Final Project - Febreze

The message I tried to convey is “Febreze eliminates strong odors.” I focused more on strong odors as opposed to bad odors like trash, sweat, and dirty clothes. I want people to expand their definition of what Febreze can be used for. With my print ads, I showed Febreze is more powerful than the strongest odor and has the ability to eliminate and replace strong odor with a more subtle, pleasant scent. I used two strategies to achieve my objective.

1)      The headlines directly clash with the visual.

·         The photo of cows conjures up a specific strong smell in our minds. Then we read the headline, which conjures another, distinctly different, pleasant smell. The Febreze aerosol can helps us make the mental connection. “Even though I am surrounded by cows, I don’t smell cow. I smell lavender because Febreze eliminated the cow odor.”

·         Fresh paint has a distinctive smell. The fumes often are strong enough to make people feel light headed. The headline indicates that whoever is in the room does not have these symptoms. The smell has been eliminated and replaced by a cranberry scent. The solution is simple: Febreze.

·         Grease and oil smell have a tendency to linger. You know if someone has been cooking with oil even when you walk into the room hours later. But again, the headline juxtaposed against the visual forces the viewer to make a mental jump. “What does linen have to do with oil? Wait! Febreze can do that?”

2)      The copy below the Febreze emphasizes the point. It is a score.

·         Cows 0: Febreze 1. Febreze eliminated its competition.

·         Paint fumes 0: Febreze 1. Febreze eliminates smells that before we’ve just had to deal with.

·         Deep fryer 0: Febreze 1. Febreze eliminates even strong smells with staying power.

“Febreze.com” at the bottom is a subtle call to action that drives traffic to the website, invites the viewer to learn more, and provides a channel for purchase of the product.

Design principles

Print ad 1 – Cows

·         Asymmetrical balance achieved by

o   Contrast in visual weight, spatial depth, texture, color

·         Loose tracking (sub copy)

·         Similarity – the word “lavender” and the Febreze aerosol can share the same purple color

Print ad 2 – Paint

·         Rule of thirds

·         Complementary colors

·         Asymmetrical balance

·         Figure/ground

Print ad 3 – Deep fryer

·         Primary colors

·         Asymmetrical balance

o   Visual direction

·         Similarity