Take a quick look at this ad for TV Guide and tell me how valuable that Starbucks card is.
Go ahead, I’ll wait.
(Sound of Nat waiting.)
(Sound of Nat waiting a little while longer, for the slow readers.)
So, whatja come up with? Did anyone say $50? Maybe even just for a second? Mmmmhmmm.
Nope, that’d be a good deal..$50 in Starbucks credit for a $16 purchase. But that’s not really a zero there. Slamming the 5 next to the green logo circle builds a zero in the mind (and treating is as one centered line of text adds to the effect), but it’s just the logo. The card is just $5. The logo has no need of being there — it’s legit to have it in the ad, but not in the location. The word Starbucks is the next word of text, the correct impact would be the same if the logo were before the $… or just about anywhere else in the ad.
This is a slimy ad.
Subliminals return?