Whetting the Appetite

First off, I have to say that I'm smack in the middle of the targeted audience of this movie poster for The Dark Knight Rises, and as such, I can attest to the fact that this ad will get every fan of the past two batman movies by Christopher Nolan excited for next, and apparently final, installment of the series.

This poster is designed to be a total tease for the large number of people who have seen the other movies, and it foreshadows a lot.  The symbol of Batman's broken mask, as well as the line "The Legend Ends" suggest that Batman may actually die in this movie, which would be unprecedented for a number of reasons.  For starters, how often does the hero of a movie die--especially the superhero in a superhero movie?  I'm struggling to come up with another mainstream superhero movie example that would be equivalent.  Even more so, this just further cements Nolan's reputation for taking the Batman franchise and creating dark, realistic movies that just happen to be about extraordinary events.  By Batman dying, Nolan would essentially be saying that he's not in it for the money of churning out blockbuster movies (although the last two have definitely been blockbusters), but for creating great movies where the storyline will not have to dovetail to classic Hollywood endings.

The ad also so simply captures the dark, edgy mood of the series that has appealed to so many people-- bad weather, black moods, and nighttime action.  A the same time, we see that the villain of the film, which is always crucial for superhero movies, will be Bane;  this answers the main question that all the fans of the movie are asking: who will Batman fight?

Overall, I just really like the understated, yet revealing nature of the ad, I feel like it is the perfect ad at the point that it came out with still a year before the movie is released.  It may only give us just a taste of what's to come, but that taste lingers.

Memorable but Effective...?

After NBC's unprecedented high visibility decision to pull Conan O'Brien and reinstate Jay Leno as the host of the long-running Tonight Show in the middle of O'Brien's first season, Conan came out looking like the victim, and TBS quickly picked him up to become the host of a new late-night show, in an attempt to compete with NBC and ABC late night television programming.  This ad was part of the campaign to get people excited for the new show and confirm the rumors that TBS had indeed created a show for Conan.

I love the simplicity of the ad and the way it conveys Conan's personality and humor without him even saying anything.  The image of Conan, known for being tall and lanky, awkwardly trying to pose in a strong, serious pose that we could imagine Leno or Letterman doing in their commercials is very effective at many levels.  Obviously it captures Conan's hip, absurd brand of humor that appeals generally to younger generations; this humor awkward comedy is unique to Conan or at least this what the ad wants us to think. 

The ad also capitalizes on the sympathy that most people had for Conan after the ordeal with NBC.  That Conan wants us to laugh at his expense just makes him more personable to us, and less like a talk-show host that we can't relate to.  That the show is called simply "Conan" further emphasizes the approachable character of Conan, and stands in stark contrast to the other nightly programs.  We are on a first name basis with him.  Similarly, Conan's scruffy beard, which he did not have on the Tonight Show, makes him seem less like a talking head and differentiates him from the other clean-shaven hosts.

Symbolically, the ad shows us that Conan cannot be fit into the standard mold (or a chair); it embraces an outsider image of Conan in contrast to the other celebritized hosts.  It violates the general ad format of the other late night shows that always show the different scenes from past episodes.

TBS is well aware that everyone was waiting to see what Conan would do in reaction to his embarrassing predicament and this ad served as the strong answer to that unspoken question.  That so little is said just makes that this unusual, yet stylistic ad so much more striking and memorable.

However, I'm not sure that in the long run this ad was right decision for the show because Conan is so central to the ad.  Conan is the show and there is obviously no "Conan" without him.  As Conan goes, so goes the show.  The personalities of the other hosts are not nearly so central to the show; just by looking at the history of the shows indicates that the hosts are replaceable without too much difference in viewing numbers.  Because the other shows emphasize the celebrity guests who will be on rather than the host, I am still willing to watch the show to see the interviews even if I don't particularly like David Letterman, for example.  However if I don't like Conan, I'm probably not going to watch the show, and this is something that appears to hurting them.

As a loyal fan of the stylish AMC drama Mad Men I was very excited when I first saw this car ad online for Lincoln with Mad's John Slattery as the spokesman.  Using Slattery's image of a stylish, sophisticated worldly-wise man from the show, the ad shows him talking pointedly and succinctly as a voice of authority about the qualities of the Lincoln MKX.

Its a fitting match, particularly given Lincoln's target audience, which would seem to be middle-aged men who are in the same tax bracket as Slattery's character, people who perhaps are sophisticated or fantasize about being sophisticated and need someone that they can respect showing them why this car is worth it.  Constant flashes up to Slattery's face and clothes emphasizes that Lincoln is an accessory that matches the style that you exude in every other phase of your life.  Actually, I was rather surprised that Slattery's face was featured just as much as the sign of the Lincoln.

While this ad will probably be successful, I find it amusing that an imagined character is the most respected source on cars out there.  This just shows once again that people buy with their hearts not their heads.

Bleu de Chanel classy statement for unpredictability

Breaking out of the Box...(literally)

Tapping into our deeply our desire to free ourselves from others' expectations and the desire to be classy, the Bleu de Chanel tv ad really resonates with me at an emotional level, despite the fact that I am probably not a part of their targeted audience.  The ad draws us in by showing some brief glimpses into the past off-camera relationship life of a movie star/model from his own perspective,  which gives us the ability to relate to him as a real person.  In particular, the lingering camera shots on the faces of the actor and a girl from his past in these flashbacks remind me of that initial meeting with someone where you both feel an attraction to the other person but don't yet admit it verbally-- that exciting tension between vulnerability and reservation that everyone has experienced.

These quick flashbacks are on the actor's mind as he is being besieged at a crowded press conference, seemingly 10 microphones in his face and a hundred cameras flashing, and they contrast this present situation where his personal life is all but nonexistent and unimportant to the reporters.  One reporter is condescendingly repeating a question put to the actor, and everyone is impatiently waiting for him to answer it, presumably the way they expect him to.  But the actor is conflicted about whether he should just give them the answer that he is used to giving-- the superstar pop figure answer-- or whether he should be true to who he really is.  To add to the tension, he sees the girl from his past among the reporters nervously waiting for his answer.  Finally he makes up his mind and says, "I'm not going to be the person I'm expected to be anymore," and then strides away from the press conference as the walls of the room fall down.  

For me this ad is all about atmosphere.  I love the use of only black, white, and blue that gives the ad that stylized, sensuous feel of a posh, classy jazz club of classic film noir--the kind of place that you might day dream about walking into with a tailored three-piece suit and a beautiful date on my arm.  My only complaint is that the music isn't a lonely, muted trumpet playing some mellow song, but that would probably make the ad less appealing to most people today.

 The ad has made dreaming this fantasy even easier by providing us a classy guy aspire to be, since we already relate to him personally and we respect him for breaking out metaphorically (and literally) of his box.  Not to mention, he is a good-looking guy who is desired by this beautiful woman.  

You might notice that I haven't mentioned Blue de Chanel yet, but this is simply because the ad doesn't mention its fragrance until the end.  But honestly it doesn't need to because this ad is simply concerned about associating this beautifully drawn-out fantasy of style and class with their product, which it does with flying colors.  

Does this ad make me want to buy their fragrance?  Certainly, but will I go out now and actually do so?  Probably not  because I wouldn't buy any kind of cologne that costs as much as this one most likely costs.  However, if I had money to spend on cologne, I would certainly be more likely to buy Bleu de Chanel, even without having any idea of how it smells because I have this positive association with it.  And because this ad appeals to a timeless fantasy deeply ingrained in the American (male) conscious, I will probably still have a positive impression of  Chanel fragrances years down the line.