Mann on the Mountain - Best Ads So Far

Here are three of my best ads so far. They are still works in progress!



Name of Ad: Deodorant for Feet Print Ad

Client: Gold Bond

Target Audience: People with smelly, itchy feet

Single sentence (Single Most Important Point): Gold Bond is just like deodorant but for your feet so if you wear deodorant daily you should also use gold bond daily.

Art direction intent, if not clear

Anything that will help the viewer understand the concept better: By comparing Gold Bond to deodorant and posing the question to the reader, the ad is creating a need that the consumer was previously unaware of. When reading the question, the audience is disgusted with the idea of leaving their house without putting on deodorant and, in turn, starts to think they must also need to treat their feet every morning.



Name of Ad: Coffee Conveyor Belt Print Ad

Client: Keurig

Target Audience: Gourmet coffee drinkers who are willing to spend a little more to get the convenience of excellent coffee in their own homes.

Single sentence (Single Most Important Point): With Keurig, coffee drinkers are able to get a range of different flavors constantly, one after another.

Art direction intent, if not clear: The ad is supposed to look like the kitchen counter is a conveyor belt that keeps rotating the different coffee cups for continuous variety.

Anything that will help the viewer understand the concept better: With normal coffee makers, consumers can only make a giant cup of one flavor. But with Keurig, people are now able to make different kinds not only in a single serving portion, but also in a short period of time.




Name of Ad: NOVA, the Greatest State in America, Print Ad

Client: Northern Virginia (NOVA)

Target Audience: Potential homebuyers and visitors of the Washington Metro Area and Virginia

Single sentence (Single Most Important Point): NOVA has everything that is cool in Washington D.C. as well as serves as the home of almost everything that Virginia is known for, which makes the area so cool that it is becoming its own state.

Art direction intent, if not clear: The yellow portion of Virginia, which is NOVA, is supposed to stand out and show literally that it is separating itself from its state as well as DC. I am still working on the headline, specifically the “well, not yet” line.

Anything that will help the viewer understand the concept better: The ad is supposed to show that NOVA is one of the coolest places around. So much so, that it is going to become the next state of America. The long copy takes on the tone of boasting, in terms of how NOVA has everything that is cool about both DC and the rest of Virginia. In fact, it goes as far to say that Virginia would be nothing without NOVA.

Week 7: Tourism Advertising

One of the most successful advertising campaign in the tourism sector is the Incredible India campaign. I studied abroad on Semester at Sea which travelled to 11 different countries, one of which was India. I remember seeing the campaign, which was launched in 2007, before I went on the trip and being mesmerized by the imagery. I think that is one of the most important tools that advertisers can use for a travel and tourism client. By showing a vivid and compelling photo, viewers are immediately drawn in and begin to envision themselves in that location. I know that those advertisements made up my visual opinion of India prior to my arrival and the country itself didn't fail to be incredible! I think that this campaign is also so effective because they have taken two simple words and made them into a recognizable brand. Instead of just India, the country has become Incredible India because the campaign has been so successful in bringing tourism into the rapidly growing nation. The campaign is not only shown in print (such as the 3 ads above) but has also been put to TV spots as well as a website for India's department of tourism (http://www.incredibleindia.org/index.html). Overall, the main purpose of tourism advertising is to make your audience want to travel to your country or go to your monument or sight, and I think the Incredible India does just that!

Week 6: Long Copy Ads

This week, I will be talking about Long Copy Ads. These ads are somewhat rare in today's magazines because people are too busy to sit and read a bunch of copy. They do, however, thrive in newspapers, where readers are dedicated to reading the paper every morning instead of just glancing over the headlines online like the rest of the world. Here are three long copy ads that I think did a really good job at capturing the readers attention right away with the first sentence.




This ad for Panera is a perfect example of a long copy ad that rewards the viewer at the end of the copy. In this case, by simply having "Break Bread" at the end of the body, the reader understands the connection. It is also effective because you do not need to read the whole paragraph to understand the meaning of the ad. Right away, the reader understands that these are a bunch of enemies. Therefore, even if they skip to the bottom, Panera is still able to get the humorous message across.




This is another example of a long copy ad where the message is revealed in the closing sentence. It is not until the reader is finished with the copy that they realize that it's content isn't what is important. Instead, VW uses it to show that while they were reading, they were emitting the same amount of CO2 that the new Passat EcoFuel emits in one kilometer. I think this is effective because it is more original than having just an image of the car and some eco friendly tagline, which is what a lot of automakers have been doing recently.



Finally, this long copy ad for the New York Stock Exchange grabs people's attention by using different typefaces and colors to create contrast. Instead of just having one long paragraph in one color and typeface, this visually dynamic copy makes people more interested and willing to read it. I also think that it's even more creative because once you read it you start to realize that each typeface is connected to a company on the stock exchange. For example, "just do it" was the one that stuck out to me the most as both Nike's tagline and logo typeface. This also proves just how brand aware today's society is, so I think it was smart for the NYSE to take advantage of that trend.

Week 5: Outdoor Advertisements

This week I'm going to be talking about outdoor advertisements, where grabbing the viewers attention is more critical than in any other media. What used to be only billboards with words has now turned into not only billboards with spectaculars but also ordinary objects on the streets being turned into advertisements.



This outdoor ad really stuck out to me because it took a media that normal is only 2 dimensional and added movement and consequently a story to the advertisement. With rotating panels, the ad can show 3 different images, in this case illustrating the progression of age that makes the line "get a career you'll never want to leave" more applicable.




This ad is particularly effective in my opinion because of it's location. So many people are probably stuck behind buses in traffic every day, staring at boring metal. Now, with an advertisement on the exhaust pipe people have something to look at that grabs their attention. This is also really clever because part of the object itself (in this case the exhaust smoke) further enhances the meaning behind the ad that urge people to quit smoking.




This is a clever example of an everyday object that you walk past every day that has been turned into an advertisement. Not only is this effective because there is a lot of traffic, but eyes will be instantly drawn to the ad because it stand out as out of the ordinary now. I especially like this particular mailbox ad because the shape of the object itself makes the waterfall look even more realistic, like it is actually moving water.

Week 4: Campaign

One of the campaign's that I have loved recently is for the olympics. It is P&G's television campaign that is targeted towards mothers. This is unusual for P&G to do advertisements for all of their brands as a whole, let alone at such a high profile spot, but I think they are really effective. My favorite commercial (http://www.youtube.com/user/PGThankYouMom#p/u/21/VSn5Z7EC4ME) is great because their turn it around and have little kids as the olympic athletes, essentially exaggerating the idea of "to moms, they'll always be kids." They also have spot for just the ads that are a really effective example of television ads that only you text and sounds to get their message across (http://www.youtube.com/user/PGThankYouMom#p/u/16/ViKJJtK6Hzk). The olympics are a great opportunity for brands to get their names out there and I think that P&G formulated a concise and cohesive campaign that will help their brand and wide range of products.

Week 3: Verbal Solutions

This week I'm bringing Verbal Solution ads to you!



This ad uses only text to convey the message. It is for Western Union and the copy reads "The fastest, most reliable way to receive money from abroad is now also the fastest, most reliable way to send money abroad." I think that by writing the text forward and backwards the idea of a fast and efficient way to transfer money becomes clear.




This is one of my favorite ads that use only verbal messages to convey the message. It is for marriage counseling and I think what is so effective is that it uses user participation to get the message across. By making the reader cut out the M and flip it around the message becomes "we" instead of "me" therefore further driving through the idea that the key to a good relationship is working together as partners.




Though this ad is an example of verbal solutions, I don't think it serves as the most effective example. The copy is not the clearest means of getting the message across and it took me a while to figure out what angle they were trying to play with. I think that a lot of times beer ads use verbal means of communication for print ads because they cannot get as much across like they can on television ads. It is hard to tell a story through one print ad so most of the time they take the easy way out and just use a headline.

Week 2: Visual Solutions

Here are some ads I found that use visual solutions to get their message across! Enjoy!



This was one of the best visual solution ads I found. There is no form of copy whatsoever because the image is so strong that it doesn't need explaining. By using accumulation and repetition, the smaller gas tank stands out right away therefore explaining how fuel efficient smart cars are.




This one is for the new Toyota Prado and uses the visual aid to show how multifaceted the vehicle is. Instead of using copy, they use a picture which contrasting environments which is a more effective means of illustration.




This ad uses the visual aid to explain the meaning behind the product. It shows a hypothetical, extreme situation that is out of the ordinary and therefore draws in the viewers eye immediately. By having the chef in an unusual environment, the viewers understand the power of the product, which essentially is so good that chefs aren't needed anymore.

Blog Week 1: Ad Tactics

This ad, for the Romanian Traffic Police, building awareness against drunk driving, uses the "Play with Words" tactic to effectively illustrate to the viewer just how visually impaired you are when you are intoxicated. By forcing the viewer to decipher the message, the advertisers are putting the viewer in the shoes of a drunk driver, and making them feel the difficulty of driving while under the influence. I also think that the ad is even more creative and effective because the words are also arranged into the shape of a martini glass, further utilizing the tactic to underline their important message.



I thought this ad for dig2go audio books was an example of how effective the "Metaphor and Analogy" tactic can be. By rearranging glasses so that the lenses are covering a person's ears it visually explains to the reader that with these audiobooks it is as if you are reading with your ears. I thought this was such a clever ad which utilized the creative metaphor to their advantage.




This advertisement for the Royal Australian Navy is using the "Change the Product" tactic by taking the soldiers and arranging them in the shape of a battleship. Accompanied with the tagline "Navy. The Team Works." the viewer is able to see that the product (in this case the Navy) is a strong group, able to take on any feat. In addition to using this tactic, I think that the visual image itself is dynamic and appealing, adding another depth into the meaning of the ad.

Welcome!

This is my blog for ADV 401. Each week I'm going to post about things in the advertising world that I find interesting! Hope you enjoy!