Power through simplicity; How a poster can out-gun a TV ad.

Take The Stage

The Olympics are coming, the world is watching, the time is now and performance runs through everything you do.  So do it with pride, do it with style, but most importantly do it with Adidas.

This thinking that has gone into the Adidas Olympic campaign is really powerful. Using the Olympic theme of ‘the greatest show on earth’ to link sport, style and culture through performance could not be any more relevant or motivating. It also impresses a huge amount of urgency, the sense that their is a unique opportunity about to be upon us, that we must be ready for (with Adidas clothes). It’s a creative and effective strategy.

Now watch the TV ad.

Disappointed? I was.

 I love the thinking but the creative just doesn’t do it for me. The fashion / sports mix seems forced, maybe because of the mix of uber trendy and banal camera work. I don’t get the feeling of impending opportunity, which the tag line suggests so eloquently. There is just way to much going on here (the bit with Keith Lemon makes no sense) and it seems like spending the budget was more important than delivering that one powerful idea – Take The Stage.

Alternatively there is a black and white poster on the tube delivering that same strategy (curiously without the tag line I am so keen on) which I think is brilliant.

What do you think?

PS. I also HATE Stella McCartney outfits for Team GB.

Turning Intelligence Into Magic; A Very Quick Review.

Although the content of 'Hegarty on Advertising; Turning Intelligence into Magic' was full of insightful analysis and powerful advice, strung together by great story telling (for that kind of review click here), I was most struck by the presentation of this book. Rather than pick a font, size and page template, Hegarty considered each page in it's own right.

Every double page spread in this book could be a poster in it’s own right. The compositions are beautiful and range from intricate to minimalist.

Most of the time they are selling shit to fools, and it’s getting worse, (Damien Hirst, 2004): Researching the possibility of ‘For The Love Of God’ and ‘Beautiful Inside My Head Forever’ as performative critiques of the market.

Above; The head auctioneer calling for bids at Sotheby's Beautiful Inside My Head Forever sale.
Below right; Hirst licking For The Love of God.

‘Making money is art, and working is art and good business is the best art’ (Warhol, 1975).

‘Something that so much of today’s art mirrors and thus criticises, decadence. Not so, it’s just decadent full stop. It has no critical function, it is part of the problem. The artworld dutifully copies our money driven, celebrity obsessed entertainment culture.’ (Hughes, 2008)