It's Not About What It's About

This semester I have learned both Advertising Literacy and Intro to Creativity that for the best ads, it's not about what it's about. 


I think that this is a really important concept for people in the advertising industry because that way advertisers' ads will resonate more with the audience. Nobody is going to want to look at an ad know right off the bat that the message is trying to sell them something. The best ads keep consumers engaged and have them wondering what the ad is about. It should be entertaining, intriguing, funny, even a little puzzling. And then there should be that aha! moment where everything clicks at the end and there's the product. 


Here's is an ad that I think is a good example of this concept. It really gets me in the holiday spirit and by the end of it Target is the presented product. But it's not about Target, it's about bringing together family and friends and celebrate holiday cheer. It leaves me with a heartwarming feeling.

Product Placement

Last semester, I wrote a story about product placement and found some interesting findings:

-- Product placement is becoming even more interactive, with things like clothing stores that have a cell phone app that invites you to play a game whenever you walk by a store. 

-- The average amount of product placements in a film is 24. "Sex and the City 2" had between 60 or 70 product placements, which is an indication that product placement is on the rise.

-- Since many consumers now have TiVo, product placement is becoming increasingly interwoven into the plots of shows, especially reality television like "The Biggest Loser" and "Top Chef."

-- Product placement is even getting interwoven into novels and becomes a valuable part of the story

-- The cutting edge of product placement will be with video games and comic books because advertisers will be able to reach teenagers who don't pay attention to advertisements on television. 

-- AT&T is the number one brand for product placement

It's interesting to me to see what nontraditional forms advertising will be forced to take over the years. It makes me wonder if consumers will view the advertising any differently. Will they think it's more intrusive because ads will show up in every single aspect and medium of consumers' lives? Or will they appreciate it because they will realize that they can always be informed on the latest product, regardless of whether they are at home watching TV or on the go? 

Facebook Ads

Sometimes it creeps me out how much Facebook knows about me. Lately when I've been on the site, it has never failed for me to see an advertisement on the right-hand side that actually relates to my life. Here are a few examples:

-- In the spring when I was figuring out where I was living for the next school year, advertisements of properties near SMU always appeared-- one time it was even one of my friend's apartments. 

-- When I was still with my ex-boyfriend, every time I went on his page an ad showed up that concerned an engagement ring.

-- After we broke up, ads about dating sites like match.com popped up all the time. Ironically enough, the man in the picture was always an army guy, which happens to be what my ex is.

-- Just now, I saw an ad for Chap Stick, which is incredibly ironic, because my lips actually do feel chapped at the moment. It's like Facebook can even determine my physical state. 

This reminds me of the discussion we had in class about the woman who visited the Zappos site to look at a pair of shoes and the shoes followed her every site she went to after. It really amazes me how technology enables advertisers to truly relate to our everyday lives. At the same time it's a little creepy...