'SPK ABOUT IT' Show The Power Of Spoken Word Poetry With Their Citywide Billboard Campaign

At a time when the voices of the British youth are being ignored, SPK ABOUT IT has taken it upon themselves to give them a platform. The ‘#ScanTweetSPK’ campaign brings the voices of London’s talented young spoken word community to the forefront, plastered on billboards across the city.

A partnership with street advertising specialists JACK and design agency Twntyfour, the month-long campaign captures the cultural zeitgeist by translating the real, raw, and relatable emotions of everyday Londoners into thought-provoking, timely poetry.

A billboard near Brixton Academy speaks about the effects of gentrification whilst another in Bollo Lane discusses misogyny and the fear women feel in the city. Complete with a QR code and hashtag, the campaign encourages passers-by to contribute to these important discussions and gives them a voice too.

Not only is it a way to expose the public to the concerns of young Londoners, it also aims to highlight the value of spoken word poetry to the advertising industry. When SPKABOUTIT’s founder Emmanuel Nwaohai, a spoken word artist himself, founded the voice over company, his intentions were clear; diversify the voice over industry and open up more space for spoken word poets to commercially benefit from their genius. Through this campaign, we see this clearly and the feeling is shared by the poets involved.

Contributing spoken word poet Nego True discussed the campaign's and company's importance: “ I’ve written about absent fathers; present fathers; little sisters; the ideology of searching for beauty - while gaining over 2 million views and touring the world. Every time my videos have done well, there’s been one thing in common…authenticity. As a writer and artist, you need companies that will champion authentic voices. SPK ABOUT IT have done just that for myself and many others. As an artist, this is home, wherever authenticity is championed.

An engaging and stimulating endeavor, 'ScanTweetSPK' opens up both the advertising world and the real world to the relevance of spoken word poetry.