Source: http://www.plasticbag.org/archives/2007/08/on_being_challenging/

I agree with that SO MUCH, and its part of why I like advertising and PR so much: it’s the manipulation/persuasion of people to buy/think/use something that they wouldn’t normally use, or to sway them from one to another, and it’s so powerful. I’d call it persuasion, because I believe people still have a choice.

I just wanted to share that quote =]

Insurance choice: Manchester Metropolitan University to do Advertising and Brand Management (200 pts)

Mahusive billboards in cities with names on. Not just a few, but how about a few thousand? A few hundred thousand, maybe?
A small tagline in the corner saying something like “We’re not just a minority” or something similar… I’m not sure.

Interactiveness = text/website - people signing up to have their name (first and/or surname) on the billboard.

They could be personalised according to the city, or generalised over the country. London, they could be postcoded, perhaps on bus-stops, tube stations, wherever.

So, a big truck, fitted out with tv’s, sofas, warm comfortable rooms, computers, and of course KitKats? Travelling around the country, parking in busy working places, schools, hospitals, city centres, anywhere where people work hard and need a break!

Follow up with TV and radio spots…. partnership with local radio stations, vote where you think the truck should stop, billboards advertising the stopover….

Especially during summer, office workers in cities are going to be needing a break. What better way than for them to relax in an air-conditioned, luxurious relaxing space for half an hour?

A giant tv screen (like a jumbotron), running anything from a a dramatic, action-movie style running closeup of a TV  (the ironic factor, see?), to an advert of the show its advertising, or just the channel’s logo or whatever.

Meh. Ten minutes ago it seemed like SUCH a good idea and now I’m like …. lol.

My original idea was to do a property detail sheet, like you’d get through the post from an estate agents, but my lecturer discouraged me because it ‘doesn’t allow for creativity; it’s a pretty much set formula’… which I can agree with, however… I don’t really want to do a poster because its a pretty shit thing. It’s boring, everyone does it!

So I’ve decided on my topic. A ’series’ of posters discouraging homophobic bullying. Meh, it’s different. Soooo…

Research:

• Stonewall
• Internet - random websites on gay-teen bullying statistics, etc

I’d have to use AIDA - Attention, Interest, Design and Action in the posters, and use theory such as:

• Shannon-Weaver model of communication
• Hypodermic needle model - critique

Colours would be stereotypical, but in an ironic way. Pink, blue, green, contrasting colours that would create attention. The Action part of the posters would be a link to a website,
Ideas:

• “A lot of gay output is about escapism, instead of reality” - ground yourself, if you’re being bullied, tell someone.
• one along the lines of ‘you’re not alone, don’t feel afraid.’ its normal, etc.
• “Bullying someone because of their sexuality is as bad as bullying them because of their skin colour”

Meh. I’m rather stuck. Also, I feel stupid mentioning that I want to do a gay-theme thing in the class because the lecturer is one of those creepy men, theres 3 straight boys and 1 girl and me. Blerh.

I can see the problems with putting the main character on the WeightWatchers ad… you can’t put a fat woman up there because thats just not nice. You can’t put a slightly overweight woman on there, because how much over is overweight? It’d create a whole argument over how they’d be defining it and how aspirations blah blah….

These adverts just annoy me.

I can’t be bothered to talk about the relatively shite advert, I’m more interested in the mobile phone number ‘gimmick’ of the advert, because that’s all it is really.

Basically, there’s one or two shots of a mobile number on the guy’s arm, and that’s it. That’s all you see/hear throughout the entire advert to do with the idea of calling it. So, just out of curiousity, I called the number, and thought it was being put through to an answerphone when the guy’s (or a man’s voice) says ‘Thanks for calling my mobile number’ and does a promo spiele (sp?) saying something like ‘text this number for a screensaver’.

But *why* would they go to all that trouble? Why not just make up a number, or cut the ad so you don’t see the whole number? Do they think women will actually call it? I only did because I thought ‘hm, i wonder whose number that is!’ and stupidly thought it could be Kate Moss’!

The sad thing is that I suppose we probably won’t hear how many people called the number and why they did.

A good idea, but it wasn’t the right opportunity. Save it for another day?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgrwjKCM_TQ

A typically British (or a foreign version of) Punch and Judy on a foriegn location - such as in front of the Taj Mahal, or at the base of the Leaning Tower Of Pisa, or in a Chinese street.

The slogan/catchline - “Some things just aren’t the same abroad. We’re coming home.” or similar.

It connotes to mean that some things (such as communicating with customers, manufacturing, etc) are best left in Britain. The ‘home’ should be included, as it associates the brand/company with Britain and increases the patriot feeling.

*Was around in the past and is around now (or is making a comeback)
*Is a children’s favourite (now and then)
*Is British.

This campaign was originally designed for Cadburys Dairy Milk, simply because it’s been around a bit, loved by everyone, etc, but could also be edited for a different product with the same qualities. So, Punch and Judy - everyone loves Punch and Judy, yeah? Well, at least they used to love it, before they grew too old. So the advert tries to re-capture the target audience and rekindle the love for the product (in this case, Dairy Milk)So, on a beach, there is a Punch and Judy stand - kids sitting around watching it. The usual bashing and hitting carries on, until suddenly, they stop and start kissing. This signifies that ‘the product’ has changed from the usual, but you’re unsure if its for the better or worse. Then, one of the puppets ‘bites’ the other’s nose and then they start hitting each other again.

This shows that the product may have changed a bit, but underneath it all, it’s still the thing that everybody loves and is used to. This would be ideal for Cadbury’s Dairy Milk because it identifies with the past (Punch and Judy, beach holidays, etc) and the present (the present-day children who watch Punch and Judy and know what it is, i.e. will relate to it) and it also captures the British spirit.

If the campaign proves successful, it also provides opportunities for ‘tryvertising‘ with sponsored Punch and Judy shows in city centers, shopping centers and on the beach to reach different audiences, which all have something in common with the product.