Copywriting: Iasi, a city worth visiting

Iasi is one of the largest and oldest cities in Romania. Well known for being a student friendly city, with top universities and good resources for studies, great places for nights out and cheap prices. Coming from a person who lived there 8 years, it can be said that it's a really good place to live, big city, a lot of job opportunities, there is always something new going on so you don`t get bored, like free concerts or all sorts of other events.

Palas Overview

Part of its beauty is the new Palas Iasi, next to the historical Palace of Culture. The Palas ensemble is a ''city in the heart of the city''. Here you can find A-class offices, apartments, areas for retail, children`s playground, gym, clubs, restaurants and also an underground parking lot for almost 2.500 cars.Thinking that Romania is still in recession, is worth mentioning that at Palas there are over 4.000 permanent jobs and that companies are recruiting all the time.

 

Palace of Culture (  http://www.iasifoto.com )      

 

             Palas Iasi ( http://www.wall-street.ro )                   

Nevertheless, a well know place in Iasi where students tend to spend most of their time, is Tudor Vladimirescu. Here you can find part of the accommodation that University Al. I. Cuza is offering. This became a student's area, with a lot of great places to hang out and shop, everything being a bit cheaper than in other areas. Basically you have everything you need: big mall for shopping, restaurants, pizza places, pubs, clubs, fast food and many other places where people go, socialize and have fun.

Iulius Mall  ( http://mariussescu.ro )

It is worth talking about the main university as well, University Al. I. Cuza. It is the oldest in the country, prestigious for all its projects and achievements, gets thousands of students from all around the country every year and manages to keep its position as one of the best in Romania.

 University Al. I. Cuza, main building ( http://www.panoramio.com )

   

Metropolitan Cathedral Iasi ( http://www.romaniatourism.com )

Besides being known as the centre of the Moldavian region, Iasi is also a city where you can find a marvellous Metropolitan Cathedral and a lot of Monasteries and Churches.

Luceafarul Theater Iasi ( http://rybkaforum.net )                .                     

Great places to spend time and have fun are also theatres. One of the biggest theatre in Iasi is Luceafarul. This is a great place where people go and enjoy a nice show,  socialize and have fun. Also, for drama students or those who finished their studies, the theatre offers a great amount of intern-ships, or just one time plays where students can act and gain experience.


Another thing that should be mentioned is the airport. Iasi has an international airport, which is now being expanded, that can take you in great places like: London, Rome, Amsterdam, Paris and many more. This is a great thing if there are students who want to go abroad for exchange programs, work or just holiday.

                         
             Iasi International Airport ( http://www.mediafax.ro )                    Iasi International Airport Project (http://www.agendadeiasi.ro )

Nevertheless, Iasi is a place for students to study, learn, practice, work, have fun and enjoy their time in all possible ways. Because it is a city that never sleeps, there is always something going on. The launch of a new club, a pool contest, a free concert and many other activities that are rewarding for students.

 

Skye Club (www.islive.ro)

Indoors Concert (www.iconcert.ro)

After having a quick look at what Iasi is about, it can be said that it is definitely worth visiting. On top of this, it is a place full of opportunities, great for living, student friendly and most important is a city that expands continuously and that will never get you bored. So, plan your trip to Iasi and you will discover even more amazing things!

Creativity: Argos Aliens Christmas ad - I can shop from here

Christmas Holidays are coming and companies have started to advertise more and promote their services and products. Argos is one of them, and similar to last year they are trying to attract more and more customers that will buy their products, by using the blue aliens.

Argos hold an USP of selling a wide range of products that are cheaper than its rivals (Management Today, 2010), try to increase their Christmas sales by using the approach to family life in which wanting is enough reason for having (Guardian, 2006).  The audience that Argos is targeting in this video is the everyday family (ITV Media, 2012) looking for an easy and fast shopping experience. The tone used is playful and fun; they make everything look as if buying something from them it’s easy and fun at the same time. In this advert, Argos is the first retailer to introduce Shazam as part of their ads (Marketing Week, 2012). Shazam is an audio recognition app that recognizes the adverts’ audio and takes the viewer`s phone to directly download the Argos app (Retail Week, 2012).

1. Change of tone

Changing the way the father is talking, from a playful tone, where he explains how he can buy all sorts - like a nose trimmer - from different places, to a tone that is a bit more serious. Having an advert where there is a father shown as a more rigid person, who is not that easy to impress and entertain and his kids and friends who are having fun, would definitely change the advert in a good way. He would still speak about the app and how he can easily buy from everywhere, but he will do it on a more serious tone. This image would be shown better with an example like the father printing something and his printer breaks. Then showing how easy he can reserve another printer with his new app, go to the store and pick it up in no time.

2. Character change
A new scenario, in which the new app system could be shown, would be to have the father not knowing how apps work and the kids explaining this to him. Having the entire family watching TV and seeing the new Argos advert where a Shazam picture shows on the screen. Then the children grab their dad’s phone and open the audio recognition app Shazam and discover the new Argos app.  Kids tell their father that his phone can be used for this as well, they download the app and then they teach him how to use it. In the end, happy about the new app, the father shows it to his close friends and explains how all smartphones can do that.

3. Adding a narrator
As it is a Christmas advert, adding a narrator and turning everything into a fairy tale story, would be appropriate. They can have a calm female voice, in the background, telling a story about a family of aliens that came to Earth. She can start by telling how they got here, that the aliens were confused and they did not really know why they were on Earth. After that, picture them in a window shop watching TV and then, at one point the new Argos advert is showing and they start following the steps and downloading the app. At the end, an image with the alien family going back to their planet, while they browse the new app and before going on their ship, the kids turn and say: ‘’We can shop from here’’. This way, it demonstrates how easy and effective it is to use the app, in order to make shopping fast and easy. It reveals that is so easy, that even children could use it.

4. Cinema
Another scenario would be having a group of aliens in a cinema. They are watching an advert of a new perfume and one of them says: ‘Can`t wait to go home and reserve this on Argos so that tomorrow I can pick it up after work, I hope they have at least 1 left!’. Meanwhile one of the aliens goes on his application and reserves the perfume. Then he tells the others that there are 5 left in the store they have in town. Then everyone starts asking how he knows that and he explains how they can download the app and shop from anywhere. 

5. Pub
There is the father in a pub, pretty upset because Christmas is coming and he doesn't know what present to buy for his wife. While drinking his beer alone, he talks to himself and says: 'Only if I had an idea of a nice present for my wife...'. The bartender hear that and he asks him: ' Have you heard of the Argos phone app? You can just click on the Gifts category and they will give you a lot of nice present ideas'. Then the father surprised but really interested asks: ' How can I get this app? What is the name and where can I download it from?', the bartender: 'Go on their website on your phone and you can get it from there. Then just look for a present and reserve it, you can pick it up anytime after that from the local store or get it delivered.', the father: 'that is brilliant  Thank you so much for this! Just found something, gotta go pick it up! See you later!'. This is way the new app is revealed and it advantages.

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