BMF CREATES WAVE FOR MEDECIN SANS FRONTIERES

BMF has launched a 19-metre high outdoor poster of a gigantic wave in Sydney for charity client Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Australia, working closely with outdoor specialist Amity Media.
With the effects of the Boxing Day Tsunami and also the Java tsunami still in the mind, the breathtaking scale of the eight-storey wave drives the point home that disasters can happen to anyone, anywhere, at anytime.
Located on a construction site opposite the Coke sign in Kings Cross, it is one of the most ambitious outdoor projects to hit the streets of Sydney since the Olympics and it represents a spectacular example of the outdoor medium.
“Great outdoor has the power to stop you in your tracks and the dramatic impact of a 19-metre wave coming right at you in the street is just awesome,” said BMF Executive Creative Director Warren Brown.
The giant wave poster is designed to draw attention to the suffering that results from ongoing disasters and conflicts that occur throughout the world, but without the same blaze of publicity that the Boxing Bay Tsunami attracted.
“This is the core message of the poster,” explains MSF Australia’s Executive Director Philippe Couturier. “The Boxing Day Tsunami was a high impact event around the world and Australians responded very generously. But the unfortunate reality is that there are equivalent events to the Tsunami happening all the time that don’t get anything like the same publicity and financial support.”
MSF is the world’s leading independent humanitarian and medical aid organization. Each year some 3,000 volunteer doctors, nurses and support staff (including about 140 from Australia) work in almost 80 trouble spots around the world dealing with medical emergencies caused by disasters, both natural and man-made - including epidemics, famine, and civil war. MSF relies on private donations and can only perform this vital work with public support.
“The public is terrific at donating once highly-publicised disasters take place,” Couturier added, referring once again to the Tsunami’s aftermath, “but speed of response is a critical factor in dealing with any major crisis. For MSF to be able to place medical resources quickly on the scene, we need donations before disasters strike, hence our Field Partner program for regular giving.”
Ian Robinson, Director of Amity Media, said “We are extremely pleased to have delivered this Mega Banner on behalf of MSF, it is a phenomenal example of the power of this product. Our business is about transforming the unsightly corners of the cityscape into vibrant canvasses of artwork and there could not be a better location than a construction site in Kings Cross. We hope to build on this work with the City of Sydney and add further visual improvements to the streetscape by temporarily brightening up unsightly scaffolds in appropriate locations and in accordance with the objectives of the City, as is already taking place in Brisbane.”
Adds Warren Brown: “This poster was made possible through the collaboration of a great team including our creative, account management and production people along with retouchers, media people, printers and the Sydney City Council. BMF has supported MSF for over nine years and it is terrific to see so many talented people coming together to create something special for such a worthwhile cause. I really want to extend our heartfelt thanks to them all.”
Those who should be acknowledged include BMF, Amity Media, the Sydney City Council, Cave, Mothersole Construction, Erect Safe Scaffolding, Omnigraphics, Skyworker, Connell Wagner.

Executive Creative Director: Warren Brown
Art Director: Justus Von Engelhardt
Copywriter: Michael Canning
Account Management: Lorna Parry
Media Company: Ian Robinson - Amity Media
Retoucher: Marcus Thyer – Cave
Client: Philippe Couturier, MSF