Creative Advertising & New Media

Advertising, new media and social campaigns had paved a way for advertisers to create adverts to be added to, changed by or passed on by the public, making it often a cheap way of advertising and an affective way as viewers relate to the advert on a personal level, as they have contributed to it.

 

This social media campaign named '0 views' was released onto youtube in November of 2011 for Amnesty International Uraguay. The campaign was created to raise awareness about the violence toward women in the maternity wards. The concept of the campaign was to promote the idea that video's of women being treated as they are shouldnt be seen, and neither should the act in the first place.

 

The video was uploaded to youtube in such a way that for every view it had, the view counter went down. The aim was to get the views down to zero from 44,000. The campaign spread accross social media sights such as Facebook, Twitter and even the news channels with people urging others to lower to view count.

 

New media has changed creative advertising, as it has allowed the audience to have a viewpoint and to add to the campaigns, making it a more personal experience thus adding a more personal relationship to the brand/cause. It has also given the viewers a chance to decide what they watch or add to, and has put advertising into the hands of the viewers through social media sites and word of mouth.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sQ0kTD5QS0

http://adsoftheworld.com/media/online/amnesty_international_uruguay_0_views_a_video_we_should_stop_seeing

 

 

Creative Creatives - 1980's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT4DR_ae_4o

 

The advert for Levi's pictured above can be described as a piece of postmodern advertising. At the time Levi's were percieved as a brand for middle-aged men, which is where this advert was introduced to bring the appeal to a younger poplulation. The advert shows a young man stripping himself of his clothes in order to wash them in the washing machines at a laundrette, while women around gasp at the sight. Post modernism has been described as having a 'lack of seriousness' - Stoddart 2007 and anti-authoritarion, This can be seen in this advert. As the advert lacks a voice over describing the information of the product (which would have been what the majority of adverts were like during that time) instead there is only backing music and moving image but was as informative as previous adverts, and the man in the advert has no hesitation when getting undressed in the middle of a laundrette.

 

 

While searching for similar styled post modernism advertisements, I found this advertisement for Burger King. Like post-moderism, this ad blur's the boundaries between what is accepted and what isnt, shows anti-authoriatarion ideas and shows it through humour.

 

 

 

 

Advertising, In Context!

 

 

The context of advertising changes with the times and culture. For example; in the 1970's this ad for Old Spice conveyed a different message compared to the ads of today.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL5S6cm7J5g

 

The above image is a still of an old spice advert from the 1970's. The TV ad begins with a man surfing, with dramatic music consuming the background. Images of a women then start to fade into the image of crashing waves, and a deep voice then narrates: "Youll become yourself, your fine success, Old Spice, the classic fragrance, the mark of a man"

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

 

 This still from an advert above is the Old Spice ad from 2012.
“Hello, ladies, look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped using ladies scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s me. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re on a boat with the man your man could smell like. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s an oyster with two tickets to that thing you love. Look again, the tickets are now diamonds. Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady. I’m on a horse.” - Text from the Old Spice advert.

As can be seen in comparison to the adverts above, the advert from the 1970's is about a man becoming a man, it speaks to men and offers them a chance to become a 'man'. It addresses men as if they are already manly, but need the facitilies to become the best man, a more manly-er man. In the 70's, the majority of the media surrounded women, as it was a time where women's rights were being persued and was a time of liberation for women. Leaving men feeling out of power. This ad attempts to bring back the 'manly' power through the use of dramatic, and manly images and sounds. Whereas, in the 2012 advert, the ad is directed at women although it is a product for men. Although the topic is still 'manly-ness' the advert urges women to have the man of their dreams, through getting their partners to use Old Spice "Anything is possible wen your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady" - Text from Advert. In the 1970's ad men were in charge of men, and in the 2012 ad, the women are in charge of the men.

 

 

The Real Mad Men.

 

In the 50's and 60's advertising was revolutionised, with creativity.

 

Before this adverts were seen as tedious, and repetative.

 

 

During this time, immigration into New York had begun. Bringing with it new people of different background and cultures, each bringing pieces of their past ideologies with them. It can be argued that this is the reason for the advertising revolution. As new culture brought new humour, new thinking techniques and many of those who came to New York applied to the advertising agencies for jobs. As well as this, cultural changes took affect on New York, with new buildings being erected and new variations on the creative arts, advertising creatives were given more to play with, and a more varied audience.

 

The infamous 'Think Small' campaign can be seen to'epitomise the creative revolution' .

 

Before these ads, advertising was repetitive and routine, with little creativity or the ability to provoke thought or engage with an audience. So when the Think Small adverts for Volkswagen appeared it could be seen that advertising had changed, for the better. The adverts were engaging, colloqual but also informative and conveyed honesty rather than giving unrealistic expectations. For the first time, ads were charming and changed the way in which ad agencies worked. It ended the negative view on advertising, and began a positive more quirky view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art & Copy.

 

The film Art & Copy expresses the different opinions given by people in the advertising business about creativity and advertising.

 

"Advertising makes food taste better, it makes cars run better, it changes the perception of everything! - Quote from film.

 

"If you speak honestly and use this profession to do that, wierd shit can happen!" - Quote from film.

 

"what you can do is manufacture any feeling that you want to manufacture" - Quote from film.

 

The interesting part of the film for me, was how they explain advertising to be trashy and manipulative when put into the wrong hands. - "I guess I understand why people trash advertising because a lot of advertising is trashy, but you can do so much more.." - Quote from the film. But when creativity happens, the ads with the deeper meanings, and ones that connect to people on a personal level are the ones that are the most affective.

 

 

 

Semiology

Semiotics is the study of signs, or the unspoken language. It is used in many adverts in order to convey a message that resinates on a personal level within the viewer, rather than giving them the answers outright.

 

For example; this ad for the Peugeot 407.

 

Upon first glance the print ad looks like a mess of squiggly roads, and hell to drivers. But with some thought, semiotics start to subconciously send the message.

So, as can be seen in the image, a easily driven flat road is topped with a hectic hard to understand road, this itself suggests that driving this car is as smooth as driving a nice, smooth road even when your driving through a drivers nightmare as pictured above. This then twinned with the copy to the right 'with 3D Sat Nav technology' It can be understood that when using this new technology, even if you are driving into hell's roads, you wont get lost and its easy going! And it doest give all that information in the ad, just an image.. that is semiotics.

 

Another example would be this:

 

It's striking because we all understand who the advert is portaying, and it makes us confused as to why they are using Hitler as he is'nt a topic that enjoys to come out in everyday conversation. Which also shows how connotations and meanings of different things can be portrayed through semiology. Once you see the right of the image, it can be acknowledged that it is now Charlie Chaplin. Which makes you kick yourself, because they are both identical images, but with the one on the right wearing a hat, ahh Charlie Chaplin! This then added to the copy 'Its the hat' and the brand's name on the top right, which is a hat selling brand, sends the message of "the hat makes all the difference", and as many people strive to differ themselves, as noone is ever happy in their own skin, makes you want to go and buy a hat!

Modernism and the LMS ad's.

The LMS ad's were created to reflect the modernist period of the time. Unlike the works of pre-modernism, the ad's are quite minimalist and simple, although colourful and eye catching. They were each created by different artists, but with the same colour blocked style poster appearance.

 

 

The ad's were created to advertise places of interest in the UK. They were created during a time of a rising population density, with rising cities and busier people. The ad's needed to be eyecatching and easily recognised, to be seen by the bustling and busy population. Also at the time, with photography becoming a threat to art, artists needed to find a different way of capturing people, with techniques such as colour blocking and minimalism. They may have also been purposely targeted toward those with a more busy city lifestyle, showing them that there is a quiet place outside of the complicated city, where they can relax and enjoy the simplicity.

 

 

 

 

 



M, M & M.

Magritte, Modernism and Meaning.

 

 

Magritte emerged in the advertising boom of the 1920's. Although well known as an artist, Magritte also became involved in advertising. This can be seen through his creative responses to society and advertising at the time.

 

Magritte's work suggests his response to industrialism, which would have been a significant change to society at the time, with the accessibility of transport such as trains and newly structured urban living.

 

Magritte also connected a relationship between words and images much like advertising, and found that they are able to reflect eachother. He believed that these reflections created meanings to be in 'a constant state of flux', suggesting that the meanings that were associated were changing constantly, with different perceptions and society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surrealism

Surrealism by nature is interesting, because its based around the surreal and the things you wouldnt see in everyday life. This itself makes it good for advertising, if it works, it intrigues the viewer. It's the human way to be curious and to want to find the answers to things, and since surrealism is the un-answerable it catches the eyes of the people who see it.

 

The pictures below are the ads for Absolut's 'In an absolut world' campaign. The campaign itself is based around surrealism, the things that could'nt happen, but what could happen in an ideal or 'absolut' world. Like the idea of buying the 'perfect man' in a box and putting him together yourself, or politicians who's noses grow when they lie, like pinocchio.

 

 

 

 

 

The picture below is a campaign for Lifebuoy hand wash, 'You eat what you touch'. As the picture suggests, your croissant is actually your cat if youve just pet your cat.

 

 

Influenced by Salvador Dali, a famous surrealist, this ad for Volkswagen perfectly illustrates surrealism. It shows the connection between high energy consumption and low energy consumption, depicting the Volkswagen Polo to be as energy consuming as clouds.

 

 

 

 

 

So Clean! The influences on Lever's Sunlight Soap ads.

 

 

William Lever was the founder of Sunlight Soap, and was the man who turned advertising around with his addition of art in advertising to a country where ads were predominantly copy.

 

 

 

Lever's influence for these ads mostly came from society and culture at the time. His ads were firstly inspired by art, such as the picture above, which would have been percieved as modern at the time. He chose art works depicting women mostly, wearing white materials or around white materials and also young children.  He chose these as having white coloured, clean materials and clothing at that time would have been a sort of luxury. Also, with culture at the time placing women in the home as housewives, women would have been the primary target market for the soap.

 

 

Lever's use of children in the ads was influenced by the high infant mortality rate at the time, he also brings connotations of youth, life and purity through their use.

 

 

During the first world war, Lever's ads were inspired by imperialism and Britishness, as can be seen in the above picture. The ad is also similar to war time propaganda, which would have been very popular at this time.



Myth-sterious advertising.

Myths, legends and known folklaw can be found within a lot of advertising, some that are obvious and some that secretly reference. They are used to (sometimes indirectly) further promote a product, such as the brand 'Nike' whose name is taken from the greek goddess Nike (greek goddess of victory) who is known for running and flying at a high speed, thus depicting the products uses in sport etc.

 

One of my favourites and most memorable ad's which promotes myth in advertising, is the skittles 'Midas Touch' campaign. Just as the name suggests, the ad is based around the myth of King Midas, who's touch turned objects to gold. Although in this version, everything that the man touches turns to Skittles. Just like the myth, the ad depicts the man's suffering although it is percieved by others as a gift, "But is it really awesome when you can’t hold your new born baby? (A line from the ad). This also linking Skittles with gold, therfore adding value while also being an interesting and comical ad.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0WBiME_fM

(The ad)

 

 

 

 

Along with Nike, there are also many other ad's who turn to Greek myths when advertising their product. A few I have found include Old Spice and Muller Greek Style Yoghurt.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtN9CW01QDM

 

The Old Spice Centaur campaign was to promote the new old spice 'double impact'. "its one thing that makes a really awesome thing out of two totally regular things" as the website says. The idea of a centaur, being half man and half horse sums Old Spice's idea's up perfectly, while also hinting the idea of strength, as Centaur's are usually depicted as warriors and such in Greek mythology.

 

http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/features/1126409/

 

Much like the Old Spice campaign, Muller uses the Greek myth of Centaurs to promote its 'Greek Style Yoghurt'. The ad depicts two women conversing about the idea that fat free yoghurt is a myth, when the one leaves its then seen that the two women are actually centaurs, suggesting that what they believe to be a myth is real (fat free yoghurt) as we see that centaurs are real. There is no hidden meaning in this ad, unlike the Old Spice, the ad just uses the idea of myths to illustrate how fat free yoghurt isnt one.