Cellphone Dump 2

Ah feck it. Since I'm in the mood, let's double post this week and continue looking at the pictures I snapped from the corner of Nelson and Seymour.

Item 5: Richmond Auto Mall - Nelson and Seymour

I like the vast majority of the Richmond Auto mall ads. They're often time both clever and effective. They have a good slogan, something about better selection = better end choice, that hits home. I'm sure that any serious car shopper would at least *think* about going to the Auto Mall before making a final purchase and that's a good thing.

This particular ad actually took over the entire billboard, using all three "slides" to show three different cars. The last slide, which I didn't get (but should've), it includes the Richmond Auto Mall logo and the slogan.

Here's another angle of the billboard. You'll note that the three figures are actually mannequins, so that they stay in place as the pictures of the cars change. It's an example of how advertisers try to differentiate themselves from each other. Not too long ago, we had billboard ads that expanded beyond the boundaries of the billboard. This has carried over to the ads on buses expanding toward the roof of the bus, like the My 5 ads.

Speaking of bus ads, I also like the Canadian Tire and 3M ads that uses the bus stop ad windows in a different way: emptying them out and putting real objects in it. If I can, I'll find an example of such an ad for the next cellphone dump.Item 6: EA Canada - Unknown

I believe my lovely girlfriend snapped the picture for this ad, but from the surrounding landmarks, I would assume that it is close to the Main/Terminal Skytrain station.

This is a good example of an ad nailing their target market. The message here, when deciphered through the use of computer programming language, is simply one noting a job opening. You can almost treat it like a preliminary test or interview. The only people that would "get" the message would be those that take the time to copy the message and decipher it; or those that already have everything memorized, allowing them to get the message right on the spot. Both types of people demonstrate a good understanding of the programming language and a strong passion for it. These qualities are what EA is looking for in their employees and the ad enables them and their candidates to meet up. And that is what marketing is all about, it is the constant effort to bring producers and consumers together at the right time, place, etc.

Item 7: Flick Off - Zephyr in the Sky (bathroom)

Urinal ads are great, unless they're boring. Nonetheless, I really don't mind them as they provide a ready way to avoid looking at other men's nether regions.

They are many great examples, but I always feel kind of conspicuous when I take pictures in a public bathroom. This picture is not a good example, but it is funny. I was rather taken aback by the large message and it wasn't until I took the time to look carefully that I realized that it wasn't telling me to scram.

It's an unfortunate example of bad copyediting and it happens all the time. Reminds me of a hilarious story of a snack product called HITS. The name was written across the width of the box, so that when you stocked them on shelves side-by-side, you could read HITSHITSHITS.

Item 8: Reitmans - Skytrain Station

Reitmans is another company that has a good campaign. I've actually criticized their prior campaign in a past blog, which used the same slogan but different images. They had models in the Reitmans clothes doing typical super model poses. The twist, however, is that the context is that of "real life." So, for example we had women mowing the lawn, changing light bulbs, and getting toilet paper for their kids (though, to me, it looked like they were keeping it away from the kid). It is a good that, since then, they've come around, and so have I.

In particular, I like the message they present. It is one that encourages the consumer, a real woman, to subvert the world of high fashion. It is not unlike the Dove Real Beauty campaign. Naturally, they encourage people to express their rebelliousness by buying the so-so clothes from Reitmans, but the message/suggestion is there for people to consider as they shop elsewhere. They may not end up buying from Reitmans, but they may not end up buying from anywhere either.

I, personally, would not mind a clothing line that is uber-practical. And by that, I'm thinking of things like super cargo pants or hats with a zip pouch in it for cash or soda cans. One idea I'm particularly fond of is the jacket with dangling pouches that you can hide under the jacket when they're not in use.

Item 9: "I Want Out" - SFU

Parodies are awesome.I did a double take when I saw these posters at school last week. Did I mention that they're absolutely brilliant? I'm not sure if you have noticed the "I Am CFS" skytrain ads that are all over the Millennium Line, but they're ridiculous.

Here's a quick rundown of the events that lead to the CFS ads. First, SFSS decides somehow that the CFS that lobbies for all Canadian university students is not accountable and, well, just plain doing a shit job. During a regular meeting, which any SFU student can attend, the SFSS votes strongly in favour of ditching the CFS. Now, note that these meetings cannot run without a specific number of students present. As well, all the students present votes and the meeting is representative of the entire school as a collective.

The CFS jumps in a vetoes the vote, saying that they didn't get a chance to present their side well enough. I'm not sure what gives them the right to veto a vote, but I agree that the meeting was probably one sided, although neither myself nor the CFS was present.

What bothers me, however is that the CFS is suddenly very visible (whereas, before I never knew they existed). The ads pop up all over the place, graciously stealing the Molson Canada slogan. As well, they show up at SFU and hand out free agendas. It always looks bad when someone suddenly pays too much attention to someone. It's like those people in the swimming lanes that only speed up when you're trying to pass them. If you're not going to put in the whole effort right from the get go, we know it's only for show and it will not impress anyone.

Well, that's all the ads stored up in my phone right now. When they start piling up again, I'll be sure to empty it out here. I should probably stop rambling and maybe get a few musings up too...

Cellphone Dump 1

***Mind the load time, there be many pictures in this post.***

While strolling about the city, I occasionally see an advertisement that strikes me. It could be a good or bad thing, but in either case I get the urge to whip out the ol' cellphone camera and snap a picture of it.

Cellphone cameras are such fickle things. The quality of the following pictures are ludicrous (due to the minuscule nature of the camera and the shakiness of my hands) and yet it is so convenient that we don't mind. I remember an odd comic strip a while back, it might have been in the The Peak newsletter (the dedicated weekly from my campus), it had a character that complained about the pointless nature of a fridge with a built-in television set before saying "Oh wait, I took a picture of it with my phone." And while the joke was clever and funny, it got a silly grin and a chuckle out of me anyways, it does not quite hold true.

The main reason being that the camera add-on feature on phones is just simply convenient while a television in a fridge is decidedly the opposite. In my household, we have a television in the kitchen and the furniture is arranged so that people can be seated at the dinner table and be able to watch TV. This means that, in my household, we would not need a second television in the same room. At the same time, said television in fridge would only take up valuable storage space in the fridge. I can think of at least one friend that is constantly thinking of creative ways to cram more foodstuffs into his fridge. The last thing I'll say on this matter before moving onto the pictures is that sitting down to watch your fridge, and arranging your furniture to enable the action, is just plain silly. I don't know about you, but I would feel like I just turned my chair towards a freshly painted wall for a few solid hours of entertainment.

Anyways, enough rambling, let's get to the good stuff.

Item 1: 7up lite - Richmond Centre

At first I couldn't decide if I liked the ad or not, despite having my attention drawn to the ad and spending a good few moments contemplating it. However, I then recalled the other lite/zero ads for other drinks. You know, the one that included nak3d people. After that, it was easy to say that I prefer these ads as invoke more emotions and stimulate better discussions that straight forward sex appeal.

The campaign is more capricious as well, as the bottom picture would demonstrate, allowing 7up's marketers to flex their collective creative muscles.


An aesthetic element of the ad that you can't see here, is the fact that they were hung, in giantesque form, from the ceiling of the shopping centre entrance. This added to the "lite takes flight" message that the ads were trying to produce.

I'll mention it again and again, but it is always amazing how we no longer care much for the actual product itself. People may deny it, but the marketers certainly think so and they're the ones spending billions on research. The messages that these soda ads are sending out have little to nothing to do with the physical qualities of the product themselves. Instead, they work with a reflection of a particular lifestyle, allowing those that wish to live that lifestyle (or to look like they're living it) to do so by copying an existing reflection.

Item 2: Richmond Centre - Richmond Centre

And it works to some degree, if you think about it. Ads are so saturated in our daily lives that they make up the vast amount of "white vision", akin to white noise, that we absorb and dilute in our consciousness. Thus, when presented with the simple equation of product=lifestyle, we learn to interpret it as such, even if we aren't invoking it ourselves. What I mean by this is that we are utilizing a kind of stereotype in classifying each other. When you see a person dressed in a particular way, you make assumptions about them with whatever signifiers are available. These associations are programmed into us by ads, making them almost our bible for judging each other. Naturally, assumptions are revised as more signifiers come to attention, but that is still within the context of what I'm saying.

Anyways, this ad from Richmond Centre I don't like. I don't understand it and I get the feeling that if I do get it, I won't like it. There was another ad campaign that Richmond Centre ran before this that likened the shopping experience at their mall to men on a fishing trip. I don't think that is quite the image you want to portray, nor one that you want your shoppers to emit.

Item 3: 30 Hour Famine - Richmond Centre

Last one from Richmond Centre. It's funny, I actually collected these images after a series of trips to Richmond Centre, but I just felt that it made more sense to put them all together.

I just like this one because it's eyecatching and clever. If you have never done the 30 hour famine before, it's great. I highly recommend it.

I've personally never done it before, but when my high school did it, my drama group put on a show for it. It was "An Evening of Monty Python" and for one sketch, Fresh Fruit Defense, I got to eat a banana. I enjoyed that banana a lot, and the booing from the hungry crowd as well.


Item 4: Dragonfly Business Solutions - Nelson and Seymour

This is an example of an ad that I don't like. I don't quite understand why a company would spend money promoting someone else's product. Sure, you may be a licensed retailer, but others will be as well. Instead, why not put those dollars towards showing why businesses should choose your company over Business Objects or Office Depot?

Also, "Dont Get Mad. Get a Xerox?" I'm sure you mean to say "Get Glad" right?

Wow, this took an hour to write and I still have more pictures. More to come in the following week, I'm off to kickboxing now. I'll have to remember to empty out the cellphone more often.