sentences.text: Obay is a fictional mind control medication at the centre of a viral marketing campaign begun in February 2008 by Colleges Ontario, the advocacy group for colleges and institutes of applied arts and technology in the province of Ontario, Canada, and developed by the Smith Roberts advertising agency.
sentences.text: Obay
sentences.text: is
sentences.text: a
sentences.text: fictional
sentences.text: mind
sentences.text: control
sentences.text: medication
sentences.text: at
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: centre
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: a
sentences.text: viral
sentences.text: marketing
sentences.text: campaign
sentences.text: begun
sentences.text: in
sentences.text: February
sentences.text: 2008
sentences.text: by
sentences.text: Colleges
sentences.text: Ontario
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: advocacy
sentences.text: group
sentences.text: for
sentences.text: colleges
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: institutes
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: applied
sentences.text: arts
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: technology
sentences.text: in
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: province
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: Ontario
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: Canada
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: developed
sentences.text: by
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: Smith
sentences.text: Roberts
sentences.text: advertising
sentences.text: agency
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: The campaign seeks to eliminate what the group calls " academic snobbery " on the part of parents, who often see colleges as inferior to universities, and who may push their children towards the latter option against their wishes.
sentences.text: The
sentences.text: campaign
sentences.text: seeks
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: eliminate
sentences.text: what
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: group
sentences.text: calls
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: academic
sentences.text: snobbery
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: on
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: part
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: parents
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: who
sentences.text: often
sentences.text: see
sentences.text: colleges
sentences.text: as
sentences.text: inferior
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: universities
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: who
sentences.text: may
sentences.text: push
sentences.text: their
sentences.text: children
sentences.text: towards
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: latter
sentences.text: option
sentences.text: against
sentences.text: their
sentences.text: wishes
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: Beginning the week of February 11, 2008, advertisements for Obay began appearing throughout Ontario, primarily at public transit venues such bus stops, subway stations, as well as on and in transit vehicles themselves.
sentences.text: Beginning
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: week
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: February
sentences.text: 11
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: 2008
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: advertisements
sentences.text: for
sentences.text: Obay
sentences.text: began
sentences.text: appearing
sentences.text: throughout
sentences.text: Ontario
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: primarily
sentences.text: at
sentences.text: public
sentences.text: transit
sentences.text: venues
sentences.text: such
sentences.text: bus
sentences.text: stops
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: subway
sentences.text: stations
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: as
sentences.text: well
sentences.text: as
sentences.text: on
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: in
sentences.text: transit
sentences.text: vehicles
sentences.text: themselves
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: The ads variously claimed that Obay, " from the makers of WhyBecauseISaidSo ", could stop children from thinking for themselves, or supplant their own hopes and goals with their parents'.
sentences.text: The
sentences.text: ads
sentences.text: variously
sentences.text: claimed
sentences.text: that
sentences.text: Obay
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: from
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: makers
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: WhyBecauseISaidSo
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: could
sentences.text: stop
sentences.text: children
sentences.text: from
sentences.text: thinking
sentences.text: for
sentences.text: themselves
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: or
sentences.text: supplant
sentences.text: their
sentences.text: own
sentences.text: hopes
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: goals
sentences.text: with
sentences.text: their
sentences.text: parents
sentences.text: '
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: Radio ads also aired directing listeners to call 1-888-YOU-OBAY, where Obay was said to transform children into " docile pussycats, open to... the future you've mapped out for them . "
sentences.text: Radio
sentences.text: ads
sentences.text: also
sentences.text: aired
sentences.text: directing
sentences.text: listeners
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: call
sentences.text: 1-888-YOU-OBAY
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: where
sentences.text: Obay
sentences.text: was
sentences.text: said
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: transform
sentences.text: children
sentences.text: into
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: docile
sentences.text: pussycats
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: open
sentences.text: to...
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: future
sentences.text: you
sentences.text: 've
sentences.text: mapped
sentences.text: out
sentences.text: for
sentences.text: them
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: The campaign received national and international attention.
sentences.text: The
sentences.text: campaign
sentences.text: received
sentences.text: national
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: international
sentences.text: attention
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: Despite the use of the trademark symbol, there have been no filings for trademarks for either Obay or WhyBecauseISaidSo with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, nor have there been any other indications (such as Health Canada filings) indicating that the product was actually available for sale.
sentences.text: Despite
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: use
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: trademark
sentences.text: symbol
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: there
sentences.text: have
sentences.text: been
sentences.text: no
sentences.text: filings
sentences.text: for
sentences.text: trademarks
sentences.text: for
sentences.text: either
sentences.text: Obay
sentences.text: or
sentences.text: WhyBecauseISaidSo
sentences.text: with
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: Canadian
sentences.text: Intellectual
sentences.text: Property
sentences.text: Office
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: nor
sentences.text: have
sentences.text: there
sentences.text: been
sentences.text: any
sentences.text: other
sentences.text: indications
sentences.text: (
sentences.text: such
sentences.text: as
sentences.text: Health
sentences.text: Canada
sentences.text: filings
sentences.text: )
sentences.text: indicating
sentences.text: that
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: product
sentences.text: was
sentences.text: actually
sentences.text: available
sentences.text: for
sentences.text: sale
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: As a result speculation immediately arose as to whether the campaign was a form of viral marketing, anti-commercial culture jamming (potentially linked to the " Obey Giant " street art campaign), or possibly anti-pharmaceutical activism by the Church of Scientology.
sentences.text: As
sentences.text: a
sentences.text: result
sentences.text: speculation
sentences.text: immediately
sentences.text: arose
sentences.text: as
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: whether
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: campaign
sentences.text: was
sentences.text: a
sentences.text: form
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: viral
sentences.text: marketing
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: anti-commercial
sentences.text: culture
sentences.text: jamming
sentences.text: (
sentences.text: potentially
sentences.text: linked
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: Obey
sentences.text: Giant
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: street
sentences.text: art
sentences.text: campaign
sentences.text: )
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: or
sentences.text: possibly
sentences.text: anti-pharmaceutical
sentences.text: activism
sentences.text: by
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: Church
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: Scientology
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: Within a week, local blog Torontoist said they had traced the campaign to the colleges group.
sentences.text: Within
sentences.text: a
sentences.text: week
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: local
sentences.text: blog
sentences.text: Torontoist
sentences.text: said
sentences.text: they
sentences.text: had
sentences.text: traced
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: campaign
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: colleges
sentences.text: group
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: Colleges Ontario officially confirmed their involvement on February 25, launching the second phase of the campaign, which also includes a website and cinema advertising, emphasizing the variety of available programs.
sentences.text: Colleges
sentences.text: Ontario
sentences.text: officially
sentences.text: confirmed
sentences.text: their
sentences.text: involvement
sentences.text: on
sentences.text: February
sentences.text: 25
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: launching
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: second
sentences.text: phase
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: campaign
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: which
sentences.text: also
sentences.text: includes
sentences.text: a
sentences.text: website
sentences.text: and
sentences.text: cinema
sentences.text: advertising
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: emphasizing
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: variety
sentences.text: of
sentences.text: available
sentences.text: programs
sentences.text: .
sentences.text: The original ads have been " corrected " with notices that Obay does not actually exist, directing viewers to the organization's website.
sentences.text: The
sentences.text: original
sentences.text: ads
sentences.text: have
sentences.text: been
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: corrected
sentences.text: "
sentences.text: with
sentences.text: notices
sentences.text: that
sentences.text: Obay
sentences.text: does
sentences.text: not
sentences.text: actually
sentences.text: exist
sentences.text: ,
sentences.text: directing
sentences.text: viewers
sentences.text: to
sentences.text: the
sentences.text: organization
sentences.text: 's
sentences.text: website
sentences.text: .
text: Obay is a fictional mind control medication at the centre of a viral marketing campaign begun in February 2008 by Colleges Ontario, the advocacy group for colleges and institutes of applied arts and technology in the province of Ontario, Canada, and developed by the Smith Roberts advertising agency. The campaign seeks to eliminate what the group calls " academic snobbery " on the part of parents, who often see colleges as inferior to universities, and who may push their children towards the latter option against their wishes. Beginning the week of February 11, 2008, advertisements for Obay began appearing throughout Ontario, primarily at public transit venues such bus stops, subway stations, as well as on and in transit vehicles themselves. The ads variously claimed that Obay, " from the makers of WhyBecauseISaidSo ", could stop children from thinking for themselves, or supplant their own hopes and goals with their parents'. Radio ads also aired directing listeners to call 1-888-YOU-OBAY, where Obay was said to transform children into " docile pussycats, open to... the future you've mapped out for them . " The campaign received national and international attention. Despite the use of the trademark symbol, there have been no filings for trademarks for either Obay or WhyBecauseISaidSo with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, nor have there been any other indications (such as Health Canada filings) indicating that the product was actually available for sale. As a result speculation immediately arose as to whether the campaign was a form of viral marketing, anti-commercial culture jamming (potentially linked to the " Obey Giant " street art campaign), or possibly anti-pharmaceutical activism by the Church of Scientology. Within a week, local blog Torontoist said they had traced the campaign to the colleges group. Colleges Ontario officially confirmed their involvement on February 25, launching the second phase of the campaign, which also includes a website and cinema advertising, emphasizing the variety of available programs. The original ads have been " corrected " with notices that Obay does not actually exist, directing viewers to the organization's website.