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A few good ads

posted by McKenna @ January 23rd, 2009

Last week I was suffering from insomnia. Which meant I was up late reading magazines and watching TV, two things I rarely have time to do, and I saw some interesting ads that I would have otherwise missed.
I don’t know if it was my sleep-deprived state or what, but some of these ads seemed exceptionally good. And they weren’t viral, online or otherwise hyped-up “new” media approaches.

This TV spot from Acura totally mesmerized me. I normally find car ads overblown yet uninspired. This one is neither, and it captured my attention.

This 3D print ad from Kleenex also caught my attention. The tactile component made it jump out to me – much more than anything else in the magazine. I couldn’t tell you what other companies advertised that month, but I definitely remember this one. In fact, I pulled out the insert and stuck it on my office door. I still can’t stop touching the ultra-soft tissue in the middle.

Then I saw a TV ad selling Italian language CDs. At first, I scoffed, thinking that nobody would part with their money on language CDs right now. But then I checked myself and thought: This is brilliant. I’m sure there are many people unable to travel abroad this year, due to the economy. Why not bring a little bit of Italy to them?

Each of these ads relied on a strong strategy and relevant messaging to drive their success. And they were willing to put their advertising dollars into strategies that worked. (In fact, the Kleenex ad is the broadest sampling program in the brand’s history.)

What traditional media are calling out for your ad dollars this year?

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