Advertising on DART Bus

Does anyone else thing this is a tad distracting? At least with billboards, the driver is looking up and ahead. With advertisements on the sides of buses, like this one I saw in Dallas in the arts district, the driver of another vehicle must turn to the side and avert their eyes from the road. I know in New York, advertisements cover everything, but I still view it as a creeping problem.

Audi's Super Bowl Spot: Release the Hounds

The Super Bowl Spot Audi did was hilarious. It featured two men trying to escape from a prison full of wealthy people. Once they escape a slew of comical obstacles, one man jumps in a BMW and the other jumps into an Audi. It turns out that the decision was a trap - the BMW returned the prisoner back to the prison, while the man in the Audi escaped. The commercial stereotyped rich men and pushed the idea that what is well-established is not always best. It also made BMW look outdated, which is a rather impressive feat.

New Camel Packaging

I saw the new packaging for Camel Cigarettes while in line at 7-11. I had never much attention to the tobacco stores behind the counter, but this actually caught my eye. Before I harp on Camel, I must first say the package is incredibly well-designed, and definitely hits its' target audience: females between the ages of (honestly probably 16-24) 18-24. Now, I get to say good job Camel at making smoking seem "cool" again.

UNT Billboard

This was a tricky shot to take driving down 35! (I actually had a friend take it). Anyways, I see these ads for UNT all the time. I think they are effective because UNT is not well known in comparison with other major schools in Texas like UT-Austin, A&M, and Texas Tech, even though more students attend UNT than Texas Tech or A&M. The billboard campaign UNT uses focuses on a simple statistic for each board. Another one says the number of UNT graduates working in DFW. These statistics allow the viewer to understand for themselves the impact UNT has on the community and its accreditation as a major university, instead of filling a  billboard with fluff and and an attractive set of ethnically correct students. Good job UNT!

Coca-Cola Documents Changes

This ad tagged my interest because of the dual meaning behind it. Initially, the ad celebrates the 50th anniversary of Coca-Cola. However, it is also celebrating the gradual loosening of moral codes for women, obviously including forms of dress. I'm not going to go on a feminist rant about how demeaning the image is. I think it is an interesting piece of social commentary.

Obama Print Campaign for 2008 Election

This ad was featured in major magazines during Obama's 2008 campaign. I was extremely impressed with the design team for his election. Generally, political campaigns feature horrible design and artwork. It seems as though the designers are afraid to step out of the raucous red white and blue starry-themed ads with huge pictures of the candidates face. Let's face it politicians, all your ads look the same. However, this ad is different. The copy reads, "Black, Raised by a single mom, and named Obama... You better have a lot of hope." How original! How different! The copy speaks to everyone, and it says Obama is on eof us, who has struggled against diversity and has been successful against it. Of course, everyone wants a president with these qualities. In addition, the colors are muted and Obama's image is very small.

Ad Spots on Facebook Page

I took a screen shot of the ad sidebar now featured on Facebook. I think the ad bar is a great way for Facebook to gain revenue without being to intrusive to the user. The ads are small and do not float or make noise. The ads are incredibly effective because Facebook inputs the user's likes and interest into an algorithm which chooses the ads most similar to the page. For instance, my interests include design, art, and volleyball, so a lot of my ads consist of art schools, design websites, and volleyball gear. Although this is great for Facebook, I tend to click on these sites and find things I don't need. It's just another way for companies to get buyers to  part with their money.