Where'sh ma keyshsss?

 It’s time for some anti drunk driving campaigns.

Like many people, I do not condone drunk driving. I do condone, however, a drink every now and then. No harm there. But don’t get behind the wheel when you know you’ve had a few. Get a cab, or get a mate to do the driving. Fair enough they won’t get to drink, but you can be the driver next time, and they can return the favour once again.

The headline reads, “Monsters Do Exist / If You Drink, Don’t Drive.”

These ads were for a non-profit organisation called Hispanics Against Drunk Driving, or HADD. Their main aim is to inform people about the dangers of drunk driving, if they didn’t already know.

It is interesting to see that this organisation has decided that the best way to portray a monster is to use a wolf. In each of these childhood classics the wolf is the monster, but we now know that little red riding hood was a story to stop little girls from talking to strangers, the boy who cried wolf tried to persuade young boys not to boast their accomplishments, and the three little pigs was about not answering the door to strangers.

But this begs the question, who are these ads aimed at? They can’t be aimed at children. That just leaves people with children, who tell their kids these particular stories, or newly turned 21 year olds (these ads were only used in the states) that still remember being told these childhood stories and have a personal attachment to them.

The characters used, besides the wolves, also portray innocence and helplessness. This creates a very shock and awe type of effect. The illustrator’s type of style adds to the whole nature of the adverts. There is a friendly, but almost sinister way in which these ads were executed.

These print ads aren’t particularly good in their form, for this particular organisation. They have had better stuff, especially their outdoor/guerrilla advertising.

These simply get the message across. They don’t show you the extremes of drunk driving, but show you an almost watered down effect of it. If they hadn’t held back, I’m sure they would’ve accomplished something a lot more eye catching and thought provoking.

#186

The hardest journey is the one which leads to the truth. I didn't know that when I began my little midnight ramble. If I had, I probably would've stayed home, drank myself stupid and watched Ferguson until the big nod closed my book for the day. But there I was, standing outside her house, looking up at her bedroom window while a cold rain whipped me in the face like I'd somehow pissed it off. I could see her kissing him. I could see her as she slowly descended beneath the window frame. I could see him too. He just stood there smiling, like the canary who got eaten by the cat. But then a funny thing happened while I was dancing the voyeuristic bebop in my terribly trendy, bright-green plastic shoes. I found myself thinking that the aching loneliness I was feeling  had its roots in something much deeper than being eighty-sixed to a one bedroom efficiency in the marina by a dame who digs deep into the degrading bang-bang in order to make up for an emotionally distant father. No, this was the pain of existential separateness. The false sense that one is fundamentally apart from people, things, life, the whole damn universe. In a blinding flash I realised that what I was really experiencing was the result of a life-long indoctrination by a culture which elevates individualism above all else, thus causing a soul-crushing sense of aloneness which demands over and under the counter medication, the constant distraction of sporting events, TV, major motion pictures and a pop-tabloid religion based on celebrity worship/crucifixion.

Lick the salt. Smack the Gringo. Bite the lemon.

One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor! Cliché I know, but this is what most people think when they see tequila. Either that or, “Oh my god, not after last time.”

Every alcoholic spirit has a beginning. A country that it originated from. Whiskey comes from Scotland, vodka from Russia, and tequila from Mexico. And like everything, where it comes from, is where it’s made best.

Mexicans are known to love their tequila. The most prized bottles contain a single worm or even a scorpion tail. Some of the stronger ones can reach an alcohol content of 80% and are highly sort after. This means that it can only takes one tequila, two tequila, to reach the floor. A bit strong for your average person, but just perfect for your average Mexican.

These three ads where done for Gringo’s tequila. They used typically Mexican personas to portray the strength and the heritage of the brand, and the tequila itself. It’s nice to see an alcoholic brand using something other than their packaging in their advertising. It’s either their bottle stuck in the middle of the page, or it’s a bunch of people on a boat or a tropical island. That’s boring. Yes, maybe it would be fun to drink on a boat or a tropical island, but it’s unlikely to happen.

The three ‘Gringos’ used, are a Mexican wrestler, gang member, and a cartel boss. Three typical Mexicans. This gives you the idea that there isn’t much in Mexico, besides wrestling, drugs, and tequila. Not very positive advertising for the brands country, but that’s not their aim. Their aim is to promote the brand and its strengths.

But maybe taking into account that their advertising could backlash on its own heritage, would’ve been a wise move.

The headline reads, “La Sangre Azul Los de Gringo’s.” Which, in english, translates to, “The blue blood of the Gringo’s.”

This could lend itself to the creation of the tequila, which uses the blue agave plant. But seeing as these ads were released in South Africa, the majority of the target audience wouldn’t be able to understand it. So now it’s just there to make it look even more Mexican.

Gringo’s tequila ads may not be the greatest but they’re moving away from the norm at least. And that’s the first step in creating great advertising.

Does it hurt when your coffee bites back?

And now it’s time for two ads that I love.

These two ran in a campaign for Stella coffee makers.
The headline reads, “The bite of coffee.”

I don’t know what it is that just gets me about these ads. Maybe it’s the big, ruby red lips. Or the arachnids crawling into places they shouldn’t. But they just make me want to put them up on billboards and show them to the world. This could have been what the client thought, but then decided that his budget wasn’t big enough, so a magazine would have to suffice.

The contrasting colour’s of these ads works well in attracting your attention. The pale white of the woman’s skin. The strong red of her lips. And the dark, almost black, of the coffee beans. They make for a very seductive, appealing ad. For men anyway.

As you can see, the spider and the scorpion are made up of different sized coffee beans. This fits in well with the headline. Spiders and scorpions are seen as dangerous creatures that have a poisonous sting/bite. This is implying that the coffee has a very strong smell and taste. The spider playing on the taste, as it climbs into the woman’s mouth. And the scorpion plays on the smell, as it climbs up her nose.

There is an almost cringe effect in these particular adverts. They make the viewer not want to look at it for very long, but still manage to get the point across. This is why a long, boring passage of copy wouldn’t have worked. People wouldn’t have read it, and wouldn’t have understood the meaning behind it.

There is a problem here though. The ad is using something negative to try and promote something positive. There have been ads that have tried to portray something that smells disgusting by using something disgusting.

This was an ad for Super Lock Tupperware. This was a good way of saying that negative smells can stick with you. The consumer can relate to this. They know how much seafood can stink if it’s left uncontained. They know that it gets right up into your nose, almost.
Using a scorpion and a spider may have been a bit much. You don’t want to feel pain when you smell your morning coffee.

I think that an ad needs to stick in your mind when you look at it. It needs to be memorable. Stella coffee is certainly memorable, but for some people they might only remember it as an ad that they never want to see again. For me, it reminds me that I love strong coffee, and that I could have strong coffee everyday with a Stella coffee pot.

All publicity is good publicity, as long as you or your brand is seen in a good light.