So Wongdoody and Razorfish Walk into a Bar...

i see nothing wrong with the ads. they actually brought to my attention the new penguin exhibit which i went and saw. so as far as educating the consumer it seems to me as though it's working; although it's far too early to tell as we'll need to see what the ticket receipts say. and as for close, there are penguins and "come see the new exhibit" in the ad, how much more does one need?

and as a current "mad man" myself, this is a concept that i likely would have come up with (new take on an known animal) to promote the penguin exhibit. hell, the fact that we're even discussing it shows that the ads have had some impact. so in advertising terms - win!

oh, and as for razorfish, i feel sorry for them as i can guarantee layoffs will happen no matter who they are sold to. when i was there, when microsoft bought aquantive, i knew it was only a matter of time before microsoft sold us off.

While I can see how it worked in some manner, I still think the desire to capture attention over-rode the message.

Take a gander at the Montana Backroads advertisements in the tunnel (seeing quality results, but too early to tell with much detail). Now those are what quality advertising is= less flash in the pan and more integral message. People are not stupid, despite what some organizations would have you believe. People recognize and flock to quality.

Back when I was a Mad Man, I wanted to work for WongDoody, so I'm sad to see them having to trim back. However, that painted penguin ad was more suited for a printer ad than a zoo ad. They would have been better off not trying just to be different and put something beautiful showcasing the new exhibit.

The penguin section of the zoo was always my favorite growing up. I saw those ads and it didn't make me want to run and see it. In fact, it made me less inclined to visit the zoo (I hate the zoo itself) because how am I don't want to be disappointed by my previously favorite exhibit.

It just seems basic to illustrate what you're advertising. Sometimes, being too trendy and hip misses the point of advertising-- which is educating the consumer. Some of the best ads for conversation are the most dull.

I think the penguin ad represents a tragedy of the commons, attentively speaking. There are two parts to advertising--what you want to say, and how you get people to pay attention. Because it's really challenging to get anyone's attention these days, the solution to that problem often overrides an ad's actual message. Yes, people look to find out why the penguins are plaid, but that does nothing to communicate the experience of watching real penguins up close, so there's no "close" to the ad.