The Ad Man Answers #51

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

Win Free iPod Shuffle

Final Call For Entries

 

Happy New Year!!

 

We’ve had some great entries for our contest to win a free iPod Shuffle.  I’ll be taking additional submissions through 1/9, with the winner announced on 1/15. 

 

For your chance to win, submit the following in the comments section below:

1)      Your name

2)      Your email address

3)      Your favorite advertising campaign

4)      A brief summary of why you think that campaign was effective.  This could be any product and any media form – TV, outdoor billboards, magazines…whatever.  If you’re able to include a link to the creative, all the better.

 

The iPod shuffle will go to the entry I judge to be the most effective advertising campaign.

 

Here’s an example of what I mean… Southwest Airlines’ “Wanna Get Away?”

 

Except for this guy, 99% of people dislike air travel.  It’s fraught with long lines, aggravating delays, and stale peanuts (if you’re lucky).  But with this advertising campaign, Southwest avoids the “Fly The Friendly Skies” montage of helpful stewardesses and a cloudless horizon, which rings false in the age of modern travel.  

 

Instead, Southwest re-positioned air travel as an “escape,” playing on our natural fight-or-flight response to uncomfortable situations.  Most great advertising is rooted in showing how your product meets a consumer need, either real or perceived.  And with this campaign, Southwest Airlines reminds consumers they can get the hell out of Dodge with a simple $49 one-way ticket.

 

So let’s hear it peeps… what do you consider great advertising?

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for the past dozen years, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, and the San Diego Padres. He recently finished his first mystery, KATZ CRADLE and is currently on submission. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.

Comments

[Jessa Slade]

I had one of those exceedingly annoying recorded telephone solicitations (Does ANYBODY respond to those? Why?!?) left on my answering machine. I was multi-tasking (okay, eating leftover Christmas cookies with both hands) so I let the message play.

It was a refinancing offer that used "bail-out" not once, not twice, but three times. A bail-out just for me. How sweet of Congress. I had no idea they cared.

Okay, this wasn't a good campaign because once I licked buttery crumbs off my fingers, I deleted the message. But who needs efficacy or honesty when you can so cheaply and wildly wield a 2x6 buzz word that everybody has heard a million times in the last few months yet doesn't really understand?

[Leanne Amann]

First off, great post! The SW Airlines stuff is pretty great. Their entire business plan is actually pretty creative and smart to begin with.

I know I'm jumping in late, but here's my go at it.

I think Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty” is easily one of the smartest, most effective campaigns of recent time.

They did something so simple, and so clever. Instead of saying, “Hey we’ve got great moisturizing soap that works a lot better than this other guy. We promise!”, they said, “Hey. Society is kind of f-ed up. We think you’re beautiful just how you are. And oh yeah, we make beauty products.” It’s almost like that old Pavlonian response technique. Present the audience with something they like. In this case, a positive, refreshing perspective on beauty and body image. The audience sees, agrees, and likes. Then attach the brand. The audience likes Dove.

The idea is great. The research and execution is solid and the campaign has legs. At the end of the day we’re still talking about a product that sells cellulite-reducing cream to girls. But for right now and probably for a long time, Dove is a respectable brand who at the least, is revolutionalizing the way beauty products are marketed to women and at their best, actually changing the world. That’s a pretty powerful campaign.

Here's the site: http://www.dove.us/#/cfrb/

[Darlene Ryan]

As much as I loved "I'd like to buy the world a Coke," and the California Raisins, my all-time favorite is Volkswagen's "Think Small" campaign for the Volkswagen Beetle.

Before this ad campaigns for cars stressed power and sex appeal. The Think Small campaign took a different approach, appealing to people who didn't worry so much about keeping up with the Joneses. The print ads (I hope I'm remembering them correctly) featured the car and the copy. No babes with large breasts, no smirking guys.