This Ad got me thinking about the nature of advertising (the industry I work in). I view advertising as a service that adds value to a product. My objective is to honestly communicate the benefits for various features of certain products, services or brands. The Ad above is about taking advantage of the public to sell products. Advertisers have the power to use and abuse, like using maternal fear for kids to sell soda pop. Many advertisers still do stuff like this and its wrong.
However there is light... Advertisers have the ability to foster emotional connections that motivate a public to action. Like this Ad from Feeding America... Its not manipulation its honest connection.
These two ads provide a huge contrast.. one ad is using dishonesty for greed, the other is about connecting people to give. Both use emotion to draw a response... one is a crazy response, one is a call to do good... If you own a business or work in advertising, you are the one that must make these choices. Don't make these choices lightly!
This ad for the Pepsi refresh product falls under the honest category in my book. They don't twist facts they just draw a connection. (I figured an Apples to Apples comparison was needed)
Update... Apparently that old Soda Ad is a hoax... I leave it because its an exaggerated trick and makes a point. The ad below is real though... its not a far cry.
