amateriat
We're all light!
Years ago, when I was working at a creative media services firm, I had an argument with my boss (who I was pretty tight with, so arguing wasn't risky in terms of my future employment) about the money Coca-Cola poured (and continues to pour...and only now did I discover my accidental pun...yes, it was too an accident!) into advertising its signature product. After all, I posited, nearly everyone on the planet (or, to paraphrase a line from The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To the Galaxy, "everyone who matters") knows what the stuff is, and even quaffed a bottle or ten, whether they'd admit it or not. Boss says my thinking is completely wrong: no matter if you're the size of Coca-Cola or GM, you have to keep your name on people's lips on a regular basis, even to people who, for one reason or another, might not be in the market for your product. (This philosophy might explain the controversy over accusations that US tobacco companies are targeting kids in their marketing, and might also explain this somewhat controversial spot for Chevrolet's Corvette). This is especially true for what ad folk call "mature" or "legacy" products or product categories. There's an ad-speak term for this, but since I've been away from the rarified air of "Mad Men" Avenue for a dog's age, I forget what it was.
Anyhow...I was thinking about film, Kodak's more specifically and Kodachrome in particular. Since we wouldn't want huge trucks of exposed K'chrome showing up at Dwane's twice a day (did someone mention they soup about 1,000 rolls daily at this point?), and the likelihood that, if you asked Kodak brass, they'd tell you you're lucky they still bother to make the stuff at all this late in the day, there wouldn't be much in the way of bucks put forth in promotion. But, there might be a few bucks around for some "targeted" promotion, possibly as a feel-good jolt toward film-shooting die-hards like me and (presumably) you, even in the event that the product is living on borrowed time. (This is hardly unprecedented: at the very tail-end of the 70s muscle-car era, when tire-burning was out and gas-sipping was in, GM green-lighted two high-adrenaline TV spots for Chevy's Camaro and Corvette, touting high-output engine options which would disappear in a matter of months.)
So...even though I've had to fix a lot of people's broken computers lately, and I'm running a bit late in preparing for my September exhibit, I decided to do a few minutes' worth of noodling around to do an ad mock-up along these lines: preaching to the converted, and possibly tickling the curiosity of a few of the digitally unwashed. And not spending a whole wad to do it. If you look at the graphics on the current Kodachrome box design, you'd almost swear Rochester is reaching back in time itself: the characteristic red-and-yellow with Kodachrome in semi-classic typeface, and a photo of a lighthouse on one panel with the words "Sharp, Long-Lasting Colors." (Helpfully translated into French for you guys north of me.)
While having dinner tonight, I came up with this:
I had a few other slogans/taglines, but I liked this one best. Few words, big message. (But you wouldn't believe how many typefaces I went through before settling on this one...guess those dastardly Mad Ave people infected me good from working with them...)
Anyone here with equally-warped ideas in your copious free time?
- Barrett
Anyhow...I was thinking about film, Kodak's more specifically and Kodachrome in particular. Since we wouldn't want huge trucks of exposed K'chrome showing up at Dwane's twice a day (did someone mention they soup about 1,000 rolls daily at this point?), and the likelihood that, if you asked Kodak brass, they'd tell you you're lucky they still bother to make the stuff at all this late in the day, there wouldn't be much in the way of bucks put forth in promotion. But, there might be a few bucks around for some "targeted" promotion, possibly as a feel-good jolt toward film-shooting die-hards like me and (presumably) you, even in the event that the product is living on borrowed time. (This is hardly unprecedented: at the very tail-end of the 70s muscle-car era, when tire-burning was out and gas-sipping was in, GM green-lighted two high-adrenaline TV spots for Chevy's Camaro and Corvette, touting high-output engine options which would disappear in a matter of months.)
So...even though I've had to fix a lot of people's broken computers lately, and I'm running a bit late in preparing for my September exhibit, I decided to do a few minutes' worth of noodling around to do an ad mock-up along these lines: preaching to the converted, and possibly tickling the curiosity of a few of the digitally unwashed. And not spending a whole wad to do it. If you look at the graphics on the current Kodachrome box design, you'd almost swear Rochester is reaching back in time itself: the characteristic red-and-yellow with Kodachrome in semi-classic typeface, and a photo of a lighthouse on one panel with the words "Sharp, Long-Lasting Colors." (Helpfully translated into French for you guys north of me.)
While having dinner tonight, I came up with this:
I had a few other slogans/taglines, but I liked this one best. Few words, big message. (But you wouldn't believe how many typefaces I went through before settling on this one...guess those dastardly Mad Ave people infected me good from working with them...)
Anyone here with equally-warped ideas in your copious free time?
- Barrett
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