I was tipped off to this video by Nick Sloggett, our new Art Director. It's a perfect commentary on the fate that awaits agencies that don't change with the times.

–Greg

I can't even imagine how much work went into making this commercial. Then again, Bach had over 20 children, so I guess he's accustomed to having his name attached to hard work.

OK, so there are a few tiny words stuck in the bottom corner. :)

–Greg

It's always fun to check out vintage ads to see how products were positioned decades ago. (Guinness is medicinal? Really?) Check out some of these insurance ads from the wayback machine! The original blog post can be found here.

(download)

Click here to download:

vintage-insurance-advertisements-ilJJncCgaodxgCmcmnwm.zip (980 KB)

Because I think that the children are our future, and also good guinea pigs, I devised a sophisticated plan to gauge the effectiveness of ads in some popular women’s magazines. I sat my daughter and her two cousins down at the kitchen table, gave them each an InStyle magazine, and instructed them to pick their favorite ad.

Subject #1
Name: Lucy
Age: 8
Grade: 3rd
Favorite Ad: Godiva Chocolate

What is your ad selling?
Go-deeva Chocolate. They are selling chocolate.

What is the call to action?
I don’t know what that is.

What does the ad want you to do?
I don’t know. There aren’t any words.

What is their offer?
Chocolate?

How will you get the chocolate?
Go to Go-deeva.com.

Will you visit Godiva.com?
Maybe I will go there. I don’t know. Probably not.

Will you buy their chocolate?
If I have money some day, I would get it online.

When would that be?
When I’m a grown-up.

Why is this your favorite ad?
Because I like chocolate.

Conclusion: Without any direct call to action, or obvious way to procure the product, Lucy is uninterested in actively seeking it out for deliberate purchase until adulthood. However, the time that we spent discussing the ad may inspire some recall in her the next time she is at the mall and walks past the Godiva shop. So was the ad successful, or does Godiva Chocolate owe me for that new share of Lucy’s mind I just earned them?

Subject #2
Name: Anna
Age: 7
Grade: 1st
Favorite Ad: House of Dereon

What is your ad selling?
I don’t know what this ad is for.

What is the call to action?
House of De-…I can’t read that. I am only a little kid.

What does the ad want you to do?
Go to Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales.com. Oh! This ad is for clothes.

What is their offer?
They are offering clothes

Do you know who that is?
Lady Gaga?

It’s Beyonce.
Who’s Beyonce?

She sings “Single Ladies.”
Oh, she’s a Chipette.

Will you buy these clothes?
When I grow up. Those clothes are too big for me. And I don’t have any money.

How much do you think this dress costs?
$99.

Why is this your favorite ad?
I like the color green.

Conclusion: Although Anna precociously demonstrates brand recognition for both Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales, she is so unfamiliar with Beyonce and her empire of offerings that any equity is completely lost on the seven-year-old. Does this demonstrate that House of Dereon needs to step up their marketing efforts to first grade girls in Colorado? Probably not, but Anna’s gravitation towards the color of the dress reiterates once again that women respond to green in advertising.

Subject #3
Name: Blake
Age: 8
Grade: 3rd
Favorite Ad: peoplepets.com

What is your ad selling?
People Pets.

What is that?
Peoplepets.com

But what IS it?
Where you go to peoplepets.com.

But what is peoplepets.com?
An ad?

And what are they advertising?
They are advertising pets.

You think that this is an ad for pets?
OH! It’s a WEBSITE about pets!

What is the call to action?
Visit peoplepets.com today!

What is their offer?
You can see pets.

Will you go to this website?
Maybe next year. I will remember and go.

Why is this your favorite ad?
Cute doggie.

Conclusion: This ad must be considered the most successful of the three. Blake will only wait a year to visit peoplepets.com, as opposed to waiting ten, as her counterparts have planned. The clear call to action, unvarnished list of offerings, and (the master stroke) the adorable pug create a classic marketing trifecta, against which the audience is defenseless.

Results: Blake wins.

—Lisa

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Amtrak recently unveiled an advertising campaign in the most unlikely of places…O'Hare International Airport. The message? Stop flying. Take the train instead. To be honest, I'm surprised that O'Hare allowed this campaign to run. Maybe they realize that trains can't completely replace air travel and that the ad revenue is a greater reward than the potential lost airline traveler.

It's a fantastic campaign, hitting travelers when they are most likely to be frustrated with the hoops that they need to jump through just to get from Point A to Point B…THE SECURITY CHECK POINT. "Take off your shoes." "Remove your belt." "Take your laptop out of your bag." "That toothpaste is over three ounces. Throw it in the trash." "Are those keys in your pocket?" When you think about it, it really can be a pain. I once got delayed because they found bomb residue on my sandals. So, they swabbed and analyzed the sandals, asked numerous questions, and finally came to the conclusion that I had probably just walked through a freshly-fertilized yard. Off I went, running to the gate in my potentially-explosive Birkenstocks, nearly missing my flight.

I've taken the train and it's a great way to travel if you're not in a hurry. No hassle. Relaxing. Nice scenery. Great food. Really, it's not a bad way to go and these ads may just be the reminder that some travelers need to get them out of the airports and back on the rails.

–Greg

—Tristan

Mother London came up with a great agency promo. They set out to surprise an unsuspecting client with a gift of $10,000…and they did just that. The client turned their concept into an even bigger surprise.

You can view the video here.

Happy holidays from The Envision Group!

–Greg