A majority of the ads suffer a fate worse than being disliked – they are ignored. Creating advertising that is noticed, remembered and liked is not easy. My weekly collection of clutter-breaking creative ads is a small tribute to teams which manage to entertain or moves us while meeting a business objective. After all, advertising is creativity with a commercial purpose (no pun intended). Here are a few ads which caught my eye this past week or so:
Prostate Cancer UK: ode to dads
Occasion-led advertising has become the norm for brands of late. There is genuine FOMO in not putting out a social media post or some creative related to events such as Women’s Day, Mother’s Day and such like. In many cases the business need or the link to the category and the brand is either tenuous or completely missing. A new ad from Prostate Cancer UK is relevant for Father’s Day as it raises awareness (and seeks donation) about early screening programmes for men.
Prostate cancer can often be cured if it’s caught early enough. A screening programme could save thousands of lives every year. But right now, we don’t have a test that’s good enough.
Agency: BBH London
The ad ticks all the right boxes and can be labelled sappy – the montage of memories format is often seen during Mother’s Day too but it does strike a chord and feels just right for the occasion.
Arnott’s: Little Moments
Sometimes, the execution makes an ad memorable – even though there isn’t a powerful creative idea at the centre of the script. Here’s one such for Arnott’s biscuits from Australia.
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Halo Pets: The World’s Best Food For The World’s Best Kids
In a 2020 survey in the US, it was found that 76% of 20-38-year-olds have a pet. Many millennials are also delaying having children. A new film from Halo Pets speaks to such ‘pet parents’ anchored around the fact that for them, their pets are their children. ‘Pets are the world’s best kids’ is a provocative stance, which is likely to resonate with such an audience.
Agency: Humanaut
Wimbledon 2022: the stage awaits
Over the years, Wimbledon has released theme films around the sporting event which highlight the rich history of the brand. As in the past years, animation and ‘technology’ are part of the marketing communication package. The theme ‘Stage awaits’ captures the anticipation generated by this sporting event and ties in well with 100 years of the Centre Court.
Featuring three young Wimbledon fans who are inspired by the wonder of Centre Court, the short animation brings together the thrill of tennis, the celebration of style, and the awe of the Club’s Grounds – all of which contribute to the unique magic of Wimbledon.
Agency: McCann
Be the change: interactive film on workplace sexism
Loved this interactive film from Australia on workplace sexism – educates men on ‘ how common casual misogyny is and know what to do about it.’ On the screen, there are visual cues clicking on which a specific situation, such as being empathetic to family commitments is highlighted.
Click on the image above to watch the interactive film.
The website highlights the various moments and provides explanations on why those can be problematic:
Our film explores 34 moments of sexism and misogyny experienced by real women from all walks of life and backgrounds. Not in the age of Don Draper, but now. Some are obvious, some not so much. All of them are a reminder that we need to do better.
Heinken: bottle opener which closes work
‘Work-life balance’ has gone beyond stuff of jokes in comic strips such as Dilbert to something that most working professionals have become aware of and demand. The COVID-19 pandemic has also contributed to this (welcome) mindset. A new initiative from Heineken captures this insight well. In industries such as marketing, advertising, media and IT services work tends to be eat into personal lives well beyond working hours and even into weekends.
Overwork is real. But sometimes a serious problem needs a ridiculous solution. One that reminds you that logging off can be easier than you think. Meet The Closer. It’s the first bottle opener that automatically closes your work.
Source
Agency: Publicis
The ‘tech’ has also been validated by domain experts on YouTube who tend to have huge following.
The work reminded me of this campaign from Inspired by Iceland which was anchored on a survey nugget: 59% of people globally feel as if their boss, colleagues and clients expect them to reply when on holiday, while only 44% of workers actually feel rested after their trip.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.