Badly Illustrated Cause Marketing

Look at the illustration on the left. Now read the copy. Now back to the illustration. Now read the copy. Sadly, the illustration doesn't really illustrate the copy, does it?

I'm not a graphic designer or an art director. So I'm at a loss to explain the graphic design for a cause marketing campaign that was being promoted with table toppers at a Corner Bakery in Denver last week.

Here's the campaign: When you buy a BBLT or a Chilled Berry Almond Swiss Oatmeal at Corner Bakery, they'll donate a "portion of the proceeds" to community gardens in the form of a grant.

There's just such a garden about a block and half from where I saw this table topper, although I don't know if it's targeted to receive a Corner Bakery grant or not.

I guess I sorta get the tomato plant changing hands. Although why you'd transplant it with a green tomato on I can't imagine.

But where's the illustration of the BBLT and the Chilled Berry Almond Swiss Oatmeal? You know, the purchase of which triggers the donation. You literally have to read all the copy in order to get gist of the campaign. The art direction of this piece provides zero help.

And since it's a table topper I'm unlikely to order either product based on seeing it since if I'm sitting down at a table at a Corner Bakery that means I've already ordered my meal at the front counter.

Maybe you're thinking the pictures of the BBLT and the Chilled Berry Almond Swiss Oatmeal are on the other side of the table topper.

Good thinking, but no.

Instead the other side refers to the BBLT and the Chilled Berry Almond Swiss Oatmeal, but shows two wire baskets. One has apples, lemons and basil. The other has tomatoes, garlic, and basil.

My friends, advertising your transactional cause marketing campaigns isn't rocket science. Show the products that trigger the donation, show the benefits and explain how the campaign works.

Comments

Jeff Brooks said…

The other design problem here: It's all reverse type over the image. That's virtually unreadable. Studies show that people have almost no comprehension of reverse type. This is a case of Designers Without a Clue. They're just making pretty picures; no idea how to actually motivate people to action.

8/04/2010 3:19 PM

Paul Jones said…

Hi Jeff:

Thanks for the comment.

Terrific point. Reverse type is basically for when you're going to hold the copy in your hands.

Unfortunately, this is a table topper.

Again, thanks.

Warm regards,
Paul

8/04/2010 4:55 PM

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