A campaign with real heart

The standout campaign this week for Creative Moment is an ad for Live on NY, which makes a simple exclusion to one of the most iconic ads of all time.

We sincerely hope DeVito/Verdi gave “the rest of the day off” to whoever came up with the latest "Live On NY" campaign, and here’s why:

Milton Glaser’s iconic ‘I ❤️ NY’ poster has become so ubiquitous in the city since its inception in 1976, that it’s now an integral part of New York’s very fabric. It’s difficult then to give audiences a fresh and original perspective on this beloved example of timeless design… or is it?

Glaser’s logo is famous for its simplicity. The secret of the design’s success is how it exploits the brain’s dopamine reward system when it’s triggered by simple, successful translations: in this case four symbols are decoded in the space of less than a second, which makes you feel good, basically.

The heart symbol is of course integral to the effect but, in the case of Live on NY’s take on the ad, it is notable by its absence, causing the viewer to ponder why it is missing (the answer of course is that it symbolises a missing heart, inviting the viewer to consider organ donation).

By adding this fifth decipher to the design, Live on NY elevates its homage into the loftier status of ‘parody’ rather than mere ‘pastiche’.

Parody, you see, engages critically and creatively with its source material, while pastiche tends to be a more neutral or celebratory imitation.

Adding a heart symbol to a logo was pulled off so successfully by Glaser’s original, that any attempt to mimic it will forever relegate your design. But that’s not stopped numerous organisations trying: I ❤️ Radio / I ❤️ LA / Taco Bell’s I ❤️ Fries, etc.

So, kudos to Live on NY for raising a chuckle, raising awareness and raising the standard of the Adscape.

Unsurprisingly, the creative industry has also given the thumbs up: “Delivering a message simply, visually and with wit is hard. Never has ‘less is more’ been so apt,” Neil Dawson, founder and ECD, Neil A Dawson & Company, told Creative Moment.

Don Ferguson, deputy managing director, Hope&Glory also appreciated the work: "It's a genius move to take the iconic logo and apply it to organ donation. The simplicity of the insight and execution is brilliantly delivered in a way that I imagine leaves thousands of New York-based ad creatives thinking, "Why didn't I think of that?". The fact that it delivers every critical campaign message in a heartbeat proves that impactful publicity doesn't need to be flashy and that, sometimes, a simple well-crafted image can still capture the imagination. A masterclass in the art of less is more. I heart this campaign."