Week 8 EOC: Font Slogans

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Have Fun.

Week 6 EOC: The Pitch

After an intensive thought process, I finally came up with my pitch for the ad campaign:  an ad for Martinelli’s Cider with the slogan “Have Fun.”  It is meant to say that there are a lot of dull, difficult, and boring things in this world, but Martinelli’s makes life exciting and interesting.  To illustrate this point, the visual would be a science classroom setting, with the class working  on the famous acid/base lab assignment.  Instead of a bottle filled with vinegar, a balloon would be placed over a bottle of Martinelli’s Cider.

The thought process began with the challenges life brings a person on a day to day basis, with the premise being that Martinelli’s would help you through tough times.  The message didn’t change much: it became brighter and happier, like the mood of the product itself.  After scrapping the original ideas for being too negative, it was time to go back to basics.  I described the product in almost childish terms: Bubbly, sweet, tart, apple-ey, sugary, fizzy, bright, celebratory, and romantic.  I thought about what it was made out of, what settings it is used in, and what it does.  Finally, an interesting tendency for fizzy products inspired me.  The contents often became pressurized.  I remembered all too many times that a plastic cap has flown off a bottle because it wasn’t stored properly.  Perhaps, then, I thought, maybe that pressure could be used for an interesting concept.  If the pressure could blow off a cap, it could no doubt blow up a balloon or a piece of bubble gum.  It brought to mind a famous experiment done in many science classes, including the one I’d taken in the eighth grade.  One put a baking-soda filled balloon atop a bottle of vinegar and watched it blow up.  I knew I had my big idea.

EOC Week 5: Super Bowl Advertisement

The Google Super Bowl Advertisement for 2010 was simple and elegant without straying from the event’s primarily male audience. Various searches from the same person are displayed in the ad, developing the character to be a male college student starting a study abroad program. The advertisement takes place on the Google homepage, moving through several years’ time in the phrases searched. Searches include “How to impress a French girl,” and eventually, “How to set up a crib.” The man searching goes from a college student to a boyfriend to a father, all assisted by Google Search. It is an advertisement that is relatable to any man, being that every man has come across the inevitable issue of trying to impress a potential mate. If fact, it is not just limited to the dating issue. Every person in the modern era has searched the internet for help on a problem he or she has had. Husbands and fathers will remember having faced similar issues to those presented in the ad in era before the internet became widely available to make it so much easier to find answers to a question. Overall, the advertisement fosters a feeling of goodwill and love, telling the audience that Google will help you along the way in your lifetime. There are lots of search engines, but this advertisement sells Google as the one that will accompany you in building your future.

Another strength of this ad is its universal appeal. The ad appeals to men by being relatable and, in its own way, witty. It appeals to women by being romantic and touching. The chocolate store search, of course, was a nice touch, but coming back to reality, there are likely some women who are asking themselves why they can’t find a man who is as romantic as the one presented in the ad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ4unnMgiSQ

EOC Week 4: Jerry Della Femina

Jerry Della Femina began his advertising career in 1961 as a junior copywriter. Having grown up in an Italian family, it was difficult for him to land his first job. Michael Bierut says in his article, ‘Jerry Della Femina, Mad Men, and the Cult of Advertising Personality,’ “He muscled his way into his first job by sending weeks of samples signed only with his initials before presenting himself triumphantly at the agency's door, announcing, ‘I'm J.D.F.’” It was a time when the industry was still filled with discrimination. Despite this, however, he created a name for himself. He went from job to job, doing exceptional work along the way. One of his most famous and ingenious advertisements read, “Before Hitler Could Kill Six Million Jews, He Had to Burn Six Million Books.”

Della Femina’s first job is hardly what the common man would expect of the advertising industry. He himself says of the general public, “…They've been fed the idea of Hollywood that an advertising man is a slick, sharp guy. The people know zip about advertising.” It was quite the opposite, in fact. Della Femina had the following to say of his first job: “The whole place was filled with young guys who suddenly discovered 　that somebody was going to pay them a lot of money for the rest of their lives for doing this thing called advertising, and all of us got caught up in the insanity of it and went crazy. A whole group of people slowly went out of their skulls.” According to him, alcohol and drug use as well as an uninhibited attitude toward sex was the norm. Strip poker games were held, and men peeped in on neighboring apartment buildings out of window. The advertising industry was truly insane in that era, but one thing is certain: the most interesting, creative ads of the century were the result.

Sources:


http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/qa-jerry-della-femina-96113http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=14668http://www.dellafemina.com/jerry.html

Week 4 EOC: Interview with Kevin Roberts

“Think with your heart.” –Kevin Roberts

I agree with many of the points of view demonstrated by Kevin Roberts in the interview in chapter 4 of Advertising by Design. As people, we really are emotional beings, and so, we want to have an emotional connection to the things we buy. The heart is so much stronger in our decisions than the mind.
To me, Kevin Roberts, the CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, comes across in the text as an optimistic, empathetic person, whose views translate to exceptional work. He respects others as a source of ideas and communicates a sense of teamwork in the interview, further fostering an emotional connection to the text.

Week 3 EOC: Tobacco Advertisement Evaluation

Determine the scenario: What happens in this frame?

It is Father’s Day, and a mother, her children, and the family dog are all ready to give the man of the house his presents – a pack of cigarettes a piece.

What is the setting? What are the conditions?
The setting is the foyer of a two-story house on Father’s Day morning.

Who are the people or groups?
The man in the ad coming down the stairs is a father and husband, and the others are his wife and children, and the family dog.

What is their point of view around this specific experience?
Their opinion is, “The only brand good enough for Dad is Old Golds.” They believe that only this brand of cigarette will do for their father.

What are their goals?
The goals of the family members in the ad are to give their father something he’ll enjoy.

What are their assumptions? What are their perceptions?
Their assumption is that their father will love the gift because it is this particular brand.

Are there conflicts? Is there cooperation?
There isn’t a real conflict in the advertisement, but the family cooperates to give the father what the ad suggests will make him happy.

What are the outcomes?
The outcome isn’t outright seen in the ad, but it is assumed that the outcome is a happy Father’s Day.

The advertisement conveys a home-like feeling, attempting to give the product a family-friendly image. It also tries to establish the brand as superior by telling you that it’s the only thing that will do for the number one man in your life. Its message is that if someone that important and close to you deserves nothing less, then it is the best brand. Using a figure directly relevant to your life, they establish themselves as an ideal. That, of course, is a main strength of this ad. It is relevant in some manner to the consumer, in contrast to the glamorization tactic of many vintage tobacco advertisements.

Image credit to http://pzrservices.typepad.com/vintageadvertising/vintage_tobacco_advertising/page/4/ .

EOC Week 2: Questionable Ethics in Advertising

There are many examples of questionable ethics in advertising. Too many businesses just try to make money without thinking about how unethical their methods can be. Most of these strategies, fortunately, hurt sales in the long run. For example, Shape-Up shoes promise to burn more calories while you do exercises you were already doing to give you the figure of your dreams. When consumers found out the product wasn’t helping, the result was predictable. They stopped buying, for the most part. Another product that doesn’t deliver on its promise is one most people likely have in their homes every day: bottled water. Bottled water, including Dasani and Aquafina brands, often comes from public water sources. Ever wonder what MWS or PWS stood for on your water bottle? It’s just a way to note, without outright saying, that the water comes from a local, public source. Additionally, it is held to less vigorous standards than water from the tap. Sometimes it’s not even held to any standards at all! It markets itself as healthier and purer than tap water, but it’s really the opposite-It can be harmful. There have even been studies that linked bottled water to the development of cancer. Hopefully, within the next few years, more consumers will be aware of the risks, and stop buying, but the chances of that are fairly low. The one thing bottled water does offer above tap is convenience. Another unethical choice in advertising comes from what has in the past few years become public enemy number one: credit card companies. Credit card companies have found that their greatest profits come from high-risk borrowers, who would only pay the minimum payment. Their advertising is often directed purposely to the people who would have difficulty paying the cards off and have little financial responsibility, as this allows them to accumulate late fees and interest, trapping them in debt to make the greatest possible profit.

EOC Week 1: VW Lemon

The Volkswagen Lemon ad described inspections of Volkswagens, and how one tiny detail can make that car a “lemon” to the company. It was meant to show the quality of the cars they sell by saying that Volkswagen accepts only the best. The ad basically said that lemons often look just the same as any other car, and inspectors at Volkswagen notice the difference so that a lemon, or even a slightly less-than-perfect car, does not end up in a customer’s hands.

The ad appeared in the early 1960’s with the headline “Lemon.” It was at the head of the Creative Revolution, when imagery replaced traditional trends in advertising. The ad had many strengths. Its wit was charming and it used poetic devices to allow it to stand out among the unimaginative ads of the era. Part of the true genius, however, was that the ad highlighted the parts most closely linked to the ‘experience’ of driving, subtly appealing to the viewer’s emotions without straying from the most obvious purpose of showing the quality of the car. It brought to mind not only the image of the inspection itself, but the smooth ride the shock absorbers allowed, a flawless body and interior, and the road ahead. Though the car was inexpensive, the ad brought to mind a luxurious, comfortable experience.

It was a unique work which helped to revolutionize advertising. Advertising would no longer be about showing just the product, but also, the experience associated with it. The ad, along with its predecessor, Volkswagen’s “Think Small” ad, moved advertising ahead into a new era, in which advertisers would appeal to the senses and emotions rather than simply showing a picture of a product and telling you to buy it.

To be honest, even today, the ad makes me want to buy a Volkswagen.