Amidst reports of a growing US population claiming food stamp relief, news of the US military's catch and release program of OBL and the Treasury telling Banks they won't get another penny of tax payer's money until they start helping the same taxpayers stay in their homes...I found these 2 full page ads in the NY Times.
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (MTDP) ad looks better through the view finder of an iPhone (what doesn't?) than it does at arms length while sipping my morning coffee. I am not a fan of the everything but the kitchen sink composition they insist on year after year, however when I snapped the pic I had the aha moment - it felt like/looked like the balloons were towering above me, transporting me right into the event.
But with a poster like this it's unlikely I will be drawn to attend the event. Maybe the parade has become yet another New York event promoted to out-of-towners and B&T people (full disclosure: I'm a B&T person now), but I have always pined for a benefactor or perfect storm of creatives and merchandisers who see the potential in utilizing the most sought after ad space in the world in the most culturally wealthy and prolific city in the world to promote the annual iconic event for the largest store in the world (so called).
What if a set of limited edition balloons and prints were made and re-purposed by the great fine and commercial artists of our time paying tribute to the spectacle and giving the promotion and merchandise a longer shelf life than just a few days. I recall in 2005 when Blue Sky Gallery launched a Tom Otterness designed Humpty Dumpty balloon for the parade with a set of his own parade posters. It was so much more effective for me, as a New Yorker, creating the need to attend the parade to see a piece of art. I wanted one of the posters too which gave an impression of being one-of-a-kind or a limited edition. A Keith Haring tribute called Pop Art in the Sky was launched in 2008 and a balloon called "Rabbit" by Jeff Koons in 2007 both by Blue Sky Gallery.
(see link)The ads in the newspapers and the posters around town really need to step it up. With print vying for it's relevancy these days, all the more reason to really make the ads and posters a piece of art with anticipation generating more press. The posters and the ads could be collector worthy for the home and archive. I think New York is up to the challenge to put art back into newsprint surrounding this great event.
Next on the chopping block is Starbucks life is a wonderful gift to give ad. Sadly it's possible Starbucks and (RED) didn't have the budget for such a worthy cause or the creative muscle behind it to make it a knock-out but the message was completely lost on me in a forum with a barrage of depressing news and information. Alternately, if we choose to make the printed medium a forum for great works of art - the writers are Pulitzer prize winners - then causes such as fighting AIDS might have a fighting chance to catch our attention and hard earned coin. Lets make the printed medium a work of art.
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