“Think Small” campaign with Volkswagen was an advertisement that placed the copy writer and  the art director the same room to brain storm an idea which wasn’t usually done in advertising at that time. Its inspiration came from trying to be simple. In a time with great copy most art directors were making advertisements with a think big mind set. Think small made the point simple and to the point. Seeing that the car was an ugly German car coming from the time that Germany wasn’t to much of a fan within  America after the war the inspiration came from pointing out the flaws with the car and the humor and not coming across as we are big and grand and better than you Americans.

With the President Johnson Vote campaign that was extremely emotional. Seeing this child counting the petals she pulls off a flower then to hear a scary man’s voice counting down until a bomb goes off killing not only the child but everything you know on earth if you don’t vote for Johnson. I don’t believe Johnson won but America is still okay unless the orange president we have now doesn’t mess it up. That commercial drew its inspiration from fear of the people. Losing their kids and their future. “Morning in America” was the opposite where the reelection campaign for Regan was an emotional connection on the positive side. Look at all the positive family togetherness I achieved in the last four years, let us do it again. It was pulling on the emotions of hope and the way we want to see our family and future. Regan knew the power of advertising. Hal Riney, who was responsible for the ‘Morning in America’ campaign believed, “I let advertising be an avenue for a lot of things I missed in my life, the emotions missed.”

The inspiration for Braniff Airways campaign was to put an end to the plain plane which was actually one of the print copy lines. At the time flying with planes were boring with everyone looking the same in military type uniform and giving the military type service and stuffiness. Mary Wells wanted to approach this campaign from a fun entertaining view point. With colorful planes, each plan had a different interior color scheme, the flight attendants uniforms were different, colorful with the fashion style of that time era and she played on the sexiness of the flight attendants. The inspiration was all about having fun and not being boring like the competitors.“Anybody who is a terrific advertiser are salesmen and entertainers in one,” Charlie Moss, Creative Director at Wells Rich Greene.

“It lets me be me” campaign with Clairol was inspired by Phyllis K. Robinson and the inspiration was to relate to its audience on an emotional level. It was a series of print ads that showed women having fun and being themselves with a man of course because at that time a woman’s fun depended on having a man, me rolling my eyes right now. Robinson stated, “If you want to get someone to do something you have to connect with them.” She was the woman seen by some as the person who invented the me generation. Who spoke on behave of what the target was saying and experiencing.

The campaign, ‘We only just began’ for Crocker First International Bank done by Hal Riney was another campaign inspired by emotion and hope. Paul Williams wrote the song, “We only just began,” for the campaign which went number on on the song chart. The concept for the campaign was you have a long way to go and we will like to help you get there.Crocker Bank was an old fashioned bank with customers old in age so now they wanted the new generation of customers. The ones now starting off in life. So pulling on the emotional string of you are starting off in life with marriage, new home, new family adding this chart topping song that conveys the message that we, the bank want to be with you and help in each step of the journey was a good campaign.

Tommy Hilfiger launch campaign was to introduce an unknown fashion designer to the world over night. The inspiration was to create drama and draw attention to the name. The concept was to compare him to Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klien, two of the will known high end fashion designers and state that Hilfiger would be the next great fashion designer like these men. People in the fashion industry didn’t take it lightly. It was more of who does he think he is? But with good press or bad it served its purpose and he was an overnight name.

How do you market milk especially when the sales are dropping 4% each year? You Got Milk? The inspiration behind ‘Got Milk’ was the truthful story telling of how you do need milk in your everyday life so don’t wait for the last minute when you are going to need it the most sprinkled with some humor. The Got Milk campaign was successful because the sales of milk went up and milk was now seen as a brand at this point and not the white liquid in a gallon jog. It also told the truth and showed as scenes when we really do need milk and can relate to.

The I pod campaign inspiration was drawing from everyday vibrate fun life. The fun you have listening to music. The creative team showed a campaign that was vibrant and fun sprinted and how it can be used in day to day life. The designers sat around the table explaining their process to the art director. Explaining the silhouette and the reasons for each move. They had a latin dance instructor come in and show them the moves and from the silhouettes and how they were formed. The art director went through it with them and gave his feed back and what was good and what chances should me made or focused on. The designers presenting had so many prints and the videos for were all these ideas came from. Chow compared advertising to art going out into the world. When the Troupe de Mlleeglantine posters were designed it was to invite people to his club with the new dancers, drinks and showing off they had electricity. Now we learn about this poster in art history classes.

The number one mission of Nike is to serve the athlete. In the late 80’s people started running for fitness. Their mission then turned into they wanted everyone to participate in sports, not just the professional athlete.The inspiration for Nike’s tagline was from a man named Gilmore who was about to get executed and his last words were, “Let’s Do It”. Nike’s art director turned it into “Just Do It” which is how I feel when I know I have to get up and work out but I don’t want to. I have to tell myself, get up and just do it. But then people began to read more into the tagline and applied it into almost every aspect of their lives, whether it was leaving an abusive relationship to just doing your homework. It was a motivational quote. They were coming from an emotional side. “If you let me play” campaign targeted parents. They had these kids tell the target all the benefits of if you let them play sports. They was no product in the ad but the message of playing sports and being healthy aligned with Nike’s core values. So when someone was supposed to think of health, getting fit, sports you think of Nike because their logo and tagline was engraved in your mind and their products are the one you are most likely to go and and get because their spoke to you on an emotional level.Nike continues to have a successful campaign because they are not only selling us a product but a lifestyle that matches with the brand.

Before watching the documentary I had no idea the art directors where low on the work pole in the ad agency and the accountant was the one with more power when it came to a concept and how the product was delivered. It is interesting how over time within the ad agency the flip in power from the yes men marketing accountants who did anything to please the client to the art directors being the ones to lead with their creativity. Advertisement is very much so an artistic expression and marketing experience at the same time. According to George Lois,“I think advertising is poison gas. Advertising should tear you up, should choke you, get the chills and pass out if you are lucky.” As an art director you are still an artist and you will still have your unique artistic style that you bring to the table but at the same time you do want to present the customer with an experience that is also unique to them. “Advertising is art serving capitalism,” according to Jeff Goodby.