EOC Week 10: Art Serving Capitalism

I have spent a long time studding advertisement. How many commercials work and the impact that they have on us. Then you go back a few steps and you learned how all those idea came to be. The people and their views. Their feelings and what they stand for. Soon after you realize that how much their ideas, philosophies and values have done such an impact that you can feel extremely related either with the product they helped to advertise or the artist its self.

This is something the ad companies look for. Their well deserve goal: your interest and attention. And not only that, you feel amaze of the great creativity these people have. They have managed to catch your attention and some time you even want to congratulate them for that.

As an artist you feel appreciated. Your work has impacted someone. Your idea that was exploding to come out of your head now wonders in the mind of thousand that were exposed to your work. Now that’s a great feeling of accomplishment. And then the next thing you know, you have huge check in your pocket, and you have no idea where it came from and the only reason that you know its yours is because it has your name on it.

The great rewards of hard work. All of them want them, but very few gets them. Your work did not only brought you fame as a talented artist, but it also brought fortune to you and your client. That is what “art serving capitalism” is all about. Allowing your art to help your client achieve their goals. And with great success, comes big rewards.

I am a strong believer that one should be proud of their work that you do and should get all the credit that you deserve. But then something pops to mind, a phrase that a very wise men thought has I grew up:

“Once you find a job that you love…..you will never have to work again.”
Jose Ortiz, my father.

In other words, just do the what you love and the rewards will come to you all by them self. As I said, its good when people appreciate your work, but it’s even better when you get pay for something that you love doing, and would have done it for free.

BOC week 9: Triplets

So there I was waiting for all night on Christmas eve for Santa, only to find out the next morning I run out of Coca Cola drinks. Then everything made since. The Coca Cola company as always been the top soda drink in the market. Even to the point that their logo is among the top worldwide known logos that people seem to be more familiar with.

Well it comes with no surprise that Coca-Cola has some pretty good marketing going on. A drink that takes care of thirst because of its refreshing and cooling flavor in a hot summer day. Just by looking at their ads makes you think of the most cold drink imaginable. But what happens when you’re not, for instance in my case living in Las Vegas were is extremely hot, but you live were the opposite. Or even worst, will any one drink a cold refreshing battle of Coca-Cola on a cold Christmas eve? Well yes, and that person is Santa.

If Santa can drink it in the middle of a blizzard, well heck so can you. And here are some examples of Coca-Cola Ad campaign that they always do during Christmas season. By using a well establish character they are able to create different ads each year but without losing the familiarity, allowing the not only to create twins or cousin, or even triplets….but many other relatives also!

EOC week 8: Really good example of Chap. 8

Many if not all of us get expose to advertisement from dawn to dusk. But very few of them really can catch our attention by making us, by using very little elements, to use our imagination and become part on whatever they are trying to communicate through those pages.
In an interview done to several design experts for the book “advertising by design” by Robin Landa, they were able to give us what they thought of were the most important points one has to consider when creating an ad.

While browsing some magazine I was able to catch on eye on several ads. On a comment from the chapter that we are currently reading was from Michael Sickenger:

“Using the pictographic images in place of letter can be provocative (for example, the logo for the sopranos TV series, where the letters r is replace by a gun)”
-Advertising by design, chapter 8: pg163-

As I keep on looking at all of the ads, I finally found that catches my eye. The ad is for the play
“Phantom of the Opera” that is currently playing at The Ventian Hotel and Casino. The ad is simple but yet shows flow and lots of information. Also, the ad employs what Michael Sickenger was talking about, were one of the letter is replace for an image, in this case is the “O” in Phantom is replace for the Phantom mask.

The ad is simple coping with the well know rule of simplicity. It gives just one review, shows lots of movement and the image of the main characters of the well know tragic story. Another thing that pops out of the ad is once again the font. Carlos Segura, from Segura Inc. , Chicago, gives us this tip:

“Use the appropriate font for the job, not the best one installed in your computer…. Typography is the single most important element that contributes to the “body language” and “tone” of a piece of work…”
-Advertising by Design, Chapter 8: pg 162-

So there you have it, one of many ad that has successfully catch my eye. Hope you like it, and watched the play, because I am about to. Good job Ad agency!!!

EOC Week: Authority

So for my project I will be concentrating on the product Centrum. It’s a vitamin supplement that gives all the nutrition that one’s body needs. Base on the what we just learned from chapter 8, I will be using the visual concept ad.

One of the ideas given on the book came from Denise M. Anderson, DMA, New Jersey. She explains to make choices for our ads “to be appropriate to [your] project objectives (client, market, period, etc)” Centrum has always focus on the health side and focus on a much mature audience. My plan is to use visual, for example photography, to focus the product to a much younger audience that it commonly focuses their sales to. This would be accomplish by keeping the idea of nutrition, but presenting another not so appealing or miss use of alternative options of the consumption of the vitamins compare with convenience of just taking Centrum.

Also let us not forget about the font type. An advice given by Steven Brower, Print magazine, New York, has also change the layout of what I had plan for the photo campaign. “Never, ever, ever stretch type. It distorts the letter forms, creating thin verticals and thick horizontals, among other ghastly things.”

EOC Week 7: Exciting Ad x 4

I was looking for ads and I found this one that I really like and I believe is a strong and exiting ad:
Reasons:



1: The composition is great.
2: Using asymmetrical Balance, and having the black background and the intense red as a foreground, it forces to pay more attention at the main figure.
3: It also shows great use of the positive and negative space in order to show a silhouette of a woman wearing a dress and in the edges what it’s really made of…paint!
4: Rhythm, it shows lots of movement as the paint seems to come out of the bucket.

EOC Final Product: First Thoughts

I think I am going to focus my idea on vitamins. This product will allow me to use tons of information. Another thing is that vitamins are incredibly appealing to a much mature population. By combining mediocre or comic ways of having fruits and vegetables and comparing them with the simple way of just taking small vitamins, I can promote the use of the vitamin product instead of the depicted image.

As a mention before I will use comedy to lure the audience to the product. Allowing the consumer to think that there is no better way about taking vitamins but to buy the product that will be presented. I most likely be using Centrum as my main product.

EOC Week 6: Make'em Laugh

Yes, I finally get to talk about the subject that I love the most of advertising: Comedy! A today I will use one of my favorite commercial of all time. Now will admit that even I have a soft spot for comic commercials, the reason I love this one is because it actually worked on me. This commercial that I first saw while going to the movies during my high school has made addicted to always try to purchase this darn product (by the soda is not that bad, I am just upset that is not more widely distributed on stores. As I said I really like this drink!)

The commercial is for the Vault Soda drink witch marketed their product to be one of the first combination of Soda and Energy drink. By personal experience I can tell you that it really works, but that is beside the point. In the commercial we see the typical couple relaxing on the beach, when the skinny boy friend decides to get a drink for both of them. Not long after he gets to the bar a more masculine and attractive man approaches the girl and try to show off by given her a pearl necklace.

For any guy this is mayor “No-Go” and definitely not for the boy friend. When all of a sudden that narrator start speaking as to motivate or instigate him to take action. The bartender then, forgetting completely of the drinks he just asked for, gives him the mighty Vault!

As soon as he drinks Vault he gets the straight and motivation to reclaim what is his. The skinny guy takes firm action by taking a boat to the middle of the ocean were device many things to obtain the so much desire prize: no one pearl….but WHOLE OCEAN OF PEARLS!!!!

This commercial is one of several commercial for Vault. And all of them have that comedy theme making the average Joe become incredibly productive and ingenious when it comes to achieve goal. Another thing that I love is the motivation and emphasis of the narrator or instigator as ever you wish to see him. But in any case, definitely one of my favorite ones!!!

EOC: Ad Categories

Hi there, today i get to talk about different type of add categories, so hope you like the examples that i picked!

Fantasy:
In here we have the old time super hero flying on the sky. We all now what that great "S" represents...is Superman. But wait he brought a friend with him....is that Milk!!!

Yes sir, in this ad the milk company is using a well know American icon and showing us how he really gets all of his powers and that is by drinking milk.

I think its a great example of Fantasy Ad, for the simple reason that is very, very cool. It really makes you want to drink mil, and creates an idea that by doing so, you can also become a superman, just like your hero!



Adventures and Differentiation:
This one I really like. Some times you there sitting on your couch thinking what to do. Most people will start thinking about going out, but were? well the answer is not that easy when you been all over town already....but what about whats out side your town, heck what about whats out side your own country.

People don't really realize how important it it to travel, to learned from new cultures and languages. Meet new people with different life styles so different from ours, and even the way they look at life. Those awesome places that only in dreams we there to see.

This ad not only tells you to go and visit a new place, but that you have the whole entire world around you to discover!




Image or Lifestyle:
Who does not like to smell good? well every likes to smell nice. No one likes to be rejected because of their natural aroma....but how about this, not only will you prevent rejection but you will fill with so much attention that you will feel like a rock star!

Well this add for CK shows you just that. The opposite of rejection or alienagion from not smelling savy, and what is that? Attention, loots of attetion. The use of that people dressed for night out in the town inplies party, a social and way life that one could desire....but just make sure to were the cologne.

EOC: Bob Isherwood

Bob Isherwood it’s a very well know and talented artists that have numerous award for his unlikeness and vision on the advertisement industry. Australian born Isherwood has work for over 12years for the advertisement firm Saatchi & Saatchi as a the World Wide Director for the company, and in later years retire from.

He’s talent has earned him very rare awards like the Golden lion ward at international Advertising Festival. He was also awarded the British Design and Art Direction gold award, a presticius award that only very few people have been awarded to.

Isherwood has work for Saatchi since 1986 and just recently left the company this past November 2008 to find a new path for himself. When he left he said:

"For the past 12 years I've been focused on the reinvention of Saatchi & Saatchi," he told Ad Age from his home in Miami. "Now I've reached a point where I feel a need to reinvent myself."
http://creativity-online.com/news/bob-isherwood-leaves-saatchi/132362

But great sadness but yet happy to be able to work with such a creative mind, Kevin Roberts CEO of the firm, said goodbye to his old friend:

"This has been brewing for a year," he said. "Bob's a restless creative guy. We've been privileged to have him for the best part of 20 years…But he has lots of juice left, he's not just going to wonder into the darkness, and he felt he needed to explore that… and while I'm really excited for him, I'm devastated too."
http://creativity-online.com/news/bob-isherwood-leaves-saatchi/132362

His works are worldwide recognize. Among all of his works he had the pleasure to work for great companies such as Toyota, were he was the World Creative Director and responsible for the lunch of the Toyota‘s Prius.

"Bob Isherwood embodies a professional and personal tradition of creative leadership, integrity and dedication to great ideas that make a difference"
Ami Brophy, executive director, Clio Awards,
http://designtaxi.com/news/6946/Clio-Awards-Honors-Bob-Isherwood-With-2007-Lifetime-Achievement/

Here are some the old and new ads that from Mr. Isherwood former firm Saatchi & Saatchi:

EOC Week 3: Tobbaco Add

Every day that we outside going about, we get surrounded by adds that try to motivate or encourage the purchase of their products. One of those big companies that compete for our attention is the tobacco companies.

In this add from the 50’s made for Chesterfield tobacco company they use a very popular actress of that decade: Lucille Ball.

Chesterfield in this add is try to solve a very common problem: How to appeal to a very under seen market. At time the women earned their very famous title “House Wife” by doing exactly that, spending most of the time at home, attending kids and house shores while the husband when to work and bring the bread and butter. They road that Chesterfield took was the one thing that house wife did when not attending the many thing that they occupied their mind on, and that was TV, and using a very popular character from a very well seen show will hit the spot.

As I said before, the strategy was to get the female population to grab a cigarette that will fit them. Give them style and uniqueness as women. So we see the ever popular actress Lucille Belle holding a cigarette and claiming that “Chesterfield is her cigarette” This becomes very appealing since is a character that all women and that time could relate to.

The depiction of Lucille Belle saying to the public that there is no other cigarette made exactly for you but Chesterfield is intended to tell the receiving public that if you really want to be as sophisticated like her, that’s the cigarette YOU need to smoke.

In the Chesterfield knew their audience very well, House Wife looked up to the TV stars of that ear. Seeing their favorite shows while the husband was away gave them the opportunity to relax and experience a reality outside their own four walls. Given them an illusion that a cigarette that was preferred by their favorite actor or actress will get them closer to that glamor that they seen every day on their TV.

So the goal was obvious. To use a famous star that every women was familiar and offer them that illusion, that since that they took could share that fame and glamor that Lucille Belle enjoyed. A female they could relate to. And Chesterfield and their advertisers hit the nail when they were endorsed by Lucille, because like the show says “I love Lucy”, and they sure did love her…

EOC Week 2: Ethics in Comercials

The video game world has been always center of hard critic for their methods of promoting their games. But one of all of the stands out more than other in the past. Its known as the “X Box 360 shooting commercial”

The commercial is trying to depict a shooting game online, and try to get consumers to become more active online gaming. But the theme of the commercial is not what became so controversial, but how they actually depicted the interaction, by having a lot people fake shooting each other.

A men walks on what it seem to be a subway station when he gets some uncomfortable looks from a stranger, then the last thing you know one of them fakes on pointing a gun at the other person as a sign of hostility. This creates a chain reaction by making everyone in the subway to start pointing their hands in a shape of a gun and pointing it at the closes person to them. As soon as one of the originators fakes to shoot and kill the other men, a Mexican stand-of begins. The add starts showing a mass of people killing each other with their hands as shape of a gun.

The commercial was banned for obvious reasons. Even though the goal was to attract more interaction with online games, the public view this as a very violent commercial, given young viewers a scenario were “fake killing” could be fun.

I had been playing games ever since I remember. Games themes and interactions does not really affect how can I distinguish fantasy from reality. But today kids are more technologically savvy and have more access to multimedia that can actually influence their view of reality even before they are expose to video games. At least with video games the parents have more control of they let their kids to have at home and be able to monitor them. But with multimedia, advertisement and other ways of communications there is no way to have a precise control of what the kids are viewing. And this commercial is one of many commercial that have been taken away from the eyes of young minds.

EOC Week 1: VW Lemon

In the early 60s Europe hold the quality standard when talking about the vehicle industry. German engineering was known for their high motors performance and did a great campaign “The ad featured a black and white photo of the Volkswagen Beetle with the word “Lemon” in bold san serif font… that proclaims that this particular car was rejected… because of a blemish on the chrome piece of the glove box. The ad goes on to describe the rigorous inspection process…” (http://www.writingfordesigners.com/?p=1731)

The advertising campaign was a great hit in America the aim of creating something different was later seen as a very important mark in the history of advertising. “Volkswagen changed the course of advertising in 1962 with the “Lemon” ad. The DDB ad agency pioneered the collaboration of the art director and the copywriter to create an ad with humor. The ads were constructed to create a disconnected juxtaposition between the image and the words that created humor for the discerning viewer.”(http://designhistorylab.com/?p=1755)

”In order to introduce the Beetle to the U.S. market, Volkswagen hired Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) ad agency. The advertising campaign for Volkswagen Beetle, created by DDB, perfectly positioned the product and won the hearts and minds of the masses.” (http://www.syl.com/bc/advertisingcampaignforvolkswagenbeetletheno1advertisingcampaignofthecentury.html)

This was well accepted by the American viewer and was also consider as landmark well stablish by DDB in the advertising field also the era also known as “..Creative Revolution. “ As mention the two more recognize images that were posted on the different media was the pictures of the Volkswagen vichles with the titles of: "Think Small," and "Lemon," and other self-deprecating headlines presented the Beetle in an offbeat manner and afforded an opportunity to make things right with honest, explanatory body copy.” (http://www.designhistory.org/advertising_fall_08.html) After that the whole industry change, making advertising companies think and generate bigger and better ideas allowing the current race of originality.