Mysterious ads for a product called "Obay" have been plastered all over Toronto for the last couple of weeks. Everyone has been guessing what they could be about -- a culture jamming ad that critiques the overmedication of youth? Ads for some kind of self-help system? Or just a joke?Their point was revealed this week (you can read about it here and here). I wasn't too surprised to find out that they were done by Smith Roberts + Co., the same advertising firm we are working with on the United Church of Canada's WonderCafe campaign. I knew there was something familiar about this twisted approach to marketing!
i am SO glad the they FINALLY told us-we subway riders and downtown toronto roamers-what this ad was all about! it messed me up for 2 weeks!!! but applying for collages was not AT ALL what i thought they were getting at..tricky and twisted those funny ad folks you work with!
ReplyDeletewendyxo
TWISTED? I wanted a bottle to give my daughter!
ReplyDeleteDAMN!
Unfortunately the set up was MUCH better than the punch line. The follow up ads, with the yellow sticky note plastered over the original ad was LAME. The follow through should not have negated the set up. It should have built on it. First rule of comedy is that you always go with what came before. If you say "No", then all you're doing is stopping the action.
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