Ads for Inspiration

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Ads for Inspiration

Weekend Clickable Advertising Fun!

by Amy Corr

AMP drinkers walk without shame. Té Casan shoes come and go. Would you pay $65,000 for a bed? Let's launch!

The Wizard of Oz works for the government? Explains so much. Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion seek knowledge from the all-knowing Wizard, who gets his information online at USA.gov. The Wizard helps each character find what they're looking for in the PSA: Dorothy wants to go home (passport information), the Tin Man needs a heart (Medicare tips), the Scarecrow wants a brain (student loan information) and lastly the Wizard finds himself a new government job once his charade is revealed. Watch the ad here. "There's no place like USA.gov," reads a print ad featuring the Wizard inside his control room standing beside his secret weapon. See the ad here. Campbell-Ewald created the campaign.

Rock climbers are revered as famous athletes in a print campaign for Petzl, a manufacturer of climbing gear. Three print ads ponder how Petzl-sponsored rock climbers could be honored like more-mainstream athletes. Climber Sonnie Trotter gets his own trading card, Dave Graham is immortalized as a bobblehead and Chris Sharma's climbing harness is encased in glass. See the ads here, here and here, running in Climbing, Rock & Ice, Urban Climber and Alpinist. Petzl even went so far as to produce bobbleheads and climber trading cards for promotional use. TDA Advertising & Design created the campaign and media buying was handled in-house.

Would you pay $65,000 for a bed? Then this is the campaign for you. Hästens launched an international print campaign promoting its luxury beds, which run anywhere from $5,000 to $65,000. "Transcendence" features a naked woman levitating over her bed, along with the tagline: "The bed of your dreams." And I have to pay how much to look that good and dream that well? And I still have to shell out additional moolah if I want to wear pajamas? See the ad here. The company also relaunched its Web site, complete with a slideshow from the campaign's photoshoot and a video if the slideshow doesn't whet your whistle. Barker/DZP created the campaign and handled the media buy.

Té Casan shoes are here one day, gone the next, because the company only produces a select number of each shoe created by assorted designers. The resulting print campaign showcases shoes constructed from materials with a limited shelf life. A shoe is made of sand in one ad, but it's dangerously close to the rising tide. A straw shoe is waiting to catch fire in another ad, but my favorite shows a shoe made of sugar with a family of ants marching towards it. See the ads here, here and here. BBDO New York created the campaign and PHD handled the media buy.

National Grid launched a TV, online and outdoor campaign dedicated to changing behaviors that impact the environment and climate change. A polar bear is the star of the TV ad, which ponders what life would be like if people had polar bears, the animal first affected by climate change, for pets. Kids do everything with their polar bears, from walking through a library, crossing a street and swimming. The spot drives traffic to a Web site where kids can adopt a virtual polar bear and adults can educate themselves on actions to positively affect the environment. See the ad here. Mullen created the campaign, Firstborn created the site and mediaHUB handled media the media buy.

How best to describe Michael Bay shilling for Verizon FiOS while blowing things up and poking fun at himself? "Awesome." The director blows things up on- and off-screen in a 30-second spot promoting Verizon's high-speed fiber optic Internet access. Stay away from the pool and grill. Bay's next project? Adding plot lines to his movies. Watch the ad here. McCann Erickson New York created the campaign.

AMP energy drink launched a hysterical ad called "Walk of No Shame," depicting a group of men and women walking home in the same clothes they wore the previous night, and feeling good about it. Individuals awake to find they did not in fact hook up with a 10. There are mentions of cankles, men dressed thematically and women wearing oversized men's T-shirts. The end result is a large chorus walking home, sans shame, readying to do it all over again. See the ad here. BBDO New York created the campaign and OMD handled the media buy.

Independence Blue Cross, Philadelphia, launched a TV, interactive, print and radio campaign promoting age-specific healthcare programs. Three TV ads age children to adults who are visiting the doctor, doing chin-ups and looking into a mirror. "As you grow, your needs change from fitness reimbursements to colon cancer screenings. We're here for you every step of the way," says one ad. The campaign was created through the point of view of Independence Blue Cross CEO Joseph A. Frick following his diagnosis of colon cancer. See the ads here, here and here. A print ad denotes age-specific health screenings using a child's height chart with numbers written on a doorframe. See it here. Tierney Communications created the campaign and handled the media buy.