Advertising & Beyond

Brands Should Be Friends

Isabelle Griffioen
Practice Autonomous Practices
Project Critical Studies
Major Advertising & Beyond
Year Fourth year

What attracted me to advertising was the Be Stupid campaign for Diesel in 2010. It inspired the viewer to take risks with slogans as ‘smart may have the brains, but stupid has the balls’ or ‘smart has the plans, stupid has the stories’. The ads made me realize that actual people (not gods) created those ballsy images and inspiring me on that day to just do what I felt like (and spend all my savings on jeans). I wanted to be that person that frees people.

Rethinking the best parking spot.

Bronze, Clio Sports

A common theme in my ads is a voice that is on the same level as a good friend. It is encouraging, shows you the best parts of yourself and inspires to ‘do you, boo’ but also tells you the truth when you least want to hear it. I think it is vital for an ad today to not talk to the customer as a customer, but as a human being and thus better yet: a good friend that votes for your best interest.

I wanted to be that person that frees people.

Critical Studies, my minor, has enabled me to address the fact that ideology is the principal obstacle to human liberation and be able to make more autonomous work with the advertising skills I built over the past four years.

Women on Wings

Gold, NRC Charity Awards

Isabelle Griffioen

An excerpt from my diary at the beginning of my graduation project.