Dick Hadden is president and creative director at Cossette Communications-Marketing, Vancouver.

To be fair, it’s had the benefit of months of television, and a number of other boards laying the groundwork.

Not to mention nynex, PacBell, and the Downtown Vancouver traffic system. But where the wonder of nynex was deciphering the puzzle, this campaign follows through to a benefit with its anachronistic problem/solution format.

The ‘visualize the problem’ portion of the equation is well taken care of. The high-contrast, cartoon-style photography throughout the campaign is bright, clean and arresting, with a bright chrome yellow somewhere in the shot continually reinforcing the ‘Think Yellow’ theme.

The headlines supply you with the ‘verbalize the solution’ part without taking you through layers of self-indulgence. In fact, as is fitting for outdoor, the visual works so hard the copy doesn’t even break into a sweat.

Both the visual and type are readable in micro-seconds, so you can stuff these impressions into your brain as your eyes return to the road. But the thought process doesn’t stop there (unless your brain is heading for the windshield), because there’s just enough of a gap in the message to keep your mind involved while you complete the circle.

I’m not saying these boards taxed my intellectual capabilities, but it’s a nice balance. Your mind has been challenged to make some advertising sense of these impressions, while your built-in resistance to communications messages is overcome by a humorous visual.

Now this is obviously not breakthrough direction for outdoor creative. What makes it unique is the fact that it actually works. The idea isn’t stretched so taut that you either give up trying to find the intent, or begin thinking, ‘I know what they mean, but why should I have to work so hard to get where they want me to be?’

It’s an ‘effort’ problem. Most concepts demonstrate lack of it. Many demand too much of it.