With our latest round of holiday creative executions for Hazard Center, our Avoid-a-Hazard campaign comes to a close for 2011.

First launched at the start of last year, the Avoid-a-Hazard campaign was born out of the notion that life is filled with everyday hassles. Some of them small, like personal grooming. Others, a little complicated, like the pitfalls of gift giving. But whatever these “hazards” might be, we positioned Hazard Center as being the place that could help you avoid them. We playfully played off of Hazard Center’s name, while conveying the many different things you could do/buy/eat there.

Over the last two years, we extolled the virtues of waxing, directed men to better anniversary gifts and helped college students stay awake in class. We even offered Chargers fans a reason to drink on opposite sides of a vending machine. Along the way, we also won an ADDY for our efforts.

With our latest round of work, we show how Hazard Center can make for an easier holiday season. Sample ad below, another one here.

Are there any hazards that we missed? Let us know.

This post is part of a series that examines the different techniques a copywriter can employ when hunting for the ever elusive headline. Think of it as a handy little toolbox to turn to when deadlines loom and the white bull taunts you.

Earlier in the month, we covered personification. Today, for our fourth installment of different copywriting techniques, we feature the figure of speech that ends with a “?”.

Tool #4: Rhetorical Question

When posed with a question, the natural response is to think about what the answer should be. But with a rhetorical question, the answer isn’t necessary. A rhetorical question is a veiled presentation of the speaker’s opinion. In advertising, that would be the brand’s voice. A thought is presented to the audience and it’s as if they’re being guided to think, “You know what? That’s a good point.”

And it works. A year and a half ago, Geico introduced a rhetorical question ad campaign.

In print, JWT/Dubai created the ad below for Nicola Finetti, a fashionable designer of cocktail and evening dresses.

On the other side of the funny fence, rhetorical questions can also elicit a more serious reaction. As evidenced by this older ad from CPB about how doctors with AvMed Health Plans are incentivized to see their patients promptly.

As with all figures of speech, wit makes copy more memorable. And effective. It may also draw the line between rhetorical questions and regular, forgettable questions. (Ex. Are you tired of  insert problem your product/service solves ?) But if you craft your question thoughtfully, your audience’s opinion will be your own.

Can the art of persuasion be any more convincing?

This post is part of a series that examines the different techniques a copywriter can employ when hunting for the ever elusive headline. Think of it as a handy little toolbox to turn to when deadlines loom and the white bull taunts you.

And now for the next chapter in our series that examines the different approaches a copywriter can take when writing headlines. Previous posts covered hyperbole and simile. Today we look at…

Tool #3: Personification

As a figure of speech, personification takes inanimate objects or abstract ideas and gives them human qualities. These qualities can be emotions, sensations or physical characteristics.

In TV commercials, we commonly see products represented as people or characters. Examples include Apple’s Mac vs PC campaign. And this fun video for Epuron.

Headline-wise, Y&R Chicago employed personification to sell Kenmore dishwashers.

Up in Oregon, Johnson Sheen Advertising personified peril to sell Gerber Knives.

Brands want people to relate to the products or ideas in their ads. And since people relate to other people more readily than they do to things, it follows suit to make those objects more human. And more engaging.

So the next time you’re struggling with writing a headline for an ad, consider using personification. Do it well and your ad just might send you a thank you note.

Presenting the second installment of a series that details the different techniques a copywriter can use when penning headlines. A few weeks ago, I covered hyperbole. Up next is…

Tool #2: Simile

If you step back in time to high school English class, you’ll remember that a simile indirectly compares two things using the words “like” or “as”. (After a brief consult with the interwebs, Wikipedia informed me that a simile can also be constructed with the word “than”.)

As a figure of speech, similes appear everywhere throughout culture. From songs that tells us how hungry one might be, to movies that describe the haphazardness of life. They’re also put to good use in advertising.

Energy BBDO evolved Altoids’ “Curiously Strong” mints campaign with the magazine ad below.

We’ve even harnessed the power of the simile for our own clients. Matter of fact, our work for Sushi Contemporary Performance and Visual Arts just snagged a National ADDY. More on our campaign here.

If you do choose to put similes to work, remember to be descriptive. You want to evoke imagery and emotion. So don’t just think creatively. Think graphically.

Ultimately, having similes in your mental back pocket may not make writing headlines as easy as A.B.C. … but it does help a little, like the handful of almonds that placates my growling stomach.

Introducing the first in a series that examines the different techniques a copywriter can employ when hunting for the ever elusive headline. Think of it as a handy little toolbox to turn to when deadlines loom and the white bull taunts you.

Tool #1: Hyperbole

As defined by my dashboard dictionary widget, a hyperbole is an exaggerated statement or claim that shouldn’t be taken literally. And while hyperbolic headlines might be bad for journalism, they do make for good print ads.

Check out this poster for Hummingbird Fishfinders that BBDO Atlanta produced.

Or this ad from the folks at Doyle Inc., selling high-end Japanese jewelry that was “handwoven from 18k gold threads spun as fine as fine as delicate silk”.

Cool examples aside, the hyperbole tool does come with a disclaimer: The use of exaggeration in a headline, when wielded without wit (excuse me while I admire that alliteration for a second), devolves into the world of badvertising. Ex. any product or service claiming to be “THE BEST DEAL OF THE CENTURY!”

So writers beware. Tool #1 is at your disposal. Please use it carefully.

While perusing the fine pages of adrants last week, I came across an interesting post on picture thievery. Apparently, this flickr pic of an attractive woman found its way onto the banner ad below promoting medical bills and coding degrees.

An isolated incident this is not. A quick googling produced the story of an aspiring model suing Apple and an app developer for using racy pics without her permission. Then there’s the mother who discovered a Chinese company was using a photo of her toddler to hawk baby clothes. And another mom who was surprised to find a Christmas card pic of her family plastered over a storefront in Prague.

What is up with this blatant pilfering? Can those on the far end of the decent human continuum really be so low as to burgle without fear of consequence? Do they assume  they can lift images from personal blogs or facebook pages and think no one will notice? My google results sadly answer that.

As the number of photos uploaded to facebook continues to rise, it seems like the unscrupulous few have more material to pick and steal from. Aside from always uploading low-res or watermarked files, does anyone know of any other ways to stop all the hijacking?

Interesting things happened this year in the world of outdoor advertising. For instance, one Colorado bank wanted to show its dedication to small businesses so they featured actual phone numbers of individual math tutors and babysitters in their billboards. You can check out other award-winning boards at the OBIEs.

On the technology front, adaptive L.E.D. boards began changing messaging in accordance to the flow of highway traffic. The faster the traffic, the simpler the message. The slower the traffic, the more detailed information is served.

But the story that caught my eye as of late was the one about the designer who used a series of billboards to break up with the city Los Angeles. Yes, you read that right. Two examples below, more at his site– Adios LA.

The gist is this– a creative takes a job in New York… and then shells out his own money to have billboards put up across L.A., as his way of parting with his hometown. As you might expect, criticism has been brutal. I mean, it is a bit egotistical. Perhaps a bit douchey. And yes, the dollars on this media buy may have been better spent if it was donated to charity.

But I will say one thing. This kind of coverage wouldn’t look too shabby on a resume. Furthermore, it certainly indicates that in 2011 out-of-home advertising is alive and well and still has the power to gain a significant amount of attention.

A little over two weeks from now, we’ll be moving to our new office space. You might have already seen our preview tour. We snapped a lot of “Before” pics. As remodeling nears completion, we’ll put up the “After” shots.

Life has been interesting in the weeks leading up to the move. A lot of us are excited about it…. some a bit more than others (as evidenced by the videos below).  Don’t forget to swing by our site to see some of the other ways we’re celebrating the move to our new neighborhood.

Last summer, LeBron took a lot of flack for how he chose to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers. In response, his ex-coach wrote a goodbye, good riddance letter. I covered LeBron’s announcement and Dan Gilbert’s response when it happened.

Earlier this week, King James’ new 90-second commercial launched. In it, he reflects on the backlash that ensued after his decision to play for the Miami Heat. He asks a number of rhetorical questions, referencing what has happened and the different ways he could have or should have reacted.

As a piece of creative, it’s fun. From the shout out to an old Nike spot featuring Charles Barkley. All the way to the cameo appearance of Miami’s favorite vice cop, Don Johnson. For those with no vested fandom in LeBron, the spot ends with a feeling of, “He’s right. He should live his own life. And be free to make his own decisions.”

But for many Clevelanders, my wife included, the spot is an egomaniac’s weak attempt to rehabilitate his forever-soiled reputation. His anti-fans have even compiled answers to his rhetorical questions.

You have to wonder though… does LeBron really care what people from Cleveland think? Or is it Nike that cares about the millions of people worldwide who may or may not buy a tarnished superstar’s shoes?

Perhaps Tiger has something to say about advertising in the wake of bad publicity.

Are you someone who reads online ad blogs to keep up with the latest and greatest work in our industry?

Do you like watching funny commercials, like the new one below for John Smith Beer?

Do you appreciate morebirthdays.com, American Cancer Society’s movement for less cancer and more b-day celebrations? Do you like conceptual branding design? Or think Lay’s new wood-carved billboard is cool?

Well, if you’re into great ideas, there’s a new app for you. The Inspiration Room, an online creative blog, launched their free iPhone app last week. So now inspiration is indeed at your fingertips.

Read more about it here or go for the download. Enjoy.