Is Your Advertising as Brave as the New LG Campaign?

I love a brave ad. Ads that forgo copy, or shrink their logo for effect, or brazenly marginalize. This campaign for the new LG line of air conditioners is brave because it isn’t a “quick get”; it’s lovingly detailed and camouflages its message. Are non-instant gets are unique for 2016? I’m confident they are a rare breed throughout recorded advertising.

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The tartan/rug/wallpaper motif is attention-grabbing, yet busy. Beyond the already cluttered pattern lies a floor plan — discreet at first, but impossible to miss once you’ve seen it. The tartan cloth in particular would feel at home in an I Spy book or optical illusion collection – that’s how well-hidden the floor plan is.

The Persian rug’s use of aqua, white, and navy make it a bit more obvious, but eyestrain is still required. Together, the elements make for a puzzling picture that would feel more at home as a feature imagine in a home & gardening magazine than in an ad.

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However, the copy rescues these pieces, and elevates a stretch of a concept to one of the best campaigns I’ve seen in 2016. Where is the copy? On the rug label or wallpaper corner that’s peeling up. “Don’t let dust mites feel at home. LG Air Conditioner with sterilization filter.”

That’s all the copy. No pun necessary. No turn of phrase. No #hashtag. These aren’t home décor options to fit into the bigger picture of YOUR house, or any other millions of ways the image alone could be interpreted. No, dust mites may be making themselves at home in your wallpaper and carpets. Unless your air conditioning unit feature sterilization filters. LG’s does, and they’ll sweep dust mite colonies away like they’ve settled in Tornado Alley. We’ve all learned something today. That’s killer copy.

Big Brand Bravery = The tiniest of copy for the tiniest of problems.

Big Brand Bravery = The tiniest of copy for the tiniest of problems.

Speaking of bravery, how about the size of that logo, huh? Decorative floral flourishes are larger! The only thing that could’ve taken this campaign to brass cajones status would be if they had completely omitted the product shot of the air conditioner all together. I’m hardly offended by its inclusion, though.

Wonderful stuff all-around from LG and the agency involved. Creating with conviction makes for some lovely, if not risky, advertisements.

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