Ron Taft’s creative work is all about bold statements. Take his work for Modern Classic Motors (left), which stars the timeless 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster. With the tagline “87 and still a hottie,” Ron turns a classic car into an icon, blending humor with reverence. The striking black-and-white imagery lets the Auburn’s sleek curves speak for themselves, creating a visual that stops you in your tracks. Then there’s his campaign for The BRAIN Cooperative (right), where a vibrant, almost chaotic robot head is set against a bright yellow background. The choice of yellow isn’t just for shock value—it’s a deliberate move to symbolize caution and urgency, drawing attention to the pressing conversation around AI regulation. The bold colors and hand-painted feel of the design reinforce the message. Each campaign packs a punch, speaking directly to the heart and mind of the viewer, with visuals that demand attention and messages that linger long after.

By: Ron Taft, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, RON TAFT Brand Innovation & Media Arts

A HOTTIE

In an era when age can be a deterrent, we wanted to create a campaign that celebrates the idea that a classic car is a beautiful thing, often coveted, an attribute that our target demographic—that is, those who can afford and collect them—can undoubtedly relate to. Classic cars become more desirable the older they get and rarely lose value. 

As far as I know, nobody has taken this youth-oriented approach to selling these luxurious metal beauties this way.

Who better to memorialize the sublime aesthetic of this 1935 Auburn 851 Speedster than Michael Furman? Michael has photographed many of the most sensuous cars in the world, with photography books such as French Curves and Speed, Style, and Beauty: Cars from the Ralph Lauren Collection, to mention a few.

The first car in our series was a 1978 Ferrari GTS that I photographed in Modena, Italy, when Bill Harrah, the then-owner of Modern Classic Motors and the North American Ferrari Distributorship, sent me to the factory to shoot the new cars in MCM’s launch ad campaign. I took a straight-on shot of the front of the Ferrari with a 24mm wide angle for dramatic effect. Forty-five years later, this was the exact photo we used for the first ad. Copywriter Mark Curtis came up with the line for the Ferrari ad: “HOW MANY OF US LOOK THIS GOOD AT 45?”

Sure hope I look that great at 45 (You know I’m kidding, right?).

WARNING LABEL

We were brought in to create an awareness campaign for The BRAIN Cooperative, a startup nonprofit organization whose mission is to advocate for urgent, essential regulation, given the hasty proliferation of AI in numerous sectors. We came up with the idea of a simple warning label—which says it all: 

WARNING: With every marvelous technology comes an equal opportunity for bad. The haste to push the exponential benefits of AI to market can blur the ethical, moral, economic, and societal implications looming in the ether. Now that the genie is out of the bottle, we need to figure out how to regulate AI. Or AI will figure out how to regulate itself.

We wanted a disarming visual, one that didn’t look super hi-tech. We decided on a more human, painterly style to execute our visuals, which you don’t see often representing AI in this kind of campaign. Belinda Bell is an artist we love for her style. Her striking paintings beautifully capture the subtle humor in the headlines.

CREDITS: A Hottie

Creative Director/Art Director/Copywriter: Ron Taft 

Photographer: Michael Furman

CREDITS: Warning Label

Creative Director/Art Director: Ron Taft

Copywriters: Ron Taft, Dylan Gerber

Artist: Belinda Bell

Ron Taft has received 31 Graphis Awards and numerous international design and industry awards, including two Emmys for Columbia TriStar Television and two artist award-winning Grammy campaigns. Ron brings a string of celebrated brand innovation and media arts to market. Ron’s many disciplines emanate from his advertising agency, television network, film studio, and music industry background. He formerly served as the executive vice president/creative director of Dailey Interactive (an IPG company) before founding his own company, Ron Taft Brand Innovation & Media Arts, in 2008.

Social: Instagram, LinkedIn

To see more Advertising 2024 competition winners, click here. And don't forget to enter our Advertising 2025 competition here!