When I was reading the newspaper recently I noticed a very striking Children’s Miracle Network “Thank you to our corporate partners” ad. These types of ads are typical in the not for profit sector, but this one really stood out – for several reasons.
What I hadn’t realized is that the charity had recently changed its name and logo. The new joint logo illustrates the unique relationship between RE/MAX and what is now called Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. When I learned this, what I was seeing in the ad made total sense, but was nonetheless bold, creative and confident on their part.
The first thing that struck me in the ad was the very creative use of what turns out to be its new balloon icon as the platform for recognizing its corporate partners. The page was afloat with balloons containing the logos of all of the Children’s Miracle Network corporate partners. What was even more ingenious was that they were able to tastefully and yet impactfully recognize (and therefore promote) their partners based on the respective level of support provided…simply by the size of the balloon used for each – and therefore the size of the respective corporate partner’s logo – regardless of where it was placed on the page. Amazingly brilliant and so impactful – at the same helping to be equitable and get around what can be a tricky issue…and of course, keeping their partners happy!
What it also allowed them to do was to feature both the logos of all the members of their network (albeit in a more traditional way), without competing with the corporate partners’ logos – striking a nice balance and making everyone happy.
My general test for judging an ad is if it is easy and pleasing on my eyes, and this one hit the nail on the head! My eyes weren’t struggling with where to look, and instead there was a natural flow thanks to the very thoughtful structure of the ad.
Did anybody else notice this and stop to take a longer look than you might normally? Way to go Children’s Miracle Network – nice branding and recognition!