Obey Obay, Okay? (and where is Arthur Shah?)

THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED 5:50pm

Oooh, the Interweb is buzzing with ad talk. Some lucky client is getting lots of viral and word-of-mouth exposure. Now, if we only knew who that client was.

Over the weekend, I spotted transit ads for Obay, a pill that keeps kids in line with their parents’ way of thinking. Next to the image of a smiling father and son was the line “My son used to have his own aspirations. Now he has mine. Thanks, Obay!”

There is no web address, no call to action. Just a a little green pill next to the words “From the makers of WhyBecauseISaidSo."

So, off I went to Google “Obay” and found a lively discussion taking place in the blogosphere. Seems the transit ads have turned up all over Toronto, Hamilton and Durham regions, with reported (but unconfirmed) sightings in New York as well.

Toronto blog Torontoist.com seems to have tracked the campaign to Colleges Ontario, which has Smith Roberts as its agency of record. Interestingly the agency’s (former?) creative director Arthur Shah* worked at John Street, about the time the Camp Okutta viral campaign for War Child was being developed last year. Camp Okutta was a fictional summer camp where kids could learn to throw grenades and field strip AK-47s. It was a similar bait-and-switch idea, just a different execution.

"We have no information for you, or comment, on that campaign," said Rob Savage, director of communications, Colleges Ontario. He did, however, confirm an ongoing relationship with Smith Roberts and said new Colleges Ontario ads should be expected by the end of the month.

*Calls to Smith Roberts revealed that Arthur Shah is no longer listed in the automated phone directory, and a source tells me he's now at Y&R. No one at the Smith Roberts was available to take calls about Obay or Shah. However, Tony Miller recently arrived at the agency fresh from ACLC. Whether he was the cause of, or solution to, Shah’s apparent departure remains unknown. –Jeromy Lloyd