Context is Key

It's one of the most successful and often imitated advertisements of the late 20th century. With two simple words, the copy line invades our space and makes us stop in our tracks and think... Have I "Got Milk?"

Why does the "Got Milk?" campaign work so well? In his book Rhetoric: A User's Guide, John D. Ramage explains that the consumer's response to a particular ad partially depends on the relationship between the time and place of the consumer, and the time and place in which the ad was created. It's all about context. If a tagline or slogan is able to position itself as being relevant by showing that it lives in a world similar to ours, we're much more likely to respond.

From the middle of October, until the first week of January, our minds and checkbooks are fixated on the holiday season. Pumpkins and turkeys give way to stockings and presents, and before we know it we're ringing in the new year. Middleton Pest Control has been using outdoor advertising for a long time, but their new digital outdoor campaign is setting itself apart by taking context into consideration. Their original "Trick or Treatment" design was replaced on November 1st with a design featuring a roach-infested Thanksgiving feast.

The flexibility of the medium allows Middleton to easily swap out one message for another, continually mirroring the buzz that surrounds each passing holiday. The timeliness of the campaign maximizes its effectiveness, and keeps the message top-of-mind in an especially oversaturated season for advertising.