April 7, 2010; Ads of the World | This advocacy campaign from Calgary is certain to turn viewers off, and that’s the point. To encourage citizens to not leave their cars idling, the creators compare the bad habit to another socially unacceptable phenomenon—urinating in public. Watch the video below to get a sense of what we’re talking about.

The nonprofit who funded the ad, Green Calgary, lists thousands of endorsements on their Web site, from individuals to institutional supporters, but something tells us this kind of social marketing wouldn’t fly here in the States. What’s your take? Meanwhile, watch for our next issue of the Nonprofit Quarterly for an article on “visual rhetoric.” That article takes up the subject of these kinds of campaigns.—James David Morgan

Correction: The above advertisement is actually the work of these talented and concerned citizens, whose anti-idling effort is all volunteer, and unaffiliated with any nonprofit organization.