[lit-ideas] Re: The Magic of Images: Word and Picture in a Media Age
- From: John McCreery <mccreery@xxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2004 11:17:04 +0900
On 2004/04/10, at 22:37, JulieReneB@xxxxxxx wrote:
> I wonder how you define "great ads". If, by definition, they are ads
> which
> pursuade people to purchase or do something, I'd be hard pressed to
> cite an
> example. On the other hand there are a few, precious few, pieces of
> advertising
> which are genuinely artistic and enormously creative -- I have noted
> that when
> I see such (e.g., on TV) and remark on its artistic and creative
> qualities, I
> have no idea what the product was. Lack of product ID almost seems the
> hallmark of "great ads".
>
Ah, but in that case, while they may be great, they are not great ads.
Still you might ask, how do we tell a great ad when we see one. What I
teach my students is a simple scheme proposed by Ohnuki Takuya, one of
Japan's most famous and famously successful art directors. Ohnuki's
"five hurdles" are
1) Eye-catching
We live in a world saturated with advertising and other messages.
If an ad doesn't grab our attention, it doesn't work at all.
2) News
The ad must show us something new. Otherwise its message will
be quickly forgotten.
3) Easy to understand
In the effort to achieve 1) and 2) the creators of ads often forget
that
ads must speak to mass audiences; they must have a common touch.
4) Add value to the product or sponsor
If, as in the case that Julie remembers, we recall the ad but not the
product or sponsor, the ad has failed as advertising.
5) Move the product
This is the holy grail. Most ads have far more modest effects:
increasing
awareness or product understanding or enhancing an image, for example.
The mythic resonances and clarity of communication that Paglia talks
about contribute to crossing several of these hurdles. They may grab
our attention, or show us something previously unseen that nonetheless
speaks to us powerfully. If the myths are pan-human (or at least
locally widespread), they may make ads easier to understand and ad
value to the product or sponsor that captures some of their aura. If
the myths are truly powerful, they may even spur purchase--Now that
would be a great ad.
John L. McCreery
The Word Works, Ltd.
55-13-202 Miyagaya, Nishi-ku
Yokohama, Japan 220-0006
Tel 81-45-314-9324
Email mccreery@xxxxxxx
"Making Symbols is Our Business"
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