it perfectly. It’s outdoor media with a true purpose behind the medium.

Then on second consideration, I had to wonder about the message itself. Especially after reading people’s reactions, calling it absurd, inappropriate, a scare tactic for money, etc. But as much as I try to see it as a “scare tactic,” I can’t quite get there. It seems like a decent awareness campaign, with some striking visuals. I’m not sure anybody’s trying to scare, or necessarily suck money out of our pocketbooks.

Regardless of the issues surrounding the message or the “tactic,” I think the use of the medium is superb.

For the rest of the photos full-size, in high-quality, check out all of the photos by Jason DiFillippo here.