Write it in Your Own Voice (or Fuck Comic Sans).

All fonts have a personality and a purpose. The font in which you choose to type can tell a person a lot about you. If you use Comic Sans for anything other than a 6 year olds lemonade stand, it's a wonder you still have a job (other than at a pre-school). Comic Sans has a reputation second to no other font and has sparked much fontrovesy of late . There are multiple online hate campaigns targeting the jaunty, unassuming font that smirks at you and begs to be printed in multiple colours. Don't get me wrong, it is a great font for toy store signs, invites to church bake sales and (gasp) comic books. It is not so suitable for termination notices, funeral invitations, news websites and tombstones. As a Helvetica loyalist, I believe that friends don’t let friends use Comic Sans.

TBWA South Africa came up with the insight that fonts have their own voices and that a letter typed in a heavily stylised font will be read in the voice of the font and not that of the writer. Using that insight they came up with the “Write in your own voice” campaign for Uni-ball, highlighting the benefits of handwritten letters.

Three rather hilarious spots "Bust You Out", "Pappy is Dead" and "Swapped at Birth" were made showing the main characters reading serious letters that have been written in an inappropriate font.

                                          "Bust you Out" by TBWA South Africa for Uni-ball

 (please excuse the anti-rascist rant after the clip- Youtube is making the plain ad hard to upload as it has been pulled)

The first video "Bust You Out" opens with a muscled black man in a prison cell reading a letter explaining that his 'homie' is going to bust him out of jail. His homie explains: "We got a hood snitch up in the pen. We gon' cut you loose like a noose" and in the words of the commercial, "I aint spittin yo". The joke is in the narration which is voiced by an upper-crust English accent who sounds like he may have stepped right off the set of Downton Abbey and onto the wrong sound set. This is because the letter was written in the Edwardian script and not handwritten with a Uni-ball pen.

This particular ad has sparked  a lot of controversy because it supposedly "mocks black African-American men in prison" by playing up racial linguistic stereotypes. I think this is rubbish because Uni-ball is not saying that every black man is a gangster with a loose grasp of the English language. Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason and we should be free to illustrate them as long as we are not saying that specific people or a entire race can be boiled down to one single stereotype. Controversy aside, I love these ads.

Because Google and Blogger are not playing the game, I will have to post a link to the next two ads.

"Swapped at Birth" shows a little girl reading an earth shattering letter from her 'parents' telling her that she was swapped at birth and that her real parents are on the way to fetch her. It would be a gloomy spot if the it wasn't voiced in an over the top musical theme. The font used was Broadway-an entirely inappropriate font to use when telling your former daughter that she is going to spend her life with pig farmers. The shock on her face is palpable and I got the giggles at the end when the her dad sang: "p.s I hope you like pigs!"


 "Pappy is Dead" is based on the exact same concept except the main character is a soldier during a rather violent war. He has just received a letter which he reads while missiles blast in the background. His letter informs him that his grandfather has passed but the twat that wrote the letter obviously didn't take into consideration that Comic Sans reads in a voice of a pervy children's show host like Barney or Pee-wee from Pee-wees playhouse- probably the worst way you ever want that news to be delivered.

The mood in all the above ads is rather pensive and sombre which is brought across by both the art and stage direction- this is all part of the humour. Humour is a delicate balance of implausible and plausible. The letters and situations and the fact that people use inappropriate type-faces are plausible (-ish ,the pig farmer parents less so). The implausibility factor comes in with the fact that the letter writers actually sound like that or intended for the letter to be written in that voice. As a viewer you are torn between the drama of the words and the comedy of how they are read.

The insight rings true, nothing beats a handwritten letter. It shows the recipient that you have taken time and effort and your message will not be distorted by any design-illiterate decisions you may make. I am a bit miffed that this campaign was pulled as it's a fresh and original way to sell pens. Nobody chooses to watch ads, they choose to watch things that interest or amuse them and this campaign ticked both boxes for me.

A game to play next time you see something inappropriately typed in Comic Sans

                    

Ready...Set...Jelly!

It’s my eleventh birthday, I am kitted out in the latest tween fashions complete with butterfly clips and a puffy synthetic bomber jacket. I am on my way to Ratanga Junction for the first time and despite the Venga Boys blaring in the background, the car ride is sheer agony. I have been waiting my entire life to ride a rollercoaster so 20 measly minutes shouldn’t matter- but it does.  After horrendous ticket lines and begrudgingly heeding my mom’s haunting advice of “always save the best for last” I’ve made it to the lurid yellow monument of exhilaration lovingly dubbed The Cobra…and then I see the line.

Waiting sucks. It just does.  Find me someone who enjoys waiting in a line at the traffic department or on the phone to Telkom and I will find you a liar. Throughout my life I have experienced the heartache associated with waiting. I waited for J.k Rowling for years between her books. I even waited/am still waiting for my Hogwarts letter (I am sure the owl just got lost). In my adult life I have waited in a five hour queue for my tax number, but even more devastating is having to wait for Game of Thrones to buffer every single bloody week. With all my experience in waiting and the misery it has caused me I can undeniably, unequivocally affirm the notion that waiting really does suck.

First Choice (better known for their environmentally friendly milk) agrees with me. They know that asking a child to wait hours for jelly to set is just cruel and unreasonable and so these champions of chow came up with SA’s first already-set jelly in a box. Boomtown, a South African brand strategy agency has brought this harrowing insight to life with a series of fun brightly-coloured print ads.

First Choice Already-set Jelly, "Because Waiting Sucks" by Boomtown, South Africa

We can all relate to these ads, even if we haven't gone through those specific situations. Waiting in long lines to fun rides. Waiting for dad to blowup the jumping castle while all your friends look on with fervent anticipation. Waiting for the pool to fill up on a sweltering day when all you want is instant refreshment. Too much waiting! We want our fun and we want it NOW.

The creatives came up with a pay-off line that kids (and adults alike) can relate to. "Because waiting sucks" neatly and succinctly sums up the insight into why people should buy First Choice All-ready Set Jelly. My only qualm is that this campaign was launched at roughly the same time that Saatchi and Saatchi New Zealand launched their Texa allergy medication "Sneezing sucks" campaign. While it was an overseas ad for a very different target market it still detracts from the unique feel I originally associated with this campaign.

Jelly comes in an array of awesome jewel-bright colours. This is showcased by the well-considered colour palate chosen by the art director for the ads. For instance the jumping castle ad uses pink jelly for their pay-off line and then uses a huge, predominantly pink half blown-up jumping castle as the ads main focus. This colour scheme is further supported by the pink and yellow balloons and the pink outfit that one of the models are wearing. The fact that all the ads are set outdoors really emphasises this colour-centric design as the natural, bright lighting makes the colours pop nicely.

One component that I particularly enjoy is the treatment used on the pay-off line. "Because waiting sucks" has been carved out of a block of already-set jelly towering over a pack shot of the product. It is effective and aesthetically pleasing while serving the double purpose of showing the product and communicating the ads insight in an interesting way.

The Boomtown creatives chose children as the subject of frustration because as adults, we are expected to be able to deal with trivial things like waiting for jelly to set while children can display their unadulterated disdain without shame. They also use children because, while their parents pay for it, they are the main jelly consumers. The kids really convey their feelings effectively and their waiting-induced frustration is palpable.

Ads like this are light and fun while still being universally insightful. Sometimes I think that I can spot a South African ad from a mile away but this one was harder to spot mostly because of the quality- which to me was  of international standards.

This review has given me the worst jelly craving. Too bad I have to wait until college is over. Grrrrr

When I Grow Up I Want To Be In Playboy

No, not as some scantily clad is-she-airbrushed-or-is-she-just-impossibly-perfect model, but as a writer.

Writers like Chuck Palahniuk, Ian Flemming and Vladimir Nabokov all started their careers writing short stories for this iconic magazine. But Playboy is more than just a magazine, it’s an institution built on liberal expression who regularly debut not only authors but musicians, models and film makers too. They have done incredible work promoting civil and reproductive rights, freedom of speech and other pertinent issues. See? Not just a bunch of pretty faces….or boobs.

The definition of the word ‘Playboy’ varies from source to source but the gist is that he is an educated man with both wealth and time to spare, who is devoted to the pursuit of pleasurable activities. The magazines image is based on this definition and encompasses a luxurious, intelligent almost hedonistic feeling in terms of its execution.

It represents a sense of personal freedom and economic freedom, but has a kind of sophisticated, sexually liberated feel. –Hugh Hefner 

Playboy was banned in South Africa during apartheid and resurfaced for a short stint in the 90’s. In 2011 Playboy SA launched but found that they were losing their projected readership to, for a lack of a better word, lad mags like FHM and Maxim and more hard-core vagina wielding publications like Penthouse. Another issue that Playboy faces is the fact that locally people think of it as just a platform to look at naked ladies, completely disregarding the fact that there is so much more on offer.

Y&R, a local ad agency, came up with this campaign to help shift perceptions about Playboy SA and show that it is “More than just a centerfold.”

“More Than Just a Centerfold” campaign: ‘Deforestation’, ‘Silicon Valley’ and ‘Crack Addiction’ by Y&R, South Africa

I chose this campaign to review because I think that the photography and art direction is stunning. It brings together elements of wit and beauty while sending a strong message about the publication. The ads are set in luxurious locations and they all feature a stunning creature of almost unattainable proportions. The men in the ads are obviously well off and more sophisticated than your average Joe. Instead of leering at the hot mama's laid out in front of them they are focusing their attention on interest articles from a magazine which are titled Deforestation, Crack Addiction and Silicon Valley. These titles on their own are innocent enough but when they are placed over the women's naughty bits, for example silicon valley over her boobs making a play on the fact that some women get boob jobs, they become an element of wit that ties this campaign together.
The concept is that 'Playboys' are not just sex crazed maniacs who are only interested in naked women but also other aspects of life like luxury and intellectual stimulus- and the same can be said for the magazine.

Visually I love the use of texture and shadow in these ads from the silk curtains to the slats in the sun lounger's shadow. The men are photographed from the back showing that the models, magazine articles and luxurious surroundings are in his line of sight. This implies that these are the things that interest him and are the kinds of things he chooses to be around. Each ad shows a different kind of person, both black and white, to show that a Playboy is not race specific but rather caters to a lifestyle choice. The decor featured in the ad is not period specific but rather timeless in its elegance which extends to the image that Playboy wants to portray.

I think this campaign is a definite win in terms of balancing beauty and brains. The reader is first pulled in by overall decadence of the ad, once pulled in however the reader notices the article and makes the mental connection between the title and the placement. After having figured out the wit behind the ad one feels a sense of achievement and the connection between the ad and the reader is strengthened. This is a common winning formula for ads and Y&R has executed it perfectly.

Shopping My Heart Out at The Exchange

NATIVE, a small Cape Town based marketing agency, has managed to save over 2450 lives over the past week. They teamed up with The Organ Donor association of South Africa and worked day in and day out for two months to bring us the world's first cashless fashion boutique/pop-up shop called The Exchange.

The idea is that you can visit the shop in Cavendish Square (downstairs, next to the Woolies entrance) and choose a gorgeous item of clothing from a selection of 25 fashion designers including Catherine Moore, Lunar, L&K and Silverspoon. Instead of delving into the last of your rent money you pay by simply signing up to be an organ donor thus paying by giving the gift of life.

Becoming an organ donor means that you can potentially save 7 lives. Your heart, liver and pancreas can save 3 lives and your kidneys and lungs can help up to 4 people. The Organ Donor Association is desperate to sign up 50 000 new organ donors in 2013 and currently there are over 3500 people on the transplant list. With over 500 items in store, The Exchange hopes to potentially save over 3500 lives with this ingenious initiative.

Ryan McManus, Executive Creative Director at NATIVE came up with the initial idea 5years ago and the NATIVE team managed to start and finish the project in just two months- quite an achievement if you ask me. Ryan explains "Fashion has typically been synonymous with consumerism. We are looking for a way in which we could change the currency of meaningless consumerism and shift it to the currency of life by purchasing fashion with organ donor registration." This concept really speaks to my anti-consumerist tendencies (and my bare wallet).

Pop-up shops have become very popular in Cape Town over the last year, following on international trends. Since it is a bit of an underground trend people who shop there feel included and part of an elite inside group. From the execution of the project I am assuming that the target market is made up of educated females around 16-30 years of age from the upper LSM's. They are young, healthy, very interested in following trends and enjoy engaging in social media. I think that using a pop-up shop to execute Ryan's vision is an excellent idea as it speaks to the target market in a way that they can relate to and in turn makes organ donation fashionable.

 It has been a long time since I have been able to afford a piece of clothing that wasn't from Mr Price and so I dragged my boyfriend down to Cavendish and made a bee line for The Exchange (just in case the dress of my dreams was being snatched up by someone smart enough to wake up early). The store itself was clean and classy with stencilled messages on the walls saying things like "Fashion so good you would give your organs" in a lively blood red. The decor was hospital themed and in the middle of the store a hospital bed held a selection of gorgeous accessories for our perusal. There is a space in the shop for you to get your picture taken after you have signed up which is sent straight to the Organ Donor Associations Facebook page to generate more interest. 

After drooling over a pair of too-small silver heels I found a gorgeous purple dress that I only had to swap my organs to own. Hell, I wasn't planning on doing anything with them after I die anyway!

The sign-up process is quick and painless, you just fill out a form on the shop assistants iPad, pop a couple of stickers in your ID then you are done. The old post-purchase feeling of "oh my god, what will I EAT for the rest of the month" was replaced with a warm feeling of public service.

The above image is an example of the emotive and visually stimulating adverts made for the store.  By using a model that is on the transplant list brings a sense of reality into the advert. The red background and white dress work really well with the hospital theme. The copy "Shoes: Obs Shoes, Kidney: Still unavailable" could be written to remind the reader that there are way more pressing and important issues than fashion but at The Exchange you can literally "Give Life. Get Fashion" merging both consumerism and a good cause.

This project is an example of incredible pro-Bono work. Everything was donated from the clothes to the shop space.The resources that they did purchase were used in smart ways for example the shopping bags were plain but a bold red sticker was made up saying "I shopped my heart out at The Exchange" with a short blurb highlighting the stores mission. I feel like this concept could be used around the world for all sorts of causes. This type of anti- consumerist advertising is refreshing and I hope to see more of it from both NATIVE and South Africa as a whole.

The Exchange should be open until the end of the month but it depends on if the stock lasts or not. Clothes are flying out the store quicker than cobra spit so if you want a piece of the action or just to make a difference you better get down there fast!

If you are unwilling or unable to visit the shop but you still want to be an organ donor you can sign up at www.savesevenlives.co.za