My spoof ad is of The North Face. The two ads I did are called Endurance Is and Live on the Edge. The materials I used were photographs, and type. The medium of these works are print or web ads. I chose the to have the dimensions as 8 by 12 to fit the photograph (4 by 6) size but they could easily be cropped and rearranged to fit different ad space sizes. The subject of the ad is to sort of mock the original North Face ads. North Face ads are always super outdoorsy settings with people doing extreme sports like rock climbing, mountain biking, or camping on top of mountains. Point being, The North Face advertises its products as if only athletic outdoorsy people wear their clothing items, when in reality the majority of people who wear North Face are wearing it in everyday mundane life. I am not doubting the quality of the jacket because people choose to wear them in cold Chicago weather are kept warm. But a am poking fun at the fact that the jackets are also worn as a trend statement, just like Uggs, or Hunter boots. Yes these boots do their job and serve to protect your feet, but they blew up and are super popular because they're expensive and people want to have something expensive and whats "in". I think what makes these ads successful and what makes them stand out is the main focus on the person and the funny little story the gives context to the photo. After experiencing again and again the phenomenon of the "I gotta have it" in name brands, I feel North Face is simply another one. The name on a product is sometimes the only reason a person will buy a product regardless of what it is. For some people its all about going with the flow and fitting in and they will do anything to fit that mold. I feel like among my other classmates mine is successful and plays well off the North Face ads I based them off. The ads I based mine off had a photo and a story about the person in that photo, which I believe makes a strong advertisement. The designer of the North Face ads knew the story with the ad would ad a connection or even shock factor when people read the ad, therefore giving them something to remember. My intent with these ads is to point out to people that buying a product simply for wearing the name is silly. I used to only want to wear Aeropostle in grade school because I thought it made me look cool. Now, I wear whatever appeals to me, name brand or not. I want people to just stop and think, do I want this coat because its honestly worth the 200 dollars or do I want it because people will see the name I'm wearing and think better of me. I hope this ad has the effect on viewers that they may think the ads are funny and ridiculous, but realize they are kind of like these spoof ads, not the mountain climbers in the original North Face Ads. I think the strengths are the name change, tagline, and story. The name being changes to "The Somewhat North Face" meaning for Chicagoans, yes were more North than say Florida but were not ice climbers in Alaska, or something to the effect. The tagline pokes fun at the everyday people who wear North Face. Majority of people aren't super outdoorsy, camping and hiking every week. They work 9 to 5 jobs or have school every week and on their down time just sit around at home, hang out with friends, or go to the movies, no ice climbing. The story is where humor is really brought into the ad. The only weakness is that I didn't have professional models so the photos could have been stronger. The endurance is photo is my best friend Hannah and the Live on the Edge ad is of my sister Bridget. Bridget's making a semi weird face and its a little distracting but oh well! Over all I'm very happy with how the ads turned out!
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