Keeping Up with Styles, Trends and Software

I just attended an informational lecture led by a graphic designer who had graduated about four years ago. She is now working in the design industry and was giving us tips and advice that will help us in our current job searches.  One of the things she mentioned that was extremely important to do was to keep up on the current styles, trends and software.  For instance, when I started college Adobe CS3 was just coming out.  I now have CS5 and it is amazing what a difference it makes. I feel that it is sometimes very necessary to know design trends and styles so that you can better learn how to break them and think outside the box.  Take a look at these Coca Cola Ads below.  The first one is a vintage ad from the 1940's. It shows one of the coca cola girls in a classic layout; image, copy, logo.  The next ad is one from this summer. The image is centered, and the graphics look very web 2.0ish. Besides the coke bottle, it hardly looks like the same product.  Now take a look at the last Coke ad.  It uses the same format as the current ad but it takes all the vintage coke girls and uses them in way that still makes it look like a recent ad.  I love it!    

Sand Advertising

       In one of my design classes we created two posters dealing with social issues.  Our current project is to think of different ways to apply our posters in the real world besides simply hanging them up as posters.  As I started think about what to do for this project, I realized that people can use anything to advertise.  Any person walking around wearing and article of clothing with its store logo or name on, is an advertisement! 

When my family and I go on vacation we love to build elaborate sand creations.  One of the days we decided to build a giant soccer ball in honor of the US team winning their game that morning in the FIFA World Cup Soccer tournament.  As we were building it and after it was completed people kept asking us what it was all about or asking when the next game was etc. I remember my dad making a comment about how he felt like he was "pulling off an advertising stunt for FIFA World Cup." I think that was the most creative advertising I've ever participated in.  

Here are some more of our sand creations just for fun:

The whole family by "Ollie the Octopus"

Wine, Cheese and Grapes (my personal favorite)

Gator Got Golfer (Dad's brain child)

Mississippi Mission (Cont.)

       On the night of the break out, after we had been confined to our separate sleeping sections, all of us girls started to play cards by flashlight.  The minutes ticked away and I was getting so excited I could practically smell the salty beach breeze.  One by one the girls dropped like flies to that peaceful oblivion called sleep.  I didn't need to dream tonight. Tonight I would be living my dream! (or at least, in a less dramatic world, my dream of the week.) The clock read 11:46pm and we deemed it go time! Me and Lauren executed a beautiful half extension, putting Katie equal with the window. Katie squeegeed through and jumped to the ground (more like fell) with a loud "Uhf!" As I began to climb onto Lauren, to complete the shoulder stand that would liberate me, we heard the bathroom door creak open. We froze. A midnight bathroom-goer, awake and needing to use the john, was about to be really weirded out when they flipped those lights on. We hardly had time to think, and when the lights actually came on and we saw who it was our hearts sank. Lizzy Ann, the biggest rule-follower out there stood before us drop-jawed.  "What in the high heavens are you two doing!?"  She said in a hysterical whisper.  All I could think about was Katie standing in the middle of no-mans land about to be sensed by the bug's eyes and so I blurted out,  "Lizzy, you can come with us!"  To my surprise, Lizzy left the room and came back within 30sec with a pair of flip flops. "No one has ever asked me to do something like this before." she said determinedly. I stood there shocked until Lauren grunted "Ya gonna climb through that window or stand on me all night!?" I climbed through, dropped to the ground, got a "took ay long enough!" from Katie and then a "What the?!" when she saw Lizzy pop through the window and land on the ground next to her.  I gestured an overly animated "SHH!" we could not afford to make any noise before we got to the gate. However, when we got there, the boys were nowhere to be found. It appeared the Texas punks had chickened out on us. We made a decision to all go to the boys side together. Turns out they had all drifted asleep waiting for their leader to fall asleep.  Typical. Throwing rocks at the window would be too loud and so we decided to build a stunt to their window and shine the flashlight in on their eyes. It worked like a charm. "We didn't really think you girls would sneak out." One of them said. Thanking him for the vote of confidence with an exceptionally long shine in the eyes, I told them to hurry up. We had been making a lot of extra noise and I was getting nervous. As all of us were stealthily tiptoeing to the front gate the person in front suddenly stopped. I felt it before I saw it. Two glowing orbs about a foot off the ground piercing our shadowed bodies.  The bug's spy cat! We all stood there not moving for what felt like minutes. And with no warning whatsoever, the cat flicked its tail, turned and ran out the gate.  Not only was he letting us go but he was showing us the way! 

The walk to the beach would have taken about 20 minutes, but we stopped at Sonic on the way to get ice cream.  We laughed and joked, talking about all the funny things that happened over the past week.  We were feeling so free and big for pulling off the breakout.  One of the Texas boys saw it first, and he slowed our canter to a walk.  We were close to the beach because I remember the way the wind blew and it suddenly smelled like salt.  And then we all saw it. A huge cross on top of a destroyed sanctuary.  The only thing left after the hurricane was its cement foundation, a few supporting beams, and that huge cross that was miraculously still standing.  We reached the sanctuary and looked out at the beach. It wasn't a nice beach and the bug was right about all the debris, but at that moment it was the most beautiful sight I ever saw. Without a word we passed through the sanctuary and headed towards the water. We sat there in the sand, salt water licking our toes, watching the moon on the water. Katie, my best friend and sister, sat to my left. Lizzy, a girl I had seen my whole life but had never really known before that night, sat on my right. The three boys from Texas, our brand new friends, sat behind us and next to Katie. We stayed like that for a long time.  A random group of teenage kids doing everything and nothing wrong, whispering softly against the waves. It struck me how we could be surrounded by such vast destruction of the beach, yet at the same time overwhelmed by its beauty. I think there is something magical about beaches. It's a place where the heavens touch the earth and we can hear God more clearly. I understood that night that despite all the crazy things that happen in our lives, you can always find a cross that is still standing, you can always find God.    

On the walk back to the church complex we reverted back to our rambunctious joking and laughing.  The Texas boys helped us back into our bathroom window, and we said goodnight.  We were now forever bonded by the secret we shared. The next morning we woke with a start and packed up like zombies. With smug grins we said goodbye to the bug, not forgetting to give some extra love to her treasonous cat. As the plane took off, and katie's head gradually fell to my shoulder in a deep slumber, I knew I would never forget this trip.

Katie (Left) Rebecca (Right)

Mississippi Mission

Chapter nine in our reading (Hey Whipple, Squeeze This. - Sullivan, 2008) was about throwing out the rule book. Instead of writing a "normal" blog about a commercial, advertisement, or something directly related to marketing, I am going to write a story.  A good ad resonates with its audience. It relates to them and causes them to feel a particular way.  Stories do the same thing. They evoke certain emotions from us and peak human interest - especially if they are true.  That is why most people love listening to stories. I feel that if you can tell a good story, you can most likely write a good ad. I am going to do a little practice writing some stories of my own.  Bear with me as I am in no way a novelist. This story is about my experience on a missions trip that I took with my younger sister and high school youth group to Mississippi. 

When my sister Katie and I signed up to go to Mississippi with our high school youth group and help out with hurricane relief, we expected it to be just that. Hop on a 3 hour plane ride, rebuild some houses, help some people out, serve the Lord, come home and feel great about "making a difference." However, upon arriving the first thing they did was sit us down and dish out all the rules for the week. (Alterior motives are ALWAYS suspected when going anywhere with a group of adolescents - something that usually pissed me off back in the day) The woman in charge went on and on about dress code and curfews and this policy and that policy, all the while with a huge smile plastered to her face and ending every explanation with "but I'm sure ya'll wont give us any problems with that this week" in her slow southern drawl. Katie and I glanced at each other. This was not a serve trip.  This was prison!  

One of the many rules that "the bug" (the woman in charge soon earned this nickname as she had very large and protruding eyes that seemed to see everyone, thing, and thought that went in and out of the church complex) had given was that we were not allowed to visit the beach. The lame, "maybe we better play it safe" reason behind this was something stupid about all the debris left behind from the hurricane being potentially dangerous etc. etc. There were two strong forces of nature working against me that week. One was the irresistible draw of the beach, and the other was that age-old human impulse that tells you "rules are made to be broken."  Despite my instincts I tried to be good and respect all of the bug's rules. Katie and I would work with the group all day cleaning up houses and completing odd jobs.  We befriended some boys from a church in Texas who were fun to work with too, but during free-time all I could think about was that blasted beach. By the middle of the week I had made up my mind that we were going!

Katie and I began to devise a plan.  It would be difficult, the bug's rules prohibited anyone from leaving their room after 10:00pm.  We would need the boys from Texas for bodyguards (we were staying in a pretty shady neighborhood) and the boys rooms were at the opposite end of the complex. The bug had a camper stationed exactly in between the boys rooms and the girls rooms, and directly in front of the main gate.  She also had a cat that prowled around at all hours of the night with an exceptionally loud meow. Katie and I were almost positive the cat doubled as her spy. The best way out of our room was through the bathroom window. However, the window was way to high to crawl through by yourself from the ground, so Katie and I would have to recruit another girl to help us out. We decided on our friend Lauren. Lauren had been on the cheerleading team with me and I knew she was fully capable of building a stunt to reach the window. We planned the escape for the last night of our stay for two reasons; 1) it wouldn't matter if we were tired because we were leaving first thing in the morning and would be able to just pass out on the plane ride home, and 2) the bug made it VERY clear that if anyone got caught breaking the rules they would make no hesitation to put us on the next plane home, which made our plan foolproof because even if we did get caught and our reputation went to the dogs, we would be on that plane ride home regardless.  Our plan was perfect. 

TO BE CONTINUED...

I'd Rather be J.K. Rowling than David Heyman

Our readings this week began with some sobering comments about how copywriters very rarely write TV ads. They  go to say how commercial production is becoming a multi-million dollar industry and that big-time producers are now directing TV ads.  I guess this point has nothing to do with my blog except for the fact that it got me thinking.  "So what if I never get the chance to produce a film ad!?" I would rather be the person who came up with the original concept in the first place.  One good idea or concept can take you miles, but no matter how much you dress up a lame idea it still will suck.  

Let us take the magical world of Mr. Potter as an example.  J.K Rowling had an idea that she wrote down on a napkin. 20 years later, that same idea is now a global brand worth about 15 billion dollars.   The Harry Potter Series still makes millions off of the books, movies, and now the theme park that opened this summer! (Which I will be visiting as soon as proper funding comes through.) All this to say however, that when I watch a Harry Potter movie or dream of visiting the theme park, I don't think "Thank you David Heyman!" (producer of Half Blood Prince.) or "You have given me so much happiness Alan Gilmore." (Art Director of World of Harry Potter.) No I do not. Instead I think "Wow J.K. Rowling, you rock!." And why do I think this? After all, the people mentioned above really did do fantastic work and do deserve credit. BUT without the idea of Harry Potter, without that first little handwritten napkin note, there would be no Harry Potter movies, theme park, action figures, etc. And so, by default, when someone says "Harry Potter" you think J.K Rowling (or how wonderful it would be if we could actually fly on broomsticks while playing quidditch, but that's besides the point). 

I come to two conclusions. The first is this; write down every single brain child you conceive.  You never know when it could be turned into something big. When you are inspired, drop everything and go with it because it might not come back for a while. Thinking creatively is not a skill you can just take a course on and learn. It is a lifestyle, a way of looking at the world.  The second is to develop exceptional writing or communication skills and then surround yourself with talented people. If I have an 'out-of-this-world-better-than-sliced-bread' idea, and I am not capable of creating a way to communicate it to anyone else in an effective way, then it sucks because it will just die inside of me. Develop a creative lifestyle and be able to communicate your 'golden' ideas via the best of the best (and if the best of the best happens to be yourself, then all the better!).  

The Ka's Evil Twin and TV Grammar

Watch "Evil Twin" Commercial

(disclaimer: do not watch if you are a cat-lover)

Since we are talking about film and writing advertisements for TV this week, I thought I would analyze a TV commercial using terms from our reading online, The "Grammar" of television and film." I found two very humorous ads on youtube for the Ford Sportka called "the Ka's evil twin." Both commercials contain a narrative about the car vs. nature, and have the Ford Sportka coming out as the evil victor in the end.  The tone is spontaneous, quiet, and gives you the feeling that this sort of thing is typical, or at least happens more than you would know.  Two things that help give the commercial that tone is the Objective Treatment of the shoot and the Direct sound usage.  Objective treatment is when the scene is shot while keeping the camera still, giving the viewer an advantageous position to watch what is going on.  Because of this, when you watch the commercial it feel almost as if you are spying on someone or thing (the car).  Direct sound is when the scene uses the natural sounds of the shoot.  This commercial has no music track or voice-overs, only birds chirping and the sounds of the car.  This gives the feeling of spontaneity, as if it were happening in real time.  The clip contains no cuts (Long take) which ads to the real-time, everyday tone.  Two other things I observed about this commercial was that they used a long shot for the camera distance, which means you can see the entire car in the frame. This results in an increase of attention to the car.  Also, the superimposed text at the very end of the commercial was the only time in which the ad mentioned the name of the product in which it was advertising.  I found this to be a very economic way to use their time.  

Enforcing Bud Light's Brand Personality

Bud Light’s “Lost Parody” commercial that aired during the Superbowl 2010, is a great example of enforcing brand personality.  When you think of Bud Light, you think of a good time.  The commercial is funny not only because it is a parody off of the hit TV series “Lost,” but because the victims of the plane crash are more concerned with the Bud Light in the beverage cart than getting off the island. The ridiculousness of the situation is not only entertaining but hits on the personality of Bud Light being “a good time.”  The commercial leaves you with the feeling that Bud Light can turn even the worst of situations into a party.

Watch Commercial

Raise your hands for Mercedes-Benz

While watching some football the other night, I saw a commercial for the Mecedes-Benz SLS AMG. It really moved me for some reason and I don't even pay attention to cars that much.  The commercial shows a ton of clips from history of people raising their hands in the air. They show sporting events, a music conductor, a rock concert, even Martin Luther King Jr, made it into a clip. the last scene is the car opening its doors. The movement mimics the same universal gesture of raising your hands in the air. There are two parallels being made here. One is that by showing all major historical events or just emotion-packed events and then showing the mercedes at the end, the makers of this commercial are prompting us to subconsciously feel that this car is part of some kind of monumental event.  The second parallel that makes this ad effective is the human to car switch from all the beginning clips to the last one. When the car "raises its hands" at the end it is all of a sudden not just a car. It is another victorious human being lifting its hands up to accomplishment.  

Watch This Ad

Cheverolet Print Ad

In honor of all the print ads we created for class, I am going to discuss a print ad that I thought was especially effective. I apologize right off the bat for not having the image shown. I found the ad in a magazine I was flipping through while waiting to be seen for a doctors appt. I would have just ripped the ad out of the magazine right  then and there but it was a full spread ad and the woman at the front desk was already giving me the stink eye.  Needless to say I couldn't find the image online either.  Anyways, the ad was for Cheverolet. I almost skimmed right past it because it looked like any old car ad one would see in a magazine, a new shiny car displayed on the left side cruising through some type of picturesque mountain scenery.  Except for the fact that they had a beautiful display of san serif typography splashed across the whole image.  I made the decision to read it and it said "forgetting which side your gas cap is on is the only bad thing about it." (or something to this effect) The headline made me think. I always forget which side my gas cap is on and this is mainly due to the fact that I rarely have to get gas. What Cheverolet is saying, while still letting the audience do the work and come to this conclusion, is that this car has great gas mileage. Two things I can conclude with from this ad; 1) If it weren't for the aesthetically pleasing layout of the ad, I would have never read it in the first place. and 2) If it weren't for the well-written headline I would have never remembered it.  

KIA Sorento Ad. The Good and the Bad.

Below is an interesting ad I found for the new KIA Sorento. I find the image to be extremely effective but feel that the copy really blows.  Its a good thing they used poster layout, because the image is the strongest part of the ad by far.  Immediately, the viewers eyes are drawn to the exact center of the image where the magic happens. The suspended bracelet around the driver's wrist literally gives you the sense of being weightless.  By tweaking one simple thing in the image, the designer has taken this ad from just another visual to an experience.  I can actually feel myself soaring over jumps and hills while off-loading in the New Sorento.  The copy on the other hand is a little disappointing.  It reads, "The 4x4 SUV helps you escape from gravity." Well gee thanks but we already got that part the second we laid eyes on the bracelet.  I feel they could have come up with something a little more complimentary to the image, and not merely stating in words what the viewer just felt.

Starbucks; Ads and Layouts

One of our assigned readings for class (Felton 2006) talked about the importance of the overall look and feel of an ad; essentially, the ad's format. Felton gives 7 suggested layouts to use as a type of "checklist" when developing an ad.  I have taken the time to find all seven, using various types of Starbucks coffee advertisements as examples.   

1. Standard Layout: 

Starbucks has a lot of ads that are in the standard layout form; Illustration, Headline, copy, logo. I chose this one because 1) I thought it was semi-humorous, and 2) It reminded me of the statistic mentioned in the reading and in class that 4 out of 5 people do NOT read beyond the headline of ads. Starbucks uniquely defies the rules of advertising in this ad by stressing the point that they don't even have to think of something good to say in order to get people to buy their coffee.

2.  Editorial Layout:

In my opinion, the editorial layout is the most boring of them all, however I found this one to be very aesthetically pleasing.  The ad uses effective treatment of the typography. I also find that the way the symbols pull the viewer through the copy of the ad is very successful as well. This may not, however, be the best example of an editorial ad because it is a little image-heavy.

3. Poster Layout:

As opposed to the editorial, the poster layout is my personal favorite. This ad includes a captivating image with complimentary text positioned neatly in the bottom right next to the logo. Beautiful!

4. Cartoon Layout: 

I had some trouble finding an example for this one.  This Starbucks "Go with the Flow" ad seemed to fit in the sense that they are trying to express more of an abstract idea with this never-ending-using-only-one-line "cartoon" of a coffee cup.

5. Comic Strip Layout:

This ad is actually screen shots of a Starbucks television ad aired in Britain. When viewed in screen shot form it serves its purpose for one of my examples as a comic strip layout.  A cute holiday narrative about "passing the cheer (aka: steamy hot cup of Starbucks)" to an awkward-looking Christmas reindeer on a ski lift.  Really gives you the warm fuzzes by the last window.

6.  Picture-Caption Layout: 

I found this ad off the Starbucks website, advertising two of their featured drinks.  Maybe not the best ad but it gets the job done. It directly shows the picture of the drink and clearly states the name in a caption above.

7.  Picture-Cluster Layout: 

Pretty self-explanatory, but this ad is a "vintage" Starbucks ad with a montage of different images and pictures, of Starbucks coffee in its various forms.  It shows many different facets of the product, the coffee being enjoyed, the coffee in action being poured, and the coffee in its packaging.

McDonald's Billboards on 294

This summer my sister and I would frequently drive 294 to get into Chicago for the various activities and festivals of the season. Some of our favorite billboards along the way were advertisements for McDonald's.  When viewing them with a carefree summer spirit, I just took them to be funny ads. However, as I begin to analyze them from a writer's mindset I begin to see the geniuses of the writing.  One of the ads says, "If breakfast had an all-star team." and then shows a picture of a McDonald's breakfast. Another shows a cup of McDonald's coffee and says "If coffee is Joe, consider this Joseph." At base level the ads are simply saying that their food is better and classier than other restaurants food. But that's where the irony comes in -  it's McDonald's, and everyone knows McDonald's food is cheap and not very good for you.  Their food is not the best or most sophisticated choice, and that is exactly what I find cleverly funny about those ads.

Advertising Emotion

Advertising guru David Ogilvy once said "Ninety nine percent of advertising doesn't sell much of anything" My version of Ogilvy's quote is "Ninety nine percent of advertising doesn't sell much of the product."  What ads often sell are the emotions attached to the product (or brand). Most ads that I see today and really like, are not necessarily selling something I really like or even know about for that matter.  What I usually like about the ad is the emotion that it brings out in me. Here are two such examples: 

Diesel: Be Stupid Advertising Campaign

This Diesel ad, as well as most of the other ads in Diesel's "Be Stupid" campaign, plays with the emotion of fear. The whole idea behind the campaign is to encourage creative, brilliant, but also risky behavior or ideas.  Most people have, to some degree, a fear of being rejected or called stupid for being "different." This ad reminds us of that fear and eliminates it by saying, "With our brand you CAN be creative, different and yes, even stupid - and we won't judge you!"  I find myself liking  diesel jeans without ever owning a pair.

Goldstrike: Don't Mess with the Legend Campaign

Each ad in Goldstrike's "Don't Mess with the Legend" Campaign, evokes the emotion of awe and excitement. With clever imagery, these ads give glimpses of the adventures and wild stories that have happened to people who drink Goldstrike. It promises that you too could be part of those legends, but gives somewhat of an ambiguously exciting warning.  I know all of this without ever tasting a drop of Goldstrike in my life. 

Andy Warhol, Art and Advertising

The title of my blog is a quote from one of the most well-known pop artist, Andy Warhol.  He says, "The world fascinates me." And I couldn't agree with him more! In class this week we were asked the question "Is advertising a good thing?" My initial response was a resounding YES! However, when I tried to reason why I thought it was a good thing I was conflicted. Materialism is not something I agree with, and accumulating more and more stuff that you really don't need is not something I want to promote either. So why do I have such a positive taste in my mouth for something so related to both vices.  I dug a little deeper and found that my dear Mr. Warhol was able to help me out with an answer. Andy Warhol often times used advertisements and everyday things as the subject of his artwork.  Advertising, among many other things, is art. Art is a portrayal and reaction to the world around us; and as I stated before, "the world fascinates me." Advertising is good because, like art, it captures our attention. It is fascinating.