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An Adventure of Mine*
Glamour Magazine - Greyhound Bus Ad
THE MAGAZINE
A long, long time ago -- back in my younger days, I was looking through an issue of "Glamour" magazine. (It was required reading for a college class on Textiles and Clothing, but that is another story.)
Glamour magazine is a slick, colorful magazine with articles about fashion for young women. It is filled with advertisements specifically targeted at that market.
While most of the advertisements were in bright colors, there was one ad that just seemed to jump out at me, It was a full-page ad in black and white, no color.
THE ADVERTISEMENT
The ad was a large photograph and very few words. At the bottom of the page, simply appeared the logo of the advertiser, Greyhound Bus Lines, along with their current slogan, "Leave the driving to us."
The photograph was in simple black and white -- But, what a picture!
It was a photograph of a young woman and a young man sitting together on a Greyhound bus. Each was sitting there holding a magazine open in front of them.
The young woman was reading Glamour magazine (naturally).
You could not see the name of the magazine at which the young man was looking, but you could see that he was holding it sideways, intensely staring at the full length with a big smile.
The young woman was holding, but not looking at her magazine. Instead, she was nonchalantly peering over to see what had captured the young man's attention. The smile on her face was priceless.
THE LESSONS to be LEARNED
This was clearly an outstanding illustration of the adage, "A picture is worth a thousand words."
It was also an great example of the power of simple black and white film in the hands of a great photographer. The highlights, the contrasts, the shadows, the composition ... what a wonderful presentation.
The sales slogan of the advertiser was simple, easy to grasp, easy to recognize, and easy to remember.
It was a nifty example of "an ad within an ad" -- The Glamour magazine in the Greyhound ad in Glamour magazine.
EPILOGUE
To this day, I remember not only the ad but what it was advertising. It was very effective.
And, I remember - with delight - the story it told. A complete short story illustrated on one page, in one photograph.
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