Advertising is a multi-million dollar industry.
Companies hire the best and brightest minds to make their products stand out. From magazines to the Internet, and billboards to those signs that are flown behind airplanes, it’s nearly impossible to find a place where advertisements haven’t taken over. With all of the different ads we see every day, it’s easy for them to be ignored or overlooked as mere “white noise.”
What is it that grabs our attention, though? How can we give not just our ads but our blog posts and webpages the flare that makes our viewers take notice?
In my opinion, it takes two things to make a really good ads: color and humor. Here are five of my favorite ads and why I feel they almost command attention.
- #5 – Cingular
This ad uses an attention-getting color (orange) while simultaneously incorporating humor to great effect. It’s also good to note that by having the “calls” part of the billboard on the ground, it gets you to look up at the rest of the sign to see where it fell from and why.
- #4 – Cadbury Chocolate
Kudos to the Cadbury chocolate company for this ad! Not only is it colorful and humorous, but I think it has a clever design too. I love the little people tearing off the wrapper and carrying away the chocolate. Using this atypical means, they make their ad memorable. Now if only I could get some… - #3 – Church Billboard
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a particularly religious person, but this billboard was very well done in my opinion. It doesn’t use bright colors to grab our attention, which actually helps to set it apart from other signs. Instead, it puts humor to good use. Nearly everyone has wished for some indicator of what to do, divine or otherwise, and this sign taps into that common experience rather nicely. - #2 – Nestle Chocolate
Maybe it’s a sign of where my mind is today, but this billboard made me smile. Not only does it have bright colors to catch your attention, but it’s hilarious seeing the birds carrying away the candy. Maybe the birds first attempted getting chocolate from the Cadbury ad but got chased away? Either way, I love how clever this ad is! - And last but certainly not least: #1 – Beef!
This sign cracks me up! We’ve all seen the old, terrible movies where the space aliens steal livestock for no good reason. Well, now we know why (and I can’t say I blame them)! After all, who doesn’t enjoy a nice, juicy steak? The plain background really makes the meat stand out, catching your eye. All in all, it’s a tasty attention-grabber.
Billboards are probably my favorite form of advertising. They’re larger than life and have no trouble catching our attention. By combining humor and eye-catching colors, these ad exemplify smart and creative ways to catch an audience’s attention and make them remember a product or message. So the next time you’re driving along and see a billboard, take a closer look and ponder just what made you look. You may be surprised by the cleverness around you!