A Great Idea Falls Short Without Promotional Products

Here's an interesting advertising idea: To recognize "World No Tobacco Day" an advertising agency created a mock crime scene. They outlined a human body, and then they placed cigarettes next to the body with signs that marked the cigarettes as evidence. By placing this crime scene in the smoking section of a busy cafe, they were able to get their message across to the exact people they wanted to target. It's hard to imagine a better placement, and the surprise effect had to be really effective.

I think that your responses to the advertisement have to go something like this: Imagine that you are walking by the cafe, and you see the police tape and chalk outline of a body. At first, you think that a crime actually took place, but upon closer inspection, you realize that this is a commentary on the negative effects of smoking. You are stunned because the advertising played with your expectations. By making you think one thing, and then forcing you to re-evaluate, you are much more likely to remember their message.

Even though this no smoking advertisement is a great example of a well thought out advertisement that pushes all the right buttons, I can't help but think that it could have been even better. The advertisers could have stayed with the police theme and handed out promotional citations, or they could have handed out promotional t-shirts that were customized with a clever image. I can really imagine some cool designs that I'm sure would have been popular. If only the organizers had used promotional products, this event would have been really easy to take to the next level.
(via Ads of the World)