the girl effect, and new marketing

A guest speaker in our Fund Development class shared this ad campaign with us. I have passed it on ten-fold since then because I think it is so brilliant (and a good cause!).

Watch this:
girleffect.org

There are a few things that make this video so captivating. The music gives it a rhythm and emotional momentum. The design (font, color, movement) is well done; easy to navigate, effective. But I also think it is unusual because it treats the audience as a thinker. You better read fast and keep up. It is respectful in that way; different from the "whiter! brighter! better for you!" commercials from retro days of marketing past that treat you more like a drone to be inundated with preferences. It treats you as a person who is capable of making choices, and invites you to join the group of those who are committed to making some type of change (buzzword of the year). It's more personal, as if it's having a two-way conversation with you as an equal, about a problem you can fix together. This is appealing, as we all like things that make us feel smart and capable.

Others are catching on:

Starbucks and voting

HPV prevention (click on "HPV facts on tv")

Do these ads hold your attention? What is it about them?