William Bernbach of DDB directed the Volkswagon Beetle campaign "Think Small." It was recognized by Advertising Age as the top advertising campaign of the 20th century. I respect the simplicity and great copy in this ad.
I recently attended a networking event with the American Advertising Federation in Nashville for a screening of the independent film, Art and Copy. This film discusses some of the most iconic advertising campaigns of all time like “Got Milk?”, “I Want my MTV” and Nike’s “Just Do It.” This film took a fascinating look at the industry, from the inside out. It made a connection between advertising and its influence over popular culture and how people perceive the world they live in. Advertising not only sells products, but emotions, ideas and lifestyles that crystallize in our behavior whether we know it or not. “It makes food taste better, it makes cars run better and changes the perception of everything.” said advertising genius George Lois.
I enjoyed the entertaining personal accounts of the masterminds behind these campaigns, especially the ones by Lois. His brutal honesty, colorful persona and stories of gutsy advertising strategies put a smile on my face. The interviews with Mary Wells, the most influential women from the Mad Men era of the 1960s spoke about her respective achievements for Clairol and Braniff Airlines. “You can manufacture any feeling you want to manufacture.” said Wells. I very much admired the story of Mary Wells as rising above the curve to become a powerful woman in a field that was dominated by men at the time as I admire Peggy Olson’s character from Mad Men.
It amazed me just how persuasive advertising can really be if it is done right. Hal Riney’s famous “It’s morning in America …” spot for Ronald Reagan not only appealed to the emotions of American voters for a Reagan win in the 1984 presidential election, but it changed political discourse perpetually. I believe that anyone who has an interest in advertising should watch this. The primary message I got from this film was a call to action for advertisers to leverage their creative muscle to make better ads. Use creativity and art to create something meaningful to the consumer. With better quality ads, we can move past the immense clutter that dominates modern society. The film was very inspiring and is a definite must see!
Tags: Art and Copy, linkedin
