Umlauf Sculpture Garden Campaign Profiled in Adweek

November 19, 2007

I know what you’re thinking: Ho-hum, another ad featuring a frog dressed up as a tour guide. In this case, though, the photo of guide Fernando “Hops” Rivera makes sense for conveying the distinctive appeal of the Umlauf, a six-acre garden in which are displayed several dozen sculptures by Charles Umlauf, plus an indoor gallery that features touring exhibits. There are lots of places where you can see art (good, bad or indifferent). There are lots of places where you can see nature. But one takes the point that there’s no place else where you can see the two combined quite as they are in the Umlauf—hence the motto, “Art. Framed by nature.” The place is apparently a much-loved institution in Austin, and that could easily prompt an ad campaign that bores us with an air of hushed reverence. That’s not, obviously, what we’ve got here. This ad and others in the series are unapologetically fun, and they serve to remind the locals that they’re missing out on some fun if they don’t get to the Umlauf more often. At the same time, though, it’s so wacky that it stands apart from the over-egalitarian ads (for museums, opera companies, etc.) that seek to drum up business by putting serious art on the same undemanding plane as a sitcom. Here, one is given to feel that a visit to the Umlauf is fun, but fun in a way that elevates the visitor above the cheesiness of everyday life. (That frog isn’t wearing a tie for nothing, you know.)
– Mark Oliver