A Stock Issue
Aug 20, 2007 Advertising, Branding, Consumer Brands
I am going to extend my blog out of teaching new web applications and take you into my other interest…my work. My role at work is in marketing. It is not my job to create the ads, nor am I the one to write the copy. In the past we have relied on the US office to create our ads, and then slightly tweak them (as much as is allowed) for the Canadian market. Only recently have we been given the ability to create ads specifically for Canada (as long as they are done by our US creative office).
With that caveat – that I am not an advertising professional – just an interested party – I am going to point out the failure of someone else.
When I was in Halifax this weekend I passed by a billboard for Alpha Course. For those who don’t know – Alpha Course is a program that introduces Christianity and explores the meaning of life in a 10-week course. The billboard showed this picture (taken from their website):
The tag line said on the ad said: “Is there more to life than this?” Now perhaps it was because I was looking forward to a night out with friends where I didn’t have to get up at 6:30 in the morning, but my first thought was ” What more do I need!” So the ad stuck in my head momentarily.
On my return drive, on the exact same street I saw this Billboard – advertising Moosehead’s new Cold Filtered beer. Notice any similarities?
Yikes! Stock photography at its best. Why would Moosehead use stock photos for a giant billboard? Perhaps Alpha Course is a religious organization looking to save money – but Moosehead? What is their excuse? Why would they not use rights-managed photographs? Or better yet spend money to shoot their own?
Now I know sometimes marketers are limited in budget – believe me – I deal with this everyday. But if your budget includes Billboard advertising , sponsorship, and television advertising in the quantity that Moosehead does – they should have the budget for a few decent pictures so they can avoid this catastrophe.
Perhaps I will tell them myself! I have sent them this URL – perhaps they will be kind enough to clarify what happened by leaving a comment…
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August 21st, 2007 at 4:44 pm
that is so funny… alpha & moosehead. not the same at all. but both are wonderful.
cheers!
cheryl
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:06 am
Well, what an eye for detail you have.
This needs more exposure !!!
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:34 am
Hi, I have seen the both actual Billboards. The Alpha is definitely the same picture as the Moosehead picture. Alpha’s billboard is reversed and cropped. I think Alpha’s billboard because it cropped only has three people in it where their website is not cropped and it has all the same people as Moosehead’s billboard. I agree with Peter you certainly have an eye for detail.
August 23rd, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Not sure how you noticed this, but it is hilarious.
Pretty funny to look at what else they changed in the picture too.
- In the Alpha one the woman in the red dress was holding what appears to be some Great British Pounds and in the Moosehead one it appears to be a purse being clutched by mangled fingers.
- In the Moosehead one they actually seem to have inserted some beer bottles!
So if nothing else someone at Moosehead knew how to use Photoshop!
November 10th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
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