adweek love

Called Copacino the other day, and he mentioned that an ad i'd done last march had been produced and showered, (ahem) with praise.

adweek

Lifestyle advertising is so much nicer when there aren't people in it. An unpopulated ad makes it easier to see yourself as the hero of the story it's telling. Just as important, though, the people-free approach eliminates the chance you'll feel averse to the characters the brand presents as its archetypal customers. Think of wine: No matter how much you like to drink the stuff, you probably cringe at the sight of the poseurs who inhabit lifestylish wine ads. Worse still, you endure the discomfiting sensation of taking a dislike to people who share your enthusiasm. That could easily be a risk for REI in selling its gear for outdoor adventurers. Like wine, that market thrives on over-the-top connoisseurship?something you may enjoy as a practitioner but that you don't want to see as a bystander. Buying all sorts of arcane gear is the favorite indoor sport of outdoorsy people, and they'd rather not be reminded that there's something silly about this. With its snow-bound scene, REI's ad focuses strictly on the product benefit of being able to enjoy the great outdoors in such beautiful-but-inclement conditions. The laconic headline?"Today was a good day"?deftly captures the special pleasure of mastering a situation that others will find overwhelming (for instance, people who own an SUV but who don't own snow-proof hiking boots). The glimpse the photo gives us of a red house is also in sync with this spirit: It comes across more as a true outdoorsman's refuge than as a shelter-magazine showplace. REI's target customers will be happy to envision themselves in this scene.

Agency
Copacino+Fujikado, Seattle

Client
Recreational Equipment Inc., Seattle

Creative director
Jim Copacino

Art director
Kurt Reifschneider

Copywriter
Miguel

Print production
Peg Johnson