Strategy Work

Here's an example of some work done by Rose Quasarano a recent graduate from the Creative Circus. To me it's an example of a student taking a good risk in strategy, and making a real nice campaign out of it. No logo needed. Nice headlines, maybe the art-direction could use a little diversification, but this is the kind of smart stuff I digg. Thoughts?

Critique: Baby Einstein

The above three comps, are for Baby Einstein baby toys. Very simple, visual solutions showing babies doing some un-baby things. Thoughts? Comments? If the picture doesn't load, I apologize. The tag is: Smart, baby toys. And the hands shouldn't be blue if they look it.

Critique Week: Bonfire Gloves

At Brainco, we've just finished up critique for the trimester. Some fellow classmates agreed to showing some from a campaign they worked on for Bonfire Snowboarding Gloves. I'm sure they would appreciate any feedback their fellow peers across the country could give them.

On a larger note, I would personally like to encourage anyone and everyone to feel free to post their work on Portfolio Party--whether its marker comps, headlines, or full-blown computer stuff. If you're interested in becoming an author to the site--please let me know and I can send you an invite. It can be as confidential as you would like it to be. Thanks.

Most people are fat.

So, Reebok has come up with a new angle for their advertising. Running is fun and easy, as opposed to the commonly seen "I'm a warrior and will swallow my own barf while running" approach.

I must admit, I like the direction of the campaign even though I don't like using that mindset in my own life. Not everyone is hardcore about exercising or running. In fact, I think the majority of people are more of the casual runner. This approach definitely seperates themselves from a category filled with "Just Do Its", "Impossible is Nothings," and an overall swagger of the hip hop culture.

I'm surprised it took someone this long to market directly to the fat, lazy Americans rather than the few go-getters. When was the last time you saw an athletic apparel company promote the message of "It's ok buddy, don't overexert yourself, you're great just as you are"? As much as that mentality makes me nauseous, I think it'll work.

BUT, I think the executions that I've seen to this point could be better. The ad above doesn't make sense to me. As a copywriter I value clarity. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I don't understand the headline. "What are you just doing?" I don't know what the hell that means. How about "What are you doing?" To me, that makes more sense with the image. Maybe it was a typo. Ha!

The TV campaign is going to use the message "Run at the speed of chat." I like the idea a lot. But I don't like that line. Maybe it's because I can see myself getting reamed for bringing a line like that into class. I can already hear the "write that 50 more times," "I don't think that lines quite there yet," and "eh, it's ok."

The billboards and posters will read "Why are you hitting the wall? It hurts." and "Run + Puke + Run = Crazy."

So what do you all think? Does a campaign like this work for you? Is doing a 180 on the current state of athletic gear the way to go?