[Photos: Leda & St-Jacques, Publicis]
A provocative ad campaign for Voir's Guide Restos 2014 has, on schedule, instigated a flurry of publicity at home and in the U.S. Much more publicity than usual, in fact, for the Montreal alt biweekly.
The print and digital ads for the 18th edition of the guide were created by Leda & St-Jacques and Publicis. Billed as 18+ (18, get it?), the images feature, well, food made to look like male and female genitals. Think the works of Giuseppe Arcimboldo or Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights - except way less subtle.
A featurette by Fast Company's Sydney Brownstowne elicited some unintentionally hilarious quotes from the Montreal braintrust behind the campaign:
"There's a big food porn trend here." Nicolas Massey, vice president of Publicis Montreal, says.
"The picture that I prefer is the meat penis, because I like the wire that the food stylist put on it. I think it's very funny, because for me it's like castration," Leda St. Jacques explains. "Here in Quebec, I think it's the same thing in New York, the women are so strong. [Men] don't quite know how to deal with us because we're so strong; we're very emancipated."
What any of this has to do with Montreal's restaurant scene is anyone's guess.
· Literal Food Porn Totally Safe For Work [FastCompany]
· Guide Restos [Official Site]
