Creative Director’s Choice: 180LA’s Jason Rappaport on the NY Public Library’s Insta Novels

I used to read a lot of books as a kid. I read in the car, the bathroom, and in bed, but mostly in the bathroom. I even kept a list of the books I’d read so my mom could brag about it to her “mom friends”.

This was way before the internet, which found a way to replace the feeling of a good book in my hands with a glowing screen dangerously low on battery. Timeless stories have been traded for the kind that disappear after 24 hours. And while Cardi B’s Insta story may very well be a digital page-turner, the only thing I’m learning from it is where to buy a Fashion Nova outfit. So, when Mother New York had the idea to turn those mindless stories on the top of our feed into actual stories, I thought, ‘Now, that’s a good idea’.

Not only does it help bring something as analog as a public library into the digital space, it also brings classic works of literature to a platform that young people gladly visit a bazillion times a day. The stories are beautifully art directed and the target is already familiar and comfortable with the platform’s functionality. I love that now, instead of complaining about how much time we spend on our phones, creative people are finding new ways to embrace technology and use it to make the time spent on our devices less frivolous and more enriching. Nothing bad can come from Franz Kafka and Cardi B coexisting in the same space.

Jason Rappaport is group creative director, 180LA.

See the work by clicking on the Creative Works box below.

To see the latest creative ads and campaigns, visit The Drum’s Creative Works section. If you would like to feature a creative director in our Creative Director’s Choice, please contact Creative Works editor Kyle O’Brien.

New York Public Library: advert-top-1 by Mother New York

By New York Public Library

Overall Rating 5/5

Vote now