Spoof Ad

(All images can be found at http://www.google.com)

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Print based advertisements speak to viewers through either perceived or concrete imagery. However no imagery is perhaps as powerful as the iconic images of death. Nothing scares people more – than the prospect of losing their life. Imagery of this kind either connects an image with its viewer on a hypothetical level or it deals directly with personal experiences with death. Both interactions have potentially powerful outcomes. The most potent reactions come when the viewer can see for themselves the grotesque outcome of irresponsibility. This ad deals with both.

As a logos driven argument, the New Zealand Dept. of Transport came up with a series of advertisements that were aimed directly at the parents of youths and teenagers. The country saw the success of other countries in preventing accidents on their highways and roads by educating and affecting the younger generations earlier in their driving experiences and careers. This tactic of tough love grew out of shocking numbers of driving fatalities due to common violations of Road Law – speeding and seatbelts. This specific ad deals with the seatbelt issue and its possible fatal outcome directly. Parents and young drivers alike can relate to the ad; the fact that one boy is alive and the other dead – the difference being a seat belt. The contrast is stark and morose. The implications and safety hazards are clear. Seatbelts save lives, and the viewer can easily connect the two points.

In terms of logic, logos rather, this piece of print persuasion aligns itself with the innate knowledge that death is bad, final. The idea of losing our life, for perhaps something as simple as a seatbelt, is driven home with this piece of print media. The facts are highlighted in a simple and direct way. There is no difficult dialogue to dissect, or intellectual jargon to sift through – logic speaks for itself; something almost every driver can relate to.

On multiple levels, New Zealand’s Transport department confronted a deadly situation with deadly imagery – inciting personal and furvent reactions within its viewers making its point very, very clear – where your seat belt.

New Zealand Dept. of Transportation

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Apple Inc. had gone through some hard times. In 1985, CEO Steve Jobs left Apple, and their sales--as well as their image--plummeted. However, when Jobs returned to Apple after his interregnum, he came back with a bang. In late 1997, Apple reinvented their slogan and ad campaign: thus, the Think Different ad was born.

Its claim is Apple products are different from the other computer companies at the time because of their deviation from that generation's popular consumer technology, and by being different, they are therefore superior.

The above ad is one of many in the series (in their other campaigns, they've used other iconic creative thinkers, such as John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Jim Hensen, Ghandi, etc). Albert Einstein, a man notable for his genius mind and his thinking outside of the box concerning things like science and creativity, is more than just a poster child for this ad. He's the physical embodiment of what Apple is saying (their ethos): they're inventive, they're unique, they're not accepted by the norm, and, according some enthusiasts, they are genius in their design and nature. The stark contrast with the black and white portrait juxtaposed with the bright, rainbow-colored Apple logo is shouting Apple's appeal to themselves as standing out of the crowd, as thinking and being different from the rest of the market. It should be noted that, although it is grammatically incorrect to say "think different," as it should be "differently," the slogan is most certainly done intentionally as a way to convey it as a relative noun than an adverb.

(Posted by Michelle Dyer)