No matter how long you’ve been around the ad-making business, you’re bound to be familiar with the injunction to “keep it simple.” People don’t have a lot of time to look at ads. And they sure as hell don’t have the spare bandwidth to figure out what the fuck it is you (or the sponsor) are trying to tell them. Sounds simple enough, right?
Except it isn’t. Because as these two ads demonstrate, there’s a line (and it ain’t that fine, if you ask me) between an ad that’s simply brilliant and one that’s simply stupid. Take a look and see what you think.
By sheer coincidence, both of these ads trade in a common figure of speech relating to a particular time of day. In Corona’s case, this works marvelously. Corona is an alcoholic beverage. Alcoholic beverages are a key component of “happy hour”. Take those two things, blend well with an inventive visual in which the beer bottle is functioning as the gnomon of a sundial indicating it’s 5 o’clock (PM one assumes) and bingo! A simple, extraordinary ad.
On the other hand, we have Westin giving us what advertising is so often rightfully accused of: a gigantic snow job. (Note to proofreader: That’s snow job!) Employing a common expression associated with getting up in the morning, (which is what most of us do at hotels albeit not necessarily in the morning) they’ve elected to combine it with a picture of a snow angel.
A snow angel?!
Hang on. What the devil does a snow angel have to do with the Westin hotel chain, or any hotel for that matter? Not a thing as far as I can tell. Unless what’s meant to be represented here are the tribulations of a guest who arrived the night before so drunk he fell flat on his back and had to flail around like an overturned turtle to right himself.
That’s what’s so tricky about simple ads–they still have to be smart, insightful and in some way, shape or fashion linked to something real about the brand–otherwise you can easily end up looking like a simpleton.
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