Stop
Ok. I just don’t where to start. Blame my new glasses, I’ve walked by this nonsense for months.
1. If you’re going to be “cutting edge” or “out there” the don’t use kiddy-on swearing in an ad. Don’t be an arse and use symbols to hide the swear words. We’re not stupid. I find it offensive not to say Fucking and use asterisks, etc to hide the word. Patronising fuckers.
2. Don’t, don’t, don’t dare tell me what’s cool. Let me experience what’s cool then let me tell people. I can’t believe that you expect people to believe that you’re selling flats that are cool just because you can plaster the notion on the side of a building. Just be cool, don’t shout cool. That’s, well, not cool.
3. But if you are going to go with points 1 and 2 at least then follow that message in your other posters and website. Have the courage of your convictions. I like your illustrations but by that big, stupid ad just totally diminishes the nice work that has been done.
At least the sky looks pretty. I’ll be ok, I have nicer posts.
steelso :: Aug.06.2007 :: Design, Idiot, Thoughts :: 11 Comments »
I actually felt embarassed when I passed those flats at the weekend. That’s how un-cool I thought this Advert was…
Although you may not think it’s cool to plaster the notion on the side of the building it sure as hell gets a reaction… whether good or bad it gets NOTICED. I have to give kudos to the advertising…whether it’s “*@%?ing cool” or not.
rb
@rb. I have to disagree. The ultimate point of advertising is not to get noticed, it’s to create a interest in actually following a call to action which could be to try, to buy, to find out more. This ad’s totally failed in that regard. Has it got noticed? Oh yes. Does it want me to explore their flats any further? Nope. Success? Nil.
But in order to create a genuine interest in something don’t you have to get it noticed first? In many cases I think a commercial success depends greatly on the ’shock’ factor (good or bad) directed toward the consumer. Although it may not make you want to pursue further investigation, it’s out there, in your face, possibly having the opposite effect on someone else. That advertisement is a little like coming upon a horrific car crash… although you want to look away, you can’t help looking and wondering what it’s about.
@rb. If advertising could be described as getting your message noticed. That’s why the back covers of magazines are expensive to buy. If you consider that a success then fine. But the message that they are giving over isn’t good. If you are telling me that these flats are fucking cool then that better match my expectation. And, for me, that cool expectation is about having a Daryl Hannah type replicant serving my every need. Or having a multi light system that can change colour depending on my mood. Doesn’t have that? Not that cool then.
You seem to be congratulating the campaign because they had the position and budget to put a massive poster on the side of their building. It’ll get noticed. Wouldn’t it have been better if they did something creative with that rather then just saying “Fucking Cool Homes for Sale”? And I’m not wondering what it’s about, it’s about saying “fucking cool homes” in a patronising manner. What’s to wonder?
I also disagree that commercial success depends greatly on shock. The best ads depend on humour or wonder or joy all wrapped into rock solid creativity to stay in the mind and to make you do the next thing.
Stewart I’m not trying to make this about “congratulating the campaign because they had the postion and budget to put a massive poster on the side of their building” , I’m saying it’s about rule numero uno, getting your product noticed… once it’s noticed… selling it! You’re telling me this didn’t do it for you and that’s ok but what’s patronising about the manner in which they did it? Your company chooses to advertise differently then painting a huge sign on the side of the building which says “we’re a fucking cool web design company” and that’s ok but in my opinion that doesn’t make their way any less creative. Creativity is in the mind of the beholder. I thought it was pretty “fucking” creative.
P.S. How do you know those flats don’t match your expectations unless you check them out? Maybe they DO come complete with a Daryl Hannah type replicant to serve your every need. lol
It’s patronising because they did kiddy-on swearing. They don’t have the balls to say “fucking”, they go “?!@*ing” instead. Fuck off.
Secondly if some one selling you something says it’s cool the chances are it probably isn’t. There is no way, no how, we’d say we’re a fucking cool website design company, it’s your call to say if we are or aren’t. All we can do is present the work and let you decide. It’s why Apple didn’t use the strapline, “It’s fucking cool phone”. They let you see it, let you make the call then let you tell your friends, “Did you see that cool phone on the telly?”.Then it has a weight, a kudos.
If it did have Daryl replicant in the flat they would have shown a pic of her. I would then said, “Wow, cool”. I would’ve gone to see the flat. The approach that they are taking is that they can’t find a cool thing to hang a campaign on so they are going to replace letters with punctuation, etc to grab you. Lazy thinking in my book.
But if you liked it they are selling at around £235,000 ($470,000). Put you down for one, don’t bother to wrap it?
Sorry my last name isn’t Gates, Buffett or Walton… I’ll have to pass.
Well, this is just my opininion, but i think that if something or someone is really…cool, than there is no need to verbalize it. As soon as a person says they are cool or says whatever it is that they are selling is cool, it becomes officially “not cool” I am not into advertisement or anything, but if i were, that gross/pathetic display, yes did catch attention, but with many “potential” customers, the add shot themselves in the foot, catch 22, if you will. The exact opposite may have happened compared to what they were trying to achieve. I don’t like for an agency trying telling me what is hot and what is not. I can figure that out for myself. If the add was so cool then why are they in the same add hiding behind asterisks? None of it was cool, and although they scored in getting our attention, they have failed to reel us in. Game over…
I guess bottom-line is that advertising’s function is to make YOU form an opinion of your product, not to present an opinion. I understand the argument that telling us “this is fucking cool” would immediately make you question that statement. It seems most campaigns make this statement on even the most basic, nothing-necessarily-cool-about-it product not by using words but by using appropriate “cool” imagery. Female sanitary products seem to cop the brunt of these campaigns. They pain me when I see right through them.
I do have to admit that this one about the homes for sale would have caught my attention (if I was buying a home in Glasgow) enough for me to investigate further. But I don’t think it is a very tasteful campaign.
This whole thing reminds me of my high school years. The first two years I wanted nothing more than to be cool. I wasn’t. Third year I just didn’t give a damn anymore. I wore what I wanted and did what I wanted and damn anyone who didn’t like it. Which made me suddenly and oddly enough the coolest girl in school. At which time I really didn’t care about cool anymore. Which made me somehow uber-cool. Go fig. Moral of the story being, you just can’t will yourself into being cool. Same goes for everything else.