Social campaigns are a method of attaching a brand to a message or idea that can be communicated, spread, discussed and acted upon through public interaction, most often spread through the use of social media sights etc.
An example i have collected to show the success of this relatively new method is the Volkswagen Blue motion Fun Theory.
The campaign has taken the fundamental idea behind the Bluemotion technology, making our planet healthier, and found fun, interactive ways of promoting the idea. The basic formula is that first you get people thinking about the aim of a healthier planet, and in turn there is then the connection made that Volkswagen care too, in fact they have made it 'fun' and easy to get excited about a change in lifestyle.
The reason for the success behind this approach to advertising is that it makes a connection between the brand and their audience, this allows a much more personal relationship and association between the two.
A big change that social media is bringing to advertising is a need to find new ways to connect with your audience in a personal way, getting people to not only see your advertising, but become part of it, feel included, and in turn agree with the brand on a level that they will go onto use their product.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Post modernism 1980s laundrette ad
The Livi's laundrette ad could be described as post modernism due to is use of parody and irony. It takes an approach that lacks any seriousness and made the brand much more approachable to the younger audience they hoped to capture with it. Above all the ad pushed boundaries and commented on social norms at the time.
I have chosen this burger king ad as a contemporary example of the use of postmodernism within an ad. The ad takes advantage of word play and implies connection with a slightly perverse theme. The ad embodies a post modern approach through its disregard for any seriousness and simply attempts to use socially shocking imagery in combination with copy that seeks to impress the audience with its sheer cheek.
1970s
The Cadbury smash advert (linked above) gives good insight into the lifestyle of the 1970s. With fairly recent changes to the hierarchy and general working of society there were very high figures, in comparison to previous years, of women working, it was through this, a long with the fast pace of the 70's that people wanted to get home from work and prepare things quickly and easily.
The 70's were a time of futuristic design along with an obsession with space travel (the space race and recent moon landings) and it was for this reason that the now very humorous space robots were successful and enjoyed characters.
I have chosen to look in comparison at the 2009 eyebrows advert that Cadbury launched. While these ads are for different products, you can still see similarities in the brand's fun personality. The key difference is as can be expected with a hugely popular brand like Cadbury, the need to display the product is reduced. This allows more creative freedom as when you have a brand that everyone knows the importance on product promotion is less and it is more of a case of keeping up a standard of relationship with the public, reminding them that the brand is still here and still trying to keep people amused.
The real Mad Men
The the environment in the late 1950's into the 1960's was one of extraordinary flux. culturally the 'birth' of the teenager had added an entirely new group to the world. During this time there were the coming and going of millions of new ideas, creativity was exploding into the fore front of society and along with it the the rise of an era of change was occuring.
It is within this period of new ideas that advertisers like George Lois, Bill Bernbach, Jerry Femina etc where starting to really fight for a change to the idioms that were running the advertising industry. It was the bad name that advertising had been accoladed with, due to the dishonest and uninspired work of the account people, that drove people like Bernbach to make work that reflected what the public were feeling at the time, and communicate products with them in a responsible and genuine way. The creative revolution was beginning with Dane Doyle Bernbach (DDB) being recognised as an agency at its lead, only taking on work that they felt was justified, being honest about the product, and thinking about the public's needs and ambitions by understanding the cultural eruption that was occurring.
The think small campaign was without a doubt a risk. It not only went against the styles that cars were being advertised in at the time, but it was taking a product with a difficult job a head of it and being brutally honest about it. The interesting thing about the ad is the pure creativity and whit behind it. It was launched in the full swing of the 'creative revolution' and had people very nervous about launching it, causing much argument at the forward thinking DDB agency. I believe the reason that this campaign epitomises the creative revolution is what it stands for, Confidence and honesty, but above all the ad embodies the breaking away from the tried and tested repetition method being used by the old breed of advertisers. The industry was learning that fear of failure was holding it back, and this radical ad not only bewildered many with its success but went to prove that the age of risky creativity was coming and was going to stay.
Art & Copy
I think what was most interesting about the documentary is the raw and very revealing way in which the people interviewed speak about the industry.
The passion that people like Lee Clow and Dan Wieden have for what they do is incredibly inspiring. more than anything this film documents what the heart and soul of advertising really are. The film really allows you to see how advertising is an art form and an industry like no other. Highlighting the need for fearless, intelligent and honest ideas because of the huge affect advertising has within everybody's lives.
The passion that people like Lee Clow and Dan Wieden have for what they do is incredibly inspiring. more than anything this film documents what the heart and soul of advertising really are. The film really allows you to see how advertising is an art form and an industry like no other. Highlighting the need for fearless, intelligent and honest ideas because of the huge affect advertising has within everybody's lives.
Thursday, 14 March 2013
LMS
Advertising of the 1920's was seen as tasteless. And this being a time of expression there was calling for beautiful design to give products real appeal.
London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company created some really break away ads in 1924, designed by Norman Wilkinson.
The ads produced (below) were modernist pieces of art in their own right, bold colours and simplified forms that made for very attractive visuals. During a time of industrial expansion and scarring of the country side, these ads gave the company the ability to romanticise the experience of traveling between the cities of Britain.
Magritte
Magritte, while famous for his surrealist art work, emerged also as an advertiser.
This career began with his venereal disease ad created for a competition for the belgian government.
Magritte made use of the need for stylised advertising to sell products in a time of rationing and strife caused by the war. He created work that had a feeling of freedom and expression that when tied to a product made it very appealing to the post war audience. At this time advertising had a necessity to give good reason for the consumer to buy their product due to shortages of quality materials etc.
The success of Magritte's work came through the popularity of the movement in which he painted, it stood out as artistically led advertising and made a real cross over between the ad industry and fine art.
surrealist influenced ad
Vw have made good use of the dreamlike, subconscious representation of Surrealism art in this ad.
The Bluemotion range of vehicles VW produce are part of a responsibility driven initiative.
The reason this ad works so well is that it has taken the opportunity to represent how forward thinking and unique their vehicles are, playing on people's fears of oil consumption and the inevitable exhaustion of fossil fuel, representing the issue in an obscure, nightmare like state, and then connecting their cars to a more natural and lighter side of the ad (right) with a meeting point in the centre where the good a bad collide on a chess board representing the fight that VW are taking on.
It is a visually pleasing ad that communicates the products connection to an important issue by representing fears in a surreal yet very reconisable way that allows the audience to relate and warm to VW's idea.
Sunlight soap; Influences on Lever's Ads
The sunlight soap company is a great example of the power of creative advertising, but more than this, as a study it gives great insight into the success of good application of contextually lead advertising.
Lever's ads show a great understanding of the society of his time.
He honed in on the difference in standing of woman and men along with the division of the class system and most obviously the war time patriotism that engulfed the country, playing on these areas to make very successful ads.
The audience most targeted by Sunlight soap was housewives, as they would most likely be buying and using the products. Lever had noticed that even though women took a sideline in the male orientated world of the time, he needed to persuade them that sunlight soap had the same ambitions they did. The ads controversially focused on empowering woman and bringing to light their very important role within the society.
Lever also made use of the class divide in Britain by commenting on the poor hygiene of the lower classes. He jumped on the growing necessity of personal cleanliness in order to gain a respected reputation, people of the higher classes would want to separate themselves from the working class and the sunlight soap told them that if they were cleaner they would be distinguished.
Lever's ads show a great understanding of the society of his time.
He honed in on the difference in standing of woman and men along with the division of the class system and most obviously the war time patriotism that engulfed the country, playing on these areas to make very successful ads.
The audience most targeted by Sunlight soap was housewives, as they would most likely be buying and using the products. Lever had noticed that even though women took a sideline in the male orientated world of the time, he needed to persuade them that sunlight soap had the same ambitions they did. The ads controversially focused on empowering woman and bringing to light their very important role within the society.
The country during the war was as expected, very patriotic. the war was on everyone's mind most duly because of their loved ones that were away fighting. Lever made great use of this by making connection with sunlight soap and the british spirit. Making comparison to the superiority of the soldiers and the quality and necessity of his products. Obviously people were concerned for the conditions in which their soldiers were fighting in, and by marketing his soap as a very british comfort from to help them in the struggle, people became motivated to send sunlight soap to their troops.
Lever also made use of the class divide in Britain by commenting on the poor hygiene of the lower classes. He jumped on the growing necessity of personal cleanliness in order to gain a respected reputation, people of the higher classes would want to separate themselves from the working class and the sunlight soap told them that if they were cleaner they would be distinguished.
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