Contrasting Credit Card Advertising

Some of my favorite adverts are from American Express. We have already seen the Superman and Seinfeld ads, which are brilliant by the way, but also I like the way they are willing to use the good type of celebrities and especially top directors.

The hidden message is obviously “American Express is not just a credit card“, pushing the aspirational, exclusive, status angle for all it is worth.

Possibly the most famous of these ads were the “My Life, My Card” series, featuring such stars as Robert Deniro.

Two other ads though stand out for me, quite different, and very much not hard sell.

Martin Scorsese American Express Advert

First a humorous take, with Martin Scorcese in a photo lab …

M. Night Shyamalan American Express Advert

Then, as you would expect from the Sixth Sense director, something a little more sinister and surreal …