It’s hard to turn a blind eye to these domestic violence ads

Having been in the ad business for some time, I’ve become pretty discriminating. Creativity is all well and good, but no brief ever listed it as a business objective. Conversely, ads with nothing different or memorable aren’t worth writing about.   

It’s not often that I see an ad that does both well. So imagine my surprise when I saw two them on the same day (actually they were back to back on Adfreak) for the same cause no less.

This one, created by Ireland Davenport for the Salvation Army in South Africa, cleverly capitalizes on the buzz of “the dress” to call attention to domestic violence.

The #1 thing holding your marketing and advertising back

I’m an adman, so you might expect this to be a rant about how clients need to take more chances and trust their agency or in-house creative teams. That’s a pretty common gripe among us creative types, after all. And truth be told, a lot of great ads do get watered down this way. But that’s not the biggest thing holding it back.

What’s really keeping marketers from their greatest success is the very way they think about marketing. There are debates raging all over the blogosphere about marketing media and disciplines. Above the line advertisers look down on direct response, while the direct marketers dismiss the former for lacking measurable results. It can get heated.

Advertising silos could be killing your results

Image courtesy of Lavoview at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The great thing about the Internet is that it gives everyone a voice. The bad thing about the Internet is that it gives everyone a voice.

From a positive standpoint, companies and individuals can get their messages out quickly and affordably, building their reputations and attracting followers.

On the flip side, anyone can claim to be an authority on any given subject. And bad advice is more widespread than you might think. I probably shouldn’t be by now, but I’m still surprised by a lot of what I see online. 

Here’s one piece of common marketing advice you should ignore

If you’ve been in the marketing and ad biz for any length of time you’ve no doubt heard it numerous times. You may have even said it to your protégées. It’s one of the most common pieces of advice in all of marketing. And you should ignore it.

What was Progressive thinking?

Emotion can be a powerful thing in advertising. Even negative emotions such as fear and anger can be used to make a positive connection with consumers and motivate action. But to do that, advertisers need to direct those emotions at something other than themselves. Seems like common sense to me. That’s why I was so confused by this banner ad from Progressive insurance that ran on my fantasy football league’s website.

Are advertisers stuck in the past?

For decades in Philadelphia the prevailing thought on the Flyers was that they were living in the past. They were trying to recreate their glory teams of the 1970s as the modern game passed them by. Lately, it seems that many major brands and their advertising agencies are taking lessons from those Flyers.

In October of last year, Wendy’s brought back “Where’s the Beef?” in this ad featuring a t-shirt with the popular 80s slogan.

Design tips from a copywriter

I’ll be the first person to tell you that I’m no designer. I have neither the training nor innate ability to create layouts that command attention, engage and deliver impact. So why would you take design tips from me? Well, because I’m not a designer. Let me explain.

As a copywriter, I bring a different perspective to design. It’s less about form and more about function. It may sound obvious that the design should support the message, but you’d be surprised how often design actually gets in the way. To avoid the most common mistakes, follow these tips.

5 All-Time Great Ads

There have been scores of great ads over the years. Ads that inspire. Ads that sell. Ads that innovate. These are five of the very best and most important. 

I want to hear from you. What ads would you include that didn't make this list?

Advertising has gone to the dogs

Seriously. Nestle Purina PetCare is releasing a commercial aimed not just at dog owners, but also at the pets themselves. The ad for Beneful dog food, which will run in Austria, includes a series of squeaks and high-frequency tones that take advantage of a dog’s sharp hearing. You can read the article about it here.

All of this brings up some interesting questions.