BC Business
advertising_5.jpgIn the world of advertising, innovation is not yet dead. But in Vancouver?
The rules of advertising are changing. Are we up to the challenge here in Vancouver? I grew up wanting to work in an advertising agency. This is quite remarkable given that my desire was hatched long before popular TV shows like Mad Men or Thirtysomething made it sexy and cool. Nothing gets me as excited as a good headline, paired with an unexpected visual. I comb through consumer and trade publications on a regular basis, looking for brilliant concepts, and when I find one it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
I grew up wanting to work in an advertising agency. This is quite remarkable given that my desire was hatched long before popular TV shows like Mad Men or Thirtysomething made it sexy and cool. Nothing gets me as excited as a good headline, paired with an unexpected visual. I comb through consumer and trade publications on a regular basis, looking for brilliant concepts, and when I find one it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
So, from time to time, in this space, I am going to indulge in this passion and be rapaciously cruel, and critique a crop of advertising efforts as represented in a randomly selected print publication. For reasons of libel, I can’t name names. But if you read between the lines, well, you’ll understand.
Today I’m focusing on a local monthly publication that all of you would know. It’s a lifestyle rag that’s been in business a long time in these parts. Let’s flip open the current issue and see what we can see:
A double page ad showing pale, skinny and shiny fashion Barbie dolls in awkward poses, some upside down for no apparent reason, and two of them seemingly fighting over a purse, although not with any gusto. Nothing really conveyed about the product or the brand. No text. No call to action. Odd use of money, in my opinion. I wonder if these sort of high-concept brand ads will still be around for much longer? I can’t see anyone being influenced by them. Maybe I’m dead wrong. Opinions, anyone?
An Aeroplan ad, a kind of guide, listing all the restaurants in Vancouver where you can get bonus Aeroplan miles if you pay with a certain brand of Visa card. Smart. Butt ugly, but smart. Advertising that provides useful information will always have a place, I think. It’s nice to have it all on the website, but fractionally more convenient to have a guide like this in print. If you are motivated by collecting Aeroplan points, you can keep this page open and laying around on a coffee table. That way, when the urge to eat and earn Aeroplan points simultaneously suddenly makes itself known, you don’t have to bother opening your web browser, which can be such a chore.
A full page ad for a brand of cereal bar that wants me to know it tastes good and is made from things that are good for me. Nice. Clean. Simple. Arresting. The message is a bit of a yawn (what cereal bar doesn’t want me to think it’s full of healthy ingredients?) but it’s a decent effort. This is an ad wanting for something to say. The cereal bar company owes the creators of this ad campaign something better to work with. I can imagine how the meeting about creating this ad went down. The client said “Hey! Our cereal bars are made with all natural stuff. So they are good for you! People need to know that!” And the ad agency people smiled and nodded, and did their level best.
A vacuum company has a new tiny vacuum especially for apartment dwellers. The product is the hero, and well it should be. These guys really have something to talk about, a unique message targeted direct at the readers of this magazine. They are not relying on fancy graphics or kooky photos – they are relying on THE PRODUCT to be the star of the show. This is a great example of something we all must strive for. It’s far more important to have a great, unique, new, meaningful, or rethought product than a flashy ad. Make the product great and it will advertise itself.
A dentist office extends an excited invitation, complete with exclamatory punctuation, to “Connect with us on Facebook!” Why anyone would want to be friends with a dental office is beyond me. Maybe with the dentist, if he’s a cool guy and has interesting things to say. No link to the Facebook page on their website, and the latest blog post on their home page is from October. But hey, it’s a start.
OK, I’m bored now and I only made it through a few pages, with a few lessons learned and a few giggles suppressed.
The only thing I know about advertising for sure is that it’s a whole new day. The old rules are outdated. The new rules are being written. And with any luck, some inspiring examples of how to use this age-old communication device will emerge. Here’s hoping, anyway!