Ads which break through clutter of information overload and other messages vying for one’s attention need to be applauded. Because getting noticed is the first and most important task of any ad. If ignored, it’s a fate worse than being seen and disliked. My weekly compilation of creative ads (aside from my occasional views on the business of advertising) is a small tribute to brand teams & agencies everywhere. Here are my picks form the past week:
IKEA: proudly second best
It takes a bold client to say that one’s brand is second best as compared to a better option. The penny drops and the idea brings a smile when the context becomes clear. Even though IKEA has furniture meant for children’s bedrooms and playrooms, they are ‘second best’ compared to the personal care and pampering of parents says this charming campaign.
This campaign is a collaboration between Al-Futtaim IKEA, DAVID Madrid, and INGO Hamburg.
Cadbury 5Star: Do Nothing
I wasn’t a fan of the TV campaign which attempted to dramatise the benefit of ‘lost in the taste of 5Star’. In my view the the negative context (of being mean enough to not help others) did not make the proposition or the brand endearing. A new campaign focuses on the product and visually brings alive the benefit of ‘doing nothing’ in a very well art-directed campaign – with the sofa one being my favourite.
Agency: Ogilvy
Edelweiss: feel the Alps
Here’s an entirely mood-driven film which brings alive the thought ‘feel the Alps’ for a brand of beer. In a category where product differentiation is nil, this execution focused film feels right.
Agency: Fred & Farid
Gatorade: the breakup
The film opens on the protagonist having to deal with what seems like a breakup with his girlfriend. A bottle of Gatorade in the fridge ‘inspires’ him to go on a run (nice connect back to the brand here) and then take up various sports while struggling to overcome the heartache of the breakup. The brand makes a relevant comeback in that sequence to all nicely tied up with ‘fuels you forward’ line and an appropriate song for the montage.
Agency: Isla
McNugget: are you ‘McNugget worthy’?
To mark 40 years of McNuggets, a new film conveys that it’s so good that you’ll hesitate to share it. ‘Too tasty to share’ is not a new thought as many food & beverage brands adopt this stance. The film is high on cool quotient as it shows a couple of friends meeting seemingly after a while and indulging in their signature handshake. Having established that bonds the idea is driven home when the protagonist refuses to share her McNugget indicating this far and no more.
Agency: Leo Burnett
Columbia: be the goat
‘Goats don’t care about being the goat. They just care about being a goat’ begins this ad for Columbia Sportswear which equates the ‘tools’ goats have to go anywhere with the grip of an all-terrain variant of the brand.
Ohio Tourism: the heart of it all
‘Heart of it all’ reminded me of this old campaign from Madhya Pradesh tourism though Ohio is not about physically being at the centre of US. I thought the ad smartly conveyed the many facets – education, business, living – where Ohio is at the ‘heart of it all’.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
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