Pollution Souvenir by JWT

Thailand is a top global tourist destination, but it has recently entered a severe pollution crisis, especially in Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second largest city and the north’s main tourist hub. To call attention to the problem, a dirty ‘souvenir’ has been created.

Just like Switzerland sells fresh air in a can, small local businesses at the heart of Chiang Mai’s tourist district got together to create the ‘Pollution Souvenir’ – canned air with a label indicating the levels of PM2.5 pollutants collected each day. Both an apology and a call for help for a city that is often ranked within the world’s most polluted cities.

The souvenir also asks visitors to pledge on social media to come back when the air is clean again. With that, J Walter Thompson Bangkok, the agency that designed the campaign, hopes to create a voice loud enough to finally impose action and help both Thais and visitors breathe again.