Advertising industry portals announce and review new campaigns almost on a daily basis. Across hundreds of ads written about in a week, only a handful get attention and traction – pretty much like real life. Here are a few campaigns which caught my eye the week ending February 14, 2020:
Citroën: Cello
Among SUVs, ‘space’ is a common benefit and has been interpreted in many ways – usually portraying a sporty outdoor lifestyle. A new ad for Citroën takes a refreshingly different route (no pun intended) by telling a story of a little girl who finds her calling as a cellist – not before discovering that she is not good at biking, pottery or martial arts. The role of the car is minimal – obliquely conveying that it adapts to new situations every time. I thought the film worked because it was subtle, realistic and charming.
Agency: Traction/BETC
Harley Davidson: breathe
Biking and the community associated with it are all about passion. In this context, Harley Davidson is legendary though going by reports the brand was beginning to lose some sheen in the key market, USA. A new film brings alive the exhilaration of riding as it pitted ‘against’ an inner voice urging the biker to succumb to the pleasures of a sedantary digital life. “Keep scrolling. Be generous with likes … Keep scrolling. Stay in bed. Order food. Keep scrolling… ” pleads the voice as the biker breaks away from it all into the outdoors. Loved the idea and the execution.
Agency: Droga5
SAS – What is truly Scandinavian?
‘Travelers bring home great ideas’ is a wonderful, lofty idea for an airline brand. However, the tone of voice of this commercial ends up conveying that Scandinavians achieved nothing on their own and everything about their lives is borrowed. Apparently, the spot has created a huge furore even though the central message was a positive one: ‘Many of the things we call Scandinavian today was brought here and refined by curious, open-minded and innovative Scandinavians’.
Agency: & Co
Playstation: feel the power
Valentine’s Day and other occasions of the year are seen as opportunities for tactical brand communication, largely arising out of FOMO. Most ads around Valentine’s Day have an overdose of mush and are politically correct. In this milieu an ad for Playstation breaks the mould by portraying an eerie, tense atmosphere thus breaking the clutter.
Agency: Adam&eveDDB
Spanish Lottery: you are lucky
Another Valentine’s Day communication which breaks the category code of lottery ads comes from Spanish Lottery. Most ads in this category are about dramatising the ‘hey you never know’ aspect of chance or pure luck. This spot urges us to count our blessings and feel positive about our chances and luck. Loved it.
Agency: Contrapunto BBDO, Madrid
Domino’s: GPS tracker
GPS trackers are common in food delivery apps. A new spot for Domino’s dramatises the feature with the message ‘not knowing where your pizza delivery is risky business’ as you could be caught unawares. As AdAge says ‘actor Jordan Fisher reprises the scene from the 1983 film “Risky Business,” when Cruise’s character Joel dances to “Old Time Rock & Roll” wearing little more than a pink dress shirt’.
Agency: CP&B
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
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