Playstation "For the Players"

Today I want to have a quick look at this Playstation ad, created by US agency Drum. Drum created this short film, inspired by the user created twitter hashtag which trending globally in late February of this year. The short film capitalises on Millennial nostalgia, charting the brands growth with that of its primary user base. The ad donates the passing of time with both the growth of the featured characters, the change in cultural references in the setting and the London skyline. The film was covered extensively in blogs and websites, linked in to the major release of PS4 information and hype.

Nostalgia within the target demographic seems to be at an all time high, with references to 80's and 90's culture constantly mentioned on social networking sites. Exploiting their brands important role within this period was a clever move from Playstation, whose advertising is generally of a very calibre to begin with.

American Apparel

Today I wanted to look at a company who creates all advertising in house, American Apparel. The company is known for their sexually suggestive advertising, ranging from the scintillating to the purely tasteless. It is a testament to their creative viewpoint that I struggled to find three ads that were suitable to display here. The company has designed and printed their own campaigns since it was established in 1989. Most of the work contains women, who the company feel encompasses a natural beauty. Champions of the brand have applauded the lack of airbrushing displayed in the ads.

Yet detractors comment on the gratuitous use of flesh, sexual settings and overall misogynistic tone prevalent in the print campaigns.  The company has battled with regulators in multiple countries over provocative pieces, and often had to withdraw campaigns due to complaints and industry standards. The company's CEO, the infamous Dov Charney, has had several sexual harassment lawsuits brought against him. Some of these lawsuits were even raised by models featured in print campaigns.

In 2008, The Guardian awarded AA with the title of "Label of the Year". I think it would be fair to say that the company peaked during this period. Recent sales have been low, and consumer backlash to the increasingly explicit advertisements has begun to stir. What once was viewed as a provocative and exciting way to market a brand is now seen as stale and tacky. It will be interesting to see if that company attempts to move in a different direction with their branding if sales continue to fall.

FedEx Kinko's "Highlighter"

BBDO New York stepped outside the standard billboard form of outside advertising in November 2005 when tasked to create local advertising for FedEx Kinko's Office and Print services. A replica highlighter and Tip Ex were stationed as part of the natural surroundings of a New York street scene. These structures mimicked the machinery used to create double yellow lines and zebra crossings.

Outdoor advertising is something we can often overlook, as billboards do not allow for the same two way conversation as interactive mediums. By creating such an unusual campaign, BBDO ensured that people would be talking about the idea and that FedEx Kinko's brand would be associated with humour, all while reminding their consumer base of their valuable services. Each replica offered links from which consumers could access the Kinko's website.