Advertising that really jumps out at you

"After Avatar, movie making will never be the same" I'm not sure who said it, or where I even heard it, but it made me think is that true? I had seen previews and to be honest wasn't overly excited by it. But every single person I have talked to has been in complete awe over it. Is my lack of excitement for the movie because I have yet to experience the 3-D phenomena? Well if 2009 is any indication, the 3-D experience has everything to do with it. In  2009 seventeen movies were released in 3-D with four of them landing in the top 11 grossing movies of '09. So now only one question remains. Will this 3-D experience have any effect on the advertising world?

Pepsi seemed to be the first to jump on board to the 3-D trend. During last years Super Bowl Pepsi debuted their SoBe Lifewater and Monsters vs Aliens 3-D commercial. But is this 3-D trend going to be in our everyday lives? The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas thinks so. CES claims the gadget to watch this year are the 3-D TVs. And with ESPN and Discovery announcing 3-D cable networks, these 3-D commercials could be here sooner than you think. 

So after all my research I must say I am incredibly concerned. My main issue being, if I already had trouble fighting off cravings of Dominoes pizzas, 3-D is going to make this nearly impossible now. Great...

What Message Are You Sending?

After meeting with a friend last week she almost exploded with the news that she had to show me a picture of a Barbie she saw. While I thought that was a bit odd since she is 24, I went with it. After seeing the picture she showed me it was no wonder she almost exploded.

The "Back to Basics" Barbie line, while for the most part is not overly shocking, there is one doll in the line who crosses the line. This corporate meets down on the corner Barbie, makes you wonder what kind of message are we promoting and to whom?

As those in the industry who are in charge of sending a message and making sure that our target market not only receives that message but that, that message is ingrained in them, I just have to ask what is our responsibility as advertisers? Should we lose our morals in order to make a buck? I know this has been a dilemma since the dawn of advertising, but it has really made me think.

Now don't get me wrong, while I know the proportions of Barbies are off kilter I don't think all Barbies are bad. I am that little girl who owned just about every Barbie thing imaginable, including the three story house equipped with working lights and elevator. And I was never compelled by the Barbie I played with that I should have her proportions. The clothes however were a different story. I wanted a beautiful red gown or pretty high heels just like Barbie. So now for me to see little girls take their half naked, corporate cleavage Barbie out of the box is appalling to me.

This isn't the first time that Barbie has found herself in the light of controversy and she also isn't the only one receiving flak. Dove's campaign to showcase just how much the media skews advertising images is a very powerful one combating the advertising message of "This is what beautiful looks like". So why not take a note from Dove and as advertising professionals take the responsibility of spreading the message that normal people are beautiful too, and live extraordinary lives.

Its never been so evident to me that our choices make a difference than by hearing my four year old family friend say "Well Barbie likes those clothes she's always smiling"

Tired of Snow and Cold Already?

After waking up this morning to temperatures below zero I couldn't help but dream of somewhere tropical. While I do love the festivities of the holiday season, I could do without the cold temperatures. And just when I didn't think it was possible to have one without the other I ran across an ad campaign from Orange (a french telecom company) that made me want to call up a travel agent and leave Wisconsin for good. 

Enjoy the snow... and if you can't, you can join Orange and I in dreaming...

"What if Christmas lasted all year?"

Orange Campaign Ads from Ads of the World