[PREAMBLE: Mead Johnson released a new version of the ad today, October 24, in response to the algebra boo-boo discussed below. Material can be found here.]

Someone pointed out an ad that Enfakid A+ placed in the Philippine Daily Inquirer this morning. It’s a gatefold centerspread – pretty pricey, from what I recall.

Here’s how it looked.

Pretty simple.

You then open the gatefold, to reveal this:

To this, I have just one thing to say: DUH.

(Actually, I have a second thing to say: PEMDAS)

(And if you remember your basic PEMDAS, you will realize that the answer is not FOURTEEN, but rather, FIVE.)

Enfakid A+, YOU ARE A FAIL.

(The funny part is, this passed through Accounts, Creatives, Client, Print Production, ASC, and nobody bothered to point out the mathematical fallacy in this ad. Just goes to prove one basic truth about the Advertising industry – we all suck at math.)

P.S.

I want to explain the advertising process from conceptualization to publication, just so you all understand why I find this so ridiculous.

After Client briefs Agency…

1. Agency prepares a rough concept study (“compre”), usually just a low-res JPEG for faster manipulation, saving, and emailing
   
2. Compre is cleared internally with the management team, creative director, accounts team, and strat planner to ensure it’s good creative work, on strategy, and has no grammatical/typographical errors
   
3. Agency presents compre to client – for a special execution like this, it will normally be printed at full scale, and properly mocked up in a newspaper, so client can clearly grasp the concept.
   
4. Once compre is approved, a print producer will assign the actual final artwork (“FA”) to a print production house, who will lay out the material in hi-res, observing all the little nuances important to publication – bleed margins, proper fonts and graphic elements, page dimensions, etc.
   
5. Accounts/creative teams will check the FA JPEG for accuracy and faithfulness with the original compre, and send to client for approval on layout and graphic elements.
   
6. Agency sends a laser printout of the FA in actual size to client, for client to proofread at actual size.
   
7. Agency will prepare a digital proof using actual newsprint material, and send to client for approval of how the colors and graphics come out – very crucial, since different papers react differently to ink. client physically signs off on the digital proof.
   
8. Once agency/print production house receive the signed proof, they proceed to download the file in the proper format for turnover to publication. print producer gives the file a final once-over to ensure the proper specs.
   
9. Agency ensures material has been approved by the Ad Standards Council (ASC) prior to turning over the file and proof to publication.
   
10. Account executive of the publication reviews the material, ensures everything is good and proper, then turns it over for actual production.
    

Okay, so considering this material went through at least TEN different stages of clearance by at least SEVEN different parties – HOW could an error like this have happened?