In terms of user base, Twitter is relatively smaller than other popular social media platforms. But it share of visibility and media attention is much bigger as was evident recently. Twitter’s billboard campaign got people talking about for its simple, striking creativity and showcasing its buzz-creating ability. This and other creative ideas form part of my weekly compilation.
Twitter: Tweet it into existence
There’s something about Twitter that encourages instant, spontaneous sharing of one’s views or thoughts about any topic under the sun. Sometimes, such tweets happen to be dreams or goals. In a strikingly simple campaign, old tweets of celebrity athletes and entertainers were juxtaposed with images of their current position in life, having achieved exactly what they dreamed of earlier in life. A billboard featured Niall Horan’s dream of winning X-Factor – a dream which came true. Ditto with singer Demi Lovato who tweeted in 2011: ‘one day, I’m going to sing the national anthem at a super bowl’ and she did that in 2020. The campaign got talked about and shared extensively on platforms such as LinkedIn and written about in news portals.
Today we launched an integrated marketing campaign, centered around the ‘unique-to-Twitter’ behavior of Tweeting It Into Existence. We highlighted VITs and their Tweets to show that Twitter has the power to manifest your dreams. The campaign features 12 VITs who’ve Tweeted their dreams into existence on 40+ billboards in 7+ cities across the United States and Canada, and on platform. We also donated almost $1 MILLION dollars to the VITs’ charity of choice to help someone else’s dream come true.
Agency: in-house
BBC: Winter Olympics trailer
I came across this spot in the LinkedIn timeline of James Cross, Creative Director at BBC Creative. Loved the stop motion technique and how it feels so apt as a trailer to announce the Winter Olympics coverage at BBC.
Agency: BBC Creative
Oyo: assi reach gaye?
Sometimes, just a quirky dialogue, an actor’s mannerism or casting is enough to make an memorable. A child’s impatient and incessant ‘have we reached yet?’ can drive co-passengers nuts. The situation will have many of us going ‘I have been there’ and the cute ‘Assi reach gaye?’ (‘have we reached yet?’ in Punjabi) is sure to bring a smile in the ad for a travel brand.
Agency: in-house
WeTransfer: ‘together we make’
A collaborative work tool aimed at creative teams will definitely be hooked by this line which cues more productivity and less iterations.
Agency: Preacher. See more of the campaign here.
Land Rover: above and beyond land
I love it when the advertised brand is smack bang in the middle of the story and a simple product demo (jaw dropping in this case) drives the message home.
Agency: Spark44
smallcase: rural demand
Almost every category in advertising has a visual code which many brands follow to the last detail. So an ad for a car usually has shots similar to that of competition. Beating category clutter then becomes important for an incumbent. Financial services and investment products have rarely taken a light hearted approach. In that context it is refreshing to see this ad from smallcase – a financial investment platform. The underlying message that it helps make smarter investment choices based on probing trends and facts is likely to appeal to potential users.
Man Matters: ‘I am positive’
Work-life balance has always been a subject of debate, now heightened with the practice of remote working where the divide is blurred. Man Matters is a digital health clinic for men and their new video highlights the pressure by faced by those in industries where ‘delivery of services’ and deadline is a priority – often at the cost of employee wellbeing. A rant from an employee who has tested positive for COVID but is yet expected to meet deliveries is likely to strike a chord among IT services and advertising agency employees. The irony: ad agencies are known to work under crazy deadlines (often unnecessary) and employees are expected to work late hours, weekends and be available to attend to work at the cost of personal time.
Agency: Spring Marketing Capital
Sirona wellness: feminine hygiene
Topics such as feminine hygiene have rarely been discussed in an open and frank manner in Indian advertising (for decades, periods were referred to as ‘those days of the month’). In that context, it is refreshing to see a campaign for a wellness brand, with some straight talk, good copywriting and art direction addressing issues relevant to women.
Agency: Bang in the Middle. See more here.
Pipette: What’s this?
‘Clean products you never have to question’ is the claim of skin-care brand for babies, Pipette. It then segues well into situations where parents question all the confounding situations they find themselves in. Even if the ad doesn’t dwell too much on why they shouldn’t have to question the efficacy of the brand the ads are amusing enough to establish a connect.
Agency: BarretSF
Shot on iPhone: Chinese New Year – The Comeback
And finally, we have a 23-minute film from Apple. Traditionally, Apple has made a special marketing effort for Chinese New Year. The ‘Shot on iPhone’ campaign idea fits in well as we saw in 2021, where the advert was filmed on an iPhone 12 Pro. It is a clever way to demonstrate the prowess of the phone – in terms of matching cinematic qualities of a Hollywood production. Do people really have the patience to watch such a long film? I am reminded of the quote from 1950s: ‘Nobody reads ads. People read what interests them. Sometimes, it is an ad’.
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