I was scouting the web for great newspaper ads recently and was pleasantly surprised to several Newspaper Marketing Associations in UK & Australia which not only encourage newspaper advertising but provide case studies and tools for better utilization of the medium for both advertisers & agencies. Wonder if there are similar bodies in India? The Indian Newspaper Society whose site looks so ’80s publishes a brochure for agencies but nothing more.

After much scouting I was able to get copies of some classic print ads, many of which I have seen in The Copy Book – How 32 of the World’s Best Advertising Writers Write Their Advertising. Here are 16 from that collection (I have left out the popular ones like Volkswagen’s Lemon and attempted to share the lesser known ones):

1. Albany Life

Imagine you are married (if you are not, already) and reading the papers. Would you get past this ad without reading it? Unlikely. Awesome headline, riveting copy.

2. Chivas Regal

I am sure this ad inspired many young men & women to get into advertising, specifically copywriting.

3. DDB – recruitment ad

I hadn’t seen this ad before and I was struck by the wonderful perspective of the writer (was it the brief?) to ask himself: I have to work with the Account Man hired through this ad; how can I make both our jobs easier?’

4. Health Education Council

The birth control ad is telegraphic advertising at it’s best. I have heard other copywriters refer to the ‘Flies can’t eat solid food’ headline – sounds even better now.

5. McDonalds – Supersize Me

One may not agree with McDonald’s stand on how it was portrayed in Supersize Me, but makes for great copy.

6. NSPCC

Classic ‘call for action’ headline, coupled with an arresting visual. Enough said.

7. Pilkington Glass

I remember seeing the classic TV commercial and a print ad whose headline referred to the fact that much of Pilkington’s export to Japan, was sent back promptly (in the form of Japanese tourists, since the glass was used in their cameras!). This ad too, is classic stuff.

Years later, Fallon McElligot created a similar headline for Murray’s restaurant, which went something like: ‘Around the world, every great city has a restaurant like Murrays. In Minneapolis, it is Murrays’.

8. Sainsbury

Will our target audience get it? Why can’t we say it directly? Such questions don’t seem to apply for British advertising.

9. Smoking – If Only

Remember seeing this in The Copy Book – etched in my mind forever.

10. Stella Artois

Imagine expressing the Stella Artois proposition of ‘reassuringly expensive’ in a 4-word headline. Awesome.

11. The Economist

How can this list be complete without an ad from The Economist?

12. The Samaritans

Arresting headline, an immediate clarification, nuggets of information – all nicely weaved into one compelling ad.

13. Volvo

One of the classic Volvo ads – not as copy heavy as the others in this list. But just as effective.

14. Volkswagen Polo

This campaign had a series of classic TV adverts for the theme ‘Surprisingly low prices’. For me, it was also one of the first examples of implementing a campaign idea in a 360-degrees fashion.

Great examples in the craft of copywriting alright. But I think it is facilitated by a whole lot of things: lucid thinking, clear strategy, inspiring briefs, great Art partners and of course, clients who believed in great advertising and had the balls to back it  up.

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When it comes to print advertising, I am a sucker for the old-style: riveting headline that usually brings a smile to your face. There was a time when this was standard – early ‘90s, perhaps, where the print ads almost followed a format. There was a clever headline, followed by long copy, with a last line that tied up with the headline in some manner. The division of labour between Art & Copy was clear. And then came the era of visual print ads were that line blurred and it was all about telling a story visually.

Sometime back, Scamp wrote about how to write headlines, quoting the classic Timberland and Porsche ads. Advertising for The Economist embodied this style with ‘I never read The Economist’ being the most popular one. Here are a few examples of ads that essentially rely on a powerful headline to lure the reader into finding out more. Not all the work shown here would classify as great or classic- this list is no patch on the work featured in The Copy Book – but worth having a dekho.

1. 88.6FM

There is a market for FM Radio listeners who hate the over-exposed popular music. This appeals to the their head-banging tastes perhaps. Michael Bolton could also be a logical punching bag for this kind of stuff.

Agency: FCB, Austria. Rest of the ads are here.

2. Becks Beer

This is classic Neil French advertising. One may quibble about the stretched link to the proposition of ‘expensive beer’ but no gainsaying that it keeps you riveted. Don’t miss the droll humour in the last 2 paragraphs.

3. Dragon Lee Chinese Van

This is an old campaign from the Trikaya Grey stable, written by Freddy Birdy. During those days, Freddy Birdy and his Art partner Naved were a much sought after team. The story goes that one of them had street side food from this Chinese van in Delhi and had food poisoning. As a tribute they created these ads.

To know more about Dara Singh, see here.

4. The Economist

Everyone has their favourite Economist headline. Here are 3 of my favourites.

5. De Beers

This is a 2001 ad, created by JWT, New York.. The Creaive Director, Chris D’Rozario was the one of the many stalwarts of Trikaya Grey during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

6. Action Aid

These set of ads, released in 2005 have been wrongly credited to the legendary Indra Sinha. Great copy nevertheless.

7. Lamborghini

I had written about these set of ads earlier.I thought this brought out the speed angle beautifully. Combined with the art direction & photography, has the right amount of sophistication.

8. Mini

Does this fit in under great Art or great Copy? Both, I guess.

Agency: Jung von Matt/Alster, Hamburg, Germany. Rest of the ads are here.

9. Premiere Pay TV

This proposition has been used in several campaigns but this headline combined with a poster-like visual is a stand out for me.

10. Volkswagen

The 60-year celebrations of the Volkswagen included these set of ads. Guaranteed to appeal both the dad and the son.

Agency: DDB, Paris. See the entire campaign here.

11. Star TV: the power of TV

This 2005 ad from Star TV promotes the power of TV. I guess this is meant for advertising trade publications. Do they need convincing about the power of TV?

12. Cancer Patients Aid Foundation

This deservingly won a metal at the Cannes in 2003.

13. Mauritius Tourism

I wish I could find copies of the classic ads from Trikaya Grey, Enterprise Nexus, Ambience and others from the early ‘90s. The ads for Grindwell Norton, Mauritius Tourism, NECC are timeless. You find some in this Classic Indian print ads set.

Personally speaking, I will always have a soft corner for this medium, irrespective of today’s pressures to create a surround campaign with emphasis on online, ambient etc. Thanks to all those who played a part in creating these print ads.

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Here is a collection of random print ads that rely less on the copy but more on the visuals to tell a story. Most of them force the reader to think about what is said for a split second. And then the penny drops.

1. Al-Ain Desert Wildlife Park

If the animals are awake till late at night, it’s natural that they have to catch forty winks during the day.

2. Animal Planet

The wild life documentaries are so authentic that it’s like being animals video recording the action themselves.

3. Bosch cordless drill

‘Do you need a chordless drill?’ asks this ad for Bosch. Look closely at how the plates are arranged close to the plug point for answers.

4. LePetit Camembert

A self deprecating tone on the authentic smell of the Camembert.

5. Clima bicycle locks

Frankly, when I saw this campaign for the first time, I didn’t get it. Bit it’s won so many awards and splashed all over the ad blogs, that I got it after repeated viewing.

6. Club Med

‘It’s not where you go, it’s who you meet’, says this campaign for Club Med. It may be a generic proposition for all travel related services or cruises but the sheer beauty of the Art Direction makes it stunningly different.

Rest of the ads in the campaign are here.

7. Dettol Hand Sanitizer

This one captures the typical fears a mother has over what here children are up to and the need for a hand sanitizer.

Rest of the ads in the series are here.

8. Harvey Nichols Sale

One of the iconic campaigns from the consistently-good work for Harvey Nichols. Cat fight at it’s best.

9. Heinz Fries

One of the many executions of ‘hot’ ketchup from Heinz. Simple and compelling.

10. IKEA

This is a great example of the beautiful integration of the product with the creative idea. Great Art.

11. John West

Simplicity at it’s best.

12. Kaya King Jumbo Peanuts

I laughed out loud when I saw this ad. Thanks to computers we can even make elephants do the Heimlich Manoeuvre.

13. Kilroy Travels

A great take on the what travel does to the world around us. Ironically from a travel agent.

14. Kitkat

A literal take on the ‘take a KitKat break’.

15. Land Rover

This may not be in the same exalted league as the classic ads for Land Rover, but fun nevertheless.

16. Nerolac

This is more of a tribute to the power of visual communication of a another brand, but nice visualization.

17. News 1

A funny take on the ‘as if you are there personally to witness news’. Done before by news & media channels but this is a new take.

18. Olay

The timeless promise of ‘looking younger than what you actually are’ brought alive in the camouflage your idea route.

19. Pepsi

One of the funniest print ads in this list. While the proposition may sound right for a TV commercial, it is beautifully brought alive in a telegraphic manner.

20. Pizza Hut

Another exaggeration route. A bit too subtle, perhaps?

21. Pringles

Nice example of ‘hot’. Suspension of disbelief at its best.

22. Deep Blue

A category-code buster, as it were.

23. Rubik’s Cube

Brings out the addictive nature of Rubik’s Cube.

24. Scrabble

One of the truly ‘wow’ ideas in print in recent times. A great new visual perspective, beautifully capturing the nature of the game.

25. Snickers

Forget the brilliant execution for a minute. Just the proposition ‘it’s what you would want’ is worthy of salute.

26. Sony – 1

Nice execution of ‘deceptively tiny’ idea.

27. Sony – 2

28. Tide – Angels

A bit stretched but a new perspective in a tough category.

29. Vespa

Brilliant execution emanating from a detailed understanding of product features, I presume. Who went and found out the width of the scooter?

30. Wonderbra

How can such a list be complete without Wonderbra?

Any comments or thoughts on this list? Part 2 coming soon, hopefully.

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During the early years of my advertising career, I used to love delving into the Annual Award Show books – The One Show, D&AD Annual etc. The work from the award show regulars then – Fallcon McElligot, The Martin Agency and Leagas Delaney are still fresh in my memory. One among them is the classic campaign for Timberland, created by Leagas Delaney, which went to win many awards and was also featured in The Copy Book.

It was classic long copy advertising – sucker punch of a headline and riveting long copy. The extent to which the product was interrogated and assimilated by the copy writer was evident. The brand’s history, manufacturing process, benefits of every nuance of the product were all studied and brought alive. It wasn’t superficial stuff at all.

Came across this set of print ads for Timberland from the same agency, which are old school advertising. A tongue-in-cheek reference to the infamous US companies, integrated beautifully with the Timberland promise.

Via Ads of the World

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One of the few brands that gets creatives drooling about the creative (read award) possibilities is Landrover. Some of their print ads are legendary and remains to be seen if this set joins the club.

Agency: Prolam Y&R, Santiago, Chile. Via I believe in Advertising.

While we are on Landrover, here is an old classic.

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