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The Incomplete Ad. (This is Genius)

By Zee
September 27, 2009
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To launch a new deodorant in Uruguay, the Lowe Ginkgo agency in Montevideo created an ad of such genius, even Bill Hicks would be impressed.

You open up a magazine, browse as normal, flickering through the ads as you do until you come across a quite simply gorgeous blonde with blank white spaces around her naughty bits. (click on image for full size).

You frustratingly look around the ad for an explanation and read:

To complete this ad send AXE to 2345 after 9 pm.

The moment the text is received, an MMS is sent to your mobile with the rest of the ad. Placed over the page, which of course you would do, suddenly makes you and the ad feel complete. Like I said, genius.

The Incomplete Ad. (This is Genius)

via Gizmodo


  • Zee,

    Everything a great ad ought to be: engaging, simple, brilliant,
    and memorable. It's actually more than an ad—it's an event, and
    one that's worth remarking on to others within the target audience.
    It offers significance, salience, and persuasion: without which little,
    in terms of the message, sticks. Thanks for sharing.

    Gary Bloomer
    www.twitter.com/GaryBloomer
  • monkeychops
    Gary, no.

    It pisses off the audience as they are teenagers and spend their credit and hate the brand as they get sod all back.

    I'd say you arnt thinking about the long term. which really is what we always should do. Building brands.

    Anyways, back to school you go.
  • Great one Zee, congrats for a pick :)
  • Varun
    Great BUT then the Internet shows its ugly head and provides it for freeee.
  • Very interesting and beautiful pick ;)
  • But, will this be like the "herding cats" commercial where we remember the ad, but not the product?
  • Remembering the product is never the point of a good ad. The point is to give you a good feeling when you see the brand in a store. You don't knowingly connect the brand with the ad but just seeing their product makes you smile.
  • urrrm well....
    ok, neat idea, but hang on a minute with your plaudits.

    Your a 14 year old, your a boy and that is the reveal? Errrr?? Come on guys/girls? I'd be pretty fecked off if i was a 14 year old and then charged 50p for a pic of well a clothed woman.

    If your going to trick kids into spending their credit on a con then really expect loyalty to vanish.

    Nice bit of tech, but at the end of the day loads of narked of teenies.

    Doh!

    Come on you lot, try and look beyond the keypad.

    We do sales remember....
  • Big yawn... It's another boring quid pro quo: consumer gives their cellphone number over to a database in exchange for a generic, scantily-clad female torso.

    Surely they can do better...
  • nothingelseis
    While this ad's great for demonstrating __________________ (and the watershed thing is cute) the _________ probably isn't big enough to satisfy the _______________ who've just _____________ and want ___________________________________ tits.

    (Please follow on Twitter for full comment ;-)
  • Nice idea, but the process of texting, waiting then lining up the picture to get your kicks seems a bit clunky! Especially when you consider AR tags offer a much smoother and quicker experience.
  • bill hicks
    kill your self!
  • Jorge
    It is free to receive MMS's in Uruguay. Whoever sends the text to receive the picture does not have to pay anything at all.
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