Hot when it's cold: JC Penney's winter ads

You don't always have to score big, aim high, go in for the big kill. Sometimes, a simple message paired with the right image placed in the right spot does exactly the right thing: get your message across by being relevant.

JC Penney is churning out work in high volume these days. I see it everywhere. The above is placed on walls in a subway underpass in Manhattan, and it absolutely hits the spot. Someone really thought about the context and the person who is passing by. He/she is in a rush to catch a subway. No one will stop to read endless lines of body copy.

The timing of this media buy is a challenge though: just after the holiday rush and the big shopping bonanza. How on earth do you convince people to go back and spend more? By crafting a relevant message. The above is short and concise, and the copy is in BIG LETTERS, so even those who don't wear their glasses can read it. It's fun, and it's real.

One ad plays off a story we have all experienced around the holidays - getting that weird or completely wrong gift that makes it so hard to keep a straight face, fake smile and say "Thank you! I love it!" to the person across from you whose eyes are wide open screaming "Do you like it? Do you like it? I hope you'll like it!". Aaahhhh.

The other one is for all the girls who are facing the daily challenge of showing their assets in wintertime. Puffy jackets, Ugg boots, scarfes, hats and gloves don't allow much freedom for teasing the opposite sex with temperatures around the freezing point. But hell yeah, you can still look hot! Damn right, one or the other girl will say, and will walk right into JC Penney (or any other shop along the way).