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:
Suzuki: Good Different
In domains which see big spends on advertising – such as consumer goods, automobiles or telecom it is common for self-created ‘category codes’. A detergent advertiser will expect a script which shows the transformation of a dull-white shirt into a dazzling white one. Similarly, the automobile category has some expectations – dramatic visuals of the exterior (preferably in the great outdoors) and plush interiors. A new spot from Suzuki in the UK breaks such codes with some wry humour and offbeat visuals such as grandma’s sweater on the car. I also quite liked the ‘good different’ plank which is memorable and quirky.
Agency: Iris
Flipkart: the super woman
When it was launched, Flipkart’s campaign idea of ‘shopping made so easy even kids can get it done’ resonated well with the audience. The visual hook of ‘kids dressed up as adults’ was cute and memorable. But over the years that visual idea was force-fitted into every ad and lost its charm, in my view. A new campaign for the brand does away with that property and introduces a celebrity driven idea: actress Alia Bhatt as a ‘super woman’ who rescues people in trouble and helps them buy stuff to boot.
Agency: McCann
Peloton: strange
Trust Maximum Effort to find a link between promoting an exercise app and showing a fully nude Christopher Meloni (of Law & Order fame). ‘Apparently, some people think the way I workout is strange…I don’t think using the Peloton app is strange at all’ is the easy bridge to an idea showing an actor working out in the buff. The effort brings a smile and manages to keep the focus on the app even though the media buzz is on the way a celebrity has been used.
Agency: Maximum Effort
Capri: Break Free TV
I love it when ad agencies think beyond conventional advertising to solve a business problem or address an opportunity.
Between schoolwork, homework and a plethora of extracurricular activities, kids need time off from making sense. Enter Break Free TV: A show that aims to help busy kids sip back and enjoy a little nonsense.
Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Aldi: Special Buys
‘Sale’ ads are rarely not boring. Here’s one from Australia which begins on a profound, ‘deep’ note and links it all back in a silly yet fun way to a sale.
Agency: BMF
Gillette Venus: #SayPubic
A new effort from Gillette Venus to address the mindset of saying out loud words considered taboo (referring to the pubic area) reminded me of Indian ads which used to refers to periods as ‘those days’.
Nobody wants to talk about pubes. So we decided to sing about them.
Agency: Grey
PGA Tour: journey through history
Instead of sharing a link, when an ad is downloaded and shared as a forward – you know it has gone viral. A new video from PGA Tour has that quality as it traces the history of golf through some riveting animation.
Mercedes-Benz: World Premiere of the new GLC
Aside from Suzuki another automobile brand took on ‘car ad cliches’ recently. In a clever move to show exactly the kind of things a ‘typical’ car commercial shows, a 15-minute film to announce Mercedes-Benz GLC spoofs the ‘typical’ process of making a car commercial. Complete with an eccentric director, pushy ad agency executive, a bevy of robotic actors and more – it pokes fun at all the crazy stuff that goes behind making a commercial.
Agency: Antoni, Berlin
Desperados: pour some unusual
I thought this was a half way house between beer category codes of ‘partying millennials’ and breaking away from those visuals. ‘We add some unusual flavour to our beer so you can add something unusual to the party’ as it makes a complaining neighbour the protagonist but wants the music turned up.
Agency: We Are Pi, Amsterdam
UI Path: print ad
And finally a pithy line which conveys the benefit of automating tasks at work place.
Which one was your favourite? Comment in.