Most ads go unnoticed – a bigger problem for the industry than creating ads that are disliked. Only a handful of ads are noticed and a smaller number recalled or liked. In that context, clutter-breaking creative ads that make an impact need to be appreciated. My compilation this week includes IKEA’s ‘Let play unwind your mind’ and another celebrity-powered campaign for Switzerland Tourism.
Honda: vertical bike
I am usually sceptical about case study videos which have a template: establish a problem that has remained unsolved (preferably in a country far away from where the advertising award jury lives) and then present a service or product as having solved it. Some of such ‘services’ are clearly made-for-awards and have connect to solving a real business issue – the original purpose of advertising.
Apparently, more than 1 million trees are felled to harvest the aguaje fruit, rich in vitamin A, in the Peruvian Amazon. These grow on palm trees which are up to 35 metres (approx 115 feet) making it difficult to pluck. Hence many simply cut the tree down leading to large scale deforestation. Ogilvy Perú has created the Vertical Bike, a mechanism that uses a Honda motor to help climb such tall trees and harvest the aguaje fruit without resorting to cutting them down.
Agency: Ogilvy, Peru
IKEA: Let Play Unwind Your Mind
Meditation is not the only way to unwind and improve one’s wellbeing, claims IKEA: ‘play has been proven to leave you feeling calmer, more creative and closer to your loved ones.’ Based on this insight, the new ad in the ‘Wonderful Everyday’ series is a playful one which keeps you riveted to the screen. Loved it.
Agency: Mother, London
AHA: sparkling water – word play
Launched in 2021, AHA is a brand of sparkling water from The Coca-Cola Company. The outdoor created during launch conveys the creative idea of word play using the brand name.
A new set of TV commercials take the idea further through conversations which deliberately include the brand name in creative ways. I liked it because it creates memorability for the brand name and makes it unique to that brand alone.
Switzerland Tourism: no one upstages the Grand Tour of Switzerland
I love self-deprecating humour and an approach which sells a service or product in a subtle way. The idyllic surroundings of Switzerland offer ‘no drama’ complained Robert de Niro to Roger Federer – thus subliminally cueing a perfect holiday spot. In continuation of that theme, we now have Anne Hathaway who complains that both Roger and she are relegated to the background in a film advertising the Grand Tour of Switzerland.
Agency: Wirz BBDO
Continental Tyres: Bald Stars
To help raise awareness around bald tyres (‘1-in-3 Australians are driving on bald and unsafe tyres’) and the risks involved, Continental Tyres brought together the biggest and the names in footy (the local favourite) and shined focus on their bald heads. Stretched, yet relevant and sharply anchored on the proposition.
Agency: TBWA
Dulux Velvet Touch – Feels like Home
Sometimes, the casting and acting lifts an idea even further. In a spot for Dulux Velvet Touch, a strained-father daughter relationship is mended by shared emotions triggered by colours. Click on the image below to watch the film on YouTube.
Agency: Mullen Lintas
HP Pavilion: product features
Most gadget advertising is boring listing of technical specifications or features. A new ad for HP Pavilion playfully weaves in the benefits of features such as laptop screens that do not cause eye strain. I liked the casual conversation and staging which feels real and credible.
Agency: Mullen Lowe Lintas
DIRECTV: get your TV together
The coming together of two seemingly opposite kinds offers visual possibilities which have been explored before. ‘Live TV and ‘on-demand’ in one service provides an opportunity for different genres to come together and make for fun viewing.
Agency: TBWA
Hotels.com: find your perfect somewhere
What if a hotel aggregator brand where to write an ad for itself seeking the right partner? If it were a classified ad how would it advertise itself and the ‘partner’ it seeks. Very interesting take.
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
Australian Navy: Drone pilots
This recruitment ad seeking drone pilots to join the Australian navy is a show stopper – creating intrigue at first glance and then the penny drops.
Agency: VMLY&R
Old Speckled Hen: fox of the world
Niche brands in popular categories such as alcoholic beverages routinely depend on creating affinity through charming advertising. A new set of ads for Old Speckled Hen beer are anchored on Henry the Fox and his tales delivered n great style. Loved it.
Agency: Engine
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.