Ads have been appearing all over Toronto bus stops and people aren't sure what to make of them. The city has recently been bombarded with teaser ad posters for a marketing campaign promising a new drug which helps parents curb the life ambitions of their kids, and limit free thinking and being individual. They read, “My son used to have his own hopes and aspirations. Now he has mine. Thanks, Obay!” “When Amy started thinking for herself, we had to nip it in the bud with Obay”.The campaign was part of the marketing strategy by University of Western Ontario. Teaser ads tend to work because they make us stop and think and work out the meaning behind the campaign, which gives us a sense of accomplishment. When the product is eventually revealed consumers pay attention. After the city was buzzing over who was behind the ads, and what the ads meant, University of Western Ontario put out a press release confirming their role in the ads. The University is also putting on a media launch that promises to reveal the news behind Obay and its side effects on Ontario’s Post-secondary Education.
The teaser ads seemed to have worked well by provoking thought but the ads are a bit strange. Don't most parents encourage their kids to go to college as well as pay for them? Also, if they are targeted towards students, I don't believe a student would look at a corny drug ad for more than one second, at least enough to realize its fake. The ads just don't make much sense and seem like they would offend a lot of people. Creatively I think the ads fail, but they did live up to their buzz.
1 comment:
2 interesting ads - colleges are going to have to get creative in their advertising as the college student age population drops
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