TBWA

Founded in 1970 by Tragos (American, Management), Bonnange (French, Marketing), Wiesendanger (Swiss, Creation), and Ajroldi (Italian, Client Services), TBWA was purchased by OMNICOM in 1993. TBWA is actually one of my personal favorites when it comes to awesome ad work (primarily their Apple Ads - but who doesn't like Mac commercials, really?). Because I think that most of my fellow classmates will post a Mac ad in their TBWA blog posts, I have decided to pick one of their ads for something completely different - whiskey. The following is a relatively recent commercial that I find to be a good example of creating a "false history" for your product, and a creative one at that:


(TBWA Chiat/Day New York)
I think that this commercial is not only beautifully filmed, but kind of humorous as well, considering the extinct that the whickey's creator was willing to go to the depths of the ocean (literally) for one missing keg (a certain Parable rings a bell). Anyways, I like it, and I think it is a good example of TBWA's work.

DDB

DDB is also part of the OMNICOM Holding Group. It also is the advertising agency with the highest revenue in the world according to AdAge (and wikipedia). Created in 1949 by Ned Doyle, Maxwell Dane and Bill Bernbach, DDB is said to have started the Creative Revolution by creating the first Creative Agency. Since then, DDB has become a worldwide powerhouse of clever and creative advertising.

The following ad is part of a truly genius campaign (no pun intended, it really is genius) by DDB Chicago:



This ad (as well as the whole campaign) chooses to celebrate the average male instead of presenting some sort of media ideal. It is honest and accepts that sometimes guys are just guys. The satire is hysterical and points out the kind of things that I feel that guys really think about - those other random guys they see on TV. They played these ads on the radio too, which is great because it doesn't sound like your average radio commercial.

BBDO

BBDO is the largest of OMNICOM's three global agencies. BBDO was founded in 1928 by Batten, Barton, Durstine, and Osborn. They merged with BBD Needham in 1986 to form OMNICOM. Now they have 287 offices in 77 countries. Some of their more famous work includes the "Have it your way" Burger King slogan, work for the Economist, Campbell's, and Gillette.

The following is an ad for AT&T's "Be Sensible" campaign in movie theaters by BBDO New York:




I think this ad is great because it plays off of the audience's knowledge of movies and the directing process. It takes the "please silence your cell phones" message and makes it interesting and relevant to the audience, providing entertainment as well as a fair warning. I like it because it's not one of the cheesy fake movie trailer ones where they trick us into thinking we're about to watch something awesome and then WAM, just kidding, aren't cell phones annoying? Instead, it turns the frustration on us in a way that more accurately resembles the way we would feel if someone interrupted us. Out of all the "Please Shut Up" movie ads, this one I actually look forward too.

Chapter One

So I spent a good part of my time looking up ads done by OMNICOM agencies and MAN, is OMNICOM a juggernaut! BBDO and DDB and TBWA? Although some of the agencies' sites didn't open up on my computer, everything else that I saw was beautifully executed with such a wide range of clientele! I love how agencies work hard to display the versatility of their creative minds. Good job, OMNICOM, I applaud you.

The Art of Advertising

Is Advertising Art? I think so. The following are five examples of ads that I think blur the line between art and advertising:

1. This ad for Amnesty International is art because it creatively expresses an idea and engenders an emotional reaction from the audience. Yes, it is advertising Amnesty International's efforts to support human rights, but it does so in a way that relies on the audience's ability to feel and to reason and to interpret the message. (This commercial was done by TBWA Poland.)

2. This commercial for the Sony Bravia TV is art because it personifies the ability of the Bravia TV screen to show the brilliance and movement of color through bouncy balls. A bit unconventional, but it makes you think AND it shows you how beautiful all those little moving balls of color can be. (This commercial was done by Fallon London.)

3. This poster for Gratitude Cafe (a vegetarian restaurant) is art because it takes something so common in our society and completely turns it on its head (no pun intended). The use of simplicity presents the message elegantly, with the descriptor of the type of restaurant paying it off.

4. I absolutely LOVE this non-traditional PSA. The ad itself doesn't really hit you until you see it in its intended context. Like other forms of art, without context the art has no real meaning. That's why sometimes when you're in a museum you might have trouble understanding the value of a piece of art because you don't have the knowledge of the artist's background, the conditions under which it was made, the emotion or concept behind it. Art AND Advertising is meaningless if the audience cannot understand the message or idea behind it.

5. This ad installment for Purity Organic reminds me of some modern art installments I've seen at the Dallas Museum of Art. It may not engender a guttural reaction from an audience but it presents a very important message - that the things we drink don't always have the best ingredients in them. This is art because it is a clever and innovative way to present a message. (This guerilla work was done by McCann Erickson)

Overall, I am the first to admit that the word "art" describes a large array of things. Not all ads are good art. Not all art is even good. But it is art none the less.

Prologue - The Beginning of A Relationship

So here it is: my new blog for my Ad Lit course! I hope that this proves to be the start of a dating process of sorts for me and the world of advertising. To start I'd like to state my goal for this course:
To learn as much as possible about the Ad Industry, its members, clientele, and the work it has produced. 

So let's get crackin'!