Playstation you have my heart

Playstation has done it again. In fierce competition with Wii and the ever evolving XBOX, Playstation has found a way to stand out. On top of the added features of the blue ray and HD quality, they have attracted me as a customer by their quirkiness alone. I love the commercials they have been producing lately. They are a lot of fun and I believe hit the nail on the head when it comes to their demographic. The crazy situations mixed with the reasons to believe and price points plastered on the ad making it fresh and not annoying. Then Playstation took it one step further. They teamed up with Best Buy to boost the range of people. They are offering a combo pack with a Flat screen TV to save a lot of money. But let's be honest, it's not about the money, it's about the massive amounts of people that over run Best Buy every holiday season. A large majority of people choose Best Buy for their electronic and gaming needs. So what better way to get exposure than make yourself a front runner at the super store that sells all of your competitors. My hat is off to Playstation. If I had the money to buy one I would be on your band wagon in a heart beat.

Slick idea

 

Hello everyone and thanks again for tuning into the blog that is all about what I like and that's about it. Okay, seriously I love ambient installations. They are one of the only ways to truly break out of the norm or tradition and catch your intended customer off guard. This idea for a hair care product is beautifully executed and a great idea. First of all in the category of hair care products, the use of this particular medium is brand new. Right off the bat you get the idea and the added interaction continues to engage the customer and forces them to continue to interact with the brand. Also the clever use of redesigning the table rather than just wrapping an existing one is a great addition. The curves and colors of the machine seem like they would be inviting to woman.  On top of that the smart placement of the machines in malls where the item is sold right next to it and college dorms hit there demographic in a place where they are looking to be entertained. Well wait no longer. Rejoice has got you covered. Nicely done Leo Burnett Manila, Makati City, Philippines.

Tease me

 

      After racking my brain this week to find cool and unique non traditional ads for Lifestyle Family Fitness I ran across this idea. I know it has nothing to do with the workout scene but did open my eyes to new possibilities. Nintendo just went ahead and used existing shapes that exist in the world instead of trying to force a look into a space. The choice of color and using the walls in a bathroom as a crossword puzzle is an awesome idea. It almost makes you feel like your in the game and you can't help but get involved in the challenge. As competitive people in the world we love to challenge ourselves and to see if we can figure it out.  This presents you with a problem. As soon as you read a clue you can't help but start thinking. This keeps you in the installation longer and heck if you have to handle business that takes a bit longer you might even finish the whole puzzle. On top of that using it in the mall where the game is sold and offering a 10 percent off coupon on leaving the bathroom really pushes people to go do it now instead of enjoying then fading in their minds. Nice work guys too bad I can't read what it says on the wall because now I want to play.

Coke on my mind

Recently I have been noticing these Coke ads scattered about the internet and was drawn to the consistent design idea but still being very original in their own right. Then I started to think about how my head hurts from thinking about copy and head lines and everything else 24 hours a day. The designers that work for Coke must have a ball. They don't have any statistics to throw at you or any brand new earth shattering concepts. They get to play in the realm of pure imagination and creating a feeling of fun and excitement. We all know as advertisers it is rare to get the chance to take this approach to advertising something. That is why I am both jealous of Coke designers and inspired at the same time. These ads catch your eye with beautiful color and an overall fun feeling to the ads that give you the feeling that a lot of creativity goes into the Coke brand. Now I have been a Pepsi supporter for many years but the design sensitivity and pure artistic creativity of these ads make me want to take my allegiance to the other side. For now it's a toss up but what isn't a toss up is my feeling about these ads, I love them!

Politics anyone?

 

This week I wanted to go with something I usually try to stay away from, politics. This visual was striking and spoke to me without even reading the headline.  The most interesting point for me was actually what language the ad was written in which was Turkish. The headline reads, Stories with the full background.  Then I started to wonder, do they receive CNN in Turkey or is this pushing the online news that the country has more readily available.  Anyways I would first like to comment on the execution of the ad separated from the content.  I love the 3D effect that is achieved and the wrinkled torn paper. This effect really brings forth the emotion captured here as it actually looks like someone tore down part of the poster to reveal the truth. Now separate from the nicely designed ad lies the content of the ad.  First it makes news stations in general look like self promoting, information force feeding, lying, dirty rotten scoundrels, which you may have your own opinions, but I don't think they are telling us anything we don't already know.  Although the image is provocative I think it is a pretty surface area idea and could dig deeper to show us that the news stations don't just report the obvious. This ad doesn't do anything to change my mind about the news channels but it does inspire me to push that extra step in the craft of the execution to convey more emotion and make people stop and look.

Flower Power

As you all may know now by being my fellow class mates, or you may not if you are a guest reading my blog, that I love to build things and sculpture is really what inspires me. I love when you can walk around something and get a new perspective each time on the same piece. Also ever since I learned about what ambient advertising is, I have had a love for things that really catch you off guard when your anti ad shields are down. These things combined are what really drew me to this ambient idea. The art work is expertly crafted and the 3-D effect of being a pop up is awesome.  It presents you with the product and visualizes another sense you have, smell. The object releases a bit of the product as well so you can combine sight and smell into one experience, which is way more powerful of a memory than if it were just one or the other. If not why would do we all love to scratch and sniff the cologne and perfume ads in magazines.

Wii will practice with you

Today I was looking through the outdoor section of Ads of the World and came across this piece. Wii went out and hand painted tennis practice walls all over the United States with these images of Wii sports.  I think this idea is genius because of how simple it was. First it employed local artists from all over the nation, which any idea that creates jobs or opportunity for artists is good no matter what.  It also is smart because Wii is breaking out from the traditional advertising in game magazines and tv spots. It forces you to stare at the logo for longer than most ads can hope to achieve also. It makes you feel as if Wii is somehow playing with you and it is no longer practice. Also it is located in a place that people of all ages come to play and it ingrains this image in your head the longer you practice. Well done guys, simple and effective.

Break out of the box

As I was making my usual run through adsoftheworld.com, this ad caught my eye. Since we have been doing ads for texting and driving, I understand how difficult it is to convey a message of bettering yourself and the world around you, with no product to sell. As Ad men and woman we are always looking for ways to break out of the box and find fun ways to grab the readers attention. This ad does just that. The funny image stops you and the vibrant color makes you look again. The interactive quality of the ad is what allows the consumer to close that gap in their minds on their own. This pulls the reader in and really makes them committed to the ad so they really put some thought to it. Well done Saatchi, I am now inspired.

WWF and im not talking about wrestling

As I was taking my usual stroll through Ads of the World this piece caught my attention right away. The shape of it held a lot of meaning because of the much debated ivory hunters all over the world and made me want to take a closer look due to the unusual detailing. When I opened it up further the image carved into the ivory became clear. It is such a beautiful piece of art with a less than beautiful message being displayed. It is more of a narrative than an Advertisement. It really engages the viewer because of the punchy tag line "A display of wealth or moral bankruptcy?", taking the responsibility of these horrific killings and putting it on the person who buys the ivory tusk, for they create the demand. With no demand is no need for the supply. Most of all I enjoy the simplicity of the image and the layers it has which keep drawing you in further every time you look at it. What ever artist made this, "This piece is amazing!" 2 thumbs up WWF but I might change the typeface of the headline?

Wrap it up and drive.

So for my first blog I wanted to address an area of advertising I know well but most people don't use yet. Vehicle wraps are becoming a rising trend in the global effort to break through the clutter. Although this medium can be used on a wide variety of projects I would like to focus on just cars and vehicles on the road in general. Cars, trucks, buses and everything else look like ads driving along a long road of magazine. You see the same cars again and again. Even the nice cars in this town don't wow you like they usually would. It makes me think of a magazine where everyone is trying the same old thing in a different color when you have to change the approach all together.  Vehicle wraps make more sense than any other advertising medium because of the cost versus viewer exposure. We are all stuck in traffic all day as we speed from one obligation to another. As we sit we see a vehicle out of the corner of our eye and there is something different. Even if you don't care about the company, you are intrigued. Before you know it you start seeing this brand more and more everywhere you go because you were forced, by traffic, to stare at the ad longer than you could choose. This is why, in short, I believe vehicle wrapping is the dark horse in advertising that no everyone is doing yet, unlike facebook.