A walk down the street in New York right now can be downright depressing. Restaurants, boutiques and salons—many of which were brimming with life mere months ago—are now shuttered and dark inside. It’s a reality made all the more eerie when juxtaposed against the cheery spring weather.
In an attempt to make the outdoors a little more bearable for those who are about and about—namely essential workers—luxury retailer Montblanc has covered some of its storefronts with messages of hope and encouragement for healthcare workers, delivery people, grocery store employees and others who can’t work from home right now.
Called #ToThoseOutside, the out-of-home campaign of sorts was created by Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam. The posters are being plastered on store windows across New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Vancouver and Toronto. According to Montblanc, the notes featured in the posters were written by Montblanc employees and residents of each city.
Considering Montblanc sells pens, or “luxury writing instruments” as the company so eloquently calls them, the agency felt as though handwritten notes were an appropriate way for the brand to convey thanks.
“With much of luxury retail closed all over the world, we wanted to use Montblanc’s belief in written expression to convey the depth of gratitude we all are feeling toward those that are giving the most,” Blake Harrop, managing director of Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam, said in a statement.
