Our group set aside an hour to concept the copy of our Polaroid ad for the brand revival. We began by understanding the limits of a Polaroid photo. One limit, obviously, is that you have just the one physical, printed copy of the photograph. This is a weakness which we tried to turn into a strength. How? Creative copy.
“________ gets a Polaroid, everyone else gets a jpeg”. That was the original idea for the copy. It symbolized the power one has when deciding who gets the sole photograph. Sure, you can send copies of them over the internet later. But right then, the photographer holds the only existing captured moment. Who he shares it with shows trust, familiarity, respect.
There were several attempts at rewording the tag line, and ultimately one of those is the actual one we chose for the print ad. The idea is still the same, though: A blank line, later filled in by hand, indicating who the special person who receives the Polaroid is.Everyone other than that person merely receives a copy, or jpeg, of the image. There were numerous variations, such as the one posted above. It defines a true friend as someone you would give a symbolic item to; in this case, a Polaroid photo of friends at a party.
While we considered having “Polaroid” at the end, as in “Everyone else gets a jpeg, _______ gets a Polaroid”, it didn’t seem to have the same punch. Using the word “jpeg” at the end gives it, I believe, a humorist twist. For example, I can imagine a conversation going “Did you get the photo?” “No, I only got a jpeg”. It gives the actual physical photo greater value. We were sold on the idea immediately, wording it just right was the harder part.
This was one of the two tag lines we created. The other, posted on another blog, played with the idea of a wall of photos similar to the wall on your Facebook account. You can find that blog here. Both are light and humorous, much like Polaroid ads have been for decades. Heres to a few decades more!
