A Challenge: prove you are more clever than the average advertiser

Also available on the Calgary Herald's Q.

I’ve been ridiculously delinquent here on this blog lately, haven’t I? Well, here’s why: about a month ago I took a new contract working with Lunchbox Theatre here in Calgary. The extra work has been cutting into my blogging time – aka “the workday”. (Lunch hour, naturally.) But I’ve got something fun for us all to participate in that makes everything worth it.

A little back story first. If you work in downtown Calgary you’ve probably heard of Lunchbox Theatre. For the past 33 years they have been providing professional “one-act” theatre (mostly comedies and musicals) over the noon-hour out of their theatre in Bow Valley Square. Shows start at 12:10, run for 40 to 45 minutes and then you are back at your desk by 1pm. (And yes you can eat your lunch in the theatre.) Tickets are $16 for adults. It’s been a pretty sweet deal for 33 years.

The problem is for the past couple of years Lunchbox has, in my opinion, relied a little too much on their core audience and haven’t done much advertising. Or, really, any advertising. And thus their audience has dwindled a little. This dwindling is further compounded by the fact that they will be moving theatres this summer. (No need for me to get into the details as to why here. What’s important is they are opening a brand new theatre at the base of the Calgary Tower!)

This is where I come in. Fix the problem, get the word out. So I’ll be kicking out a full on awareness campaign this August; the primary focus of which will be transit advertising. On the sides of C-Train cars and inside C-Trains and buses, that kind of thing. (Here's an example on the right.) I plan on doing the ads as a throwback to what I think was Lunchbox’s most successful ad campaign of the past.

Those ads were funny and had sayings such as:

• If Romeo and Juliet ended after act one everybody would be much better off
• We write three acts and throw out the worst two

Pretty entertaining stuff for to read during your commute to work. (Better than the standard addiction counselling and continuing education ads that populate the bus roof now at least.)

So here’s where you come in: Do you think you can write a better Lunchbox Theatre slogan? Then go for it! Make sure you take some time to think about it because the best one will receive tickets to Lunchbox Theatre and if it is really good I may even use it on a bus. Either leave slogan(s) in the comments, or email me at blog@djkelly.ca.

Here are some of the ones Lunchbox staff have come up with lately for more inspiration:

• Play with your food?
• Do you have time for a lunch hour quickie?

Now it’s your turn. Prove you’re more clever than the average advertising copy writer. Shouldn’t be hard, right? We'll see!