5 Things to Avoid When Creating an Ad

We have reached our final destination... Ad Land.

In honor of our world tour of advertising, I would like to end on a constructive note. For all of you out there who are interested in joining the industry, here are a few tips. The world of advertising is vast, and the only way to stick out is to be different, be original. Whether you are in Creative Development, Management, or Media, every component of the creation process is important. In order to create the best ad, you need to be the best, and have the best team. You should be prepared at all times, just in case a new idea is needed.

When it comes to preparation, though, you must prepare for the best-case and worst-case scenarios. Although I have shown you many great campaigns in the world of advertising, there are even more ads out there that are simply terrible. From the corny ads to the obnoxious ones, advertising will always have a list of "Worsts" under its belt. When you ask someone what is the worst ad they have ever seen, you will always get an answer.

So, here are a few steps in order to ensure that your ad will never, ever, be on a Worst list.

Photo Credit: Designlenta

5 Things to Avoid When Creating an Ad:

1. Overdoing It

One of the most common mistakes in advertising is saturation. When you see an ad literally everywhere, you do not feel the urge to buy the product even more, you feel the urge to erase that ad completely from your memory. It is not good advertising when your consumer becomes annoyed with the product, because then they will begin to associate the product, and the company in a negative connotation. The saying "less is more" has stuck around for a reason.

Think of Apple, part of their success story is that they kept their advertising minimal, they approached the public with a simple ad and displayed it in a moderate way, so that the viewers felt compelled to buy it, otherwise it might go out of stock. Play hard to get, let the customer come to you. Do NOT bombard them and leave them with the feeling of "wherever you go, we will follow."

Photo Credit: Logorama

2. A Big Ego

Advertising sometimes misses the point when it comes to anonymity. A great campaign is one that appeals to the biggest crowd, and in order to do so it must be objective. If you have put too much or yourself, or your company's ego into an ad, the message gets lost. You might think you are wonderful, but your customers do not even know who you are, and some of them would like to keep it that way. Don't be desperate, be inconspicuous. You never saw Steve Jobs or Richard Branson in their ads, yet both Apple and Virgin have had extremely successful ad campaigns. Why you may ask? Because the company sold the products in their ads, their brand, not themselves. They stuck to what the customers wanted to see, not what they wanted to see.

Photo Credit: MDC Partners

3. Strayed Interests

Sometimes an ad campaign can start out great, but take a terrible turn and end badly. This change of direction can be a big problem in advertising. If you begin with one idea, then incorporate a new one, nine times out of ten, it will leave the customer utterly confused. Stick with one idea or message. If you are advertising cell phones, then stay with phones, talk about texting, calling, etc. Do not incorporate restaurants or movies or any other possible distractions. You want your viewers to see the ad and know exactly what product is being sold. If you want to introduce a bit of mystery in your ads to reel the viewer in, that is fine, but make sure you end with an image or tagline that will have them associate it with the product, and only that product. 

Photo Credit: Confused.com

4. Forgetting Social Media

In today's age, social media is one of the biggest forms of connection between companies and their buyers. When an ad agency forgets or simply does not include social media into their campaign, it is a huge mistake. People of every age now are connected through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, to name a few; so why wouldn't you? To capitalize on social media, is to double your viewing. Again, you do not want to saturate your campaign, but giving the public an option to interact with your company or product, separates it from the rest of the ordinary ads out there. Connecting with the public on an intimate level makes them more apt to pick your product over one that didn't take advantage of that opportunity. So reach out!

Photo Credit: Forbes.com

5. Visual Displeasure

Make your advertisements look great! If there is too much or too little copy, you run a chance of losing your consumer. Do not overwhelm them with jargon, a full paragraph, or an odd image. Do not underwhelm them with no copy, a boring picture, or an atypical ad. Make your campaign different by appealing to what the customers like: a pretty picture with a witty tagline. You want to please the public, while getting them to want to take that extra step, and actually buy your product. Entice them, make them want to see more, catch their attention. Do everything you can possibly do to make them remember your ad. That is what makes a great advertising campaign.

Follow these steps, ladies and gentlemen, and your add will most definitely not be on any "Worsts" lists. If you have any other tips you think should be included on this post, let me know. If you have any tips on how to make an award-winning ad, or even just how to make one, also post it and we can get a great discussion started. 

Good luck!

Australian Edition: Why Advertising Is Better Down Under?

G'Day everyone!

Australia may be the country that has everything backwards, but there is one thing that has been globally admired: their advertising. Just as their toilets flush the opposite way, and just as their cars drive on the other side of the road; just as their money has kangaroos on it, and just as they really do have koalas, dingos, and great whites (hooray for Shark Week!); Australia has set itself apart once again with its wondrous ad campaigns throughout the years. To honor the great success of the far away country's advertising, I have compiled my top 7 ads of the year. I thought I would set my list apart from the others by doing seven, instead of five or ten, to get myself into the right mindset, in lieu with Australian ways.

Top 7 Australian Ad Campaigns:

1. There's Nothing Like Australia

Photo Credit: Tourism Australia

In honor of today's theme, I thought I would start with the most appropriate campaign. Tourism Australia recently came up with this campaign, titled 'There's Nothing Like Australia,' using the uniqueness of the country to their advantage. Using both print and TV ads, the company reaches out to its global audience, and shows them just why Australia is such an exciting destination.

Here are two of its TV advertisements:



In addition to general country-wide ads, the campaign also has short ads that focus on a city, or part of Australia in particular. Here is an example for Melbourne, Victoria:



2. Share a Coke

Photo Credit: Coca Cola

This Coca-Cola campaign launched at the end of 2011, and is still running, which shows just how successful it was. The unique idea of sharing a coke that has your name on it, brought an even bigger one to life. Coca Cola partnered with Spotify and Universal Music to create "Share a Coke and a Song."The intimate connection viewers had with the ads and the campaign itself made it the great success it is today.



3. You're The Reason We Fly

Due to the fact that Australia is not only a country, but also a continent and an island, you should hope that their airline is a good one. Qantas Airlines developed a campaign called "You're The Reason We Fly," featuring an original song called Atlas by Daniel Johns. The airline wanted to connect with its customers on a new level, the birds eye level. I thought this was a really cool way to engage your viewers, and have them want to learn more about your company, and maybe even purchase a ticket to Australia!



4. Beer Chase

This ad, by Carlton Draught is quite simply, great. It is humorous and yet it still perfectly advertises the product at hand. The car chase parody was so successful, that it actually hit 2 million viewers on Youtube, before even being released on TV. The ad's main message is that literally nothing can separate a man from it's beer. Watch and find out how the pulled off such a successful campaign.



5. Fair Go Bro

Virgin Mobile's campaign is hysterical. The company put a twist on celebrity endorsement, both poking fun at it and using it to create a genius campaign. Virgin Mobile hired Doug Pitt, Brad Pitt's brother and created the tagline "Everyone deserves celebrity treatment. Even a celebrity's non-celebrity sibling." From the way the tagline flows smoothly, to the creativity of the entire campaign, it is no wonder it was so highly celebrated.

Photo Credit: Virgin Mobile

6. Do Summer

Although I am not the biggest fan of McDonald's, I have to say I really enjoyed this ad. It made the food chain relatable to any and every kind of person. From the beach bums, to surfers, to old couples, the ad made the brand seem like it could cater to every person in Australia, which it quite actually could. I found it to be refreshing from the typical ads, and it made me excited about the summer, which is always a plus!

7. Find Your Fit

The Athlete's Foot released a new campaign titled "Find Your Fit." It captured every-day people's odd hobbies and connected them with the company's products. The filming of the ad seemed a bit like a documentary, which I enjoyed, and it put a twist on finding the right shoe for you. It romanticized the idea of shopping for a new pair of shoes, which I thought to be refreshing, and the way the ad was formatted instantly grabs your attention. Well done Athlete's Foot!

That is all for today. I hope you enjoyed the ad campaigns, along with a brief insight into the Australian lifestyle. If you have an ads that came to mind while reading this post, please leave a comment with a link to the page, I'd love to see them.

Brazil: Front-Runner of South American Advertising

Olà bloggers,

When you think of South America what comes to mind? Beautiful beaches, beautiful women, dense culture, but what about their fabulous advertising? Although it does not have the massive influence of American advertising, or the poignant messages like those of the UK, the advertising in South America can stand on its own in the world rankings. One country in particular leads the continent's recognition for its memorable ads: Brazil.

Not only is Brazil one of the most renowned countries, but it is also the leader of advertising, in the southern continent. So what sets it apart from the other countries? Here is a list of 5 methods Brazil uses to gain attention not only from South American viewers, but also from the world.

                                                                Photo Credit: F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi

3 Ways Brazil Put Itself on the Map of Advertising:

1. The People

Brazilians are lovers of advertising. They accept any and all forms, even the scandalous ones. This gives the Brazilian ad agencies a freedom that is unlike any other country. They are free to show those racy nude ads that would be shunned in the UK. They are free to make those wild party ads that people in France would find vulgar. The key word here is freedom. The Brazilians live, they embrace all of the wonders of life, including the parties, the women, and the risks. The ad agencies put themselves out there, and thanks to the positive receptions they receive from their viewers, the risk pays off.

Marcio Moreira, Vice Chairman of McCann Worldgroup and native Brazilian, describes the vivacious crowd: "The Brazilian public is a sucker for advertising! The cynicism, the skepticism, the "I don't buy that" attitude is still not there. It's an environment in which advertising people are stars."

Photo Credit: Bit Copa

2. Pride

Many countries all over the world, including the US, have limitless amounts of pride, but few are as open about it as Brazil. When you think of Brazil, you envision massive crowds at soccer games, people dancing, women on beaches, but in every image there are people. The Brazilians are lively, and proud of their heritage, which takes their advertising to a different level. They play off of the so called "Brazilian lifestyle." They know their women are beautiful, so why not show them off? They know that their cities, Brasilia and São Paulo, are some of the most exotic in the world, so why not show them off? They are aware and proud of what they have to offer, so instead of trying to blend in with the other countries, their ads make them stand out, and take advantage of their unique traits.

This ad for Johnnie Walker, titled Keep Walking Brazil, demonstrates the ad agencies' usage of Brazil, and all that it stands for.



3. Sex

As mentioned multiple times in this post, Brazilians are beautiful. Both the women and men from Brazil can be seen on runways all over the world, and the country is the destination for countless model scouts. So why not use that to their advantage? The answer is, there is no answer. It is a given! From Gisele Bundchen to Alessandra Ambrosio, if there is one country that is not for its beauty, it is Brazil. Not only do they use them as a point of recognition, but ad agencies also use it as a way to entice the viewers to want more.

Here are some ads that show both the pure sex of Brazil and the way they use it to sell their products:

This ad plays with the idea of beauty, and how it may not be what everyone wants. The ad is for Dream Job, and it capitalizes on the fact that models may not be all they're expected to be...


This one is for a beer company called Skol, which combines humor and sex to sell the drink.

In Conclusion...

Although there is much more to Brazilian advertising than these three steps, I just wanted to show you how a country can capitalize on its assets to create buzz. The country is gorgeous. From its people, to the landscapes, to the culture, everything is so rich in life that it makes you wonder why you have not moved there yet. Brazil ad agencies use this unique beauty and lifestyle to their advantages, which naturally sets them apart from the atypical ones in Europe or in the United States. Do you want to visit Brazil yet? Good, me too.

As always, let me know what you think of these ads, if you have visited Brazil, or if there are other South American countries that you think have great advertising as well.

Adeus!

The Top 5 Ads of the UK

Hello again,

Our destination this week is Great Britain, but I will primarily focus on England. The country has been around for centuries, yet their advertising has only boomed within the past 50-60 years. Despite this vast difference, London and England have been the front-runners of advertising for a while now; pushing the limits and placing themselves at the top of global advertising. 

So, ladies and gentlemen, here are my Top Five ads:

1. This first advertisement was an award-winning commercial at the Cannes-Lions Awards. It is an ad for The Guardian, a British national newspaper, that is also accessible online and on smart phones or tablets. The ad, title The Three Little Pigs, creates a real life reaction to the fable. In a darker version, the three little pigs are put on trial for killing the wolf, which then leads to a whole domino effect of public outcry on what is considered murder, leading into an outpouring of disagreement on financial positions of mortgages, which then led to even more controversy surrounding the judgement of the pigs.

I found this ad to be extremely well done, and a perfect candidate for awards, because it showed just how far stories can be spread in today's world of social media. The varying opinions of the public versus the government are so out in the open, that even a children's fable can be developed into a problem of morale, finance, and integrity. I thought it was very well done and that The Guardian played to its advantages of being such an accessible newspaper no matter where you are, or what you are reading it from. 

2. The second advertisement I chose is lighter than the first, but I found it to be just as creative. It is a commercial for the Barclay Card, and there are actually two versions in the campaign. The ad plays to your youthful, more fun side by integrating these giant water slides and roller-coasters to show just how quickly you can make your payments with the Barclaycard. The commercial may not be an award-winner, but it catches your eye and makes you wonder what is being advertised here. It is relatable, every woman or man has, once in his or her life, wished to have a giant slide or roller-coaster run through their house or, in this case, through the entire city of Manhattan. I found it to be a very fun commercial.





3. The third ad I just had to include. It is a commercial for Oreo, and although it is not hard-hitting or serious, the company does a really good job at playing to their strengths and connecting with the viewers. The little girl is simply adorable and teaches her father how to eat the cookie, as titled, The Explanation to Daddy, something any viewer would find entrancing and too cute to stop watching. I think they did a really good job of using their demographic as a strength, as they do in all of their commercials: the child and parent bonding over a delicious snack. The creativity of the commercial is the setting it is a girl in her element, her pink and dainty little fort, showing her father each step to eating an Oreo cookie. It brings me back to my childhood, which shows just how good of a commercial it actually is.



4. I thought the fourth advertisement was good because it grabbed my attention. It began in a jam-packed home, with an adventurous tone to it, and left me wondering what the commercial was for. The couple was making there way through the maze of walls filled with books, shoes, and furniture, trying to find each other, while singing a sort of love song. In the end they break through these walls and all of a sudden everything has an order to it, showing that Ikea can take on any mess, no matter how wide or dense. The title 'Living Together' plays with the notion that when you move in with your partner, you should go to Ikea to find the best way of organizing double the amount of things into half of the space. I thought it was brilliant.



5. The fifth and final advertisement I chose is for the British Heart Foundation. It is more of a public announcement, but it went on air so I consider that valid for this post. The commercial features actor Vinnie Jones and is titled 'Hard and Fast Hands-Only CPR'. They approach the serious topic in a charismatic way, having a well-known "tough guy" show people how to bring someone who is experiencing cardiac arrest, back to life. The way in which they bring a body, that he claims he had taken care of earlier, as the test dummy, along with 'Stayin' Alive' playing in the background, was a light and fun way to approach such a morose topic. I think the BHF does a great job at getting their point across in the most entertaining way. They teach the viewers a lesson, without them even realizing it.



Let me know what you think about these advertisements. Do you think they truly are the best ones the United Kingdom has to offer? Do you have others that you think are more qualified for the rankings? Please give me feedback and share some of your own favorite ads from Great Britain!

Cheerio!

The Best and the Worst of French Advertising

Bonjour!

I have started the world tour in my home away from home. My mother is French, so I have experienced my fair share of great and absolutely terrible ads that I have encountered during my summer stays across the pond. Like many European countries, France is rigid with politics and business, but when it comes to entertainment, the sky is the limit. Nothing is too scandalous. Now that I have given my brief warning of European advertising, keep an open mind while looking at these. They may not be kosher for the American crowd, but they are entertaining and they stay true to the French consumer tastes. I will show you three of my favorite ads, and two that I find to be humorous, yet absolutely ridiculous.

Your Tour Guide's Top Three French Advertisements:

The first ad is made for Canal+, a french premium channel, titled, "The Bear."It was aired in 2011, but I still think it is a great ad, even compared to many of the current ad campaigns shown in the US. Dubbed the most awarded commercial in the history of the Gunn Report, it appeals to many consumers due to its layered context and its comedic approach. At first one may be confused as to why a bear rug is being interviewed for his love of directing movies, but be patient because it all ties together at the end.
The commercial plays with the idea of different perspectives, and how the bear rug has seen an infinite amount of movies and realized why couldn't he do the same? The commercial's tagline at the end is "the more you love Canal+, the more you love cinema," paralleling the notion of seeing something and inspiring yourself to act in order to attain the satisfaction of doing that something yourself. Do you love TV or movies? Then you should get the Canal+ premium channel because it will upstage the familiarity of what you have known, once you order it.



The second ad stands true to French television and advertising. As described by Michael Kimmelman: "French commercials speak to French culture no less than French literature or music does. Long on sensuality, style and poetry, they are notably lean on facts and nearly allergic to the rough-and-tumble of commerce." You can read more of his commentary by clicking on his name above. The ad is for a Fabergé perfume called Brut, which means rough or tough in French. You can tell who the perfume is geared for in this commercial: a sexy, young, and stylish woman or man who doesn't mind going a bit wild, and who especially doesn't care for material things.



The third ad is a print ad for the French car company Citroën. It is a simple add, but it gets the point across which to me, is a great ad. The image shows lips, for French women, croissants, well because they're delicious and a quintessential French food, and then the Citroën logo, because it is the quintessential French car. They play with what France is known for, and cause the viewers to associate Citroën with everything else France is famous for. It makes the viewers connect the car company with the crème de la crème of all things France, which is exactly what they hoped would happen.

Photo Credit: Formitas BBDO

Now, what you were really waiting for...

Your Tour Guide's Two Worst French Advertisements:

Both of these ads I did not enjoy because they were crude, even for a French girl like me. Although France is very good at maintaining a balance between sensuality and class, they fell quite short with these two advertisements.

This first ad, by Belvedere, actually had to get pulled shortly after being released because it was so distasteful. The slogan, "Unlike some people, Belvedere always goes down smoothly," combined with the picture of a horrified girl getting grabbed by a guy, is not a good place to start. The ad gives off a feeling of discomfort and worry for the girl, rather than focusing on the brand that is trying to sell their top of the line vodka. The fact that most sexual harassment cases involve alcohol does not help either. Overall I just have to give this ad a huge, enormous fail, despite their hard-to-believe good intentions.

Photo credit: NY Daily News

The second ad is a little less serious and more humorous, but I do not think it would bode well in the US, so I decided to include it in the bottom of French advertising rankings. Although it does appeal to French nonchalant humor, Americans would find this horrifying, as the slogan itself is "Kids are a pain. Use condoms." The ad shows a kid in hysterics because his father won't let him have the bag of candies that he wants, which leads him to have a complete temper tantrum in the super market. The dad simply stands there letting it happen, and the commercial finishes by saying use condoms, insinuating that if the father used protection he wouldn't have had a child, therefore he wouldn't be having to deal with this right now. Although it is funny seeing the kid absolutely freak out in a super market, I think the campaign could have and should have gone a different route. 

That is all I have for this stop on our world tour. I hope you enjoyed the brief visit through French advertising and that one day you all can see the country itself, as it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. 

Au revoir!

Advertising in the USA, Past and Present

Hello again,

Our first destination on this world tour of advertising is, of course, home. The United States is known for its enormous consumer market, and with products, come advertisements. In its earliest forms, advertisements were used to relay political campaigns, along with the more traditional purpose of displaying the latest and greatest goods. The US though, capitalized the usage of this industry so much so, that life seems almost unimaginable without it.

A brief history:

It all began in the 1700s, with the publishing of Benjamin Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette in Philadelphia. You could say that Philadelphia was the original "advertising city" so to speak, because in 1874, Volney Palmer opened the first ad agency there. By the end of the 19th century, advertising had spread from Chicago to New York City, spanning from magazines, to newspapers, to retailers.

Photo Credit: Readex blog

In 1904, the Associated Advertising Clubs of America is formed, demonstrating the growing popularity of the industry. The ever present Kellogg's brand introduced its advertisement for Corn Flakes, along with the introduction of on air advertising through radio broadcasts in the mid-1920s. In the 1940s, advertising takes a patriotic stance, by forming the War Advertising Council, in an effort to support the war. Shortly after, the industry reaches another historical moment, when CBS launches its television station, bringing advertising to screens and homes across the country.

Photo Credit: CBS News

By the end of the 20th century, advertising had become engrained into the American lifestyle. The industry covered everything under the sun: sports, food, refreshments, war, magazines, newspapers, and the list goes on. In the 21st century, advertising entered the world of internet, making it accessible to truly every person in the world, and allowing for them to create their own forms of ads as well.

You can view a more thorough recap of the history of American advertising here, the site where all of this wonderful and historical information came from.

Some current examples of American advertisements:

As I have previously mentioned, advertising in the 21st century is hardly discreet. It is much easier to see advertisements than to avoid them, as they are truly everywhere. Although one can grow tired of it, there are several ad campaigns that make you take a second look and actually enjoy what you are seeing. These are the ads I would like to focus on throughout my world tour.

The first one I would like to show is a Procter & Gamble ad in lieu of the 2012 Summer Olympics. It is called the 'Best Job,' dedicated to the mothers of the olympic athletes, for all they have done for their children. I remember when I first saw the ad, it immediately grabbed my attention because it was unlike any other ones I was watching on TV. It has been listed as one of the best ads of 2012, and I could not agree more.

Photo Credit: Mediapost.com

The second ad is extremely relevant right now. It is called 'Show your pride. Share your love' and it is an ad campaign through Youtube, supporting same sex love and marriage. I found this ad quite moving, and although I understand that it is still a controversial subject, I think it is an important message and should be shared. The way the ad is directed is wonderful, as it shows real people coming out to their loved ones, along with images of same sex proposals. I think it is an extremely well done ad, and gets a beautiful message across to its viewers.

Photo Credit: The Daily Beast

This last ad campaign is much less serious than the first two, but I happen to think it is quite funny which is why I am including it. AT&T has introduced a new campaign this past year of "It's not complicated," and they have a stereotypical business man ask children a variety of questions, to which the kids answer candidly. The campaign is genius, in my opinion, because it plays to what people enjoy, which is comedy and the innocent bluntness of children. Here are a couple of them:
1. More
2. Grandma
3. Bigger is Better

Let me know what you think of all of these, I'd love to hear some feedback.

That is all for today! I hope you enjoyed my glimpse into American advertising, I will connect other countries to American ads, so this is not the last of them. Until next time!

An Intro into the World of Advertising

Photo credit: The Gazette

Hello world of webbers,

My name is Alexie, and I would like to take you all on a trip around the world...through advertising. Growing up in a bilingual household, I have been accustomed to traveling loads and seeing how people across the pond live. Along with my vast history of travels, I am also an International Relations major, with an interest in all things advertising. My goal in creating this blog is to combine my talents with your interests, and show you all what the advertising business is like both in the US and in other countries around the world. In order to compare American advertising with foreign ones, you must first gain insight into the main methods of how we make everything here in the USA.

The most important part of creating an ad campaign is research. You can't show off, without knowing what you are showing off. How does it work? What can it do? What can't it do? These are some of the many questions that go into learning a product so well, that you can tell the creator something they did not already know about it...

Next, you must create a message so simple and clear, that even a baby will want to buy your product. Part of this step is language. Your words must sell the product before the consumer even sees it. If you are selling a cleaning product, an advertiser may suggest using words like strong and dependable, so that every neat freak out there knows that what they are buying will get the job done.

Photo credit: Ismael Thomas blog

Finally, you want to deliver. Whatever form of media you are using, be it viral, commercial, print, online ad, etc. you want your consumer to be hooked. They should want to keep listening, pick up the phone, or add it to their shopping list as soon as the ad is over. These steps are what advertising companies use in order to create the best possible advertisements.

Now although I have not yet completed my research as to how foreign agencies work, this is how the job gets done here at home. It takes a lot of research, time, and money to create the advertisements you see everyday on your televisions, on your phones, and on the billboards you see on your way to work.

Thank you for reading my first post! There is much more to come on this blog, giving you insight into our world of advertising, and every other one out there, so fasten your seat belts and enjoy the flight!