JCDecaux

BLM gets creative to rise to the JCDecaux challenge

01 February 2001

BLM planners demonstrated an impressive range of creative - and risque! - talent last week by rising to JCDecaux's challenge to design 'the perfect poster' for one of the agency's clients.

The challenge was organised by Sarah O'Sullivan and set on 16th January when JCDecaux Marketing Director David McEvoy presented all the information BLM needed to design an effective, hard-hitting 6-sheet campaign. This included the fact that the average 6-sheet poster is viewed for a mere 2 seconds, during which time the brain still has time to successfully absorb 5 to 7 words; that colour and contrast catch the eye by adding impact; and that posters are read in a 'z' pattern, top left to bottom right.

The challenge was simple: the planners had 2 weeks to use these guidelines to create the ideal audience-savvy poster for one of BLM's clients. The prize was a two-week single-town 6-sheet test.

The entrants and judges reconvened on 30th January for the planners to present and justify their choice of creative look.

Entries ranged from the close-to-the-knuckle (for Thomas Cook a picture of 'supermodel' Jordan with the slogan 'We'll give you more than just two reasons to explore Jordan…') to the truly inventive winner, Gary Wise and Nicola Strait's Blockbusters creative execution. This consisted of a spinning Blockbusters logo, quite literally 'Turning Entertainment Around', along with the sound of appreciative applause. So congratulations to them!

Commenting on the challenge, Sales Director Spencer Berwin said: The BLM challenge was a great laugh underpinned by a serious point - that well thought-out creative is the key to an ad campaign's success. Of course, through peoples' choice of creative, we also discovered how their minds work, which turned out to be an interesting experience! Bottom line is they were all winners, but special congratulations to Gary and Nicola for Blockbuster.