Vaughn Davis: Simple but clever enough for those already in the club

Campaign: Zambesi sale
Agency: in-house
Creative team: Tulia Wilson
Reviewer: Vaughn Davis, Y&R, creative director retail.

When I saw the Zambesi Sale poster I nearly died.

No, really.

I bike to work, and this big red poster caught my eye as I rode past one the other morning on Quay St. I was still thinking about how cool it was when I almost hit a bus 100m further on. Which is pretty good going for an ad that:

1. Is for a retailer, and

2. Would have cost almost nothing to produce.

Now I know a poster for a frock sale isn't perhaps as edgy as an icecream ad about undies or as funny as a 42 Below viral email. But as a smart, engaging piece of retail communication, it's the best thing I've seen in a long time.

Big red posters with white letters on them are, of course, nothing new when it comes to advertising sales. I took a walk up Queen St the other day and photographed about 50 of them. Even dear old Smith & Caughey's has given up on its desperately quaint "annual fair" in favour of the "s" word.

So it's refreshing to see a retailer come up with a variation on the idea. Because being a great retailer isn't just about driving sales; it's about building a brand at the same time.

By being just a little less than obvious, the Zambesi poster asks viewers to get involved with the message and work it out for themselves.

Once they have, they feel just a little bit clever (or they run into a bus). So on top of telling you there's a sale on, this poster gives you a little reward.

Will everyone who sees the Zambesi poster understand it? Not a chance. If you've never heard of Zambesi, for example, you're sunk.

But for a niche fashion brand, exclusivity is a good thing - by working out the poster, you feel like you're part of the club.

And if you're a fan of Zambesi frocks, I imagine you also feel like racing over to the sale and picking out another one.

* Each week, the Business Herald asks an advertising industry figure to nominate the best (or worst) locally produced campaign they've seen recently - not from their agency - and explain why.