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Under the Influence

That time $3 million was left at a Vancouver bus stop

A Vancouver-based ad agency placed $3 million cash between the glass in a bus shelter, unguarded on the street - to demonstrate a point.
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Stacks of cash amounting to $3 million was encased in glass at a Vancouver bus shelter to demonstrate the strength of 3M's "unbreakable" security glass.
$3 million was placed at a Vancouver bus shelter to demonstrate the strength of 3M's "unbreakable" security glass. (Rethink Communications)
Under the Influence27:26Seeing is Believing: Demonstration Commercials, Part Two

Not long ago, a highly-awarded advertising agency called Rethink in Vancouver created a very memorable demonstration.

It was the model of simplicity.

Their client was a security company that wanted to promote the strength of 3M unbreakable glass. So Rethink installed stacks of money, three-feet high, between the glass of a bus shelter. If you were to do the math, that stack of bills would total around $3 million. The logo simply said "3M unbreakable glass."

Then Rethink just left it there. On the street. Unguarded. Next, they aimed a video camera at the bus shelter to see if people would try to break the glass. Sure enough, people lined up to try. They kicked it. They hit it. There were a few flying sidekicks and even some construction workers with steel-toed boots.

The glass never broke.

The press excitedly covered the spectacle, generating about $1 million-worth of publicity for the security company and 3M. The National Post devoted a full-page story to the "million-dollar stunt." The story went round the world.

It was a fascinating product demonstration because it wasn't on television or in a magazine. It was out on the street for the public to see – and kick – for themselves.

For more on Demonstration Commercials, click or tap the play button above to hear the full Under the Influence episode. Find more episodes on the CBC Listen app or subscribe to the podcast.