Anti-obesity social marketing campaign against junk food consumption, from New York City’s health department.
via creatimes:
Portions have grown. Chances have decreased.
via brewnoob:
Dirt Cheap is a local discount chain of Liquor and tobacco stores in the St. Louis metro area that serves as “the last refuge of the persecuted smoker”. Their memorable low-budget ads featuring owner Fred and the Dirt Cheap Chicken (the mascot seen in this ad) were a regular fixture on the TV airwaves growing up in the area.
To me the store seemed ubiquitous, and with taglines like “Cheap-cheap! Fun-fun!” from their mascot and slogans like “the more she drinks the better you look”, hardly adding glamor to this young adult’s impression of beer drinkers. Indeed, the store carried their own line of Dirt Cheap Beer, presumably to compete alongside St. Louis mainstays like Nattie Light and Busch beer.
In retrospect, it’s kind of a small wonder I gained a taste for craft beer at all, growing up in the macro-brew capital and consistently exposed to ads like these for Dirt Cheap.
Here’s an excerpt from the book which comes out tomorrow! It yearns it be in your elegant hands. This entry was written by Tim Siedell, is a whip-smart ad man you may know as Bad Banana on twitter.
At the end of season three Peggy is assigned a Western Union account. Tim offers our Pegs some guidance.
* * *
Great ads are simple.
The talented people who work in advertising agencies know this. But, god help them, they often can’t help themselves. A talented wordsmith may want to squeeze in just one more clever line. The art director may want to add just one more stylistic flourish. And that’s just in the creative department. The account executive might want to hedge his bets and work in some more sales copy about a second or third product line in order to please his client. And all bets are off if the client gets down in the trenches. Or (shudder) the client’s spouse.
And that’s why there are so few great ads.
This one is. Throw out the fact it’s selling telegrams. Ignore the dates headline typeface. Don’t worry, modern reader, about the lack of a website address for more information. This would be a great ad in 1983, 2003, or today.
The crafters of this ad understood human nature. Tell us to ignore something, and we won’t be able to. Snap. Which is the entire idea of the ad. Not just the idea of a clever copywriter/art director team, mind you. Those are a dime a dozen. No, it’s the very essence of a Western Union telegram. It’s not just a powerful idea, it’s a relevant idea. And those kinds of ideas are worth their weight in gold.
Now notice the craft of the art director. The layout forces you to quickly glance at the yellow telegram, but the bold typeface and dramatic white space pulls your eye upward to the headline. You’ve already noticed that there is small type in the telegram and, good grief, there’s no way you’re not going to read that copy.
Now notice the craft of the copywriter. The copy gets right to the point. Because, again, that’s the idea of a telegram. This is no time for fluffy copy or clever wordplay. And while the writer no doubt could craft a double-entendre that would make your head spin and smile in admiration, he or she should be commended for showing masterful restraint here.
Now notice the craft of the creative director. A powerful creative hand helped guide this ad through final approval, no doubt. See how there are no superfluous elements? No background texture. No colors to distract from the yellow telegram. The copy is contained in the telegram. There’s not even a need for a logo, as the client’s name is proudly displayed on the telegram itself. There’s not a single detail here that’s not needed (or organically part of a Western Union telegram). Everything has been stripped away so the focus is on the idea itself.
A single, powerful, relevant idea simply executed. It sounds easy. It’s not. Whether you worked in advertising in 1963 or today.
Target And MTA Unveil First Full Length Train Wrapped In Advertising
via @thecorcorangroup:
Yesterday morning, the 6 train become the first ever full length train completely wrapped in advertising to run on the New York City subway system.
Why Creatives Are Always Confused
via @cameronmoll:
Bob Hoffman, CEO of Hoffman/Lewis Advertising:
When their friends like it, their clients hate it. When their clients like it, their friends hate it. They are encouraged to be collaborative. But the more people touch their work, the worse it gets. They are counseled against becoming prima donnas. But they see that the people who get good jobs are often disagreeable monsters.
If they weren’t confused they’d be crazy.
Spot on for a sizable portion of the industry. Or at least it feels that way sometimes.
/via Paul Mayne
