The Most Successful Print Campaigns In History…

…according to Wave

Nowadays we are not simply advert sponges but quite the opposite, needing to be sold a brand just as much as the product or service being advertised. With companies always trying to capture our attention as a business your advertising strategy must be pretty special to stand out, doing all you can to grab the eye of the modern consumer.

Print campaigns can be the making or breaking of a marketing image, either connecting a business with their target market or completely going over their heads.

Things that made us look twice, say ‘wow’ and encourage an emotive response is what we at Wave regard as a successful print campaign.

Take a look at our favourite print ads below:

Guinness – Phones Down

Print is one of the most powerful mediums used to get a message across, being a timeless advertising method that has and will always reign supreme. One company that has understood the power of a printed ad are the stout pioneers, Guinness. Putting such a great focus on the Guinness experience the company are established enough to defy marketing convention.

Their ‘Phones Down’ campaign is a favourite of ours, with its simplicity and powerful message greatly admired. They show that with the growth of modern technology we can get pretty frustrated when people are glued to their smartphones during social occasions. In Guinness’ print ad they encourage us to go back to basics and just enjoy a good old pint!

Volkswagen – Precision Parking

Volkswagen showcase a collection of intelligent print campaigns, always testing our ability to not fall for a sales pitch. As a result of being such an ingrained brand they in turn possess the freedom to be minimalistic, not needing to bombard customers with salesy jargon but can select simple imagery to convey a message.

Take a look at this print ad and see what you think. We believe that it is successful in selling a feature without even displaying an image of a car. This therefore shows brand confidence, displaying Volkswagen’s sureness of their vehicles.

Harley Davidson – 2 Gold Lions

Harley riders are part of a brotherhood, with long beards and aggressive image juxtaposing their surprisingly soft nature. With Harely Davidson boasting such a rich historic past the brand always ensure their eternal stamp on the world of biking. One Harley campaign that the Wave team love is the ‘2 Lions’ Campaign, an ad that pressed on the subject of freedom.

On the print image it explains:

“During the Second World War, Czech riders dismantled their bikes and hid them amongst household objects so they wouldn’t be confiscated and used to continue fueling the Nazi war machine. These ‘parted out’ bikes became symbols of hope that one day freedom would prevail and they could be put back together to reclaim their rightful home—the open road.”

Successfully encapsulating the fear of the War the bike masters juxtapose the claustrophobia of conflict with the freedom of travel, really pulling on the heart strings of all that lay eyes upon the ad.

Penguin Books – Audio Release

Penguin Books have for years been criticised for not growing with the times, staying with their old-fashioned ways of the paper book.

When they branched out into audio books they did however let their personality shine through, producing images from famous tales that had been tweaked to give a humorous twist.

Although many feel that the use of technology contrasts the traditional feel of the tales it nonetheless captures our attention. We all loved to be intellectually challenged and intrigued. This is what marketing is all about!