Consider the humble nail
Published by Nick Hall on 24 September 2009.Having been in this business for nearly 30 years now, I have had the unique opportunity to witness several evolutions of style in our business. My point of reference was (and largely still is) Communication Arts magazine, which monthly featured the best of the best in editorial, consumer, outdoor and broadcast advertising. I would devour them at every opportunity.
We still have CA issues dating back to 1968 here at Hall Associates, and when I look at them now I still recognize the work that had the most impact on me. Sure there's more words and less colour in them than is acceptable today, but the outstanding ideas are forever a part of my conceptual vocabulary.
One in particular has become a story that I tell clients regularly, and is usually shared at the point when the client tells me that it's going to be difficult to make what they do or sell "sexy". The black and white ad I remember featured the headline "There is no such thing as a boring product" and featured a fairly large photograph of a nail. Surrounding the nail were several callouts pointing to specific aspects of said nail, and the surprisingly remarkable benefit of each.
I learned a few things from that humble ad that hold me in good stead today. First; there's a lot more going on with nails than first meets the eye, and second; there really are no boring products if you look close enough to discover the design, beauty and function that each possesses.