The ad that started it all

To me this ad has the simplicity of an effective print ad; it incorporates base, bright colors without shading, opting for bold, recognizable shapes and figures.  It is the perfect ad because at the same time it advertises its product in a memorable way, it also encompasses the beauty and accessible minimalism of the ipod.  This is the first ad campaign that I remember for the I-Pod and it was public's first access to the product goals of what Apple wanted to create in their product.

When I see this, I think cool and can relate to losing myself in music to the point where I get lost in the colors of a mood-- the kind of surrealistic colors used in this ad.  Having people dancing to their own tunes, by themselves shows the self-expression and freedom that we all desire and that I-Pods can bring to us.  Having the dark, stylistic silhouette sticking out against unique, imaginative colors creates a kind of universality that Apple brings; after all, this people in the ad could be any number of people I know, including myself.

At the same time that the ad captures this mood, it also has great product placement, especially at the given the climate in which they first introduced this ad campaign since there was nothing like this kind of portable music player on the market.  The white of the ear bud cords and the I-Pod itself stands out and is clearly memorable to the point that even today, when there are multiple different mp3 players that look similar, this streamlined, white look is still associated only with the I-Pod.

Not only was this a great ad campaign at the time, but it has allowed for various offshoots, in print ads, radio ads and, of course, more tv ads.  The fact is, this kind of feeling that Apple tapped into is exactly what Lovemarks are about-- creating an emotional response in the target audience.  I have a particular feeling about I-Pods outside of the actual details of the product; every other mp3 player has had to focus on their actual product differences rather than emotional musical relevance because Apple so beautifully cornered the market on the expression and escapism of music in personal music player.

Timberland's Timely Advertising

My favorite print ads tend to be very uncluttered and direct, almost iconic pictures and text that hit you where it counts; they need to since you're unlikely to look at the best print ads for longer than a glance.  When I came across this ad, I was struck by the classy, under-developed look of the ad, with the perfectly shined brown timberland shoes in relief against the pure black background-- almost as if the shoes were in a display window, impervious to time and the changing trends.

Drawing from the simplicity of classic print ads of the 50s and 60s where this kind of look would have perhaps been done as a stylistic drawing, this ad asserts that it doesn't need to wow you with anything more or less than the quality of the product itself.  Since the background is just black, all the audience's attention is drawn to the shoes-- no gimmicks or distractions.  The ad asks us to either accept the shoes for what they are or not.  The font of the writing also backs up this emphasis on the product by claiming that Timberland's shoes are built to last, and this statement is made more believable by the rugged look of the writing as if it has also lasted for a long time.  

And then as if its bold, understated approach weren't good enough, it has a not so subtle dig at the bailout of the banks that has bothered so many working-class Americans, insinuating tongue-in-cheek that if the banks had been as concerned with quality and openness as Timberland is, then they wouldn't have tanked.

The ad is clearly targeting the middle-aged, working class demographic who perhaps have a nostalgia for the past when everything was "black and white" and when companies and banks cared more about quality and were more honest (or at least are remembered as such).  The claims of durability are also going to hit home for this same population since they want their shoes to be as tough as they perceive themselves to be; after all, even if the economy is struggling, you can at least trust that your your shoes are going to last.

Overall, this ad struck me as concise, appealing, and cheeky enough to be memorable.  Clearly this ad is not meant to be relevant in five or ten years, but for now it makes a strong impression and creates a sense of camaraderie with its target audience.

Advertising for REAL Men

The Budweiser "Real American Hero" ads radio have become intertwined with the relaxed NFL football Sundays of the fall.  The beauty of the ads is that they are hooking their audience while making fun of them at the same time.  The long-running campaign clearly targets the middle-aged, probably suburban male population who spend their afternoons imagining they are the ones playing there out on the field.

Taking advantage of this wishful thinking and this ideal of being a real man, Budweiser has an announcer with a very masculine, "down-home" American voice, narrating how other men are heroes in their daily lives.  However, they choose examples that are purposely unmanly, mundane examples like "Mr. Supermarket Deli  Meat Slicer".  The contrast between the macho execution of the ad and the heroes is deliciously funny in an absurd way, made even more so by the background singer who is trying to cram far too many descriptive words in the short breaks in the narration.

Yet despite their spoof of the male archetype, these ads still leave the listeners equating Budweiser with manliness, as if we don't mind the narrator making fun of "us" since he's clearly one of us.  I have a hunch that Budweiser is only able to get this message across because their ads are both memorable and only on during NFL games, so whenever we hear the ads, we think about football.  Its well-placed timing is probably more key than the content of the ads; that being said, I know a lot of people who listen to football games on the radio who look forward to hearing the new Budweiser "manly ads.  I think this is prime example of how limiting the exposure of an ad campaign can actually help it out by creating a sense of mystery and anticipation.

Profiting from Honesty

It's hard enough to admit you're wrong to someone in private but to do that in a very public way, criticizing the quality that your brand has stood for in the past would seem to be a very bold move.  This is exactly what Dominoes Pizza did when they launched their Pizza Turnaround campaign, effectively admiting that their pizza was substandard and that they were completely overhauling the recipes of their pizzas. 

The campaign took me and a lot of other people by surprise--that  a company as big as Dominoes would do this was unprecedented.  It showed that they care about the customer reviews that they get, and that they are not so big an organization that they don't care about the basics of having a tasty pizza.  It has given them a percpetion a personal company with faces of their employees and customers representing who they are. 

Personally, I don't remember how their pizza used to taste, but I know how their pizza tastes now, and I think it tastes good (though my taste buds are not particularly refined).  I'm guessing that they gained just as many new customers who were impressed by their honesty as they did get people who had previously tried their pizza and were turned off.

At the same time, I'm mixed about this campaign because it feels a little manipulative, and maybe their emphasis that "we are admitting to being wrong" was too strong--as if we should be impressed that they would do the right thing.  Do I believe that Dominoes' management just did this to get it off their chest? -- no.  Their main goal is still to sell pizza and make money, and it just happens that this is the best campaign to do that.  However, if nothing else, this campaign shows a strong enough confidence in your new pizza recipes that you believe it will satisfy people who are more critical than normal coming to try your pizza. 

Although the campaign may be more motivated by business savvy than authentic humility, it still strikes a chord with audiences and stands out in a very ad-saturated market.