Chapter 10: Visual Communication

Question:
Find 3 ads which you think is visually creative. Analyse its creative direction, execution & finishing. Do you think it is effective? Why ? (link to target audience & brand image)

Answer:
“Anywhere the Eye Can See, It’s Likely to See an Ad.” This article from The New York Times reveals the fact that nowadays we are exposed to more than 5000 advertisements a day. Although most of them are annoying and easily be ignored, many ads are totally eye-catching with their amazing ideas. For example, here are some different advertisements that I believed to be visually creative as they have successfully grabbed my attention.

1. Oreo - WONDERFILLED (2012) 

The world’s best-selling cookie brand, Oreo, celebrated its 100th birthday in 2012 with an amazing animated billboard advertisement. Created and executed by the collaboration of The Martin Agency and design studio Brand New School, the 90- second animation turned The New York City’s Time Square into a ‘wonderfilled’ world of cookies. Aiming to expand Oreo’s target audience beyond children to adult, the ad comprised of fascinating illustrations in refreshing yet eye-catching tones of colors, which immediately grab people’s attention from the very first second it appeared. In result, pedestrians in Times Square were surrounded by Oreo’s wonderland with lively giant characters leaping and interacting from buildings to buildings. In addition, clever use of contrasting characters such as police and criminal or angel and demon sharing a cookies suggested the meaning behind the whole campaign that an Oreo’s cookies can bring about a positive change in perspective. People, on the other hand, indeed had positive impression to this creative execution that many even record it with their cameras. Finally, ending with Oreo’s indispensable milk-dunking ritual, the ad was completely successful in creating not only interest but also brand association.

2. Koleston Naturals : Change

Another exceptional using of billboard belongs to hair color brand Wella Koleston. In 2007, they launch a campaign for “Koleston Naturals” women’s hair dye. The campaign’s concept is to used the picturesque sight of Lebanon city’s environment to illustrate the fact that this product is made from natural ingredients. As a mean to express this idea, a billboard was purposefully placed on a road side cliff, die-cut to reveal the pure view of the sea and beautiful skyline behind it. A portrait of a woman with long flowing hair was cut out of the billboard, letting the background to fill in the gap to create absolutely natural colors. As a result, her hair can altered from the dazzling sunrise blond to deep black color of the night. Moreover, this aesthetic billboard also demonstrated other features of the brand such as the true color quality and various color offers, which resonated well with consumers’ concern, especially their target audience. As a matter of fact, the brand target women aged 25 to 40 who were health and beauty conscious and enjoy spending time outdoors to be close to nature. Therefore, this excellent used of nature in promoting the product seemed to perfectly match with its target, which contributed greatly to build Koleston’s brand image and loyalty.

3. LEGO Imagine

Last but not least, one of the most creative, award-winning print ad that considerably strengthen LEGO’s brand equity, LEGO’s Imagine by Blattner Brunner. Published in 2006, the ad approached people by it minimalist yet imaginative visual. Everything that appeared on this poster were just a simplistic block of bricks and its shadow on a one color background, and a LEGO’s logo at the bottom right corner. However, the designer, by modifying the shadows into specific objects, has brought life to the whole composition and made its one of the best LEGO advertising ever. For example, a airplane-shaped cast shadow can convey viewers that the crossed red brick block above is an airplane and the blue background is the colors of the sky. Everything then turned out to be all logically relevant when our imagination speak. Well known for its endless creativity image, LEGO never failed to impress their consumers, especially children. The use of basic color such as red, green , blue and simple shape like tank, airplane, boat made it easy for children to understand the message of imagination. As a result, children learned that by using their creativity and imagination, they can made wonderful things from the simplest material.



References:

• Sandra Moriarty, Nancy Mitchell, William Wells (2015) Advertising & IMC: Principles and Practice, 10th Edition. Present Hall, pp. 300-331
• Brand New School, Oreo. Available at: http://brandnewschool.com/projects/times-square
• Ads of the World (2007) Koleston Naturals: Change. Available at: http://adsoftheworld.com/media/ambient/koleston_naturals_change
• Cream Global,  In Living Color. Available at: http://www.creamglobal.com/search/17798/16540/in-living-colour/
• Trendland (2009) Lego Ad Campaign. Available at: http://trendland.com/lego-ad-campaign/