The people over at KFC knew that people perceived their food as being unhealthy. So they added grilled chicken, which has a lot less calories and fat than fried chicken, to the menu.
Fair enough. But their ad campaign is…unoriginal. We’ve seen it before.
Posted in advertising, copywriting, Media
Tagged 7up, ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, KFC, print ads, print advertising, uncola
This well-designed ad for The Dyson Ball vacuum uses a cutaway-view illustration.
If you read this blog regularly, you know that I believe that the image and the headline should be all the reader needs to understand the ad. In this case, an image of something electronic, combined with the headline, This ball isn’t just for turning, tells the reader exactly nothing.
Perhaps the reader is expected to see the name Dyson, remember the TV commercials, and make the connection in order to understand the ad. If that’s the case, then it violates another one of my rules, namely that an ad shouldn’t rely on a TV commercial in order to be understandable. The reason should be obvious—the reader may have not seen the commercial, and if she has, she may not remember it.
In addition, the copy in this ad is somewhat technical. Advertisers shouldn’t assume that the reader has a technical background or will even care enough about their product to spend the effort to figure out what they’re trying to say. If the point of this ad is that the Dyson vacuum is small, then say it quickly and concisely. That’s the only way to get the message out.
Posted in advertising, copywriting, Media
Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, Dyson vacuum, print ads, print advertising
There are some ads that you read and the only thing that goes through your mind is: What were they thinking?
This ad for Post Shredded Wheat is one of those ads. You can click the image above if you want to read the copy.
This is some kind of joke ad for Shredded Wheat that makes no sense whatsoever. Most readers will stop reading by the fourth paragraph, fail to understand what the heck the ad is about, and then turn the page.
The truly adventurous reader (all two of them) will go to the website mentioned in the ad: ThePalaceofLight.com. There, they will find a series of videos that may collectively make some semblance of sense, but anyone who has the time to view all the videos probably should be out looking for a job.
Here’s a screenshot of the website:
I watched this video and it was more nonsense. I’m sure this is all very funny and very clever to the marketing geniuses who put this together, but to the rest of us, it’s a big stupid waste of time and resources.
Is this going to sell Shredded Wheat? Sadly, the answer is no. At best, it will get some twenty-something ad people a pat on the back by other twenty-something ad people at the advertising cleverness awards.
Posted in advertising, copywriting, Media, web advertising
Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, Post Shredded Wheat, print ads, print advertising
This ad for Target Market Pantry brand foods appeared in the Orange County Register, opposite a full-page ad for the brand.
It’s definitely an innovative use of advertising, although not necessarily a positive one. It shows that desperate, cash-strapped newspapers will do just about anything to accommodate advertisers. This sort of thing further blurs the line between editorial and advertising.
This is a last-ditch effort to keep newspapers afloat in the final years before newspapers printed on paper wink out of existence—that is, unless the government is successful with their plans to bail out newspapers, in which case the government will basically own the papers, which will make newspapers de facto house organs of the government (which, let’s face it, most of them already are voluntarily).
I expect that as paper newspapers and magazines start to disappear, this blog will eventually have to shift its focus to commercials and web advertising.
Posted in advertising, copywriting, Media
Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, Market Pantry, print ads, print advertising, Target
This ad has a simple message: If you read Money Magazine, you can take charge of your finances. You won’t worry and you’ll sleep better.
And the ad is green, the color of money.
Break out the monkeys!
The coveted 5 Monkeys Award!
Posted in advertising, copywriting, Media
Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, Money Magazine, print ads, print advertising
It’s a dog-eat-dog world in the land of marketing. So when Clorox redesigns the container for their Disinfecting Wipes product and then tells you how great it looks, you have to be a bit skeptical.
They key to understanding this ad is the line “It just looks really cool next to the toaster.”
Most people who buy disinfecting wipes keep them under the sink, in a cabinet, or in some other out-of-the-way place. The marketers at Clorox know that out of sight is out of mind. The idea here is that if they make the dispenser attractive, they might be able to convince you to leave it out where you can see it. If you can see it, you’ll use it more (especially if you don’t have to go digging around for it under the sink). If you use it more, you’ll have to replace it sooner. If you replace it sooner, Clorox sells more product.
And you thought they were just interested in beautifying your kitchen.
Posted in advertising, copywriting, Media
Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, Clorox, copywriting, print ads, print advertising
This is a nice ad for Milkbone dog biscuits. It’s simple, to-the-point, and it includes a free product coupon.
Great!
Posted in advertising, copywriting, Media
Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, Milkbone, print ads, print advertising
I developed a healthy disrespect for Proctor & Gamble, the makers of Luvs, the day I heard one of their TV commercials that used the Beatles song All You Need is Love with the lyrics changed to “All you need is Luvs.” I’m not making this up. There’s a special part of hell reserved for the people who do marketing and advertising for this company, as well as the agency who came up with the concept. And lets not forget Michael Jackson and Sony, who licensed the song. (Michael Jackson was going to hell anyway—I don’t know what kind of additional penalty licensing Beatles songs to idiot marketers will bring.)
“Classic songs have been used for some time to connect with the consumer and drive emotion for a product or brand,” said Lisa Jester, a P&G baby care spokeswoman. “Music has a way of connecting us, and making us smile.”
Jester must be joking (get it?).” The commercial didn’t make Beatles fans smile. It pissed them off.
Following the concept that connects the sixties and disposable diapers comes this ridiculous ad featuring cartoon babies at a protest. The ad looks like it’s targeting third-graders. Of course, it’s targeting adults—adults who have the mentality of a third-grader.
I’m starting to miss the days when advertising wasn’t so creative. You know, here’s our product and here’s what it does. Please buy some.
Posted in advertising, Commercials, copywriting, Media, Television
Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, Luvs, print ads, print advertising, Proctor & Gamble
There are a few things wrong with this ad for Children’s Benadryl. First, there’s the headline. Using the pause symbol is clever, but it’s needlessly confusing to the reader, who has to stop and try to figure out the meaning.
Then there’s the image. For one thing, it’s generic—it doesn’t say anything about allergy. When you isolate the image and the headline, it doesn’t even tell you what type of product the ad is for, never mind which product.
The image is done in a snapshot style I can’t stand, where they’ve introduced annoying glare into the photo, either in the camera or with Photoshop. It’s the same style used in this awful ad for Sun Chips.
Posted in advertising, copywriting, Media
Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, Children's Benadryl, copywriting, print ads, print advertising
I like the way this ad for The Goodlife Recipe looks, but I don’t like the way the headline spans across two of the boxes at the bottom. It makes it too difficult to notice.
One small point: Someone needs to tell this company that dogs are carnivores. They don’t think about tomatoes, peas, or carrots.
Posted in advertising, Commercials, copywriting, Media
Tagged ad copy, ads, advertising, copywriting, print ads, print advertising, The Goodlife Recipe
