I’m blind. Please leave my sign alone.

There’s an old story, usually attributed to David Ogilvy, about a copywriter whose daily walk to work takes him past a blind beggar on a street corner. His sign reads, “I’M BLIND. PLEASE HELP.” Every day, the beggar is largely ignored by the passers-by. One sunny morning, the copywriter stops, takes out a marker pen and scribbles three words on the sign, then moves on. From that day, the blind man’s cup is stuffed with notes and overflowing with change. The copywriter has adapted the sign to read: “IT’S SPRING AND I’M BLIND. PLEASE HELP.”

It’s a lovely story, which has been making copywriters feel good about themselves ever since (and possibly making blind people feel somewhat patronised). It’s usually quoted in the context of how important the ‘emotive sell’ is when pushing the latest commercial message into the minds of unwitting consumers, which is what copywriters generally do when they’re not being selfless superheroes.

Anyway, I mention this because a video version of the story has recently gone viral, attracting 6 million hits on YouTube. It’s a promotional video for online agency Purplefeather, titled ‘The Power of Words’. But, regrettably, the story isn’t quite the same. It’s been what you might charitably call ‘adapted’, or less charitably call ‘unforgivably mutilated’.

You can watch the video yourself if you want to add to the viewing figures, but suffice to say the key moment comes at the end, when the copywriter (a woman this time) takes to the sign with a marker pen. This time though, instead of elegantly adapting the existing text, she turns the sign over and writes: “IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY AND I CAN'T SEE IT.”

This is seriously what she writes.

The copywriter ignores the existing text written by the hapless blind man, and writes her own line on the reverse, thereby removing any of the wit and charm of the original story.

But she goes further by spelling out what was implicit in the original line. “IT'S SPRING AND I'M BLIND’ is a spare statement of fact that leaves the reader to fill in the emotional gap. This is where it gets its power. “IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY AND I CAN'T SEE IT” is the same line rewritten by the Ronseal copywriting team. In fact, it doesn’t even have that level of disarming directness, because the writer has forgotten to include the call to action. Without the ‘Please help’, it’s all a bit pointless.

And there’s another problem. What if it isn’t a beautiful day? What if it’s raining tomorrow, or in a couple of hours? Ogilvy thought of this – ‘spring’ is nicely open-ended (although you have to hope he adapted the sign come summer). Does this new copywriter have a stack of signs covering various weather conditions? “IT'S DRIZZLING SLIGHTLY AND I CAN'T SEE IT.” “IT WAS NICE A MINUTE AGO BUT HAS SINCE CLOUDED OVER A BIT AND I CAN'T SEE IT." (If you watch the video, you can see it appears to be a grey and damp day, even though the woman copywriter is bizarrely wearing sunglasses. Almost makes you wonder which of them is blind.)

It’s testament to the power of the original story that this bastardised version nevertheless retains enough impact to garner 6 million hits. But it’s also disheartening. We copywriters only have a limited supply of industry folklore to keep us going. If you’re going to use this story to make your agency promo, at least get the line right. Redrafting David Ogilvy isn’t something to undertake lightly, especially when your video is all about the power of words.

Anyway, if I ever fall on hard times, I’ve already planned my sign, which, if nothing else, should raise a smile from the odd passing copywriter – “IT’S SPRING AND I’M BLIND DRUNK. PLEASE HELP.”

I just hope that woman doesn’t come along and change it.

Comments

[James Mahoney]

Hear hear, Nick. Nicely said, well analyzed.

I saw this video and had a nagging memory that I'd heard the story before. Sure enough, credited to Ogilvy (and I absolutely love your "Redrafting Ogilvy" thought).

Just wrote to the agency, as I hope many others have, too. I don't expect them to revise the credit, but one never knows.

And I'm going to plagiarize your sign--without "improvement"--should I ever fall on hard enough times...

James Mahoney

[Nick Asbury]

Thanks James. If I ever see that sign on the street, I'll come over and say hello.

[Designer]

If they can't see the simplicity of the original idea and it's effectiveness they shouldn't be in this business. Plagiarism is pitiful. Plagiarism that's less than the original idea is embarrassing.

[Ken]

Great blogpost, Nick, spot on!

James, did you receive an answer to your mail?

Cheers,
Ken

[lewis_duck]

Looks like their problem isn't that they 'adapted' the story. Just that they nicked it from the wrong place to begin with.

Exactly the same story (with the same crap line) is on this website, which predates Purplefeather's 'ad' by 2-3 years: http://rehuxley.livejournal.com/179862.html

Just think: if only you'd relayed the Ogilvy version on your blog sooner. Maybe they'd have stolen the idea from here instead.

P.S. For the record, I don't normally frequent Ron Huxley's blog. Just found it whilst Googling this blind-man-sign-thing. Honest, guv.

[mo]

personally, "it's spring and i'm blind" means nothing special to me. atleast this "bastardized" version is more compelling and i would give money.

besides any day could be beautiful to someone who has never seen it which is the part that strikes human emotion. by your own logic, what happens when it's NOT SPRING?

[rj]

Because I'm blind..look what I sat in.

[Barrettrossie]

Well done, sir. Do you think replacing "blind" with "I can't see it" was an act of political correctness, or do copywriters these days disaapprove of strong language?

[Olivia G]

Maybe it's because they wanted to show that no matter the weather everyday is beautiful. Just because it's raining doesn't mean it's not beautiful. The sunglasses on the girl was just for the secret identity part of the video which kept it interesting. It shows that anyone can act as kind as her. By not showing her eyes you think she could be anybody. Therefore it makes you think anybody could be like her. That sign will last all throughout the year and it sends a very important message: Everyday is beautiful and cherish what things you have, because you never know how much you need them until they are gone.

[Conflict Of Interest]

Well done, sir. Do you think replacing "blind" with "I can't see it" was an act of political correctness, or do copywriters these days disaapprove of strong language?

[Joe]

Lots of people in Los Angeles wear sunglasses regardless of how sunny it is, so I'm quite used to this. Make what you will of that. As for whether it's a beautiful day or not, some would argue any day free of pain is beautiful, or any day free of cancer is beautiful, or any day you are alive is beautiful... some wouldn't see a beautiful day if it smacked them in the face. And finally, leaving the call to action "please help" off the sign is either missing the point or leaving the obvious unstated, depending on your point of view. Do you need to have a call to action spelled out to you before you do anything? Or does your heart fill in the blanks automatically?

[Nick Asbury]

Hi Joe - all fair enough observations. I'd even be prepared to concede all of them, but stand by the central point that the power of the original story was that it was a) concisely adapting the original line, raising it to another level with the simple addition of a few words. Replacing the line is clumsy, rude and has none of the elegance of the original story. And b) the finished line in the original story was poetic in the way it left your imagination to do the rest. This is prosaic in the way it spells it out. If any viewer can't see that, they have no appreciation for either poetry or copywriting.