ads...

Well, I know I haven't blogged in a long, long while. But I ran across this picture on one of my friends blogs (www.thepoptimist.com) and it hasn't gotten out of my mind for a week. Let me break it down for you:
Obviously, we're in a city. I'm guessing this is on the side of a bus stop or just free standing. It's an ad for Citibank, seen by the red 1/3 circle on the top.

I was intrigued first by the fact that Citi apparently believes they can market simply with their logo. This was first done effectively by Nike, propelling their "swoosh" logo to a new level of marketing. I'm not sure if Citibank has enough logo retention nationally to make this effective... did you know from just the ad that it was a Citibank ad?

The brilliant, absolutely brilliant nature of this ad, though, is in the subtle tricks it plays on the psyche. It takes a well know, fully accepted axiom: "Money can't buy happiness," and intially agree with it. It says that's true. Because it began by announcing it was an ad for a bank group, it starts by taking the edge off of the bank nature.

But then it completely rejects the notion in the most innocent and carefree way: through marshmallows! When I think of that sentimental relation between marshmallows and happiness, I think of 7-13 year old girls. I certainly don't think of high-power business managers.

This is the first ad I've ever seen say, "Let's be honest. Money does buy happiness." And of course it's coming from a bank. But it's done in the most innocent, playful and heartwarming way.

And I think that's exactly why this ad is brilliant. 7-13 year old girls aren't going to recognize the logo or the brand marketing, but they are going to recognize the text, and they're going to grab onto daddy's sleeve and point it out.

I also wonder if the semi-transparency of the ad is viewed to mirror the continued call by Geitner and Obama for banking transparency in the United States. Don't put it past marketing professionals...

Anyway, in a time of economic crisis, of worn down banks and disgruntled investors, this is the single best ad I've seen in a long time. Nice work Citibank.