So this week the Randolph 'Seen It All' campaign started getting noticed. Picked up by many blogs and website it got a great write up on the Creative Review site. Here's what they said:
Randolph Engineering takes bold approach in new print and poster campaign
It’s sadly quite rare these days to see a striking poster campaign, so these new ads for US eyewear brand Randolph Engineering, which feature dynamic photographs and very little branding, really stand out.
Created by RKCR/Y&R, the campaign features three print and poster ads, all of which have no pack shot, no copy and no endline. In fact the only bit of branding is the word ‘Randolph’ which is shown in reverse, as if you are looking through a pair of Randolph aviator shades.
It’s exciting to see photography placed centre stage in an ad campaign for a change, with the ads featuring images showing a pilot flying upside down, an off-piste skier, and a soldier climbing down a rope from an aircraft. In photography terms, the only recent advertising comparison that springs to mind is Apple’s ‘Shot on iPhone 6’ campaign, which highlighted the phone’s great camera by featuring images taken using it, which were then optimised to be used at poster size.
Even Apple’s ads featured some copy and the familiar Apple logo though. Plus, Apple can arguably be more cavalier in its advertising than most brands as anyone who is remotely interested in its phones will know broadly what they are capable of by now. Focusing on its camera – which is vastly improved in the iPhone 6, so a logical aspect to champion – gave the campaign a certain boldness, but it was a calculated risk. In the Randolph campaign, there is a genuine danger that viewers might not know the brand at all, or what the product even is.
Still, perhaps this gives the posters a certain coolness, another quality desperately lacking in print and outdoor ads these days. Especially when combined with the compelling photography, which tells a story of macho athleticism, presumably carefully designed to speak to Randolph’s target audience. If you don’t already know the brand, hopefully this alone will be enough to make you seek it out. Great work.
It was great to make it on to the Creative Review site and even better to get such a glowing write up. Chuffed doesn't come close.