Baby needs a new pair of mukluks

A few weeks ago I was in Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show - the world's largest tech trade show - and was utterly shocked to run into people from the ad agency where I used to work. What are the odds?

That run-in brought back some great memories, including what I think is one of the best all-time print ads. Ever. And it was done to promote ourselves.

In the body copy, it spoke about the importance of making your viewer - your consumer - think. That's the first step in getting them to take the action you want, whether it's to buy your product, to support a cause, to educate or to train.

In order to do that, first you have to engage them.  There are countless ways to do that, but often the most effective are the ones that surprise and intrigue.

Which brings me to the title of my post.

Because, you see, the ad featured this headline:

"C'mon seven!  Baby needs a new pair of mukluks."   

Huh?

The concept was clever - crashing together two hackneyed American concepts.  The body copy went on to state: "You can sell ice cubes to Eskimos. Just etch dots on the sides and call them disposable dice."

I keep this ad on my wall in my office to remind me how important it is to capture your audience's attention - and there's no better way to do this than by delivering the unexpected. I love it.