Seattle Zack
Count each one
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2003
- Posts
- 1,128
There have been a couple of advertising threads recently, and my new job has forced me to take a new look at marketing, what with me having to wade through lots of poorly-written memos regarding "Messaging Points" and "Evangelizing to the Consumer Base."
That being said, I think the "Head On: Apply Directly to the Forehead" has to be one of the most brilliant campaigns in the history of marketing.
A mildly attractive woman rubs what appears to be an antiperspirant canister across her forehead while the tagline repeats incessantly in the background. Before you can grasp it, it's gone. You're wondering, "What is this goop? What horrible malady is she suffering? Why is she applying it directy to the forehead?"
It's an herbal remedy for headaches, it turns out, runs about six bucks and is "applied directly to the forehead."
Brilliant. Ten seconds, and you can't get the name of the product out of your head.
What is marketing? You want the reader/viewer to leave with a favorable impression of your product. A lot of marketing is "building a brand" like Coke or Pepsi or Marlboro or Kool. Much more difficult is introducing new consumers to your product line.
One of my favorite commercials from the last several years was the "herding cats" one from one of the Super Bowls. But what was the product? Fuck if I know. From an advertising perspective, that one failed miserably, despite the high prodution values and the millions spent in making it.
But "Head On"? It's ten seconds. The name of the product is burned into my brain. The bizarre low-budget nature of the ad immediately captures my attention. Like the hometown car dealer guy who makes commercials where he dresses as a superhero or smashes the windshield with a sledgehammer or something.
My personal favorite was Apple's famous one-minute 1984 ad, only shown during the Super Bowl. But, then again, I've never bought an Apple. So what does it all mean?
That being said, I think the "Head On: Apply Directly to the Forehead" has to be one of the most brilliant campaigns in the history of marketing.
A mildly attractive woman rubs what appears to be an antiperspirant canister across her forehead while the tagline repeats incessantly in the background. Before you can grasp it, it's gone. You're wondering, "What is this goop? What horrible malady is she suffering? Why is she applying it directy to the forehead?"
It's an herbal remedy for headaches, it turns out, runs about six bucks and is "applied directly to the forehead."
Brilliant. Ten seconds, and you can't get the name of the product out of your head.
What is marketing? You want the reader/viewer to leave with a favorable impression of your product. A lot of marketing is "building a brand" like Coke or Pepsi or Marlboro or Kool. Much more difficult is introducing new consumers to your product line.
One of my favorite commercials from the last several years was the "herding cats" one from one of the Super Bowls. But what was the product? Fuck if I know. From an advertising perspective, that one failed miserably, despite the high prodution values and the millions spent in making it.
But "Head On"? It's ten seconds. The name of the product is burned into my brain. The bizarre low-budget nature of the ad immediately captures my attention. Like the hometown car dealer guy who makes commercials where he dresses as a superhero or smashes the windshield with a sledgehammer or something.
My personal favorite was Apple's famous one-minute 1984 ad, only shown during the Super Bowl. But, then again, I've never bought an Apple. So what does it all mean?
