In the marketing & advertising world, creative work from Thailand is considered to be among the best, both in terms of creative idea and craft. All of them are uniquely Thai and many are bizarrely funny. Production values and execution are also top notch with Christmas-themed ads from Europe. During last week I came across such campaigns, among others, which were clutter-breaking. More such compilations in my archives along with some occasional commentary on the industry. This week’s compilation includes Deutsche Telekom, Apple’s ‘Saving Simon’ holiday ad shot on iPhone 13 Pro and more.
Deutsche Telekom: the biggest gift
The sad, lonely senior citizen whose day is made better at Christmas by family, friends or strangers is a common enough theme to be a cliche by now. But if told well, with a reasonably relevant link to the brand then it works. Deutsche Telekom has created an ad with an intriguing build up and a sweet reveal. The link to the category and brand is tenuous but ‘communication’ and human connect are universal themes, applicable to several categories and brands. Also, many in the world are able to make in-person connections after a gap of almost two years and hence anchoring the film on this idea is likely to strike a chord.
Agency: DDB Budapest
Apple Holiday ad 2021: ‘Saving Simon’
I don’t know why but Apple removed its best Christmas ad ever (made in 2013) from its official YouTube channel. It had the right level of intrigue and leading the viewer on to a certain path to reveal a twist in the tale. A big difference between then and 2021 is that now, the ad itself is shot on an iPhone – no professional cinema required. ‘Saving Simon” tells the story of a young girl who keeps a snowman stored in the freezer all year long only to have it smashed by a passing cyclist. What happens next can be guessed but the ‘package’ works well overall and leaves a positive feeling.
Samsung: Galaxy A52s 5G – water resistance
Trust Wieden + Kennedy to create a refreshingly new way of showing features in a smart phone. While product reveal events and keynote addresses demand visual representations more and more it is a challenge to demonstrate common features such as water resistance in a phone.
Agency: W+K
Yas Bay: #WhereFatePlays
Yas Bay is an upscale waterfront property in Abu Dhabi set to open in December 2021. Apparently the masterplan comprises a pier, two luxury hotels, food and beverage outlets, a boutique cinema, a floating beach club, a media zone, residences and more. I thought the presentation to make it an attractive tourist or investment zone was colourful and different from what we usually see to sell upscale properties.
Agency: Truant/London
Carsome: unnecessary body parts
As I have said before, advertising from Thailand is a treat to watch, mostly. The advantage they have is that the creatives only need to think in one local language and not worry about an idea, its interpretation or execution (in terms of translation and dubbing) have to appeal to a diverse country like India (where most ad agency folks until the late 1990s and maybe even now have western sensibilities, think only in English). To me the hallmarks of a Thai ad are a creative idea, local expressions, great execution and very often, self-deprecating and even bizarre humour. In an ad for Carsome, a used-car selling platform, the proposition of get a good deal by simply browsing their site is turned into ‘you will have no use for your eyes, mouth and even legs’ (as they home deliver the car). Mindless fun for a brand which doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Agency: VMLY&R Thailand
NABS: time to draw the line
With back to office likely to resume in the advertising industry, a campaign from NABS underlines the need to not allow sexual harassment back at work.
Research from timeTo has found that half (49%) of all people in advertising think sexual harassment will be more of an issue now that people are returning to offices, and sadly, many are facing the slow and phased return to office life with dread.
I liked the visual idea of a line (which cannot be crossed) and the likely situations highlighted in the print campaign.
Xfinity: Come Home
My ‘experience’ of ‘white Christmas’ and the emotions associated with it are all through movies and shows, not a first-hand one. Yet, I found myself smiling and relating to the mood of this film from Xfinity.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.