Great idea, well executed, and some terrific insights. Thanks for the recommendation Kristin. For more about brands, read this on competitive ad strategies. Brand Identity Reviewed By a 5-Year Old originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Monday, January 30th, 2012 at 15:30:41. Permalink | Comment | Email this
So American Apparel, the clothing retailer who has always taken itself far too seriously, just shot itself in the foot. Again. And here's why. First, they launch a contest for plus-sized models, looking for THE NEXT BIG THING. Seriously, the title alone is enough to insult the average woman (and as most women are not anorexic catwalk models, that's a lot of women). But then they add this to the description of the contest: "Calling curvy ladies everywhere! Our best-selling Disco Pant (and around 10 other sexy styles) are now available in size XL, for those of us who need a little extra wiggle room where it counts. We're looking for fresh faces (and curvaceous bods) to fill these babies out. If you think you've got what it takes to be the next XLent model, send us photos of you and your junk to back it up."
Boy, how do you spell condescending? And "those of us" implies that there are people at American Apparel who aren't rakes. Not that you'd know from their advertising. Why not just come out and say "Hey, fatties, we have some pants that will fit your gigantic butt, and we want you to have a laugh while doing it. Show us fat people can have fun too!" Enter Nancy Upton, a very attractive "plus-sized" model (size 12...is that even big?) who decided to have a little fun at American Apparel's expense. Her photos were funny, carefully crafted and very well-received by the public. (Hmm, I wonder why?) In fact, they were so well-received that she won the contest by a landslide! What happened next is a prime example of sour grapes, and a brand that doesn't know how to grow up and embrace something that could have really turned a negative into a positive. As the winner of the contest, AA should have gracefully (and with a cheery smile) given her the prize and been just as good-humored about it. They get to admit that the contest was, in fact, a bit silly, and give credit to Nancy for a job well done. What did they do? They cried about it, and sent out this reply: "It's a shame that your project attempts to discredit the positive intentions of our challenge based on your personal distaste for our use of light-hearted language, and that "bootylicous" was too much for you to handle. While we may be a bit TOO inspired by Beyoncé, and do have a tendency to occasionally go pun-crazy, we try not to take ourselves too seriously around here. I wonder if you had taken just a moment to imagine that this campaign could actually be well intentioned, and that my team and I are not out to offend and insult women, would you have still behaved in the same way, mocking the confident and excited participants who put themselves out there?" "Oh--and regarding winning the contest, while you were clearly the popular choice, we have decided to award the prizes to other contestants that we feel truly exemplify the idea of beauty inside and out, and whom we will be proud to have representing our company."
Oh, how wrong can you be? This is as juvenile as the models usually featured in the AA ads, and it's nothing short of a temper tantrum. And Nancy, she doesn't get her prize, but she does get respect. AND, to show up American Apparel for who they really are. So, think twice before you buy the overpriced clothes that are custom fit for adults who wear children's sizes. Do you really want to pad the profit margin of a company as shallow as this? Nancy, you're great. More power to your ranch-covered elbow. And read Nancy's blog right here. 
American Apparel, You Clearly Have No Idea About Marketing. originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 18:39:20. Permalink | Comment | Email this
If you're lucky enough to have a client who wants to do one, and has that kind of money to spend, you are actually more than lucky - you've hit the jackpot. It's the dream of every advertising creative to do a Super Bowl spot. But then the time comes, the pressure piles on, and so few actually deliver on the promise. Here's some advice to overcome Super Bowl ad fumbles. How to Create a Great Super Bowl Ad originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Monday, January 30th, 2012 at 10:30:46. Permalink | Comment | Email this
If only more people were as passionate about their work. And did they realize how lucky they were to have Saul Bass anywhere near their logo redesign project? For more on advertising history, check out these articles: A Brief History of Political Advertising in the USA The Stella Artois "Reassuringly Expensive" Campaign A Profile of Bill Bernbach The 27-Minute Saul Bass Pitch for the Redesign of the Bell System Logo originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 17:24:56. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Read it. Be inspired. Read it again. When he wrote this, he was just 36 years old. He left to form Doyle Dane Bernbach, and created the greatest advertising agency of the last half-century. He also created some of the best ads ever produced. He was, in no uncertain terms, an advertising legend. And this was his biggest lesson - "the most powerful element in advertising is truth." Read more about Bill Bernbach right here. May 15, 1947 Dear ___________: Our agency is getting big. That's something to be happy about. But it's something to worry about, too, and I don't mind telling you I'm damned worried. I'm worried that we're going to fall into the trap of bigness, that we're going to worship techniques instead of substance, that we're going to follow history instead of making it, that we're going to be drowned by superficialities instead of buoyed up by solid fundamentals. I'm worried lest hardening of the creative arteries begin to set in. There are a lot of great technicians in advertising. And unfortunately they talk the best game. They know all the rules. They can tell you that people in an ad will get you greater readership. They can tell you that a sentence should be this sort or that long. They can tell you that body copy should be broken up for easier reading. They can give you fact after fact after fact. They are the scientists of advertising. But there's one little rub. Advertising is fundamentally persuasion and persuasion happens to be not a science, but an art. It's that creative spark that I'm so jealous of for our agency and that I am so desperately fearful of losing. I don't want academicians. I don't want scientists. I don't want people who do the right things. I want people who do inspiring things. In the past year I must have interviewed about 80 people - writers and artists. Many of them were from the so-called giants of the agency field. It was appalling to see how few of these people were genuinely creative. Sure, they had advertising know-how. Yes, they were up on advertising technique. But look beneath the technique and what did you find? A sameness, a mental weariness, a mediocrity of ideas. But they could defend every ad on the basis that it obeyed the rules of advertising. It was like worshiping a ritual instead of the God. All this is not to say that technique is unimportant. Superior technical skill will make a good ad better. But the danger is a preoccupation with technical skill or the mistaking of technical skill for creative ability. The danger lies in the temptation to buy routinized men who have a formula for advertising. The danger lies In the natural tendency to go after tried-and-true talent that will not make us stand out in competition but rather make us look like all the others. If we are to advance we must emerge as a distinctive personality. We must develop our own philosophy and not have the advertising philosophy of others imposed on us. Let us blaze new trails. Let us prove to the world that good taste, good art, and good writing can be good selling. Respectfully, Bill Bernbach"
Bill Bernbach's Resignation Letter. originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Monday, January 23rd, 2012 at 19:00:28. Permalink | Comment | Email this
If you haven't seen the movie Helvetica, you should rectify this immediately. It's a fascinating look at the birth and life of a typeface that is loved by most (and hated by a select few). Check out the review here, then find a copy and enjoy it. An Oldie But Goldie - Helvetica (2007) originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012 at 12:40:17. Permalink | Comment | Email this
Screen Grab Via Vimeo SOPA and PIPA could destroy the Internet as we know it. There are hundreds of article out there explaining it, including this one, but this video makes a huge impact. Watch it, be afraid. Be very afraid.
The SOPA/PIPA Blackout Is Today. Here's Why... originally appeared on About.com Advertising on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 at 12:44:24. Permalink | Comment | Email this
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