"Hug a Stranger"

That's what the billboard atop a building at the corner of Yonge and Eglinton implores us to do. Beneath that message is the name of the folks behind this odd-bordering-on-the-deranged request ("hug a stranger"? in midtown Toronto? are you freaking nuts?): peopleforgood.ca.

What the heck is that? I'll allow them to 'splain for themselves via this newswire release:

TORONTO, July 11, 2011 /CNW/ - Want to feel better while making Canada a better place? Open the door for a stranger! People for Good, a social movement encouraging Canadians to be nicer to each other, is taking Canada by storm - one good deed at a time.Led by a team of creative and media experts and introduced through a multifaceted advertising campaign, People for Good is a coalition formed to promote the generosity of spirit among Canadians. People for Good believe everyday good deeds like giving up your seat on the subway or buying a coffee for a co-worker will not only make you happier, but will also make for a better Canada.

This social movement, launched on June 29 across Canada, was co-founded by Mark Sherman, Executive Chair of Media Experts, a media strategy and negotiation company with offices in Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver, and Zak Mroueh, President & Creative Director of Zulu Alpha Kilo, a Toronto-based advertising agency specializing in rebranding. Mr. Mroueh and Mr. Sherman saw the campaign as an opportunity to use their collective talents to harness the power of creativity and the media for the collective good.
"Caught up in our hectic lives and routines, coupled with the stresses and distractions of modern living, many of us have stopped noticing those around us. We've stopped caring," says Mark Sherman of Media Experts. "When something is not right, we tend to rely on someone else - our neighbour, our boss or our government - to fix it. But the truth is, anyone can help change the world. Companies can harness the power of their collective to heal and improve our society. We took stock of what we could do as two business owners. If every Canadian business did the same, the potential for change is limitless."

"Each of us can do something to make Canada a better place with a simple donation of kindness, one good deed at a time," says Zak Mroueh of Zulu Alpha Kilo. "Harnessing our creativity through the People for Good campaign, we harness the power of the collective by touching every Canadian with a simple message - care about people around you, be nice to each other, do good. Small good deeds - even as basic as genuinely saying ''thank you'' to someone who helped you, smiling at a stranger or helping out a co-worker - make a big difference in creating social capital, the glue that holds us together as a community."

Mr. Mroueh and his team at Zulu Alpha Kilo brought the People for Good campaign to life by spearheading all aspects of its creative development. Mr. Sherman and Media Experts designed and executed a high-impact media strategy spanning traditional and new media.

This collaborative campaign was made possible with the support of an array of partners who donated their time and capabilities, including Martin Belanger working through Zulu Alpha Kilo on all the materials for the Quebec Market. Other partners included Terry O'Reilly at Pirate Radio & TV, Radke Films, MAVERICK PR and TANK. Thinking Box helped produce the Mobile App. Countless media suppliers and vendors donated space for the initiative.

About the People for Good campaign The People for Good campaign was launched through a multifaceted, bold and creative advertising program. Kicking off on June 29 across major Canadian cities, including Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Montréal and Halifax, the program will run through to August 21. The creative, using a mix of humorous, engaging and highly interactive messages and images, challenges Canadians to be nice to each other and do good through simple acts of generosity, such as cutting the grass or shovelling snow for one's neighbour.

"Advertising is often seen as an intrusion, asking us to buy something or buy into something," says Mr. Mroueh. "The People for Good campaign is certainly intrusive, too, but we intrude with a different kind of message. Simply put, that message is - be aware of those around you, be nice to them. We place it where people can see it: on the subway, on a highway billboard, in the newspaper or online."
The creative execution of the campaign includes outdoor, interactive, print, guerrilla and online advertising.

"Our partners - from production houses to printing companies to media advertisers - have joined hands with People for Good by donating their capabilities to a project that, we believe, will make a difference not only in the marketplace, but also in the hearts and minds of Canadians," says Mr. Sherman of Media Experts.
People for Good ten tips for good deeds

1. Smile at a stranger - or wave at your fellow subway passenger
2. Open and hold the door for someone
3. Give up your seat on the subway, bus or streetcar
4. Buy a coffee for your co-worker
5. Surprise your colleagues with freshly baked brownies
6. Cut grass or shovel snow for your neighbour
7. Help a stranger change a tire on the road - or put in a coin in expiring parking metre for someone you don't know
8. Return a grocery cart after someone has used it or let a stranger ahead of you in a store line
9. While on Facebook, just pick up the phone and give your friend a call
10. Simply say ''Thank you'' to someone who helped you - and really mean it

Don't get me wrong: I'm all for being a kind, considerate, helpful person; heck, I like to think that I'm one myself. It's just that I can help but feel that this sort of campaign, one that aims to spark a "social movement," one that has a "manifesto" (my rule of thumb: be wary of manifestos and those who write them), is creepy, silly, self-important and intrusive.

Hug a stranger? Thank you, I think I'll pass--and I really mean it.