Sometimes you’ll see / create an ad (or a whole campaign) that just ‘does the job’. You won’t be overly enamoured with it, it won’t be that creative, you probably won’t (if you created it) want your name to it…but it does what it needs to do.
Here is one such example:
The art direction is quite cute; ancient Chinese scroll set as background, Chinese calligraphy in the top right corner, simple pen and ink illustration, hand-scribed font.
However, there isn’t an idea that shows the benefit of using Tiger Balm – the add just states, in literal terms, what it is and what it’s for (and the headline is a little bit cheesy).
It ticks the boxes though:
The client will be happy with the clear message as to what Tiger Balm does.
The artwork is stylish, in keeping with the product, and uncontroversial.
There’s a clear product shot, underneath the copy.
The logo is nice and clear.
It won’t shake things up, it won’t win any awards, and it’ll be forgotten within a day… but ‘it does the job’.
Sometimes, ‘it’ll do’ is okay, and ultimately it’s down to the paying client what they’re willing to sign off.
If you / your client want to get noticed, you may have to do a little more than this though.