The Spirit of Advertising

Can someone who isn't dead be a ghost? For example, when you move to a new place, can a part of you still haunt the old one? It's an interesting idea and really goes along well with philosophy and theories of time. But that's not really what this blog is about. What can I do with the idea of a ghostly presence of a living person?

Let's use it in an ad for a vacation spot, maybe Hawaii.

A woman is on the phone with the hotel manager and she whispers: "I want a new room."

The manager's voice says: "Oh? What seems to be the problem?"

The woman practically hisses into the phone, hysterical. "There's a ghost. Of someone who was here before me."

The woman turns around and we see an apparition of another woman behind her, lounging on the porch hammock with a magazine. The apparition waves. The woman's eyes widen and she turns back to the phone. "She waved at me."

"Listen, ma'am," the manager says, "I know a nice doctor who works in the city..."

The woman hangs up. She looks at the apparition who waves again, before turning to wave at someone else, another apparition drinking a fruity drink on a lounge chair.

The voice over says something to the effect of, "Once you've been to Hawaii, a part of you never wants to leave." 

This isn't my usual process when working on ads. I usually start with the product and strategy, then create a concept and see what media fits that best. This is an interesting way to work however, for a blog.