Advertising That Sticks

Every once in awhile, someone comes up with an advertisement that really catches your eye or ear, and stays in your memory, therefore accomplishing what it is supposed to do. Think of “Where’s the beef?” and the Absolut vodka campaigns. Think of Orrick’s on-going “O” campaigns, Howry Simon’s simple but effective use of courthouse photos a few years back, and Bingham McCutchen’s quirky dog and baby ads. Here’s another one to add to the pantheon: Canadian firm Ogilvy Renault’s two-page all-black spread that employs three simple words: “Mergers that stick.”  The ad sticks with you because a daub of rubber cement was used to make the pages stick together. If you’re like me, your curiosity gets the better of you (see for instance pp. 28-29 of the June 2006 issue of The American Lawyer), and you just have to pry those two pages apart to see what’s there. And what’s there is just a big, black two-page spread with one short, memorable phrase: “Mergers that stick.” Well done, Ogilvy!