I will take different ads from the U.S. as well as other countries and compare them. I'll talk about what works, what doesn't work and how the ad would be perceived here and in its home country.
On the blog roll you'll find links to additional advertisements and articles.
If you were a Philippine butcher, who had persistent headaches, do you think you’d want this headache relief medicine? Heck, you’d want it no matter what job you have. I understood what the ad was for even without reading the tagline. It gets the message across perfectly. Even for people who don’t quite get the message, it certainly grabs the attention of anyone passing. I think this ad would work anywhere, even in the U.S. because it’s simple, but effective and it just jumps off the page. You might be afraid for the guys life until you realize it’s a play on the fact that he’s giving himself a headache. Even in the two scenes below, you still can comprehend the message. And it’s great if there’s not a lot of information overload going on because the picture is so filled with other objects. However, if these were in a place like Time Square, they may get lost in the jumble of everything going on.
It's amazing to me how provocative these ads are! But what wonderful, societal freedom these European countries have to develop humor and show so much skin. I love both of these ads because they share so much of what both of these brands are about in just 45 seconds. Sexiness in ads has traditionally been looked down on in the U.S., but how funny was it when the woman donned her burka after preparing herself for the day? I think these ads aim to empower women and their sexuality and they do a great job. That's not to say that Victoria Secret doesn't do the same thing, I just think that at least in the early part of my lifetime, they were as extreme.
In the first one, I just think that so many women can identify with her freshening up before she goes back to kiss her man of the hour. Sure, it may not be that extreme when it happens to you and you may even be married but how much better would you feel, man or woman, if you had those jeans on even if you were clothed. You’d feel great about yourself and that’s exactly what both of these ads want you to associate with their brands. Whatever! Sex sells.
In the several American versions of the Shrek 4 poster, including the character posters, only witches are flying. The American posters don’t say, “It will mess with your hair!” at the top or, “There’s an end,” at the bottom. They are very cut and dry. They say this is how the movie is going to be. All the character posters in America use the same pose, position and facial expression of the characters in the American poster below. They look like they’ve been cut and pasted. Both posters have the same background only the French version is farther away from “Far Far Away” than the American version. But the French version is fun and interesting to look at. It’s more eye-catching perhaps because of the location of the poster (in the metro, underground instead of at the box office). Also, it may be different because of the demographic that would be looking at it. It is expected that Americans are probably more likely to go see Shrek because most of them have seen at least one of the other three movies, but the French would probably only go if they had children or money. They are less interested in the movie so the marketers made the poster more interesting.
I took this photo close to the Garre St. Lazarre in Paris summer of 2010. When I passed it, I was immediately intrigued. There were several around the Arrondissement that I stayed and after a couple days I had to snap a photo because it was so cool. Every time I'd pass one I'd notice because was so miserably hot (maybe because I was there during the heat wave). I think what caught my eye was how everything was melting. It makes the passerby wonder if the bathingsuit is going to fall off or if the shoe is sticky. You might think "Can she pick up her camera and sunglasses or purse and phone?" It creates a sense of movement even though it's just a poster. Another part of it that I kept noticing was how much skin on the models was showing.
I think these ads could work anywhere because even if it’s cold, people work, they get tired and need something refreshing which is exactly the benefit of Perrier that this advertisement is promoting.
Compared to the first ad, the Brazilian version is much more dynamic. While the American version only points to power and sex appeal, the Spanish combines those two with work ethic, technologically advanced, high class or lavishness and liberty. Neither ad was overly creative but with the music, they were both catchy.
This ad starts off with a zoom out of the Ford Focus in Silver. There is a flash of the headlight and then it goes to a woman doing what looks like yoga. Once the music picks up, the viewer can see she is actually doing karate or kick boxing showing off her flexibility and tumbling skills. It reminded me of a tampon or pad commercial, but I think the marketer wanted the viewer to compare the ford focus to power and punches. With lyrics like wailing and “You give me fever, fever all through the night,” and a tagline of “Feel the Difference,” there’s no doubt that Ford wants the viewer to get the sense that the Ford Focus has sex appeal as well.
Beginning with turning the lights on in a commercial building, a man walking to and unlocking his car, this ad gives the viewer a sense that someone is getting ready for work. It cuts to an overhead sprinkler washing the windshield and then a sunrise. Muse’s lyrics begin, “You’re just too good to be true. I can’t take my eyes off of you,” and the commute to work feels mysterious through a panel-lit tunnel. “You feel like heaven to touch. I want to hold you so much,” suggests that he had someone on his mind that maybe spend the night with him but also that he loves the car. However, in the comments on YouTube under the ad several people question the choice of song. He gets out of the Focus and addresses the camera in Spanish. He adds to what he is saying by showing ratings on his iPhone (the iPhone debuted in 2007 and this ad was 2008, so it was before the iPhone was widely used signaling a classy and techno-savvy man). He gets back in the Focus and speeds off as the music picks up. Although he has been portrayed as a businessman, he flies down a curvy road in the countryside. This could represent luxury and freedom.
