I know, I know, this post would have been more relevant a couple weeks ago to match the timing of the premiere of Showtime’s ‘Weeds’ and ‘Secret Diary of a Call Girl’ but I finally got around to pinpoint why these ads are so damn good, and yes, it goes beyond mere sexy girls and pretty colors.
Sure, we can all tell the color choice is right on the mark for these ads. Green for weed and pink for pussy, yes, yes, but the specific colors chosen are gorgeous. Of all the variants of “green” and “pink” that could be used, the color selection is masterful and perfect for these ‘Weeds/Call Girl’ ads. Playful but sophisticated, these vulnerable colors reflect their shows which involve the humanity behind callous expectations of sex and drugs. And not unless ‘Sweet n Low’ pulls out the Pink Panther ads again, these ads solely own these brilliant colors and will continue to stand out and be recognized. Which from a marketing standpoint, perhaps obviously, is a strong one-up on the competition.
The on-target color choice was easy, but what definetly makes this ad a complete success is the reinvention/resurface of the true, classic Pin Up Girl. Done in a way that honors the quintessential Grable and the illustrative contributions of Vargas. It goes beyond the simplistic conclusion that sex sells, mind you. It’s common knowledge that Pin Up Girls pitched the highest tents during the first World War. Then, over the years, the path these Pin Up’s paved veered as the worlds sexuality opened wider than the models legs did. Lets standardize-test this evolution: The ‘57 Chevy is to the ‘08 Toyota Scion TC as the classic Pin Up Girl is to today’s Suicide Girl.
. . . They just don’t make ‘em like they used to. Up until recently. And therein lies the success of this ad more than the colors. The Amy Winehouse’s and the Suicide Girls of the world—with that ink & metal shit all over their faces and bodies—have distorted the allure of the clean, classic pin up style where a little went a long way; before ‘over the top’ became ‘just a little.’ So much that seeing an ad done up in honest style of a 1930s Pin Up Girl registers as new, unique, and more importantly for advertising, attention worthy. It’s interesting to see how fashions and styles can come around full circle to revive their own, original charm. Not to mention how refreshing it is to see feminine beauty and sexuality personified in advertising that isn’t an airbrushed, rail-thin model or a dark-eyed chick with tatts. Finding that niche and executing it so perfectly is why this ad is so damn good. And because the bonafide Pin Up Girl has been on Amber-Alert for so long, we expect an ad going for this style to look more like this. . . .
1 Comment
September 4, 2009 at 2:00 am
i love your comments on the ads as well as your opinion of the trashy “edgy” chicks that people have the audacity to call Pin-Up girls. Come on, Bettie Page vs. Suicide Girls????