Asking an ad major to pick his/her favorite ad campaign is like asking a mother to pick her favorite child. As ad majors, we've been exposed to a lot of campaigns: some brilliant, others atrocious, some hilarious, others a downright failure. But despite all the crap that there is out there, there are those few that just stick with you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrzeP4TvzXc
I still remember the first television spot that I saw for the American Express "My Life. My Card." campaign. It featured Robert De Niro walking through the streets of New York City. It was reflective, almost autobiographical, as he talked about his "first love", the city itself. It was shot in very faded film, almost black and white, with copy that was poignant yet fresh. The ad ends with “My life happens here, my card is American Express”. No matter how many times I have seen this ad, I stop every time it comes on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK1dRCfGEJo
I continued to be inspired by the campaign the more executions that I saw. Every piece uses a new celebrity and is presented in a way that corresponds with that celebrity’s personality. Another television spot that I loved was the one for Ellen Degeneres. She is hilarious, witty, and light-hearted, and her ad reflects that. She is shown dancing throughout her day to any beat that surrounds her: her alarm clock, an ice cream truck, and a cell phone ringer. She finally ends at the beginning of her talk show that always starts with pop music and dancing. Like the De Niro spot, this ad encompasses everything that Ellen is about—having fun and dancing to your own tune.
American Express also did a series of print ads with this campaign where celebrities filled out a questionnaire. The questions were largely the same for each celebrity and were revealing and autobiographical, ranging from childhood ambition, to proudest moment, from indulgence, to last purchase, all of which were answered in the celebrity’s own script. One of my favorites featured Tiger Woods (despite his more recent questionable life decisions, he made for a good ad). While much of his answers were obviously golf-related, many were sentimental and about his family (again, a little ironic in retrospect). The last question was “my card ____”, to which he responded, “is American Express,” and then his signature is at the bottom. The large black and white photo of Tiger and his mom that faces the questionnaire seals the emotional-affinity to the ad and thus the brand.
Overall, this campaign is effective because it takes a credit card and makes it a part of you.
Lovely campaign.
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