Apparently, I'm not the only one who was bored by the proliferation of talking babies and cute dogs in this year's crop of Super Bowl ads.
The Association of Independent Creative Producers (AICP) has had enough of these cliched ads passing as the pinnacle of creativity, and has put together a hilarious campaign to promote a resurgence in fresh advertising ideas, as well as drive new submissions for its advertising art show.
The AICP is aiming to turn advertising back into art through its rallying cry: Stop Babies and Puppies. The organization's new microsite includes a video that depicts the growing problems caused by lazy reliance on cuteness to sell; a Cliche Ad Machine for generating sharable, yet trite, ads; a "Missile Command"-style video game where you can shoot at the cooing, squeaking little cuties before they descend upon unwitting agencies, editorial teams and production houses; and assets to help you show your support of the cause. They even supply this handy flowchart, to help cutesy-addicted creatives identify when their work may be headed down a dangerously cliche'd path.
Save the date! For more examples of what makes for killer creative, attend ad:tech San Francisco's The Big Digital Idea: Killer Creative Showcase session, April 21. Click here to learn more.
