I’ve been resorting to tweeting (@miceliaj) a lot of the ads that catch my attention in recent weeks, I understand that this isn’t the most optimal way to convey my feelings towards these adds. I’m currently in the process of writing some pieces and hope to return to somewhat frequent schedule soon once things settle down a tad.
To those of you reading this, thank you for your continued belief and support.
Your ad addict,
a.
*please click blog title title for link
An interesting look at some of the best billboard in the UK, which happen to be some of the best billboard done in the world! The Brits have always been known for taking things a step further and their billboard ads are a strong example of that. Strong, impactful, and sometimes cheeky.
I hope to provide some stats in the coming days as to how well these billboards have performed in relation to others.
Enjoy!
St. John Ambulance PSA - BHH London
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I come back to you all after a short break with a hard hitting ad that features an important message. I saw this video approximately two weeks ago and it has been sitting open in a browser tab since then as I knew it was such and important piece to touch on.
BHH London went above and beyond the call of a normal PSA with their development of this for St. John Ambulance. Known for their ‘gotcha’ campaigns, they did just that by taking the viewer a hard hitting ride that will leave them wondering if they would be prepared if face with the same situation. As indicated by Ad Weekly, “Suffice it to say, the irony of the film’s final frames serves as a reminder that the most exhaustive medical care can sometimes amount to nothing without knowledge of the simplest treatments around.”
As an individual who was a lifeguard for over 3 years I can’t help but agree with the message of this PSA, that everyone can benefit from basic first aid training because no one knows when an event such as depicted in this ad will hit a member of their family or friend. I believe that this ad does and incredible job of highlighting the realness of the event and just how little reaction time one has in order to perform the necessary first aid. The only negative I found with this ad is that it was a little bit long, and I wonder if some viewers would be lost in the translation of the story to the true message.
All-in-all I am happy that BHH London took on this client and this campaign, I hope that this ad encouraged numerous people throughout the UK to sign up for a first aid course or review previous material that they may have.
Cheese. A defence. (McDonalds) - DDB Stockholm
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Your food is now going to talk to you according to this new McDonalds add put together by DDB Stockholm. However it’s not the burger advocating for itself, it’s actually it’s friend Cheese who making a strong statement about how much you should go ahead and treat yourself to a Cheeseburger for only 1 Euro.
Part of me wonders if this will launch a bitter feud between Cheese and Burger, maybe Burger doesn’t really need Cheese if Cheese feels the need to steal the spot light and make it all about itself, when really it’s a team effort between the two.
In all seriousness the 265-word count copy ad will probably go down in the record books as one of the the heaviest copy ads created for the Fast Food Industry. However, it should be noted that heavily copied ‘ads’ worked well for the Jay-Z’s Decode campaign (where pages of the book were posted as ads), in this case though there was a clear call-to action to read the ad to figure out where it was from. In this case it could be quite possible that whichever copywriter took the painstaking hours to develop this quirky, sarcastic burger talk could have possibly better used their time for something else.
Either way it’s an interesting take on how food can ‘communicate’ with people.
Clash of the Condiments (Hidden Valley) - Tribal DDB Worldwide (San Francisco, CA)
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Apparently this commercial was launched earlier this summer, maybe it is because us Canadians don’t appreciate Hidden Valley Dressing as much up here as our American counterparts, but I didn’t even see an airing of this commercial while visiting South Carolina in August. Either way, I came across this as last week as I perused the depths of the Internet and it caught my attention. Hidden Valley attempting to take on the beloved ketchup as the ‘new’ condiment.
While the ad is quirky and funny, as the two mascots take on each other in a variety of ‘hard core’ challenges to determine who is the champion (none of which involve food I might add).
This ad might have your laughing at it’s antics, but I couldn’t help but laugh at the bold statement Hidden Valley is attempting to make against ketchup. I mean as much as Ranch Dressing (especially Hidden Valley) is really yummy to put on things such as raw veggies and dip chicken strips in, it does not have the same versatility and ‘nutritional value’ as ketchup does. But I wish Hidden Valley’s ranch dressing luck on their conquest to overtake ketchup’s strong hold in the marketplace. If anything it will be an interesting battle.
Another perspective:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303299604577323653752204874.html
Beer Chase (Carlton Draught) - Clemenger BBDO
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Who doesn’t love a great beet commercial? Clemenger BBDO has hit this one out of the park with their new ‘cops & robbers’ themed ad for Australian’s Carlton Draught beer. The commercial itself is pretty self explanatory, their is just one twist that makes it different than a normal police chase, but that’s half the fun! According to Ad Week, the music for this particular commercial, “Is basically the boozer’s version of Saturn’s famous old “Sheet Metal” spot, backed by an appropriately cheesy ’80s anthem.”
If this ad doesn’t leave you laughing with it’s ‘don’t spill the beer’ antics, crazy slow motion effects, and my personal favourite part of the clearing of the police barricade, then maybe you’re not cool enough for this beer. Because when you drink Carlton’s Draught beer it comes with a whole new level of responsibility!
Carlton Draught, made from beer.
Happy Accidents (Virgin Mobile) - Mother (New York)
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This particular ad was featured on Adweek.com this week as the ‘Ad of the Day’ for August 27th. As soon as I hit play I was laughing, the ad is a comical look at individuals purposely getting rid of their current phone just to have an excuse to switch to Virgin Mobile’s great plan! Some of the ‘ditch’ techniques are hilarious, while some are silly, and others are down right dangerous (microwaved or toaster cellphone anyone). My personal favourite has to be the mistaken cellphone in the microwave for the burrito.
All-in-all credit is due to Mother (New York) for developing a commercial that not only provides individuals is a clear call to action (and no it’s not throwing your phone in the nearest glass of wine), it’s that Virgin Mobile’s plans are SO GOOD that you’ll just want to switch with no hesitation or concern about what you’ll me missing out on.
Product: The Dipr
Different take on my normal blogging as for the first time I specifically discuss a product versus the ad. I had to mention this nifty invention my readers as if it doesn’t make you want to go out and buy one with your next back of Oreos, I hope that it at least gives you a bit of a laugh.
The video pretty much explains it all - The Dipr is a cookie spoon that is designed specially for your favourite sandwich cookie. It prevents you from from not losing the cookie with you go in for your infamous milk dunk. And hey, if you like a soggy cookie, The Dipr allows you to let you cookie hangout as long as possible, hands-free!
Lets be honest, it’s a quirky product development that has some novelty, and for $2.99, why wouldn’t you get one!
Dipr Website: http://www.thedipr.com/
Green Graffiti (mykula.ca) - fisheye
*please click blog title title for link
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It’s pretty awesome when your puruzing the web and come across not only an incredible new way to attract people attention in the advertising world, but when that ad is for a company you are a passionate member of. I was looking around thetorontoegotist.com this morning, one of my preferred ad blog sites when I came across an agency I had seen before - fisheye. I proceeded to check their website out again and decided to take a look at their recent work. Upon landing on the home page one of the slides that went by said ‘mykula.ca’, the name of my yoga studio and second home. Clicking on the link to see what this was all about I was pleasantly surprised to see that fisheye had developed an exciting marketing solution for the Kula studio family to grab the attention of people on the street in Toronto.
Taking an minimalist and green approach (two things that are important to us yogis), fisheye created metal cut steel stencils and high pressure washers in order to make this earthy natural graffiti ad on side walks. The design was straight forward and simplistic, pairing the ‘mykula.ca’ logo underneath the every popular yoga phrase ‘cultivate grace’. According to fisheye’s write-up, “Public reaction was overwhelmingly positive, even from passing law enforcement officers who usually have opinions about people leaving messages on sidewalks.”
My hat is off to fisheye, this is what I live for in the world of advertising - fresh, creative, and innovative ways to reach clients through medium that respects the character of the company the ad is representing!
What Kind of Cheese Lover Are You? (Dairy Farmers of Canada) - Agency (unknown at this time)
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The Cheese people (aka the Dairy Farmers of Canada) were out in full force this year at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto, featuring two booths for visitors to enjoy. One booth allowed visitors to be lead through and interactive cheese taste test and the other feature live recipe demonstrations of how to incorporate cheese in to everyday meal favourites.
Beyond their presence a the CNE this year, the Diary Farmers of Canada had a quirky and interactive ad campaign throughout their space entitled, ‘What Kind of Cheese Lover Are You?’ The ads encourage passer-byers to indicate what type of cheese love they are my removing the Velcro tick-mark and moving it to the selection of their choice. Personally I believe I am a ‘gobbler’ as I have a place in my heart for cheese and I’ve always enjoyed it.
The idea is great, and the immediate call to action is clear, however, I can’t help but feel like the posters are missing a take away call to action or a web address where they can find more information on cheese and all it can become for them in their recipes. That being said, their logo is their web address, so maybe it is there just not in a call-put that may make sense to all those passing by.
For more information on all things cheese visit: allyouneedischeese.ca
