The Advertising Amateur

“Say Cheese…”

“Reach. For the places your toothbrush hasn’t been to in a long time.”

“Get A Tasty New Look”

Aren’t these images punny?!

Visual puns are puns that involve an image or images in addition to words and language. Many times visual puns are puns through the use of images themselves. Brands, marketers, and advertisers use visual puns to speak to all of society, but especially to specific demographics.

For example, in order to “speak” to the younger generation, advertisements are now becoming more off beat to catch attention and to deliver their brand’s message. McDonald’s in Finland had an advertisement with udders of a cow in a position of a peace sign. This was used to advertise their milkshakes with double the flavor.

While many adults found this advertisement to be “udderly weird” and a bit disturbing, I found it to be funny and creative. I’m sure this advertisement would capture the attention of other young adults and teenagers around my age because it’s odd and quirky. An odd and quirky advertisement like this still works because once the viewer’s attention is captured through the image, then the rest of the advertisement–the message, can be absorbed.

Advertisers also benefit from the use of quirky, weird, and unusual images because these kinds of images help consumers remember their brand. It’s a recognition-memorization strategy trick that works.

Visual Puns are what first got me interested in advertising. Seeing vivid, funky, quirky and funny images caught my attention and made me wonder about the creative minds that were behind it all. That’s when I decided I wanted to be a part of creating advertisements. Right now,  my interest is to hopefully climb the ladder in advertising in order to work as a Creative Director (the individual who overlooks the ideas and work of the creative team) for advertisement campaigns.

Like we all know, interests always change. Therefore  my dream of becoming a Creative Director is uncertain, but what IS certain are how brands, marketers and advertisers will continue to create odd, whimsical and eye catching advertisements regardless of  what different demographics think–because they work.