Sometimes in life the only way to get ahead is to be unconventional. For example, being bad on purpose for attention or publicity; nothing gets people going more than making them angry or confused. Or how about advertising soley based on vibes? Let’s take a look at some examples of ads that are either genius or too experimental.
Cash App billboard
You’ve most likely seen this floating around the internet as of recent. A billboard for Cash App in NYC with nothing but their logo and pictures of actor Timothee Chalamet. One of the first modern VIBE-ONLY ads to be put into the public. So what’s the deal? Are they relying too heavily on celebrity endorsement? I think it goes a little deeper than that. Think about what advertisement for other apps look like. They most likely show you features or some kind of ease-of-life change. With Cash Apps ad, they are connecting to a younger audience with a cool vibe. They’re showing them what they could look like if they use Cash App, which is not a normal type of advertisement for a financial app.
Venmo poster
Very similar to the Cash App ad from above, but this one actually has words! Now, these words mean next to nothing without context which is not given to us. This, of course, is on purpose. What would the average individual with a pocket sized computer on them at all times most likely do next after seeing this ad? There’s 2 realities that end similarly:
- 1: The viewer takes a photo and shares it to a social media platform with a caption along the lines of:”Has anyone seen these? What are they doing?” with an immediate follow-up google search of “Venmo lucas ad”.
- 2: The viewer skips sharing it to social media and immediately searches the web for “Venmo lucas ad” where they inevitably find themselves on social media looking at photos that other people did share of the same ad.
How do these ads convert viewers to customers? At the time of these ads, 2014, Venmo was just starting out. They needed to put their name out there somehow. So, they chose a random employee and made them the face of a campaign centering around their likes, hobbies, and ambitions. The ominous ads got people talking and looking into Venmo and eventually downloading the app.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Now here is an ad I genuinely enjoy viewing. This is for credit card offered by Chase bank, but it’s advertised like a runway line for a clothing line. It has the characteristics of a fashion ad: bold text, supermodel, clean and luxiourous. The key difference is that instead of an accessory they have the model holding an enlarged version of the Saphhire Reserve card. I would say it is the one on this list that is definetely genuis.