This document provides guidance for a marketing project to create an advertising campaign using still life photography. Students are asked to choose an existing product to advertise and determine the target audience. They must develop 3 initial ideas and a final design incorporating elements like company branding, well-composed photos placed in context, appealing colors and textures, and inspiration from other ads. Photos should tell a story and relate to the target audience to effectively sell the product. Annotations are required to explain creative decisions. Example products and ideas for photographic contexts are given to spark ideas.

1. ADVERTISING
FINAL PIECE
Project Brief
As the Marketing Executive of a company you have been asked to create an advertising campaign for a
new product or range of products.
It is up to you to decide what your company manufactures, what the new product/range of products is, who
you are going to sell it to and how you are going to get people to buy it.
You’re not expected to ‘invent’ your own product, so you will be picking a product that already exists.
However, you must not copy any existing advertising campaigns for the product you choose.
Getting Started – Answer these questions:
1. What are you going to sell?
- It could be a product or a service, so long as you are using still life photography to sell
it!
2. Who are you going to sell it to?
- Pick a target audience and think about how you might adapt your campaign to meet it.
3. How are you going to sell it?
- What will be in the photos?
- How many photos?
- Where will the photos be printed? (posters, websites, business cards, letter heads,
etc).
The Recipe to Success

2. These are the ingredients you need in any delicious advertising campaign, so make sure you have
included all of them:
3 initial ideas leading to A corporate style Images/photos
a final design (different ways (a unique theme that placed in context
/options to sell the same identifies your company)
product).
Considered choice Relationships between
of textures, colours the objects in the images
and contrast.
Inspired/influenced
SALES Size/scale
by artists/adverts
you have seen (and
m (e.g. banner or brochure)
included in your book).
Specific to target
audience
Tells a story (you’re selling
more than a product – e.g.
selling a way of life and why
you NEED to buy the product
Annotations
Remember to stick all of your photos in, before and after editing them in Photoshop. Use annotations to
make it really obvious how your project has developed.
Annotations can be really good at pointing out the things you have thought about in creating your images. If
you have used certain colours to appeal to a specific audience you must point that out or we will think it was
an accident.
A sketchbook is not a record of your best pieces – it is a visual journey, a diary.
Ideas

3. Perfume Perfume is boring to look at on its own because its just a liquid. But by taking photos
of it in a fancy bottle you are making it look like so much more. Place the bottle next to
some expensive items and you automatically make your perfume look expensive.
Music You can’t see music. So in order to sell it you have to take photos of things that you
associate with the music. For example, for orchestral music you might take photos of
violins and cellos or of plants or birds. For rap music you might have photos of spray
cans against a graffiti wall.
Teapot A teapot on its own doesn’t say much about its use. But place it in context, such as
next to teacups, napkins, food, etc and you are telling a story about the teapot’s use
and demonstrating a scenario when it might be used – a scenario the target audience
can relate to.
E.g. A steaming cup of tea on a window sill with rain/snow outside the window behind
it might suggest to the viewer when they might need to use a teapot.
Wine glass When selling wine glasses there is always a big emphasis on quality. Therefore your
photo must be perfect – no fingerprints or nasty reflections. The lighting must be even
and carefully considered. Also, a wine glass on its own does not tell a story about
when it might be used. Take photos of several wine glasses with wine in and you are
immediately creating a social situation when they might be used.
Food Food is really hard to photograph, but can look really impressive in a photographer’s
portfolio. The food has to look appealing and fresh. You might glaze bread to make it
look shinier or spray water on fruit to make it look fresh. You might drizzle chocolate
around a dessert or capture steam coming off a meal to make it look hot and
atmospheric.
Paper Paper on its own looks really boring. But make origami sculptures or draw detail pencil
studies on it and you can inspire people to make things from it.
Drinks When people buy drinks they are often very concerned about what has been put in
the drink. By photographing it alongside fruit, you are telling the viewer which fruits
have been used to make it. It can also be good to place a glass of drink next to the
drink packaging.
Anti-Smoking Try to stop people from smoking by taking photos of cigarette butts. Place them in
different contexts and you could create different messages.
Remember: It’s a still life project, so no photos of people or landscapes!