Now that I'm the proud owner of Adobe CS4, I thought I'd use the blog to share some of my ads and other creative work.
This first ad is something I just finished up once I got InDesign installed, it's a quarter-page advertising tourism in Branson, Missouri. This was an assignment for my ADV 207 class, in which we had to hype up the entertainment in Branson because Las Vegas had gotten so far ahead after that "what happens in Vegas" campaign.
To understand the ad, you have to be familiar with the Russian reversal, made famous by Cold War comedian Yakov Smirnoff:
Because Yakov had his own theater in Branson (on the strip, if it can be called that), I hatched the idea for this ad (click to enlarge):
Lebron James' dreams of a 2009 NBA title with the Cavaliers weren't the only casualty following Cleveland's loss to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. Also destroyed was the potential for some Nike on Nike play between the two best players in the world, and consequently, an epic advertising opportunity for the country's biggest shoe brand.
Of course, the company had been showing the Kobe/Lebron puppet commercials, which portray the pair of superstars as Sesame Street esque puppets talking smack to one another, in order to hype up the inevitable match up in the NBA finals:
Uuuuunfortunately for Nike and for funny commercial loving folk everywhere, the campaign must now die a quiet, painful death as King James will not be participating in the Finals. In his stead will be Dwight "Superman" Howard and his Orlando Magic. As great a character as Howard is...
...you won't be seeing him in stuffed, stringed effigy form. Howard is a spokesman for rival adidas. This poses an unbelievable opportunity for the Germans to strike back. Their arch nemesis just had a campaign blow up in their face, and they now have their Super spokesman battling with Kobe and the Lakers. If they can throw something together in time, it'd be an awesome shot at Nike. They have until Thursday, Game 1 of the Finals, to get something on TV, assuming they were forward thinking enough to have purchased some spots.
If not, a giant puppet of Superman in downtown Orlando (or Cleveland, if they were ballsy) would suffice.
As for Nike and the rest of the sports and advertising worlds, we continue to wait for a modern version of Magic/Bird. I'm sure ESPN will do just fine in the mean time.
Disclaimer: This entry will not include a political message...
This pop up ad came up on my screen the other day, and there are several things I find funny about it.
1) BO's mugshot. It really looks like he just got taken in for DWI after throwing a few back at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. That's our first subtle clue as to what the people who designed the ad thought about the answer to the question.
2) The word "No" is highlighted in black, while "Yes" is greyed out. The options on the ad didn't flash back and forth, this was the solid image. Obviously the eye is guided towards "No," another clever hint about the conservative "correct" answer.
3) At the bottom, the word "Free" is ironically also greyed out. Could this possibly be because just like the designers of the ad don't think BO will fix the economy, they also know the prize is not actually free? I wonder if maybe answering the question will actually just open your computer up to more adware and you'll never actually get a t-shirt or a generic $50 gift card. Just maybe...
This ad, and the campaign to which it belongs, is being pulled and modified in Spain and the UK. The idea is the combination of "Texan" (the Lincoln-looking cowboy on the left), and "Mexican" (the Mexican wrestler on the right), together they form the Texican Whopper, which to me just sounds like what I leave in the toilet after eating at Taco Bell.
According to Reuters, Mexican officials were upset with the depiction of the flag, as it is a protected image and is being used inappropriately (draped over the wrestler's shoulders). If I'm Mexico, I'm a little more upset over the fact that my country is personified in, of all things, a midget wrestler named "El Cachito," which roughly translates to "little bit".
Then again, many of us recall when the U.S. was steamed over a certain Absolut ad, in which it was implied that in a perfect (read: Absolut) world, the southwestern US would still be part of Mexican territory:
Apparently, jokes about the boarder and surrounding areas still aren't kosher, 170+ years after the Texan War of Independence. The best part is that the campaign and the burger are in Spain, a country which in the last few centuries lost possession of both Texas AND Mexico. But hey, at least they got a burger with spicy mayonnaise out of it.
Now, I understand the cute metaphor, but really I think they're just playing to people's love of fuzzy lil' rodents. Who DOESN'T love a hamster fiddling with an mp3 player? It's kind of funny how that's a feature that is compelling about the product, despite the fact that I can play my iPod in my 97 Mercury with a $5 gadget that goes into the tape deck...
"I know what'll make it sell...put another hamster in the passenger seat, picking a song on the iPod! And make the other hamsters bob their heads! Brilliant!"
I don't know why more agencies don't experiment with the hamster realm, they make it too adorable to look away:
This all being said, I grew up with two hamsters. One day, one of them escaped and my dad went to the pet store and bought a new one that looked like the first. My siblings and I were fooled. For 8 years.
Not sure how I feel about it, Quiznos is clinging to life in a world which Subway thinks ain't big 'nuff for the two of us. If you like 'em long, skinny, and toasty, I guess the Quiznos Torpedo is the way to go.
More than anything, I'm happy Matt Leinart found meaningful employment after being benched by the Arizona Cardinals:
Note: NFL Quarterback and beer bong aficionado Matt Leinart does not, to my knowledge, endorse Quiznos subs.
Adam is a graduate Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Advertising '11. He likes to refer to himself in the third person, and he never metaphor he didn't like.
He is pursuing a career in account management. You know, in case you're hiring.
