Sunday, October 24, 2010

Guerrilla & Long Copy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dInhX6ED15Y
I think this Heineken guerilla campaign is fantastic because it took what all guys dread about getting older, addressed the issue and then gave it back to them in a humorous way. The campaign brought many different men together to attend a classical music concert on the night of a big soccer match. We see their reactions of being asked (or told) to attend and then follow them into the concert hall with empty, gloomy faces. After 15 minutes of playing music, words on a projector screen begin to address some of the different reasons for attending the concert, "It's hard to say no to your boss...or your girlfriend."In the footage we see the men begin to sit up in their chairs and really begin to pay attention and finally we read "how could you have even thought of missing the big match?" The audience begins to cheer and the final copy reads "Let's enjoy the match together." The brilliance of this ad is that it takes what all guys can relate to (the responsibility associated with getting older and missing out on the fun stuff) makes a nod to it but says it shouldn't happen so we will do everything in our power to prevent it-at least for tonight. It celebrates the bigger idea of competition and sports and associates the product with it is this unforgettable way.
This idea became a hit on blogs, the news etc because everyone who watched or heard about it could feel for these guys on how horrible it would have been to have missed the game and how relieving it was to have it be a joke.
 
Long Copy


Trying to find a long copy ad just helps to prove that they are a dying art. Most of the ones I found were old or not about a product that I would want to spend time and effort reading about. Especially after looking such innovative and creative guerrilla campaigns long copy seemed that much more difficult to consume. The headline is funny so I decided to read it. Runners really do run through creepy areas that normal people wouldn't. The final lines opull the ad together, basically stating that it is your civic duty to run because running helps saves life or find their bodies...The ad addressed that runners like to run while any other athlete sees it as punishment for their sport. The header is clever which grabs people and the copy is witty, which is why an audience would continue to read it.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Only Words

It became evident that ads today are dominated by images and graphics rather than copy. The frenetic nature of the world today makes it easy to guess why-if a potential consumer feel like they have to work for your ad they will ignore it. In my opinion the most successful ads are those which use language as well as the font to make a statement.
This Wonderbra ad uses the typeface to mimic the shape of the product. It assumes that the viewer knows what the product is and capitalizes on familiarity with the product and what it does.
Comparing this ad to a Victoria's Secret print ad, which would most likely feature an almost naked woman, the wonderbra ad won't offend a viewer from a younger audience.

This Imax ad utilizes their typeface to emphasize that their 'screens curve down at the bottom' by using a smaller font on the last line. It also uses a negative criticism of Imax screens and turn it into a positive by making a joke. The copy is big and bold which parallels the Imax screens.
McDonalds does very clever advertising with their copy. Recently I saw a clever billboard of theirs that read "If coffee is Joe then consider this Ioseph." While the billboard does have a small photo of a cup of coffee in the corner the copy brings the product to the next level with humor. 
In this ad for McDonalds they again use humor as a way to emphasize how great their product is. Everyone knows how painful it is to bite your tongue and they use the deliciousness of their food as a way to take the pain away and apologize for the mistake.
From these ads we see that copy must be brief, entertaining and to the point, otherwise the viewer will get bored and stop reading.