Print Advertising Campaigns

Quickly name a really great recent print campaign. Hmm...same here.

Nothing really pops into mind as outstanding. The things that traditionally have defined campaigns such as a unifying brand slogan, a continuing graphic look, and a copywriting tone that carries through a series of ads seem to be missing.

Maybe I read too many different publications. So, I am taking a minute to thumb through a major women's fashion magazine to see if there are some campaigns running under my radar. Here's what I find:

Guess [No slogan here just photos of models, so if you don't like those particular photos you have been given no reason to buy the products.]

Nordstrom ad for Burberry Beauty [No slogan for either.]

Nordstrom ad for Pure DKNY fragrance. [No slogan for either.]

Lancome ad for Genifique [No slogan for the company or this particular line.]

Garnier "Take Care" ad [This could be part of a campaign but I admit I do not identify the phrase "Take Care" with the product line.]

Maybelline New York "Maybe She's Born With It. Maybe It's Maybelline" ad
[Yes, this is part of a long-running an memorably enforced campaign across multiple media.]

Target "Expect More. Pay Less." [Yes, this is a campaign, but one I associate with TV, not print.]

L'Oreal Paris "Because You're Worth It" [Yes, part of a multimedia campaign, but a line that I again remember from TV, not print. The company has multiple ads in this publication but this line that I should be noticing is in some instances barely legible.]

Olay "Challenge What's Possible". [This must be their slogan, but not one that has stood out for me.]

Neutrogena "Dermatologist Recommended". [I remember when I saw it but could not remember it as a distinct part of a continuing campaign.]

Rimmel London ad for mascara. [Slogan "Get the London Look" is in the ad reversed out of the photo rather than by the logo, so not as visible as it could have been.]

Revlon for Age Defying Makeup. [I see not slogan that would make this ad part of a Revlon campaign.]

TIGI Catwalk "Inspired by Fashion/Designed by Hairdressers" [Memorable tie in to product name. This is the first time that I've taken note.]

True Religion as for jeans [No slogan]

So, the take away for me after thumbing through the first 50 pages is that I am very familiar with some of the above ad slogans, but did not immediately recall any of them as part of a distinct print campaign. Of the brands if I had been asked just to name the slogan, I would have been able to name those for Maybelline, Target, L'Oreal and Rimmel.

I would have remembered the slogans not from print but from their TV commercials, which is not a problem as long as the print is tying into the overall campaign and reinforcing the message. Maybe I did not even have to find and read the slogan in the print ad to associate it with the brand. Interesting.