provoke | inspire | change Public Space Used for Good Public space should at its finest, feed our souls, cater to our needs, fulfill our desires and then, prompt us to move forward and create and contribute beyond what we have known possible. Its a place to start a conversation, a dialogue with the individuals who occupy it and this is in so many ways, the beginning of community. In my case, once inspired by the idea of re-inventing our public space, I quickly got tired of reading car dealership ads on our public roads. I knew we could and should do better and with some help, I went ahead and created some messages and included a few others that we all have loved over the years. By putting these out in public space, we have started to shift the paradigm of engagement, one small moment at a time. Great Ideas Shared Often Our mothers taught us to share what we have and mothers tend to be right. So lets just do the sharing and by putting these messages on our cars where we spend too much of our time, we are making sure they will spread, they will show up again and again, adding a thought or a smile to an otherwise not so interesting moment ...repetition is the first rule in marketing, and marketing is just a means to spread an idea...so lets spread the ones that are worth the read. Lets share and share often. Profit Motive Alone Is Never Good Enough Can we just expand our metrics for how we measure success? It cannot all be about the bottom line, the bottom line has to include a larger value add, and then for sure, lets add profit to the equation. Our product is made in Canada, and we only have messages that elevate us, add something of value to our lives and not bring us to the lowest common denominator. And we know theres money to be made by importing our product or by being a print shop for anything that will sell...but that doesnt sit well with the idealism we harbour.