On July 17, residents of Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, were amused to see new banners and billboards posted throughout the city with a stinging message: “People follow rules when crossing the road. Sheep [cross the road] wherever they wish”.
The banners and billboards aim at saving people's lives by educating them about the importance of following simple rules when crossing the road. They were produced and erected jointly by the Almaty Culture Department, a local advertising agency, and traffic police.
These billboards are part of a new social advertising program designed to change popular attitudes in areas ranging from the observance of traffic rules to preservation of natural resources. As Almaty Culture Department notes [ru]:
Что может повлиять на поведение людей, пробудить в них ответственность за себя и за других? Только социальная реклама с сильным эмоциональным посылом.
This billboard is part of a new social advertising campaign in Almaty. Image by Almaty Culture Department, used with permission.
The stinging message on the billboards has triggered discussion among the country's social media users. Commenting on the above image posted by the Almaty Culture Department (AlmatyMADENIET) on Facebook, Ruslan Kuvatov wrote [ru]:
Отличный постер. Надеюсь их много будет по городу. Еще надо сделать креатив на тему культурного вождения и уважения друг к другу на дроге. Короче говоря надо идентифицировать баранов за рулем :).
While most netizens appear to like the new ads, some people consider them offensive. Kazakh blogger Gizatm suggested [ru]:
Просто нельзя называть людей баранами за то, что они переходят дорогу в неположенном месте. В США и Канаде тоже так же переходят… Если машины за км нет, то почему бы и не перейти.
The authorities had to respond [ru] to such criticisms:
Мы никого конкретно не называли баранами. Это шуточный плакат с небольшой издевкой… Мы хотели максимально привлечь внимание аудитории.
Yet, many netizens liked the initiative and suggested alternative ways of saving people's lives on the road. Salken Balbayev wrote [on] on Facebook:
Хороший проект. Еще хотелось бы, чтобы сами пешеходные переходы освещались в темное время суток и знаки были видны издалека.
Overall, most netizens in Kazakhstan have been pleased to see that the authorities address a real issue in such a creative way. They've also been happy to notice that the officials responded to their suggestions and comments. Following the successful start of the social advertisement campaign, the Culture Department released [ru] a new message for ads aiming to discourage people from talking on the phone while driving: “This call can be the last one”.
