Two Good Things For A Monday - One Pretty Good, One Great

It's Monday and I bring you two good things - well actually one of them is great, but I'm going to make you wait for that.

First is this new bus ad that's going around for Pizza Express, advertising their new.... wait, I don't actually have to tell you what it's advertising - see how that works? Amazing.

Anyway, it's a good example of a bus wrap – and of outdoor in general. I've seen a few of these new Routemaster wraps and they are pretty good, but this is the strongest I've seen so far, it stands out a mile.

The second thing is this amazing recording of outtakes of Orson Welles doing advertising voiceovers. A couple of things here. Just imagine directing one of the world greatest ever actors and directors in a recording session? Also, what an unbelievable voice he has – he brings something amazing to these scripts. Lastly, imagine a version of the ad industry where people are using actors of his calibre to voice their ads. Draws in to stark relief how dumbed down the work has become today. Anyway, that's a thought for another day. For now just enjoy this...

Show Don't Tell And The Desert Of Crap – Shot On iPhone 6

I've been meaning to post up about this campaign for a little while, since a couple of us came into the office one morning and simultaneously said "Have you seen that new shot on iPhone campaign?"

That's what I like most about this work. The images are great, and the simplicity is excellent – it's increasingly rare to see simplicity (that is intelligent simplicity, not lowest-common-denominator dumbness) in advertising.

But the best thing about it, is that the first thing you think is wow, that was taken on the new iPhone camera? And that, ladies and gents, is what good advertising should largely be doing – making you think that the product is really good in some way that might be of use to you.

It seems silly to have to point that out, but increasingly it seems that many people in advertising think that the job of advertising is to make the advertising famous. I disagree with those people.

There used to be a useful phrase in advertising: show don't tell. And this work does that. Where other phone-makers will crap-on about megapixels or stability controls or some other crap, Apple and MAL continue their legacy of strong, simple, product-based ads by showing us a demonstration of the benefit: a great photo.

It's simple, and it works. And these posters are nice to look at, too. This last point is important.

Back in the sixties, Howard Gossage railed against the use of outdoor advertising as a blight on society. He argued that with all other media; radio TV, print, etc. you opt into it - you pick up a magazine or newspaper, or turn on the TV or radio fully in the knowledge that there will be ads, and that those ads are largely paying for the other content that you're there to enjoy. It's a choice, a transaction. And those ads are discreet by the nature of their media. But, he argued, when it comes to outdoor – it's different – those ads are forced upon us in our own environments, we don't get to choose whether we get to see them or not.

And you know, I have some sympathy for that point of view. Not completely – I don't think that outdoor should be banned, as Gossage did. But I do think there is a responsibility when using outdoor not to despoil our environment with poorly designed, poorly photographed, shouty, ugly or stupid posters. These things are twenty feet wide and bigger for God's sake. We have a responsibility to make our work add to the world around us, not abuse it.

We live in a time when advertising is completely disappearing up its own arse. Becoming more stupid, more inane, more ugly, less of interest or of use to the customer and more selfish and self-centred. This work is a rare oasis of good in that interminable desert of crap.

One final point is just to acknowledge Apple's continuing success at using so-called traditional media to effectively advertise innovative, technological products. No interactive gizmos or fashionable faddy, latest-thing gimmicks. Just simple, relevant thoughts, based on the product, relevant to the customer, simply put and well crafted, with great media placement. If only more clients and agencies had the confidence (or talent?) to do this. Maybe they would have built the most valuable brand in the world?

Here's a couple of examples...

Hans Hillman

The good folk over at Kemistry Gallery have another great exhibition opening today, a selection of German designer Hans Hillman's film posters. This is the first time any of the late Hillman's posters have been shown in the UK and well worth swinging by for a nosey if you're in Shoreditch.

Further reading:

Kemistry Gallery
Creative Review
Illustraction Gallery

Vintage Political Posters From Cuba

Stumbled across this terrific collection of Cuban political posters. There's many more here on the treasure trove that is 50 Watts.

Neon Film Posters

Mr. Whaite makes neon film posters. And we love 'em. Here's a few faves.

Simple Is Good

As long time readers will know, we are of the belief that too much of advertising is overcomplicated and convoluted. Complicated and over-clever processes tend to lead to complicated and over-clever advertising.

Many in advertising and marketing have forgotten the real power of the mediums that we have at our disposal. This is probably because they are too fixated on the details of their over-complicated advertising, and forget how powerful good, simple advertising can be.

Every now and again we are reminded of the power of the mediums we use, and the amazing power of words and ideas. I just read this story about this poster in Australia...

It has caused outrage/quite a stir/lots of gnashing of teeth. Not surprising. Now, obviously I know we are talking about religion here, and that is a subject with massive power to cause emotion. But what I find interesting is the simplicity of what has been put out there.

Had this been produced by a modern-day corporate marketing department, and an ad agency, do you think it would have come out so simple and direct? I very much doubt it.

People in the business seem to be losing the ability to boil things down into simple solutions. Or at least, are maybe losing the will to do so (after all, sometimes the simplest solutions look so simple that it's hard to justify all that time on the time-sheet, isn't it?).

Plus, people don't like to choose. You can have this - or this in it, not both. These days, people demand to have both, or they go to someone who will drop their pants and give them everything they want.

Which is a shame really. Because advertising is at it's very best, most powerful, and most effective when it's simple.

And it can be.

Mark McGinnis Grown Up Alphabet Posters

Brooklyn artist/illustrator Mark McGinnis has created these funny posters, based on those alphabet flash cards you used to learn the alphabet. Reinterpreted on more adult themes, one might say. You can see the full set here, and buy them here. Great-looking, funny and irreverent. What's not to like abut that?