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Pittsburgh thankful for shading coefficients

Gh_ppg_aquarium_2When I think "Pittsburgh," heavy industry comes to mind, along with a historically wretched baseball team. PPG Industries, in a campaign from Garrison Hughes, fuses commerce and culture (in Pittsburgh?) to play up the company’s philanthropic prowess in the city. “What do amorphous precipitated silicas have to do with opera?” one ad asks. Oddly, I woke up this morning with the same question on my lips. PPG explains that its success in silicas allows the company to fund the arts. “How the shading coefficient of glass helps your families enjoy the aquarium” is another headline in the campaign (with art showing a penguin, which is suddenly today’s AdFreak theme). Of course it’s self-serving, but not nearly as tired as many efforts in this vein, which seem to consist of uniting the phrase “We gave, so love us!” with corporate logos. Can silicas do anything to help the Pirates? Oh right, baseball’s got that whole “substance” scandal going on. Never mind.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

February 22, 2008 in Gianatasio | Permalink

Comments

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I'm not sure where these ads are appearing, so it's tough to comment on the intended audience, but PPG absolutely LOVES to combine touchy-feely marketing messages with hard-core technology. And while it's true that the science that goes into their products is important, sometimes the idea of mentioning "amorphous precipitated silicas" may sail over the head of one's audience.

Posted by: bobB | Feb 22, 2008 10:39:01 AM

Wow, Pittsburgh makes you think of industry? Where have you been? That's kind of a dated concept.

Posted by: Chris Griswold | Feb 22, 2008 8:25:49 PM

The days of steel mills running at full steam are long gone. Pittsburgh has transitioned nicely into the healthcare (some of the top hospitals in the country), education (Carnegie Mellon, U. of Pitt), technology and financial service arenas.

Posted by: | Feb 23, 2008 1:27:38 PM

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