I usually spend some time over the weekend to watch new ads, read about the latest campaigns and curate a list. On most occasions, the pickings are poor. On rare occasions, such as last week there is a surfeit of good work.
Nike: Winning isn’t for Everyone
Relatively speaking, Nike has a much higher share of ‘on-brand’ and ‘much talked about’ ads. Even for them, there can phases where it feels they haven’t given that typical high-adrenaline, jaw-droopingly good sports film. It feels they have got that mojo back with a new film timed with the Paris Olympics. It features a bevy of athletes (which is not new for Nike) like LeBron James, Serena Williams and more. But beyond the time-tested format of a montage of sports visuals set to high-energy audio what makes it work are three elements: the central theme holding it all together – portraying the person who simply wants to win in an almost negative context, the outstanding copywriting and the brilliant narration by Willem Dafoe.
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
As with anything put up online, the ad has attracted its fair share of critics. ‘If you’re guessing what’s wrong with the world, well this is it’ said a user on Instagram. In my view, the depiction of sports superstars as ‘ruthless’ in pursuit of their goals is realistic. We see that among the top 1% of sports stars across the board. They have a cold, pitiless approach to winning and that often translates into a steely resolve which does not give the opponent any chance of striking back – even, or better still, especially when down. All winning teams and performers seek to dominate. But as the ad articulates, ‘it does not mean they disrespect the opponents‘. Lines such as ‘What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is mine‘ suggest a mean streak but truly reflect the confident, even cocky attitude of winners who want to win at all cost (but not through cheating or breaking the rules).
Privacy on iPhone: Flock
Aside from ‘Shot on iPhone’, Apple has got a strong property with immense campaign possibilities in their ‘Privacy‘ story. It is a differentiator which resonates in the face of an open-source competition platform which is known to depend on farming customer data for advertising. We’ve all experienced the spooky way in which ‘customised’ ads are targeted at us based on browsing history and content of our personal communication. Apple has dramatised this in the past as prying by others – especially when it comes to sensitive data pertaining to health.
A new ad superbly converts CCTVs into a Hitchcock movie scene by having them morphed into birds which follow non-iPhone users. While the denouement can be guessed it holds our attention and drives home the point well.
Economic Times: Budget coverage
It’s the time of central budget in India. Business dailies typically promote their coverage as best in town by showcasing their anchor profiles and claim ‘unmatched coverage’. Such self-promotion happens post the event too. A new print campaign from Economic Times is refreshingly different and attention grabbing.
Agency: Manja
iPhone 15: Namedrop
Usually, Apple creates ads in the US and runs them globally. Over the past few years, they have created market specific ads for China, Japan and India in those markets. Of late the Singapore hub of their agency has created ads for the India market. In my view, the regional efforts been a mixed bag in terms of impact and being able to create affinity locally. Some of the work produced during Chinese New Year or a recent one for Japan felt authentically local. But I did not feel the same way about efforts for India – they felt like a touristy view of India or ‘what India would be like‘ from their imagined POV.
A new ad from Thailand stays true to Thai advertising style in terms of humour, exaggeration and ‘bizarreness quotient’ to promote an unexpected feature in the context of the plot line.
Agency: TBWAMedia Arts Lab APAC
KFC: Rice Bowl
As I have said before, advertising from Thailand is unique and needs to be celebrated in the word of marketing. Yes, they do have an advantage of one single local language (compared to a plural, multi-lingual country like India) but the culture of avoiding run-of-the-mill stuff and the boldness of using humour (even in the context of serious educational messages like reducing alcohol consumption), often self-deprecatingly so is commendable. The ads frequently make fun of advertising itself and don’t take themselves seriously. The plot is often quirky, even bizarre but entertain the viewer to drive home the point.
Some may find a new ad to announce local cuisine like rice bowl to be annoying with scenes of screaming and ‘violence’ but is hugely relatable as the response to ‘what do you feel like eating?’ resonates with most. What happens next has to be watched ti be understood & appreciated.
Agency: Wolf BKK
Apple at Work: The Underdogs
The third Apple advertisement showcased this week is a sequel to the by-now people ‘The Underdogs‘ series. It follows the adventures of a bunch of folks who got together during Covid (I think) to accomplish work-related tasks using a Mac and other Apple products. The plot and acting is slightly over the top but overall is a mighty clever way of showcasing the entire range of Apple products and their features. The new edition sees the team travel to Thailand and the introduction of new gadgets like Vision Pro. Good fun.
Flipkart: Aadi Sale
Creating ads which reflect the local culture of a region in India is very difficult (and expensive). Usually West Bengal and Tamil Nadu get this special treatment as they both are big markets for some brands. Some like Tata Tea have bravely attempted multiple films (and products) to cater to markets such as Kerala, UP, Deli and Maharastra. But the industry’s common approach is ‘one size fits all’ and ‘Made in Mumbai’ for all of India. This usually results in an idea which doesn’t travel well and poor translation, leading to lack of any local connect.
Flipkart has attempted to create ads for Tamil Nadu which not just have original Tamil dialogues but are anchored in local culture, practice or tradition. In this season it’s common to create discount (referred to as ‘Thallubadi’) sales – to encourage spending. ‘Thallu’ also has a connotation of ‘pushing’ and that has been linked cleverly to an online sale which helps avoid the jostling, crowding and ‘pushing’ involved in brick & mortar shopping. Nice.
Agency: Talented
Very: back to school
‘Find all the things to spread their wings‘ is a lovely summation of ‘back to shool’ sales by a UK retailer – a concept likely to have great appeal with parents, the core target audience.
Agency: Grey, London
Figs: USA Medical Team
It’s unusual to see a medical apparel brand create a theme ad for a sporting event such as Olympics. A new ad for Figs medical apparel highlights the role of its team in outfitting the USA Medical Team for the Olympics.
The USA Medical Team goes above and beyond to keep athletes in the game. It takes heart, guts, brains and vision to imagine how far the human body can go.
Very out of the box and relatable. Makes one see the brand in a new light.
Agency: Mother
Air Canada: ticket to dream
The cynics among us will see another rags to riches or ‘under-privileged’ to success story with some grit & hard work thrown in. It’s pretty much that in a new ad from Air Canada but the ‘package’ works. The montage, the flashback and the crescendo where all of it comes together held by a stirring line ‘It takes one Canadian dream to make another‘ is likely to resonate with many with a good brand fit.
Agency: FCB
TrueCaller: scammed
A clever play of words to highlight how even the most educated can be scammed by fraudsters through a simple phone call. The role of Truecaller in screening such calls is well understood by now and helps in the penny drop moment.
Agency: Talented
Flipkart: potshots at Amazon
The images below have been shared widely on LinkedIn – getting positive feedback mostly about the wordplay and the jibes taken at a competitor. In my view the business or strategic objective itself is dodgy. The intent seems to be more about the ads getting talked about (by ad agency & marketing folks?) on social media. Such buzz is welcome and can be a social media triumph but has limited value business-wise. Obviously the idea would not have worked if the competition was not named after a rainforest. Also does it really affect a brand switch in large numbers? I doubt it. In my view the audiences are different for the two brands. Moreover, the Prime customer is locked into Amazon and unlikely to try competition influenced by a LinkedIn post.
Some argued that gnawing away at competition in this manner, forces the consumer to equate a smaller player with the perceived category leader and will pay dividends soon. I feel that the ‘buzz’ is limited to industry insiders who smile at the cleverness but unlikely to make any real business impact. What’s your view?
Nationwide: When we profit, so do millions of our members
Dominic West as the immensely obnoxious ‘boss’ is back in the latest edition of Nationwide Bank. The series cleverly showcases the difference in approach between the brand and ‘Any Bank’. Entertaining, on-brief and sharp.
Agency: New Commercial Arts
iPhone: Olympics billboards
The focus on Olympics and visually appealing sporting moments in the next few months make it an opportune time for ‘Shot on iPhone‘. But unlike others the focus is on ‘future stars’ who make great subjects for Instagram posts and Outdoor.
CeraVe: soap opera spoof
A specialist skin care brand taking on common skin care routines of consumers – such as using a regular soap for facial cleansing is a tough brief. ‘CeraVe takes the soap out of soap opera with all the cleansing and none of the drama’ is the creative idea brought alive by a spoof. Will the new age consumers even know of soap operas? But there is growing popularity of yesteryear stuff among Gen Z (born in 1995 or later) and Y (born between the early 1980s and mid-1990s) and this trope works well.
Agency: 72andSunny
Which one was your favorite? Do comment in.