REI print ad puts you on top of the mountain

Top of the Rockies is where they'll take you when you stop to study this print ad for REI, now showing in the Boulder Daily Camera.

The photo fills the frame and the headline subtly states:

REI's Anniversary Sale.

It's the biggest sale of the year.

Faithful fans of this popular outfitter will gladly pay full price year round for REI's quality gear. But like Nordies shoppers they're likely to line up for "the sale you've been waiting for."

Not that 20% off is enough to get most of us excited, more that the prospect of kicking cabin fever for fun times in the mountains. Count me in.

Think this guy can sell your house?

Everyone has heard that nobody in the world sells more real estate than ReMax, right? That's because the company screams that message on radio, TV and in newspapers.

Here's a skyscraper with the same message that I found on the Memphis Commercial-Appeal website. Already I like this guy. He's smiling and that's got to be tough these days for many real estate professionals because people just aren't buying as many homes. But the guy in the ReMax ad is happy and he's proudly holding a SOLD sign in his hand. The message here is RESULTS and that's what we all want when we hire an agent to sell our house. We pay a hefty commission and we expect our property to sell in a reasonable period of time.

I like this ad, mainly for the photo and the "can-do" message. The colors are bright and bold. Lacking a border this 160x600 banner blends with other content on the page, engaging more readers.

But most of all I give ReMax points for pro-actively marketing the company and its agents. I'm sure they promote their listings too. After all, that's what home sellers want and need from their Realtor. Now more than ever.

This ReMax guy seems to say: "Don't worry, be happy."