Sunday, January 28, 2007

action-effect template

It is common for people in the advertising business to break their heads over taglines and slogans. A funny thing to be noticed around Tamil Nadu is the state government's efforts towards public awareness... all the slogans have the same simple and straightforward action-effect template - like "donate blood, save life" or "drive safely, save life" or "safety first, speed next". Sometimes it is just a straitforward "action" assertion - like "drove safely". I cannot remember the company, but in Ogilvy on advertising, there is an example of a good ad, simply saying "better product, lesser price, end of advertisement". Imagine this being the generic template for any product, will have pretty funny results like "use axe, smell good" or simply "use axe." Even the customary "Horn Ok please" so common in the west is replaced by a simple "sound horn" in the south. The good thing is that the point is crystal clear despite repeated use... and I guess that is all that is needed.



What really appealed me was the deviation from the rule on the way back... there is this sign across the road pointing the way to the airport, with this line on it "drive safely, someone is waiting for you."

 

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