Love Communications & Tobacco Free Utah give smokers a "Clue" about their fate

 

Salt Lake City-based Love Communications created the above ad as part of a print campaign for Tobacco Free Utah, working to garner awareness of successful quitting attempts. The ads stem from the popular board game "Clue", where players solve a murder by identifying the victim, the weapon used and the room serving as the stage for their demise. In the ad, the central figure's smoke lofts into the shape of a rope, one of the possible weapons in the board game, and accompanies the copy in the bottom corner: It wasn't the rope in the conservatory that did him in. Information about Smoke Free Utah is provided as well.

I find this ad to be striking and effective for several reasons: first, the usage of design is commendable. Instead of relying on simple photography and topping it with editing tricks and photoshop layers, we are presented with a shadowy, well-drawn digital image; second, creatively drawing from a popular board game will resonate with a broad range of audiences and allow the message to disseminate with ease; lastly, it benefits from a lack of excessive copy. The one line of copy ties the image and its theme to the client, providing just enough information to guide consumers to further information. It's bold, colorful and creative, and if I were a smoker I'd take the message to heart.

New pub creates memorable visuals to capture attention

Beer Point hired an advertising agency based in the Ukraine to raise awareness of their opening with a set of ads similar to the one above. The ads feature an almost cartoon-looking individual with a full size beer shoved into their mouth, accompanied by a look of surprise. Each ad showcases a different beer, likely in attempts to convey the pub's wide range of beer selection. These ads have been featured on adsoftheworld.com, recognized for their usage of memorable imagery which has been greeted with both praise and distaste.

I feel this ad is blog-worthy because it certainly stands out in a world where visual communication is constantly in our faces. I am undecided as to whether the print would inspire me to visit the actual pub, because I agree with some online commentary that they are a little frightening in an off-putting way. However, if their objective was solely to foster awareness of the pub I can guarantee that these ads achieved said goal -- the striking visual practically commands attention.

MGD 64 offers most for calorie counters

The above image is a print ad that appeared during Miller's campaign for their brew, MGD 64. Now referred to as simply Miller 64, with a redesigned logo, the brew was once the lowest-calorie beer on the market until Budweiser released their Select 55 brew. The ad uses interesting visual effects to showcase the unique benefit of their product; with other alcoholic beverages, you would have to drink much less to equate to the low calorie count of their MGD 64 brew.

I stumbled upon this ad while doing research for our group projects for my advertising course, and I think it is effectively communicating to their target. On a basic design level, the interesting visual draws attention particularly due to the positioning and shapes of the liquid in the other drinks. The MGD 64 bottle stands out with its rich coloring and fullness. The idea for the ad also effectively reaches their market, as the target is primarily those who want to enjoy a drink but also want to live healthy and remain cognizant of calories. I personally don't like Miller 64 all that much, but the ad would certainly attract my attention to the product.

Classic horror flick gets remade

The above video is the teaser trailer for "Carrie", a remake of the classic horror story from Stephen King about a misunderstood high school student named Carrie who is pushed over the edge at her senior prom. The original version of the film, released in 1976, is still recognized as one of the most effective horror films of all time. The remake slated Kimberly Pierce, known primarily for her Oscar-winning film Boys Don't Cry, to direct in efforts to give the classic horror story a fresh look for the new generation.

The teaser trailer, released only several days ago, is shorter than a normal trailer allowing for less depth in terms of plot, character and action reveals. Still, the teaser conjures a sense of fear with its combination of off-screen voices discussing the horrible tragedy at Carrie's hand simultaneously as the camera pans down a chaotic, fiery street. The camera halts as we finally catch a glimpse of our bloody, crazed character at the center of the film. I am not a huge fan of remakes of old classic films but I love the Steven King story at the heart of this film

Applegate Farms strikes at health conscious consumers with "What's in your hot dog?" campaign

Applegate Farms, a popular all-natural and organic meat brand, is thrusting a relatively ignored public health issue into the spotlight with their new "What's in your hot dog?" campaign. The brand launched three ads that utilized humor to raise awareness of the toxic hormones and chemicals often found in hot dogs. The target seems to be health-conscious consumers, particularly moms, due to the growing trend of introducing healthier and more organic options into our pantries.

I was aware of this ad campaign during the summer when it was launched because I interned with a PR firm that has Applegate as a client. While many people have heard vague rumors about some of the preservatives that make their way into hot dogs, few actually understand what they are consuming when choosing this popular American dish. The commercial does a great job of highlighting this issue and benefits from its use of humor to connect with audiences. I had never heard of Applegate Farms prior to interning with FoodMinds this summer, but after seeing this commercial I would definitely purchase their hot dogs.

Milwaukee's Serve thrusts co-sleeping problem into public eye

The above picture is a print ad as part of Serve Marketing's campaign tackling the surge of co-sleeping deaths in Milwaukee in 2009. Milwaukee's non-profit advertising agency teamed up with the Milwaukee Health Department to combat this problem by thrusting the issue into the public eye with a series of controversial ads including the one pictured above. As usual with many of Serve's campaigns, several of the ads were subject to a great deal of backlash, claiming that they were over-the-top and graphic. Still, Serve aims to get people talking about issues regardless of how positive or negative the conversation is; based upon that criteria, this campaign was successful.

Similar to many of their previous efforts, I think the above ad is effective because of how over-the-top and disturbing it is. Giving the headboard a stony look to mimic a gravestone, it illustrates how morbid the problem is. In addition, the ad's lack of excessive copy benefits the impact; Serve often relies on the striking imagery to convey their message, and this ad is no different because the image and short text at the top spark immediate attention. While I am not the target of this campaign as I don't have any children, I was certainly drawn to the ad and became cognizant of what needs to change about the public issue. In that respect, the ad is extremely effective.

Adidas mimics Nike's past success with "D Rose 3"

Adidas is aiming for success similar to Nike's Air Jordan with a new product launch called the D Rose 3, designed especially for Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls. The NBA player became a popular household name, particularly among basketball fans, due to his incredible skill on the court. Believed to be responsible for the Bulls' success this past year, his shining moment was cut short by a late-season injury that crippled him for the rest of the season. Adidas has launched the product in conjunction his return, likely to garner attention for the shoe by drawing support from his popularity and success.

This product seems to be an attempt by Adidas to keep up with Nike's scorching success by utilizing an extremely popular athlete as an endorsement for their product. In Nike's case, Michael Jordan served as the celebrity endorsement for the Air Jordan shoe. It has been an incredibly successful launch, and Adidas took note of this by using Derrick Rose as their product endorser. While he doesn't carry quite the same cache as Michael Jordan, he is undoubtedly one of the most popular and successful players in the NBA right now. If Nike's history has proved any point, it seems that Adidas is making a smart move with the D Rose 3. Regardless of the shoe's actual quality, athlete endorsements can be very effective when chosen well.