Product: Smart Spin (plastic food storage containers on a Lazy Susan)

Statement: “You could even find a container with a blindfold on.”

If this is their only margin of difference from their competitors I would be
quite frightened. No doubt they could come up with another lame aspect of how
their product is beneficial. Maybe it’s flame resistant.

<sarcasm> I can just imagine how many times the Smart Spin system would
have helped me while I was putting away leftovers with my blindfold on. I especially
find great pleasure in attempting to pour hot liquids into storage containers
with my blindfold on. Come to think of it, I don’t do anything without
my blindfold.</sarcasm>

I think I’ve made my point.

In addition, the ad was first seen on TV, but after examining the Smart
Spin site I have confirmed that I wasn’t hallucinating.

Slogan: Very Funny

I sometimes enjoy cable station’s self-advertising; they tend to just
remind people what station they are tuned into. TBS’s new identity is
nice (sure beats the old clip art looking logo), and the slogan is, how should
I put it, simple, to the point. However, their promotional ads try to be “Very
Funny,” but their not even close to being just funny (as in “Ha,
ha. Interesting”). If a station claims to be “Very Funny”
and does not follow through in their ads, I find it “Very Hypocritical.”

If I was TBS, I would have a couple of the best comedy writers write a couple
of awesome sets for their promo ads. It wouldn’t have to cost a huge bundle;
a little well spent.

Watch the Food Networks self-promotional commercials, for example. You see
the hands of a person cutting an onion, nothing exciting. At the same time you
hear a person crying, while the onion is being cut. If you’re into food
(no doubt you’re if your watching Food Network), that’s “Very
Funny.”

Graphically Speaking is the home of "What the heck!" ads. Send
us your "What the heck!" ad. It can be print ad or television
commercial.

The Toronto Underground

iPod advertising takes over Toronto subway, a MacMinute article, provides great inspiration for “thinking outside the box.” It did for me, and I was glad to have seen the article since I have never made it up to Toronto, nevertheless their subway station.

Going Up

The advertisement that really caught my eye was the “staircase” ad. What use of space. I mean where else do people look when going up the stairs. If they don’t notice the “poster” then they will when they fall right up to it when not paying attention to what their doing. Also take note that all of the ads are also based upon the TV commercial of the dancing silhouettes, which I happen to think is brilliant especially considering the target audience.

They Are Everywhere

Notice how many different ads, all with the same basic layout, for the iPod are plastered in this one station. These are in just a handful of photos and I’m sure there are plenty more that are not shown. Backlit, up the stairs, across the tracks, on the used newspaper bin….

The point is, try something new, think of the possibilities, weigh the options, push the envelope, truely “think outside the box.”

Want to make Thinking Outside The Box a regular feature? So do I. Send us your suggestion, preferably with a link to where the thinking is happening

PS: Oh, I almost forgot. This is post number fifty. Oh yeah!

Slogan: They are tasty; they are crispy. Quizno’s Subs!

Would somebody make the wierd looking mutated animated rodents shut up for Sarah. She writes:

That Television Quizno’s Ad with the poorly done, animated hamsters(?) with
upside down mouths singing about a salad bar? It makes no sense and with
the nightmarish vision of those rodents, I can say I will not be eating at a
Quizno’s for a while. Someone call animal control or food inspectors, I
think they might have an infestation.

I agree. The first time I saw it, I have to say I was amused. When it was on a second time, I was not so thrilled. To be honest, I have not seen the commercial on the air for a couple weeks now; I guess I’m watching all the right channels.

Props to Sarah for, dare I say, taking the rodents out of the closet. Send us your "What the heck!" ad. Have a great weekend too!

Slogan: Thrill seekers prefer Popeyes.

At the beginning of this commercial a mother and her son are at an aquarium’s shark area. Waiting for the father, the son asks when the father is meeting them. At the same moment you see the man swim across the tank with large swimming sharks. The slogan is displayed and the voice over reads, “Thrill seekers prefer Popeys.”

I don’t know if I would define swimming with sharks to be a thrill. It certainly doesn’t seem to be a mainstream view of a thrilling activity. This ad may not be one of the worst I have seen, but It has a certain twist or punch-line I just don’t get. If you get it, let me know what I am missing.

The purpose of “What the heck!” ad’s on Graphically Speaking.

I like to point out some of the more disturbing or confusing commercials I have seen to learn how to examine advertising. Generally, Graphically Speaking is focused on design. However, knowing how to write, or at least get the gist, of copy for advertisements is an important skill. This section is where designers can muse over the latest slogans, product features, or campaigns, and possibly think about how they would approach various aspects of the ad.

So far, all the “What the heck!” ad’s have been television commercials. Print ad’s will also be considered. And from now on, each “What the heck!” ad post will include the type of media it was seen on.

Send us your “What the heck!” ad.

Feature: With sophisticated monochromatic colors.

Among the plethora of automobile commercials on television, the Subaru Outback advertisement I observed highlighted a few of the vehicle’s features. One happened to be “Feature: With sophisticated monochromatic colors,” and I said to myself, “Monochromatic colors?.”

Dictionary.com:
mon·o·chro·mat·ic adj. – Having or appearing to have only one color.

Whoever came up with this thinks people are totally oblivious to the meaning of words with more than three syllables, or they just ran out of features. What the heck!

If anyone actually remembered hearing this, please just verify that I’m not hallucinating. Send us your “What the heck!” ad.

Slogan: Helps make nails hard as wraps.

Just flipping through the channels on TV, I caught the end of Judge Judy. Then before I could change the channel again, this nail strengthening polish commercial came on. It was short, fifteen seconds, but it was definitely a “What the heck!” ad.

The voice over person said, “Helps make nails hard as wraps.” Then popped up the packaging that had the same slogan, or whatever, on the poorly photoshopped box. What the heck!

Send us your “What the heck!” ad.