So how would you sell this concept to me?

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Let's say I'm Marketing Director of a major tobacco company in Germany. The company in question is responsible for the country's largest-selling cigarette. It is actively involved in high-profile sponsorship and is generally considered the darling of the business world.

I outsource the business to one of the big ad players and I finally settle on a few blow-ups in a series. I go to my MD and present him with the first in the series. It features a woman - pretty enough, mid 20s - who is squatting by a bush in a public place with her knickers clearly visible around her knees which would suggest she's taking a leak (or, given the slightly strained look on her face, perhaps a Nummer Zwei). While doing this she has the brand name cigarette in her hand (the one not doing the wiping as well, I'd hope) and is looking confidently/happily/defiantly/constipatedly into the camera.

How would you, as Creative Account Director of Ponytail, Pretentious, Pithy and Pissed Inc. convince me that I have a winner? Part of me thinks it works and part of thinks it doesn't but I am curious as to how I'd be sold on it since this picture will be on thousands of billboards all over a country inhabited by more smokers per 1,000 than most others in the EU.

Does it work?

― C J (C J), Thursday, 26 February 2004 17:04 (twenty-two years ago)

cigarettes: the hip new laxative for spicy young frauleins

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Thursday, 26 February 2004 17:07 (twenty-two years ago)

ad campaign featuring a woman urinating = licence to print money in Germany I would think

― Kenny Blankenship (Bryan), Thursday, 26 February 2004 17:08 (twenty-two years ago)

It only works if you remember that Germany is reportedly inhabited by an alarmingly high number of watersports/scat fetishists.

For me personally it does nothing as a concept. If it goes thru the girl had better be drop-dead incredible looking.

― TOMBOT, Thursday, 26 February 2004 17:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I would say:

Herr Direktor, maybe you think this ad sucks or is too controversial for Cigs Heil! But just think. Benneton gets up to $150 million of free media every couple of years for making sucky ads that generate controversy.

― Aimless (Aimless), Thursday, 26 February 2004 17:12 (twenty-two years ago)

TOMBOT OTM. This sound ick. Germans.

― ENRQ (Enrique), Thursday, 26 February 2004 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Why not cash in on the German cannibalism story, then cut to your fraulein having an 'after-dinner' smoke.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Thursday, 26 February 2004 17:16 (twenty-two years ago)

The slogan could be "How not to put out bush fires".

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 26 February 2004 17:32 (twenty-two years ago)

the country's largest-selling cigarette.

= M4rlboro L1ghts? They have a reputation as cigarettes for trollops already. Seems like a good idea to make that notion official. The woman in the foto must look glossy as fuc though or the campaign will be confused with the West / West Lights campaign from five years back.

― j4n (Wintermute), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)

That only works if the ash has set her pubic hair on fire, jel.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:01 (twenty-two years ago)

The strapline to this ad is: "Für Gleiches Recht Für Alle" which means "The Same Rights For Everyone"

This refers to the all too common practice of pissing in public by the male of the species in Germany. I'm surprised they haven't pushed it to be accepted as an Olympic event for 2012. This is something that women should be doing just as much as men, clearly. And why not? Perhaps it'll work for the target demographic of 18-30 German females. It's controversial, will gain more publicity and since it's perceived as empowering an already independent and confident Fraulein, then it'll probably work.

Maybe it's country-specific. I couldn't see this 'ablution-sell' working in the UK - perhaps it's a good example of which ad works better in which country.

It's not just sex that sells, evidently.

― C J (C J), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I suppose some kind of pun involving "could I bum a cigarette off you?" would be just bad taste?

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 26 February 2004 18:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Clearly, this thing to do is skip the billboards, and...um...leak it onto the web. When it starts getting sent around and picks up some attention, deny your company had anything to do with it, and vow to track down whoever is sullying your brand's good name.

― Marcel Post (Marcel Post), Thursday, 26 February 2004 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

The strapline isnt very catchy, is it :\
You need something short and stupid like "Geiz ist geil" in order to make any impact.

― j4n (Wintermute), Thursday, 26 February 2004 20:45 (twenty-two years ago)

"Können wir auch" or whatever.

― j4n (Wintermute), Thursday, 26 February 2004 20:46 (twenty-two years ago)

DOG LATIN YOU ARE MY HERO!

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 26 February 2004 21:13 (twenty-two years ago)

"could I bum a cigarette off you?" or, for the English market, "Could I bum a fag off you?"

― C J (C J), Thursday, 26 February 2004 21:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Women totally piss in the street.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 26 February 2004 21:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Not where I live they don't.

― C J (C J), Thursday, 26 February 2004 21:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know about you folks, but I don't know too many folks who smoke while they take a leak. On the other hand, smoking often loosens up the bowels as well as a strong cup of coffee... CJ I think interpretations might end up erring on the side of the woman taking a dump.

Which is cool and all, though I don't know how it'd necessarily sell smokes.

― martin m. (mushrush), Thursday, 26 February 2004 21:29 (twenty-two years ago)

i've definitely had a cigarette while taking a waz.

― the surface noise (electricsound), Thursday, 26 February 2004 23:08 (twenty-two years ago)

I have too. My point was that the two aren't really connected in the way that smoking while taking a crap can be.

― martin m. (mushrush), Thursday, 26 February 2004 23:10 (twenty-two years ago)

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