$1,000,000 USA Today Print Ad Competition

by Mr. Subtle

Posted: 11 years ago 28 replies

COPY WRITING

A couple months ago Brian McLeod mentioned in some thread about USA Today having a print ad competition that "Exemplifies the Power of Storytelling".

I have never entered any print contest because it's just too damn hard to know/understand the tastes of the judges, yet this one had a dangling carrot that was impossible for me to resist ($1,000,000 in free advertising) so it was worth giving it a shot.

I had a lot of ideas for FAUX ads, but the rules stated the winning entry was to be a real ad. In fact, the winning entry had to be the first published ad of the prize winner.

Believe me, I fought the urge to enter, but the more I thought about the contest the more I knew I wouldn't be able to resist my unconcious and had to enter. (I love putting ads together.) I spent a Saturday afternoon (and evening) putting one together while watching/listening to college football games.

My original ad was more traditional, with the picture at the top, the headline beneath it and the copy beneath the headline. But since some of the judges were graphic designers I ended up changing the look. Instead of leaving the copy black on a white background I went with reversed out type which the majority of print ads run these days.

The chances of winning were over 100 to 1 so I knew going in my chances were slim or none (leaning heavily towards (very) slim). Needless to say I did not win. The winning "power or storytelling" entry was from Google's creative team and you can see a pic of it below next to my entry:

When my wife saw the winning entry she said: "You gotta be f#@cking kidding me!"

USA Today is thinking of running another contest. Will I enter? You betcha!

#competition #print #today #usa

Harlan 11 years ago

Wow. Subtle using reverse type.

Can you get us a better blow up of the ads?

Us old guys can't see so well.
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- Rezbi 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Harlan
  
  Wow. Subtle using reverse type.
  
  Can you get us a better blow up of the ads?
  
  Us old guys can't see so well.
  
  Plus + darn it ( I had to add that so the darned system accepts my short post. Oh, darn, now it's even longer).
  
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BrianMcLeod 11 years ago

Warms my heart to see the little guy win something for a change.

Hope their cute little tech company can make good use of that windfall in ad dollars.

<facepalm>
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- MikeHumphreys 11 years ago
  
  Subtle, I gotta agree with your wife on that one.
  
  Love your ad... Google's ad doesn't move me in the slightest.
  
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The Copy Nazi Banned 11 years ago

The Google ad "exemplifies the power of storytelling"? WTF

Subtle - your spot wins by a country mile.

BTW - I think you might enjoy this - Lance Armstrong Manly Library Fiction Sign
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sethczerepak 11 years ago

This looks like an example of "award winning marketing," which is usually judged based on how clever and creative it is, how flashy it looks and how impressive it is to people who sit around in universities studying marketing theories.

I'm sure you guys have met plenty of people who can create stuff like this, who have advanced degrees in business and marketing but can't sell a life raft to a drowning man at 50% off and with no payments for the next 6 months. Screw winning rewards, go out in the real world and win customers.
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Pusateri 11 years ago

"Being facile with white space is the essence of storytelling. We don't have time for your pathetic words." - The Judges
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Mr. Subtle 11 years ago

It turns out the winning ad (Google+) was also a full page newspaper ad and not letter/legal size (as shown in my graphic above):
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- Harlan 11 years ago
  
  Oh, well now that I see it blown up I understand why Google won.
  
  (Shifts fingers in mouth and makes vomiting sounds).
  
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Daniel Scott

11 years ago

Can someone explain the Google ad to me? I don't even understand what the hell the point of it is...

-Daniel

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Rezbi 11 years ago

Originally Posted by Daniel Scott

Can someone explain the Google ad to me? I don't even understand what the hell the point of it is...

-Daniel

Me, me. I can, I can.

It means we don't have a brain cell between the lot of us. But never mind, the judges are the same so they'll give us the award, anyway.

That's what I think. I could be wrong.

I think it's a take on the 'think small' ad.

As in small brain, tiny imagination.
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BrianMcLeod

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Daniel Scott

Can someone explain the Google ad to me? I don't even understand what the hell the point of it is...

-Daniel

Dalai Lama wanted to go to Desmond Tutu's birthday festivities.

South Africa's goverment cock-blocked his travel visa, so no dice.

Then, Google+ Hangouts turned the soiree into a web-cam party.

Dalai Lama watched it on his MacBook Air instead.

<end of ad>

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Mr. Subtle

11 years ago

Originally Posted by BrianMcLeod

The 44 word full page New York Times ad cost only $167,706 to run (once).

Hey, I love white space, but that's way too f#@kin' much white space.

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J Bold 11 years ago

Originally Posted by Mr. Subtle

The 44 word full page New York Times ad cost only $167,706 to run (once).

Hey, I love white space, but that's way too f#@kin' much white space.

They awarded them the ad because they want to print it in their own paper and save on ink!
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- The Marketeer 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by J Bold
  
  They awarded them the ad because they want to print it in their own paper and save on ink!
  
  Good point.
  
  I think it could have served 2 main purposes or more.
  
  Factor 1: The Google ad took the least amount of ink to print thereby saving them on printing costs. It would have probably cost them just $50,000 to print as opposed to the $1,000,000 which they claimed it cost, as it looks like it was just 1/20 of a full page ad.
  
  Factor 2: The "competition" could have just been a publicity stunt to attract big advertisers and make them feel important.
  
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  Shadowflux 11 years ago
  
  I really don't understand it. If someone didn't explain it to me I wouldn't have understood the reference.
  
  Maybe Google won because the paper was hoping to win favor with one of the most profitable companies around. The idea being that Google will actually pay for ad space in the future.
  
  The one thing I will give it is that it would likely get some attention. I could imagine myself reading the paper, coming to the ad and saying "Why the hell would someone pay so much for a tiny ad which makes no sense??" I would certainly remember it but not for the reasons that they want.
  
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The Marketeer 11 years ago

I wonder if awarding Google 1st prize could influence the amount of money Google spends on future advertising with them.

You scratch my back etc. etc.

Just thinkin...
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Raydal 11 years ago

It's a clever ad but I think the Google name definitely influenced
the decisions here. Why should a company with so much money
already win free advertising?

Who said life was fair?

-Ray Edwards
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- Steve Solem 11 years ago
  
  You were robbed Subtle, but at least you can enter the next one knowing full well what inspires the judges there...the typical big agency, say nothing crap that is the lifeblood of most print publications.
  
  Kudos on what you prepared though!
  
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KingOfContentMarketing 11 years ago

Personally, having spent many a summer vacation as a kid staring at cows and rusted cars as we criss-crossed America, Canada and parts of Mexico, I vote for Hamp Baker.

As one commenter said about the winner, "I have a hard time believing 95% of normal folks will even understand what that ad means."
Here's The Print Ad Google Made That Won A $1 Million Prize - Business Insider

It sounds like they received a lot of just plain bad submissions.
Michael Wolff: Don't write off print ads just yet

It's funny they think it is so radical that the award didn't go to a traditional agency (Google Creative Labs).
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MaxReferrals 11 years ago

It won because they don't have a shits idea what direct response is.

That qualifies anything to be considered an "ad" in a national paper today.

Oh yeah, almost forgot... all of these papers are nearly broke.
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Pusateri 11 years ago

My cat left an ad on the rug.

Beats the Google+ ad for two reasons:

1) gets attention

2) has a powerful call to action

If her ad were on the opposite page, nobody would notice the Google+ ad.

I tell ya, my little feline storyteller is definitely big agency material. Has what it takes to be a Creative Director.

Well, I need to look up some addresses.

Gonna teach a few judges about lumpy mail.
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Shazadi 11 years ago

I don't hate the Google ad completely. It's a powerful little story, but I do agree with others in saying that it's too vague (I had no idea what "Google Hangout" was until everyone explained). I was more confused than impressed at first, which is obviously the very last thing you want your readers to feel after reading an ad. If they had elaborated more, even with a blurb about Google Hangouts' features underneath the story, it would have been stronger.

Anyway, better luck next time Subtle. I feel like it would be impossible for USA Today to be impartial in their choices, but one can hope!
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Michael Ten 11 years ago

I like that Google + ad.
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- Jeremey 11 years ago
  
  The only way that ad would have been any less impactful to me is if they would have filmed Brad Pitt pacing around in black and white mumbling the copy through his goatee.
  
  But that wouldn't have been "print."
  
  This guy is too clever and smug to even acknowledge that direct response advertising may be far more effective than vague and nonsensical image-based branding such as the Google+ ad he's wetting his pants over:
  
  Anyway, if I were a big brand, I'd certainly say let me see a print ad campaign — I'd want something to hang on my wall.
  
  That's the mindset.
  
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Ross Bowring 11 years ago

Love your ad, Subtle.

Great work.

--- Ross
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CopyMonster 11 years ago

What's the bet none of the judging panel ever cracked open David Ogilvy's classic?

My thought was same as Marketeer's... Google? Piles and piles of cash? Hmmm... okay, and the winner is...
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Scary good...
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- Mr. Subtle 11 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by CopyMonster
  
  My thought was same as Marketeer's... Google? Piles and piles of cash? Hmmm... okay, and the winner is...
  
  That's my game plan for the next one (if USA Today runs a next one) ... creating an ad for Apple or Microsoft or Lexus or Mercedes.
  
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