Radiant Gym
So, I work for an advertising agency. Which, among other things, does ads and posters for a gym. One poster I worked on, ironically, is about running/exercising to lose weight. The poster’s below.
The idea, as most ideas do, happened in a flash of lightning and a roll of thunder. The gates of the sky opened up and beautiful angels in revealing clothes gently floated down to earth and handed me the idea, gift-wrapped and flower-strewn. And then I spent two hours worrying that the idea was so simple, so obvious, SOMEONE MUST HAVE DONE IT ALREADY. Turns out, no one did. At least, I haven’t seen any ads or posters of TV commercials with this idea. So, YAY for me. And for the art-director who worked on it. And in true Oscar style, I’d like to thank my creative director, my agency, my family, my second-cousin-twice-removed, my imaginary friend’s imaginary dog. And all.
Credits
Advertising Agency: Publicis Ambience Advertising, Chennai, India
Creative Director: Manoj Jacob
Copywriter: Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan
Art Director: Gous Basha
About
Chandrachoodan Gopalakrishnan is a copywriter, photographer and goofball from Chennai. He is also an archaeologist, historian and a city lover. He is currently a documentary film-maker and desk-monkey for a film production house.
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March 13th, 2008 - 14:40
oi! wat about me?
March 13th, 2008 - 14:42
Yes.
I also would like to thank Shoefie, and her Manolos, WordPress, Blogger, Typepad, Twitter, flickr, LiveJournal and Sir Tim Berners Lee for the award.
March 13th, 2008 - 15:52
Hello. Sorry for seeming dim, but I don’t get it. Can you explain? I promise to bow away quietly if I realise how stupid I’ve been.
Andy
March 13th, 2008 - 15:57
Yennadhu idhu ? Is this all your advertising Oscar speech ? You can do better !
K.Shyam
PS: Seriously speaking, simple, obvious and nice ad though.
March 13th, 2008 - 16:02
Hi Andy,
The poster’s headline reads: ‘The more you run, the slimmer you get’ – a connection with the different hands of the clock. The Second hand runs (moves) the most and is the thinnest. The Minute hand moves less often, but more than the hour hand, and therefore is thinner than the latter. The one that moves the least/slowest is the thickest of the three.
So, tell me. Does it work? Is the poster good?
C
P.S. Pliss to not bow away and all. Pliss to stay on and read us.
March 13th, 2008 - 16:03
Shyam: haha. Yeah. My Oscar acceptance speech could do with a little writer’s touch.
Thanks man.
March 13th, 2008 - 16:03
Love it!
March 13th, 2008 - 16:08
Thank you, thank you!
March 13th, 2008 - 16:14
thanks for the brief email chat. Sorry, I just didn’t connect ‘runing more’ to the hands. I wonder if ‘the faster you move’ would be clearer.
nice idea.
A
March 13th, 2008 - 16:16
Andy: You’re welcome. Like I mentioned in the email, we spent hours over the exact line.
Thanks for all the comments
March 13th, 2008 - 16:58
First class idea…chance-e illa..as us said a very simple idea..but the msg is so very clear..loved it
March 13th, 2008 - 17:00
Thank you! Thank you!
March 13th, 2008 - 17:37
ah! it’s a clock!
i first thought you are trying to represent a person who goes to this radiant gym and becomes really really thin!
March 13th, 2008 - 19:02
Ravages!
This proved to be the Tipping point in making me (Although it doesn’t bother if I do not comment!) to comment in your blog!
Excellent man!
March 13th, 2008 - 19:33
Karthik: Yup, a clock. Did you get the ad?
Venkat: Thanks saar.
March 13th, 2008 - 20:34
Guess I’m a little too late. The people who commented before me have come up with a lot of adjectives. They’ve made my job tougher.
I went through a website which sort of ‘defined’ how an ad copy should be. Here goes.
“One that gets to the point. Tells it exactly as it is. Simple. At a glance. Easy to understand. Honest. No hyperbole. No hidden anything. Transparent. ”
Considering these parameters, your copy scores a perfect ten.
March 13th, 2008 - 22:47
Krishnan: Thank you saar.
March 13th, 2008 - 23:52
No one has said ‘timeless classic’ so let me be the first to say that.. with pun heavily intended
March 13th, 2008 - 23:55
Rotfl. That’s a good one. Thanks mate
March 14th, 2008 - 01:03
hi,
i did not get the ad at first. i read the explanation and only then did i get it.
but this is classy stuff from u, man. great!
nandhu
March 14th, 2008 - 01:08
Thanks Nandhu.
If you had to read the explanation to get the ad, I don’t think the ad works.
I did, and so did the rest of the agency, test it among a lot of other people and most got it in a few moments. Still…
Thanks anyway.
March 14th, 2008 - 09:21
Now that was good….really
I wish your blog was as good
March 14th, 2008 - 10:45
Thanks saar.
But, um, the second point. I shall try getting my blog up to the level, but what exactly is wrong with it?
March 14th, 2008 - 10:59
May I ask Why 8:50 and not 10:10 ? I can see that at 10:10 event fat people are being content
(me included)
March 14th, 2008 - 11:56
Just something we didn’t bother too much about, Karthi.
March 14th, 2008 - 16:58
It’s a winner!
Fantastic. I also gave it full marks on Adsoftheworld
March 14th, 2008 - 17:55
Thanks muchly, saar.
March 16th, 2008 - 08:47
besh, besh…
bagu besh..
March 16th, 2008 - 13:29
Amazing!!
I too didn’t get it at once… but understood it once I read the explanation.
I haven’t seen this ad anywhere though – seeing it for the first time.
Gr8 work anyways!!
March 16th, 2008 - 16:54
Jillumadrasi: Thank you! Thank you!
Shivasubramanian: Thank you!
March 17th, 2008 - 14:58
That was brilliant!!
March 17th, 2008 - 22:45
Thanks da
March 18th, 2008 - 16:42
Chandu, I clicked the pic and it led me to http://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/radiant_wellness_centre_clock. The comments section is whack.
March 18th, 2008 - 19:30
Andy: Yup. The page will soon hit the Godwin limit.
March 18th, 2008 - 21:53
Good work .. I did not get it when i first saw it .. The explanation really helped ..
Cheers
March 18th, 2008 - 22:07
Kalakitenga Chandru!
Unga arive arivu
March 18th, 2008 - 23:38
Guru and Ramanujam: Thank you!
March 19th, 2008 - 05:47
Ooof, brilliant!
March 19th, 2008 - 09:48
Thank you!
March 20th, 2008 - 04:30
Nice.. the explanation in the comments’ section helped.
March 20th, 2008 - 12:28
This is amazing! How did I miss this! Lovely work. Yes, I was dumb too, but the explanation made it clear how such a simple idea can be so effective!
March 21st, 2008 - 22:58
Blogeswari: Thank you! But if the explanation was required, perhaps the poster didn’t do its job?
Divya: Thank you! Thank you.
March 23rd, 2008 - 15:47
m/ !
March 23rd, 2008 - 15:48
damn! ...intended message : (devil horns)
March 24th, 2008 - 10:47
March 25th, 2008 - 12:00
First time here…really loved the ad!! Great work!
March 25th, 2008 - 18:48
Thank you! Is the ad good enough to turn a first-timer into a repeat-offender?
March 28th, 2008 - 21:12
A picture worth thousand words. To say everything without saying anything.
Kudos!