Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Communication Strategy, Crap Campaigns In History, Creativity, Differentiation, Innovation, Marketing, Marketing Fail
Maybe it’s because I only have one working eye.
Maybe it’s because I’m an complete and utter idiot.
Maybe it’s because they’re both basically in black and white.
But when I saw the above ad at a local tube station, I thought it was all for the same product and couldn’t work out why the fonts were all different.
On the plus side, it made me take a closer look which means it’s immediately more effective than most of the ads I see underground.
As I said recently, tube ads are terrible.
Boring and rational as hell … with some occasional loose ‘riding the tube’ reference.
Boring while pretending to be wild and wacky … with some occasional loose ‘riding the tube’ reference.
Boring because they think they can get away with writing the longest, long copy ads in history, regardless that they make it feel like watching paint dry.
For such a captive audience, you’d think agencies and brands could find a way to enhance the passengers journey rather than letting their ego get the better of them and make them think they’re sitting their patiently waiting to read about another app launch that does exactly the same as the other 10 apps rationally explaining their role with some ‘crazy’ visual attached. Seriously, when the only reason I notice an ad is because I thought a whisky brand had made a milk product, you know it’s time we look at what ‘engagement’ means in our industry.
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If you thought those ads were connected, you drank some whisky that you thought was milk.
Comment by Bazza November 19, 2018 @ 6:28 amThough given your history it could be a cough sweet.
Comment by Bazza November 19, 2018 @ 6:29 amTo be fair to Robert, it was an entire packet of cough sweets.
Comment by George November 19, 2018 @ 6:50 amcampbell is the snowflakes fucking snowflake.
Comment by andy@cynic November 19, 2018 @ 2:20 pmI’m glad my incident is so amusing to you all.
Comment by Rob November 19, 2018 @ 4:40 pmWhy would Jim Beam write such a long copy ad for the tube wall? With the efficiency of the London underground service, you would need to stand there 12 hours to be able read it all without a train continually getting in the way. Maybe it would work inside the carriage (though the writing would be too small) but placing it on a tube station wall is ridiculous. An example of creative and media unplanning.
Comment by George November 19, 2018 @ 6:54 amBecause they don’t care about adding value to their audience, they just want to say what they want to say even if no one reads or watches it.
Comment by Pete November 19, 2018 @ 7:29 amJim Beam wouldn’t – it’s a Jack Daniels ad. And those posters have been one of the prime reminders to me that people prefer short copy.
Comment by John November 19, 2018 @ 10:34 amAnd George is either a very slow reader or hasn’t spent much time on the Tube lately. There’s often plenty of time to read them, you just get very bored very quickly and stop.
Comment by John November 19, 2018 @ 10:37 amWhy did I write Jim Beam when I knew it was Jack Daniels? And I am a slow reader or, as you have pointed out, a very slow reader.
Comment by George November 19, 2018 @ 11:21 amBecause nobody read long copy!
Comment by John November 19, 2018 @ 2:02 pmconfusing jim beam with jack is like confusing planners with something that actually does something fucking useful.
Comment by andy@cynic November 19, 2018 @ 2:19 pmi would rather drink piss than oat milk.
Comment by andy@cynic November 19, 2018 @ 2:21 pmSuccinct.
Comment by DH November 19, 2018 @ 4:12 pmBut what do you really think about planners Andy?
Comment by Rob November 19, 2018 @ 4:40 pmyoure a bunch of boring as fuck, imposter pricks. does that help dear?
Comment by andy@cynic November 19, 2018 @ 6:38 pmIf I had to choose between ads in a tube station I’d go for the fast one. That other one just means it never gets read. Shoot, I wouldn’t even read that much copy in a magazine. Not interesting.
“Waves at mr. robert one eye. between us, we have 20/20 vision…?
Comment by judyt54 November 19, 2018 @ 11:37 pm[…] be fair, it caught my eye more than most tube ads but there’s something about it that just doesn’t feel […]
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