Ads Reviewed by Terra L. Fletcher

 “A fleeting moment when time stands still. It all begins with a one-hand watch.” This watch ad by Rufus Lin Designs has an obvious sexual element. Buy a cool watch; get the girl. But this watch is truly unique, something I’ve never seen before, so despite the obvious and the cliché, it works. The ad has a clear call to action to view this and other timepieces online. It includes several options for contact. The interested party can call, email, or even snail mail. But the company name and contact info isn’t the most prominent thing in the ad (that’s a good thing). 

 “Give ‘em the bird.” If this Wild Turkey ad didn’t capture your attention, I don’t know what will. I was in the waiting room in a clinic when I saw this, so please forgive the poor camera phone picture. (But at least I didn’t rip it out of a magazine that wasn’t mine.) I like that this ad has the QR code, perfect for curious smartphone users. It also has the address of their Facebook page, which you know I like. What a great way to continue the conversation.

 I’m all for ads that don’t look like ads. That really is the best kind of advertising. If you notice the word “advertisement” on the top of this page, that’s you’re only clue that UPS paid for this page. I don’t like that it is in Businessweek because I know business owners will see the word advertisement and might feel (as I often do) that the advertiser was trying to trick them. Of course the carbon neutral is a good point and everyone likes to see companies they work with go green, but this ad just missed the target.

Having worked as the “keeper of the data” back when I still had a “day job” I could really relate to this ad by Splunk. “Every company is a data company.” There is a lot of truth to that. And I like the “AHA! moment.” This ad tells me that Splunk can make sense of all the numbers and jibberish before I even read the ad. The ad has strong benefits for users and great prestige appeals. It does lack a strong call to action and only has one means of contact.

Got an ad you'd like me to review? Please email it to terra@fletcherfreelance.com.