Michelangelo Helped Write My Ad Campaign

Several years ago, we took a Mediterranean Wind Jammer cruise that sailed the French and Italian Riviera. During a stop in St. Tropez, France, we decided to take one of the available tours. We had been trying to enjoy every minute of the vacation so sleep had not been a priority up to that point. After about an hour on the tour bus, I started to fight falling asleep. The tour director was telling us about Michelangelo's influence in the area. The last thing I heard her say was that "Michelangelo believed that a great masterpiece already existed inside an unchiseled rock and that his gift simply allowed him to get it out". After that, I was out!

A few weeks later, my agency needed to present new campaign ideas to our client, Slippery Rock University. During the creative meeting, I remembered what the tour director had said. I mentioned it to the rest of the team and we all agreed that it would make a great campaign. The premise of the campaign was that scientists, teachers, musicians, etc. already existed inside the new students. The education process at Slippery Rock University simply brought the professional out of them. We compared the idea to Michelangelo's masterpiece theory in all of the ads and commercials. The campaign won several national awards. The billboard design was picked up by the Associated Press and featured, in a story about college marketing, in many newspapers across the country. The campaign was very successful for the university.

Keep your eyes and ears open. It's not unusual for a great creative idea to play itself out right in front of you. If you would like to discuss ways to strengthen the creativity in your advertising and marketing, please contact me.
Phone: (724) 522-9990, E-Mail: wmyers@dxadvertising.com