In an effort to encourage creativity, best practice, and results in renewable energy advertising, we have had a good look at print ads published in recent copies of key renewable energy trade media, and highlighted three good creatives that stand out from the pack of often dull corporate advertising. Here is the podium.
Thumbs-up for the Mortenson advert! We love when advertisers think outside the box and come up not only with original advertising content, but also with original ways to put it into action within the reality of a magazine. Two facing half pages ads, designed to be placed on a double spread, does wonders. It surely did not cost Mortenson more than a simple full page and the recall effect it creates is tremendous. The two ads cleverly bounce off each other, with parallel and consistent messages that enable Mortenson to draw the reader’s attention on two different business sectors in a very straightforward manner. We all know that promoting two business areas in a clear way within one single ad is not always easy. The visuals are funny, strong, tailor-made, and work perfectly with the headlines. The overall layout is as clean as clean can be. The brand guidelines are consistently applied across the board. The only down side is that their very bold claim of being the best in wind and solar is very vague and not supported by any tangible facts. In short, this ad shows once again that there is greatness in simplicity when it’s backed up by a great idea!
The new Nordex ad visual is so eye catching and full on that it even got us past our usual distaste for off-the-shelf stock images.* The visual works well with the headline: “Thanks to 98% availablity, Nordex investors rest easy”. On average a headline is read far more often than the body copy, which means that if your headline does not deliver the sales pitch, you have wasted the opportunity to tell your story. In this case, Nordex did not include any body copy, which is alright too as it can give more force to the headline and make the creative easier to apprehend. The Nordex headline, which promises a measurable benefit and flags down the target audience, is sure-fire. Specifics resonate always better with a reader than generalities. The headline is supported by a footnote that provides evidence for the claim, a nice touch as the problem that advertisers face is always to be believed.
The Dupont Solar advert caught our attention with the use of a striking visual, solar related, which works perfectly with the headline “will your investment stand the test of time?” The visual is not just there for its eye-catching attribute, it reinforces the message, which is what all advert visuals should do. We also love headlines drafted in the form of a question, because they engage: they naturally draw the readers to the copy to find out the answer. The copy is well written and backs up the superior reliability claim with bold statements.
The ad could have been further improved by removing the unnecessary picture of the solar panel, using the additional free space to include the logo in an extended white frame, to prevent it from cluttering the visual. The transparency effect on the white background is also a bad move; it adds nothing and has a negative impact on the advert “cleanliness”. However, this artwork has achieved its goal; it caught our attention and got the Dupont’s message across!
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