This is a series of print ads for the show Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel. The Devil's Advocate chose this series because it stands out from your average-joe print ad and the pure shock value of the ad. The premise for the show is a man travels to remote locations, usually ones that are difficult to live in, and lives on his own while using only the resources available to him in nature. The idea for these print ads comes from the fact that he can only eat bugs, plants, or animals while in the wild...because for whatever reason they don't have a Wegman's out there.
The show itself has a certain shock value to it. While you watch the show, you may be taken back by some of the things this man does while he's in the wild. From lifting up rocks to find the centipedes underneath, to setting up traps to catch squirrels which he then grills to jumping out of airplanes, the show is crazy to watch. The ad series is a perfect representation of that.
Though these ads don't have something that make you stop and think deeply, they do possess the shock value that makes you stop and look. Let's say you're browsing through your favorite magazine, flip the page and you see a zebra burrito. You are going to stop and take a second look at the image. This series of ads has been picked by The Devil's Advocate because of its representation of the show and its shock value.
Representation of the Show
If you've seen Man vs. Wild, you immediately know the basis for these ads. The raw, gritty feel of seeing raw zebra meat wrapped in its own skin is a perfect resemblance of what is happening in the show. No, he's never gone out and killed a zebra and then made a burrito out of it but that is exactly the type of thing he would do. The show takes suburbanites right out of their comfort zone with the things this guy does and these ads possess that same quality.
Gross!...that was my first thought. If I'm flipping the pages through National Geographic, with page after page of scenic rolling plains and beautiful desert sun sets, then I flip to what looks like french fries but realize it's worms, I'm grossed out. This shock value is what the campaign aims to do. You will be so shocked when you first see this ad that you can not look away. That is the point. We experience the shock because they have shaped the animal meat\bugs in a familiar form that we all know - who hasn't had a burrito, french fries, or a slice of pizza in their life. Taking something you have actually tasted, or actually relate to, and transforming it into something so primitive amplifies the shock of the ad.
Does this ad stand out as the most creative? No. This series was chosen because it is extremely effective in grasping a feel for what the show is like and keeping the readers eyes on the ad.
