Wasteland

In the movie Wasteland, Vik and his wife disagreed about whether or not it was good to take the people out of the landfill for a short time.  Vik believed it would be good for them to get out and see what else the world has to offer.  He thought this experience would inspire them to find something better to do with their lives.  The people he met while he was at the landfill didn't know what the rest of the world was like.  They only knew what happened in their own lives day to day.  Vik's hopes were to get them to better their lives by realizing what other cultures are like.

Vik's wife, however, disagreed.  She thought that Vik's plans to take them out of the landfill for a time would only make them more miserable when it was time to go back to their real lives.  She didn't think this project would do anything but harm to these people.  When Vik first interviewed the people, they were happy.  They were proud of their work there because it meant they weren't selling their bodies or drugs.  Vik's wife feared that they would lose this happiness and pride when they realized what else the world has to offer and not be able to make a change.

I agree with Vik in this situation.  By having them make their own artworks, he was showing them that they have more options in life than being a garbage picker.  He gave them the means to make something happen in their lives.  They were so proud of their pictures and put them on display in their homes to look at all the time.  When they were interviewed at the museum, they all mentioned about how proud they were to turn the garbage and recycling they work with on a daily basis into art.  They are all intelligent, creative individuals, and Vik's project helped them realize it.  In the end credits, it showed where the people featured in the story ended up, and many of them made something happen in their lives.  One lady left her husband like she'd wanted to do for a while.  One lady tried something else and missed the landfill and went back.  This project helped them make a decision about where they wanted to be in their lives, instead of taking working in the landfill as their only option.

Ambient Advertisements

I feel this is an extremely strong example of an ambient ad.  When you're heading to your car, you only see the white back of the poster, therefore it's a shock when you get inside and see what the poster is actually about.  It's a shocking image that I still find hard to look at, even after I've studied it for a while.  To me, this would make it effective.  I would definitely slow down when driving around schools, because I would never want to see that image in real life.  It's a strong example of an ambient ad because it would cause a change.  No one wants to hit a child, and this advertisement is a not-so-gentle reminder of the risks a person takes when speeding in a school zone.  The speed limit is low there for a reason.  The format itself that they use is strong because the background looks exactly like a cracked windshield and the image looks so real it's scary.  The calm, white, block script saying, "Please don't speed near schools" is easy to read and also catches your attention because of how much it stands out against the girl's yellow sweater.  There is only one possible drawback to this advertisement that I can think of.  It's very possible that it's much too shocking.  It works for me because I do drive and I wouldn't want to see that image come to life on my windshield.  It wouldn't be good, say, for the 4 year old daughter of the driver of the car.  This image would be way too shocking for a child, which could cause major upset for the poor little kid.

This is another strong example of an ambient advertisement.  It would catch my attention no matter where on the street I was.  If I were walking underneath the ad, I would be surprised when it lit up and therefore notice it.  If I were driving or standing on the other side of the street, I would enjoy watching as other people walked under it and made the light bulb light up.  It's a strong advertisement because it's out of the norm and it would catch the attention of any passers-by, no matter where they happened to be standing.  It's general simplicity helps as well.  The plain red background featuring the light bulb and the words, "The Economist," calls attention to itself by making it easy to understand.  It's easy to see that Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO were trying to make an advertisement that led the viewer to think readers of The Economist are intelligent people.  Even if the viewer didn't know what The Economist was, they would remember the advertisement and be able to look it up once they got home.  They would see the same red simplicity and connect the two forever.  The format, therefore, is spectacular.  It grabs the viewer's attention in every way.  One possible drawback could be that it doesn't specifically say anything about it being a magazine.  Someone might walk by and see the sign but not do anything about it because they're unsure of what The Economist is.  They're banking on the person having time at the end of the day to do a little research into it.