| Business Beat |
| Four Best and Four Worst Ads of 2004 |
"Good" and "bad" advertising is something everyone can relate to. We all can think of ads that resonate with us for good or ill - those we like for cracking us up or making us cry (in a nice way), and the ones that provoke a negative response ranging from mild annoyance to a remote-control-tossing fit. Either way, they have been successful in grabbing our attention.
But have you ever wondered how a professional reacts to advertising? Here, the Semaphore creative staff - Robbie Robertson, Senior Copywriter; Ashley Byrd, Writer; Kevin Shelton, Web Business Manager; Kathy Shuler-Cousson, Senior Art Director; Pam Thomas, Graphic Designer; and Roc Jackson, Creative Director - talk about the ads they love, the ads they don't love - and offer an insider's perspective on what works, and what doesn't, among their personal selections.
What 2004 ad was your favorite? What made it work, and why?
Robbie: I think I may be the only person on the planet who is an admitted fan, but I loved Burger King's "I'm Spicy" television commercial. The spot's flat art direction, dull lighting and great casting perfectly captured the Office Space feel of humorless cube dwellers divvying up their fast food lunch. Was it effective? Sure. I bugged my friends and family for months repeating the "I'm Spicy" catch phrase, thereby proving that humor can be very effective in creating a memory hook for a consumer.
Ashley: I like ads designed to serve more than one purpose, if at least one of those purposes is noble! For example, Gatorade's tribute to retiring soccer player Mia Hamm. A variety of people salute her and the ad seeks to inspire, to uphold someone who used their product, and to promote the product itself: "Is IT in you?"
Kevin: My pick is a Citicard commercial showing three mountain bikers going through the woods - however, one is running with his hands positioned as if he were on a mountain bike. He makes the jumps and maneuvers like his companions. The most humorous part to me is that when they come to a stop, he lifts his right leg up as if it's resting on a pedal. The element of absurdity is what works so well. Brings to mind Monty Python's "Holy Grail" movie with the knights pretending to ride around on horses and banging coconuts together to make hoof beats.
Kathy: I love the HP "PictureBook" commercials that combine digital imagery with real life - the person's face becomes a print, or the print becomes the real face. It's very clever, and the catchy tune by The Kinks makes it really memorable. The Verizon "Can you hear me now" and "Got Milk" campaigns have continuity that makes for a lasting impression. Another ad campaign that works is Target's "Target Dog," which uses consistent images - the dog, fonts, and the color red - they're used to such effect that even before the logo appears, you know who the ad's for.
Pam: My favorite is the HP ad, too. GREAT Music, GREAT production (how the photo frames change around the subjects). The whole tone is upbeat and feel-good, and the ad makes a strong impression. You remember it's about printing your photos.
Roc: To me the best ad of this past year was the TV spot for Burger King: "I'm spicy!" I think it was the combination of humor and one of the year's most memorable (and no doubt often-repeated) sound bites that made this commercial a standout.
What 2004 ad was the worst for you? What was "wrong" about it?
Robbie: I have to give it to Burger King again. The "Wake Up with the King" spot was one of the creepiest, yet most fascinating TV commercials I have ever seen.
I just wonder how an ad agency thought Middle America would react to a guy waking up in bed with someone dressed in a plastic Burger King mask? It was uber-weird. And how many breakfast sandwiches did this serial killer actually sell? I feel the spot was gratuitous in its audacity, and an example of a creative director not fulfilling his client's objectives. Yet I can't get that creepy King out of my mind.
Ashley: I don't despise any ad. However, I do dislike drug companies bypassing doctors to suggest that most Americans are sick in some way or other and need their product despite some horrible side effects (I'll bet you remember the description of the side effects better than you do the name of the drug). Our collective unconscious is already stressed enough. But hey, that's advertising!
Kevin: It's a tie between two computer-generated infections - the yellow fungal nail guy that crawls between your toenails - ugly and grotesque - and the globular, brown and green phlegm blob that makes its home in your chest, complete with lounger and TV. Why add features and personalities to these things? Nasty. I usually switch the channel when I see these ads.
Kathy: The commercials I hate are local ones that are poorly written and executed, and use real people who have no on-camera presence. Bad taste, just bad all around.
Pam: I'm like Ashley. I dislike ALL drug ads - you don't know what product they are for half the time, some of the drugs are not even available to the average person (i.e., insurance doesn't cover the cost and they are VERY expensive), and the ads drive up the price of the drugs. These reasons are more moral than creative, but they just make me MAD.
Roc: The Hardee's "Thickburger" spots that featured actors loudly gobbling messy burgers made a not-so-appetizing appeal for their new product offering ... it did not make me want a Thickburger, and I love burgers!
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