Ogilvy: Global Offices

For those of you unfamiliar with the advertising industry, Ogilvy and Mather is one of the largest and most prestigious agencies, with almost 450 offices worldwide and revenues of approximately 2 billion. I'm reading a biography of David Ogilvy, an advertising genius responsible for pioneering many of the practices that make the company successful to this day. What set his agency apart from the competition in the 1960's, was his insistence on a corporate culture that breeds effective selling, not just advertising that stands out or is creative. Creativity is of course a key component of the ad industry, and Ogilvy inspired it by conveying the culture through the design of offices. Branding was a concept that gained much popularity during Ogilvy's reign and it's evident in the following shots of Ogilvy offices around the world:









So many books out there, so little time,

Dmitriy

Love

I know that I've posted a lot of these, but they are short and inspiring and worth the time to watch. The main premise to each: "Do what you love, love what you do" is not only an inspiring message, but gives the viewer a feeling that they can do what they love and perhaps owning a blackberry would take them there. They are clearly relying on the music to catch attention and the story lines to leave the customers feeling positive about their product when the final blackberry logo pops up. I'll admit, I'm an iPhone user, but this overall ad campaign is currently one of the best on television.

Peace,
Shannon

What were they thinking?

This is going to be a short and sweet post (even though we've been on a New Year hiatus). I didn't even include what they were advertising when I took this picture of an ad in a playbill because I couldn't get past something to figure out what they were trying to sell me...can you guess what I couldn't get past? I'll fill you in: the name of the company is blatantly "Smile"...but look at their "poster-child." Is that a real smile?! That's one of the sorriest attempts at a real smile I've seen (and in the business world, you see quite a few). Long story short, what were they thinking here? Even shorter: what were they selling? Doesn't matter.

Peace,
Shannon

Billboards

Outdoor advertising has an appeal because it is usually (except Times Square and similar) not as cluttered of a channel as TV, print and the internet. Still, I think that society has trained us to ignore traditional signs and billboards. Here are a few popular examples of those that would capture the attention of passer-bys.



This one actually has some social good, a rarity with most advertising efforts, although we are making strides (or walking in place) towards "sustainability".



Cingular made the concept of a dropped call very literal here and made the concept seem emotionally serious. I would not want to have that call fall on my head, that's why I use Cingular (and their merger with the AT&T I've had for a while).



Keep your eyes on the prize,

Dmitriy