Website comes under fire for 'offensive' homeless advertising campaign

The adverts have been heavily criticised
Facebook
Hannah Al-Othman23 September 2015

A careers website has come under fire for its "crass" advertising campaign, after mocked-up homeless 'beds' appeared on pavements across London.

The visual marketing stunt, by City Calling, features cardboard signs saying "Found A Job" and bearing the company's logo, placed on top of blankets beside shoes and dog bowls.

Since the pavement adverts appeared, dozens of people have complained to the company, branding the stunt "crass", "offensive", and "ignorant".

Posting on the company's Facebook page, Clare Emmett said: "Those Found a Job pavement ads: dear, dear. Are you being wilfully crass in a desperate attempt to appear "edgy", or are you simply too obtuse to appreciate the unflattering light they cast on your company?"

While Concepta Cassar posted: "Your so-called advertising "campaign" is among the most crass things to feature in visual imagery; to rob the most vulnerable people in society of whatever modicum of dignity they manage to cling to in the face of such hardship by using their plight as an object of supposedly comedic derision is obscene.

"Who exactly had your "creatives" hoped to target as a target audience from this base and basic set of images?

"Unless it is part of your CSR [Corporate Social Responsibility] policy to actively help these people, and your HR policy to seek to train and employ them, then this is nothing but crass exploitation of the poor. Shame on you."

Another of the adverts
Facebook

The campaign has been criticised as being insensitive to the 7,581 people who, according to homelessness charity Crisis, slept rough at some point during 2014/15 - a 16 per cent rise on the previous year, and more than double the figure of 3,673 five years before.

The publicity drive has also been condemned for failing to understand the complexity of issues relating to homelessness.

Taking to Facebook, Almande Maudlin said: "Just seen your new street marketing strategy featuring fake homeless beds. How many jobs are out there for people with no fixed abode, no new clothes and a heroin addiction? Terrible, terrible marketing."

Ebony Ettienneso also posted: "Today you have let the world know that your company finds homelessness amusing. What are you doing to help homeless people into work? Being homeless itself is a massive barrier to employment. How many people do you employ who have "no fixed abode"?

"The decent thing would be for you to apologise and make a significant donation to one of the many homelessness charities, I would suggest Shelter."

And Shya Fisher said: "Homelessness is not a joke. Photos of your new crass campaign ads are now circulating, and I am not impressed with your company.

"People being homeless is not because they can't find a job; a large part of it is due to the fact that trying to find an affordable apartment here is nearly impossible.

"Paying 75 to 90 per cent of monthly income just to have a roof and possibly enough food is ridiculous. Addiction and mental and physical disabilities are also factors.

"Have you looked at the statistics for homelessness in our city? Implying that all homeless people need to do to get off the streets is to "get a job", is offensive and ignorant. Stop this."

City Calling has been approached for comment.

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