Guerilla

Guerilla advertising has always been my favorite. It is the only type of advertising that really captures my attention, and when done well, is the best in creativity.

One guerilla campaign that I've always loved was this one done by Mini Cooper.

I love it because it is so simple, and conveys the message so well. Yet, it is in a place that is completely unexpected...on the curb with the trash. Mini tells their story, its a car so small that it comes in a box like any other product. They are fun, hence the gift wrapping, and a stylish addition to any driveway.

I have found that many of my favorite guerilla campaigns come for foreign countries (including this one which was in Amsterdam), and I think that may be because we have such strict regulations on things like this. Often times, this inhibits creativity, which is really unfortunate, but I think it just makes us have to work that much harder to come up with something just as creative within the rules.

HUGE

Billy Fuccillo. Your enemy and mine, but also some of the most effective local/regional advertising I know of. While most people are really annoyed by him, I have never had that hatred. When he moved his first dealership to Buffalo, he bought out 3/4 of the metro bus fleet:

So every day before school I awaited the bus with Billy Fuccillo awkwardly lying across it in a seductive manner. The phrase "HUGE!" has been ingrained in my head and the heads of everyone who has a Fuccillo dealership in their area. It may be annoying, but his prices are unbeatable and his advertising is effective. Everyone knows his name. Everyone knows what he does and people are buying his cars.

Fuccillo is so annoying, but he's effective. I think it happened by chance that it worked out, and its not a strategy I would suggest, but good for you Billy Fuccillo. You won me and the rest of middle class America over.

Funny or Offensive?

Last week in class a discussion was sparked about offensive advertising.

Here are a few examples that our professor sent us, of advertising that some have deemed offensive:

Gandhi, Mother Theresa Gum

I don't hate this, but I find it unnecessary. There is no need to use such strong figures as Ghandi and Mother Theresa to sell a simple product as gum.

Norwegian Association for the Blind

I have been going back and forth between how I feel about this ad. The advertising part of me thinks they are not really offensive because they are done by a large blind advocacy organization, and take a different/creative approach to advocacy for blind people, but the part of me with the disabilities studies minor feels that it really sends the wrong message. While the ad is aimed at businesses to encourage them to hire blind employees, the ads don't promote anything about the benefits that blind people could bring to the business. So often people with disabilities can provide great benefits to organizations, but this does not show this. It is honestly surprising that this is what a blind advocacy organization would use. 

Kenneth Cole - This was just plain inappropriate.

Here's an ad that I find to be pretty offensive:

I think a lot of times advertising tries to make unique combinations or associations but often times they take it way too far, and make an association that is pretty offensive. This is one of those occasions. They are associating with their cars with the skin of a Black person. There is no relevance to the VW brand, and while it certainly gets attention, the image does not tell the story or work with the line. To me it makes no sense and brings race into something that it doesn't need to a part of.

Outdoor.

Outdoor advertising is probably my favorite type of advertising. While it is usually cluttered with really crappy ads, when someone does a REALLY creative outdoor ad it catches the most attention. All of the ads that I have loved and are inspired by are the best of the best in creative outdoor.

This weeks post was to discuss our favorite in outdoor advertising, focusing on ones using only words.

I loved this advertisement for a literacy organization. It gets the message out in a really creative way and in only two words. The simplicity of it is something that most advertising lacks, and this immediately catches your attention, and tells you a story in the ten seconds you have to see in when driving down the highway.

I also really enjoyed this words only ad, especially because it is for a local car dealership, which as most of us know, don't usually produce the greatest in creative advertising. I think it may be a little hard to read going by at 65 mph, but you get the point. It may be better with the dealership logo right side up, so that you get the message and it attracts your attention, but you can more easily understand what company it is for.

I really enjoy outdoor advertising that makes use of the landscape already around it. Take this beauty for example: 

This ad for Law & Order makes great use of the already existing building light, by turning it into the interrogation room light. The image is strong, and conveys the tone of the show very well. Things like this really capture people's attention...I wish there was more of it.

This is another great use of the surrounding landscape. A nose hair trimmer company used the power lines around the billboard to represent those unruly, sensitive nose hairs. creative. funny. succinct. everything that good outdoor advertising should have.

I've also found that bus shelter advertising is some of the most amazing work. This ad for 3M security glass shows how safe it is because they are willing to store loads of money in a bus shelter. Everyone is immediately attracted to loads of money, so this one is a real eye grabber. Gets the message across real quick.

Ad Techniques

For this weeks blog post we were asked to find and write about three ads that represent some of the creative techniques we have been talking about.

The first ad that I found was a really poignant public service announcement by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines. It uses the Mixing and Matching technique to combine a television news camera with a gun. Not only is this ad very creative, but combined with the simple message "Over 100 journalists have been murdered since 2001. Help us stop the killings" it leaves a lasting impression. I really like how the camera is old and beat up, and is placed on a concrete floor. This really adds to the tone of the ad, and lets you get the sad feeling that was to be portrayed. I also really like that the viewfinder is the place that they transformed into the gun. It takes the point where the journalist is seeing the news they are capturing and makes it into the place that killed them. Just for doing their job, for seeing the world through their lens, they were innocently murdered. This is a very strong message.

The second ad that I found was for the Pampaverde extra big burger.
It uses the exaggeration technique to represent how big this new burger really is. It uses no caption, but you get the message that you need a really big mouth in order to eat this new burger. I thought it was really creative how they did not just use Photoshop to make his mouth larger, but instead painted it onto his skin. I think this is more eye catching and humorous and really allows the message to be immediately understood.

Finally, the last ad that I will discuss was this one for milk. It is similar to the Got Milk? campaign in its use of simple imagery, but instead uses the Change the Product technique to transform milk into very  light images. The butterfly image matches well with the "Drink milk, feel lightness!" line. I really like the simplicity of this campaign, and its use of creative imagery in conveying this simple message. It is pairing such an everyday product with a butterfly, which captures the audience's attention and makes them look at milk in a different way. Creative and simple, and in black and white...this ad is my style.

1-7-11 The Superbowl

My favorite Superbowl XLV commercial had to be one of the first ones that premiered, the Audi "Release the Hounds" ad. To me, it did everything that a good ad should. It was intriguing, told a story, kept me involved, was visually appealing and hit the right target.

The image of these old rich people in their golden jail cells, still wearing their ascots and drinking their champagne was both amusing and confusing. I had no idea what this ad would be for until the very end, but unlike many of the other Superbowl ads that use this technique, this one did not lose my attention.

It was humorous, "oh my spleen," using the fake pheasant (?) to hold up the gate, the show dogs as guard dogs and the Kenny G music all add moments that keep the viewers amused and engaged. There is a little bit of action too... I mean who doesn't like an old many busting feet first through a window?

The best moment comes in the end,  when the one "inmate" gets into the Mercedes, after is friend tells him "its a trap" saying "my father had one of these" and you discover its an ad for Audi. Not only am I partial to Audi's myself, but I really liked the little knock on Mercedes and old money. When the guy speeds off in his Audi to freedom, he has that little bit of adventure in his eyes that Audi can bring to the target. My father, who probably fits into the target demographic, totally matches physically and emotionally to the guy driving the Audi. I don't know if this was just a good job by the casting director or a really good job by Venables Bell, but I think they hit the target market right on the spot.

The campaign, with the tagline "escape the confines of old luxury" extends beyond this commercial into an online auction on Facebook where they are auctioning off old luxury items for new ones and of course, the "necessary" twitter hash tag #luxuryis.

Good job Audi, you've convinced me. I'll get back to you in about 30 years when I fit that target...