Over a series of blog posts, hopefully, I will attempt to share few basics on making the best use of a particular medium (e.g. Print, Radio, Outdoor) or a platform (in-app advertising, YouTube) for advertising. This week, let me start with the basics of outdoor advertising. A fleeting medium The hallmark of a billboard is that people get just a few seconds to notice it, absorb the content and move on. This is especially true…
There are hundreds of commercial messages vying for consumer attention everyday across traditional and new media. Only a handful are noticed. Here are a few creative ideas which caught my eye, the week ending 9th June, 2017: Volvo XC60, iPhone 7 ad featuring Carl Sagan’s voice over and more. 1. Volvo: Moments The Future of Safety – is what the blurb says about the Volvo XC60. A new film for the brand begins like a…
Between bookmarked sites, Twitter and RSS feeds which showcase advertising, I come across many new creative ideas every week. As with advertising in real life, only a handful are memorable. Here are my picks for the week ending 2nd December, 2016: Spotify, Volvo Trucks and more. 1. Volvo Trucks: Live Test Brands have long realised that today’s advertising is about ‘brand action’ rather than just ‘brand messaging’. Some, like P&G (with the Thank You, Mom…
WPPed Cream – the internal creative awards for WPP group agencies have been awarded since 2007. The categories have evolved over the years to reflect changing times. Thankfully, ‘advertising’ is still a category with awards for print, outdoor and film. Just a decade ago, outdoor was limited to vinyl billboards. But today, the category includes fancy interactive and digital installations and more. In this years awards, here are a few outdoor campaigns which caught my eye: 1. Automobile…
Between bookmarked sites, Twitter and RSS feeds which showcase advertising, I come across many new creative ideas every week. As with advertising in real life, only a handful are memorable. Here are my picks for the week ending 22nd April, 2016: Mosquito Killer Board, IKEA and more. Mosquito Killer Board The lines between the erstwhile ‘mediums’ of advertising – outdoor, PR, activation have all blurred now. An outdoor campaign was once about pasting vinyl skins.…
I love everything about the Snickers ‘you are not you when you are hungry’ campaign. It is based on a great insight, articulated well and the central idea is so ‘campaignable’. We’ve seen some great theme and tactical ads as part of the campaign. A new outdoor campaign takes it to the next level – actually showing people what the downside of being hungry.
Campaigns for the Museum of Childhood have been featured in ad blogs before and have gone on to win awards, including the Cannes in 2009. Most of them were traditional posters, executed superbly. Now comes a street graphics driven campaign which is even more memorable because of its unexpected nature.
I remember an early lesson from my ex-boss about charity advertising: ask for a specific amount. Instead of saying ‘donate generously’ asking for a specific amount has a better chance of getting a donation. Second, make the response mechanism easy. In advertising, I grew up in the print era where the coupon was a powerful call to action. And the coupons typically were ‘design elements’ which the Art Director wanted to hide or tuck away…
Just what makes outdoor ads great: idea-driven, locally relevant, creative suited to a fleeting medium. Loved the new campaign for Morrisons, supporting the launch of the Morrisons.com home delivery service in London. The campaign highlights London neighbourhoods and puns on them using a food product. So we have ‘Mornington Cressent’, ‘West Mincester’, ‘Piccalilli Circus’, ‘White Chapple’, ‘Finsberry Park’, ‘Green Lanes’ and ‘Tottenham’. Agency: DLKW Lowe Loved West Mincester and Finsberry Park.
The print and outdoor ads from The Economist have always generated positive buzz for the brand. The classic red background, clever headline look of these ads are etched in my memory. I have always been a fan of the classic David Abbott created ads and loved the way they convey a clear, relevant and distinct message with wit and style. The tradition continues with a new campaign for The Economist running in Boston & Philadelphia.…