B's

I got a B+ in Adv91. I'm actually excited about it. A good chunk of her students were worried about their grade because it was based on a midterm, the campaign and the final. Yeah, we were scared pretty shitless. Considering that I bombed the midterm and final, a B+ was generous. Go Noxzema campaign for boosting that grade up! I mostly received B's as grades which is great considering the lack of effort I've been putting into my classes. I realized I should have taken more credits. Oh well, new lessons to learn.

New York/New Jersey is tomorrow..my nerves are jumpy. I'm excited but I'm completely afraid.

reluctant buyer

I think by this point my professor has embedded in our brains that we should know more about advertising than the average person. As a result of this, it has made me become a reluctant consumer. Who knew the Pro-V vitamins in Pantene weren't real? I sure as hell didn't. It never really occured to me that such science could be fake because after all, that's what the ad said. Hah, thanks to a semester's worth of advertising, I spot pseudoscience in every aisle at my local drugstore. Naturally, it delays any impulse I have to buy a product because formula 5343535 is proven to make me smarter. It's amazing how much words, when formed a certain way, can really persuade the consumer to make an impulse buy. Walking down the beauty aisle, it's so hard not to miss the many improvements one can have with a simple use of mascara or lip balm. It's like every beauty product is made to improve your "natural" beauty...might as well throw in some plastic surgeons while you're at. But in retrospect you must appluad those who have created this call to action to improve your beauty. Because in the end, Olay's a billion dollar brand and it wouldn't be if the millions who are using it didn't get whisked away with the advertising.

Speaking of beauty products, I couldn't help but think in retrospect about our group's Noxzema ad. I think I'm still pushing for the original idea that we had for it. I think there are lot of beauty products out there that promise something for their consumer. Because of this, you're gonna be popular and happy. But for teenage girls and young women, is that really what they're looking for? I think the Dove Campaign, "Real Beauty," speaks wonders. Instead of promoting the benefit of the product, they promoted who's using the product. Generally, not every gal wakes up refreshed and rejuvenated, but they do wake up with their own body and face. With that in mind, not everyone is obviously molded into the same size and shape. By using real women with real problems, they were able to resonate with an audience. This allowed them to push away the idea of supermodels and beauty products to beauty products with a purpose. This is what sets Dove apart from other brands: its beauty campaigns touched a cultural nerve by challenging the current super-thin, silky-hair, perfect skin standard. If you watch Trust Me, there's an episode about Sarah creating the tv spot for Dove's shampoo. It was about damaged hair but they transformed the idea of damage to a relatable issue while injecting the truth about this product. "We can't fix your love life, but we can fix your hair." COME ON! Tell me that isn't great. But enough about Dove..I wanted our campaign to focus on the idea of a mirror and what it brings to a woman. In front of a mirror, every woman either gains or loses her confidence. In that defining moment she decides how she's gonna look and feel. In such an intricate part of a woman's day that it's hardly noticed. I wanted to our campaign to bring that small, important part of our day to the forefront of our consumer's mind. And somehow, include Noxzema into that equation. Blah, I guess I'm not a creative so I wouldn't know how to execute that. But still..I wished our creative was strong enough to demonstrate either idea better. I don't blame our professor for choosing the other group. They had a clear creative and execution. They were pitching a great story while we were pitch a brand personality without really demonstrating that personality. It's weird...but I guess that's what intro's for, to learn and grow.


This is a lot for a Sunday afternoon. Countdown to New York begins now. :)

FIN.

Finally, it's finals; POWER of blogs

I'm seriously getting sick of my laptop. I think for the past week or so, I've been on this thing nonstop looking at lectures, notes, anything related to finals. Goodness, I didn't realize how time-consuming and draining study could be. Today was our advertising final. The grading goes pretty much like this: you didn't write the book, you failed. So the latter being quite obvious, I quickly said good bye to intro to advertising.

On a different note, I quickly underestimated the power of blogs. In a recent blog about Noxzema, I quickly mentioned the results as well as the work that my team had put into it. Low and behold, a creative director from Wieden + Kennedy emailed me. They're actually working on the Noxzema account as we speak! I can't even fathom an email of that caliber could even reach my beloved inbox. I was hyperventilating as I read the email. Yeah, it was that intense. Isn't that crazy?

So moral of the story? Continue to write fellow bloggers because you just don't know who might come across your blog...it might be someone you'd least expect. But I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and pretend like you didn't know already.

Final Noxzema update along with other stuff

Through all the unnecessary mutilation of stick figures, the countless all-nighters, the vast scent of eucalyptus polluating the air, we finally finished. Wednesday seemed like a cobalt blue nightmare, but we were able to grab the attention of our fellow classmates with the intoxicating theme of Darth Vader, thanks to my amazing humming skills. All in all, I thought our presentation went well. We found out who won the campaign, and sadly, it wasn't us. I wasn't too sad because at some point, I kind've had to expect it.

But I digress..so after class, Lilly basically gives an overview of what we're in for if we decide to stay as ad majors. Whenever I hear this speech, I swear I get overwhelmed. Although it's my first year, I always feel like I'm late. There's this constant rush I need to fulfill. I started to feel like I was a million steps behind the finish line. It took me the entire day to realize, "hey! you're just 18, you still have time!"

My plans for New York are still in the air. Lilly gave me the names of two former students who now work at Deutsch Inc. Some of their clients include Dr.Pepper, IKEA and Kodak. They're located in Los Angles and New York.

Check 'em out: http://www.deutschinc.com/


..and uh secret jewel? Check out Leo Burnett's interactive integreat media plan for Secret's uhh new secret?

http://www.leoburnett.com/

My official favorite

You know how there are some ads that make you go, "well, fuck..I could've done that!" There's a particular ad that I could not even dream of coming up with. It's perfect in every sense of the word. It brings an entirely new meaning to even the simplest of gestures. The way it's executed is beyond brilliant.



This officially solidified my career in advertising.


BTW, fuck yeah, Noxzema is done with.

the side effects

of Noxzema presentation all-nighters.


kids don't try this at home.

PWNED?

I wonder who's cleaver idea was it for Audi to even mention a competitor's name on one of their billboards. Truly an advertising fail.

Brands and art?

So I've always believed that art and advertising went hand in hand, after all you do need art directors. I'm definitely not schooled about the world of art, but apparently there's an ongoing war between what's commercial art and art-art. I could be wrong, but Nike has supported this new "ad" persay and collaborated with this well known animation artist. It culminates an obvious nod to Nike by running and some really cool animation. With a light, happy beat, it kind've does make want to run.

Onwards by James Jarvis