think simple.

"Some copywriters write tricky headlines -- double meanings, puns, and other obscurities," David Ogilvy, one of the greatest minds in advertising, once wrote. "This is counter-productive…your headline should telegraph what you want to say."

"Iconic designs that stand out apart from the crowd have just one feature to help them stand out," writes brand identity guru David Airey. "That's it. Just one. Not two, three, or four."

More recently, AdAge Editor in Chief Rance Crain flatly stated, "Good ads are simple and direct."

"Bad ads aren't," he continued.

If there is one ubiquitous theme throughout all the disciplines of advertising, it's simplicity. Simple headlines. Simple logos. Simple ads.

Unfortunately, as Crain points out, simplicity is "a characteristic that advertisers have a woeful lack of these days."

Simplicity seems like a simple concept for advertisers. You only have 30 sec. in which to sell a product to a customer, so it would seem like ad should be as concise and direct as possible. Sometimes, in the case of print, the time to capture a prospect's attention is even shorter -- three seconds at most.

So, why then do copywriters write blind headlines, or creative directors piece together television spots that waste 80 percent of the airtime on setting up some plot or twist unrelated to the actual product?

The war for consumer "attention" is certainly not anything new. It's a battle advertisers have been fighting since the days of Claude Hopkins and before.

The new war, however, has evolved. Advertisers now seem certain that in order to grab a consumer's attention, a commercial must be "novel," "sensational," or "spellbinding." They try to engage audiences with complex plots or graphics, or either misguided attempts at comedy.

The result is often a complete bust; for example, Kia's cosmic adventure advertisement during the Super Bowl.

Do you even remember what car they were advertising?

Simple and direct ads are, many times, very vanilla. They don't have the "wow" factor. That is, they're not built to entertain.

They're meant to sell product, which (used to be) the purpose of advertising.
And, you don't have sacrifice engagement for simplicity. Apple ads (agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day) are some of the simplest campaigns running right now. Yet, I bet after reading that sentence, you immediately thought of an iPad or iPod.

The Reese's "Perfect" campaign, from ArnoldWorldwide, is another exam of utterly uncomplicated ads accomplishing everything they need to do.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking you have to trick the audience into being engaged. As Leo Burnett said, there is "inherent drama" in every product. The true skill of an advertiser is to find this drama and bring it to life. That is, without tricks and games.

Think simple.

favorite three television campaigns currently running

It's easy to point out things in advertising that you don't like. I do it all the time on this blog (cough…Starbucks logo redesign…cough). It's a much harder task to pick the advertising you do like.

However, listed below are my three favorite campaigns currently on TV right now. I picked them for several reasons, but mainly because I find them the best at what they're designed to do: sell. And, if they make me laugh while doing it, that's an extra tip of the hat to the agency.

3) Southwest Airlines - "Bags Fly Free" - GSD&M

(Agency: GSD&M)

Southwest is pounding the airwaves with their "Bags Fly Free" campaign. It launched the campaign in the summer of 2009 using their long-time agency GSD&M. The campaign recently has featured a "Fee Court," where other airlines face a jury of Southwest employees about passenger exploitation.

Not every commercial is a gut-buster, but the commercials do a damn fine job at positioning Southwest as the low budget, low hassle airline of choice. And, when passengers are increasingly cost conscience, Southwest is in a great position to start eating up some market share in the air travel industry.

It still has some time to beat its reputation for its "cattle call" boarding process of the past. But, if Southwest continues to position itself as the fee-free airlines, I think it will pick up a lot of business from passengers tired of being nickel-and-dimed by other airlines.

2) Reese's - "Perfect" - ArnoldWorldwide

(Agency: ARN Worldwide)

"We knew that consumers loved the product the way it was and that we needed to capture the simple brand essence of chocolate, peanut butter, orange, two cups," says ArnoldNYC President Lynn Power. "The solution? 'Reese's Perfect,' a campaign that treats the product as the icon it is, and gives Reese's a bold leadership voice that elevates it from the rest of the candy in the category."

Power's comments encapsulate what I like most about this ad series. In a medium where viewers are bombarded with flashy, over-the-top, outrageous campaigns, ARN took the simple beauty of the Reese's cup and makes a television ad out of it.

The simplicity of the commercials makes them stand out, which grabs attention. Entertaining copy and techniques, featuring the product front and center, brings it all together.

It truly is a "perfect" combination.

1) Allstate - "Mayhem is Everywhere" - Leo Burnett

(Agency: Leo Burnett)

Like Southwest and GSD&M, Allstate and ad agency Leo Burnett have been together a looooong time. Though, when your ad agency is putting out ad gold like Burnett recently has with the launch of the "Mayhem" campaign, it's not hard to see why.

Hands down, the "Mayhem is Everywhere" campaign featuring the hilarious Dean Winters is the best ad series on TV right now.

I can't think of a commercial that has made me laugh time and time again, with each new spot, like these Mayhem commercials.

And, to top it all off, they're not just good for laughs. Pitching the idea that "mayhem is everywhere" by using common, real life situations (deer, limbs, an oblivious teen on a lawn mower), it makes consumers stop and think if they're covered if something like that were to happen.

Let's not forget that Matt Miller, the copywriter on the campaign, continues to churn out brilliant stuff.

When you combine great copy with wicked-funny creative, you create the perfect storm for advertising.

I only blame Allstate for my recent switch to State Farm.

positioning audi in the german luxury car market

German cars have a lock on luxury cars. And, within that class, Mercedes and BMW are the market leaders. This presents a problem for Audi, who in recent years has done a tremendous job in "classing" up their cars to compete with the luxury offerings of its rivals.

However, hitting the number-two spot is still a long, long time down the road.

Going toe-to-toe with Mercedes and BMW is a fool's errand if Audi doesn't find a position for itself that sets its brand apart from being just another shiny, black German luxury car. Fortunately, I think they've found out how.



(Agency: Venables Bell & Partners)

In 1963, Pepsi launched its "Pepsi Generation" ad strategy that positioned its cola as the choice of a younger generation. In doing so, it positioned Coca-Cola--the market leader--as the "older" cola. For homogenous products like cola, this strategy was a good way to give Pepsi a unique identity in the cola market, while trying to dominate the younger market niche.

If Audi wants to increase its market share, it needs to do something similar. At least Venables Bell seems to get it.

"The 60-second spot takes the viewer on a fantastical journey through a mansion laden with trite symbols of antiquated, stuffy opulence, and says goodnight to the age of gluttony and old luxury, culminating in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class parked in the driveway," says Venables Bell's website.

There is a huge market for luxury cars among the young and wealthy. If Audi can position itself as the "not your grandfather's luxury car" brand, it can swiftly overtake this niche.

I hope Audi stays on this current track.

The "youthful" juxtaposition to the older brands is also much more effective than Venables Bell's last try during the 2010 Super Bowl. It was here that Venables Bell aired a 60-second spot called "Green Police," where it tried to position Audi as a luxury car with a green conscience.

It was a good attempt, but I don't believe most people shopping for a higher-end luxury car are thinking too much of the environment; at least not enough to move the needle on overall sales. So, for being one of the most entertaining commercials of that year, I doubt it did much to further Audi's market share.