If you can't tell which one is better, quit the business

A tale of two ads

Here are two print ads from the same issue of The New Yorker.

One is good - clever, well-written, based on a brand position and a strategy. The othe rone is just stupid.

But both of them were developed and placed on behalf of a client with a big budget (The New Yorker isn't cheap).

So it raises the question - why would one of these big, well-heeled companies pay for a poorly done ad?