Grey Singapore’s non-functional refugee-saving app removed from Apple Store, slammed by client, wins at Cannes
Grey Singapore’s ‘I Sea’ app to save refugees from drowning, which was called out as a fake by technology experts yesterday, has been removed from the Apple Store and criticised by the client for not working, but has been awarded at the Cannes Lions advertising awards show.
The app, which supposedly enables people to scan the Mediterranean ocean for stranded boats carrying fleeing migrants, is no longer available for download on Apple Store.
The app, created by Grey’s philanthropic arm Grey for Good for the Migrant Offshore Aid Station, was rounded on by tech writers on Twitter who tested it and found that, among other flaws, an old screenshot was repeatedly being presented as a live image of the ocean, and the weather reading was bogus. One software developer described ‘I Sea’ as a “terrible fake”.
But the app won Bronze Lions at the festival in the South of France last night.
Grey has not responded to repeated requests for comment, but astatement on the agency’s website declares that the app is currently in “testing mode”.
Grey Singapore’s statement in full:
On World Refugee Day, Grey for Good wants to thank all those who are helping us develop the I SEA app. I SEA – an app developed by Grey for Good in support of MOAS – aims to bring humanitarian and technological efforts together in order to have a concrete impact on the continued refugee crisis at sea. Currently in its testing period, the app is a tool which crowdsources the ability to scan the sea for migrant vessels in distress. With global forced displacement having reached an all-time high (65.3 million people at the end of 2015), any efforts to help those fleeing war and persecution are greatly welcomed.
The I SEA App is currently in a testing mode. At this time it is loading and mapping satellite images to its GPS coordinates and users are able to report an anomaly in their plot of sea. The report function is sending out an alert whenever a user flags something in the plot of sea they are watching. During this testing period, the satellite images available are not in real-time. Grey for Good are still working to optimise the technology, but we are proud of what we have achieved so far and are grateful to all those who have shown interest in helping to improve the app further. The continued interest and suggestions from people who have already tried it around the world, especially on this, World Refugee Day, are all valued opinions which will be incorporated into the final product.
The client, MOAS, has told British IT title The Register that it had not been involved in the creation of the app.
“The Migrant Offshore Aid Network did not develop the app with Grey for Good nor do we feel that there [are] any advantages to having the public scan old sat images for potential disasters that in reality unfold in seconds,” an MOAS spokesperson said.
“MOAS has performed life and death rescues in real time using two ships, commercial drones and Search and Rescue Crews in the Central Mediterranean since 2014. The majority of our rescues are coordinated in real time from the Rome Rescue Coordination Center in which MOAS often takes the lead. Saving lives is a serious business, with serious consequences for not maintaining the highest standards of professionalism.
“All we can say on the developers’ behalf is that the App probably sounded interesting in concept form but failed miserably in execution. We were asked to support the launch of the app in concept only. So we were included in a press release,” the spokesperson commented.
Mumbrella has approached Cannes Lions for comment over the legitimacy of the app.
According to Cannes Lions’ newly published rules on scam – work created purely to win awards – the festival states that: “Speculative and conceptual advertising are not eligible for entry.”
The festival has historically taken a forgiving view of dubious entries, and has declined to withdraw any campaigns that have been called into question following investigations from Mumbrella that have demonstrated a breach of Cannes Lions’ own rules.
A case study video for the app from Grey describes the ongoing tragedy in the Mediterranean as “one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time” and claims ‘I Sea’ can provide a solution.
https://youtu.be/nFeHQ2YQTqY
Clearly, the app is horse shit and could never have worked, even if the images were real time.
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The Festival’s credibility is on the line here.
An agency has used the world’s media to promote their effort to help refugees under false pretences. There was never a genuine service developed here at all. It’s non-functioning in every possible sense and that helps no-one. That’s not ‘solvertising’ as Grey calls it. That’s good old false advertising plain and simple. And when challenged by media outlets who are understandably irate, rather than admit they’ve misled, Grey deflects with ‘it was a test’ defence.
Grey has used the refugee crisis as a currency for its own selfish gain. This ghastly act of human indecency is up there with News International’s phone hacking scandal.
Terry Savage can’t invite the worlds best technology minds onto the Cannes stage whilst allowing crap like this to be lauded. You and the Festival look like fools and the digital minds you’re so eager to attract have exposed this for what it is. A demonstrable fraud.
Grow a set Terry. This demands censure at the highest levels.
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Not overly surprised coming from an agency who’s been born out of the same agency group selling and promoting cigarettes.
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Just when you thought we couldn’t go any lower, someone pulls out a shovel.
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What about clever buoy? Has that even been made yet despite all its awards?
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This is literally disgusting. Have been in the industry for 2 years and every year I am surprised by the level of arrogance from global scam. Shit like this makes you want to leave advertising and never look back.
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Honestly, I look forward to the Cannes scam drama more than the actual work now. This is my trashy reality TV.
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the advertising industries finest hour…. Again.
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Anybody who works in one of the big Aussie agencies knows this is just the tip of the Scamming Iceberg.
If Cannes truly investigated all the entries (especially from Australia) which were designed purely for award season, they probably wouldn’t have a festival. So they won’t. And It devalues any awards won authentically by anybody else – such a pity- Cannes lions used to be something to be proud of. Now i think they’re something which says “i got away with it.”
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I wish it wasn’t true but it totally is. Whole meetings around made up campaigns that never even get seen by the client. Digital seems to have made it worse with so many bullshit apps and fake social media campaigns.
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I think we’ve hit peak Cannes – they’ve hit the bottom and started digging
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Grey Singapore have removed a previous statement on their website about the purpose of the app.
Google Cache still has it.
http://webcache.googleusercont.....#038;gl=au
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Cannes scam drama is hands down my favourite time to be reading Mumbrella.
Keep on spilling that truth tea, Mumbrella! I’m loving it.
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I think it was an honest effort.
Whether or not, it won at Cannes.
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