Lessons Learned from IBM's Smarter Cities Ad to Create Smarter Photos

IBM's 'People For Smarter Cities' video has been making the rounds on Tumblr lately with at last check, 90k reblogs/likes.  Their ad agency deserves a pat on the back for this one!

It's simple, finds functionality for the everyday person, unusual (relative to normal billboard advertising), draws the eye in because of the unusualness and vibrant colors (contrasted against the earthen colors of London - St. Pauls was a give away).  It invites the viewer to engage it through it's presence, to share your thoughts on their site, and of course with everyone equipped with smartphones and apps, invites you to photograph and share on your multiple social media sites.

It's minimalist advertising.  It's not flashy, it's not complicated, it doesn't overwhelm.  A great deal of thought went into this ad, but you wouldn't guess it by it's utilitarian design.  It exists as part of the landscape yet pops out because it's not actually a part of the cityscape.  It's artificially implanted, yet blends right in.  Simply, it asks you why no one has done this before.  The slight of hand is asking you to ask your friends and followers the same.  They put out the ad, you do the work for them.

Place the ads in strategically busy locations for best primetime usage, watch the wonderment.  Obviously it goes beyond plain fascination, since IBM's ads are being used as intended. The curious stop, look, process, think, use, photograph, post, tweet, blog.

What it tells me is you don't need fanfare to get your message out; that you don't need bright lights to sell your image.  You just need to tell your story in a way that speaks directly to our mind, without hesitation and the simplest of languages (sight). In one glance, I know everything I need to know: IBM, Ad, Innovative, Creative, Clever, Better Living.

Taking a step back, how does this relate to a blog about photos?  You don't need to complicate your images with the latest photo techniques, a 10 light setup, a studio running a $5000 budget, fashioning extravagant stories with unfathomable outfits and makeup.  You just need to distill your image into a the simplest of messages.  Tell your story without saying a single word and within seconds of viewing. Evoke emotion almost instantaneously.  You must capture an instance in time and give it significance without any other context - it exists by itself in its own reality.  Show us your message as it exists in your minds eye.  It should speak to us yet make us return the conversation.  It is a flight of fancy yet engulfs our imagination, even for just a few seconds in time.  It stands out as one piece yet encompasses your entire body of work to present.  It represents you in a short, unadulterated glance.

As in advertising, if it takes too long to transmit or doesn't at all, it's been overcomplicated or over thought.  You are a storyteller on a timed clock, so indulge us with the underhanded simplicity of your message.

Advertising Agency: Ogilvy and Mather, Paris, France
Chief Creative Officer: Chris Garbutt
Executive Creative Director: Susan Westre
Copywriters: Lauren Elkins, Andrew Mellen
Art Director: Daniel Diego Lincoln
Creatives: Daniel Diego Lincoln, Stephane Santana
Photographer: Bruno Bicalho Carvalhaes
Agency Supervisors: Muriel Benitah, Mary McFarland