My weekly compilation of creative ads has been a regular affair since 2017, even though this blog has been active since 2008. Do read this week’s curated list and share your views.
Apple: The Relay
Among the many hallmarks of advertising from Apple, what I respect & admire most is that every story is strongly anchored on a product benefit. Yes, they did have ‘Think Different’ which was more of a philosophical approach to who the brand appeals to. And the famous 1984 commercial too. But since then almost all ads focused on the product, specific features and the benefit they deliver. The trick is in telling the story in a compelling, engaging (sometimes humorous) way, like in the RIP Leon ad and many others.
The same philosophy is on display with campaigns highlighting the accessibility features – be it a regular ad or a documentary style slice-of-life video. Each film demonstrates how a specific feature has made a difference to the life of the protagonists, with ‘The Greatest‘ living up to its title.
A new film timed with Paris Paralympics event takes forward the idea that ‘Apple products are designed for every athlete. And every body.’ The central plot pits two groups ‘competing together’. The twist – they are athletes with and without disabilities. The films highlights many aspects of Apple’s products which bridge the gap, as it were between athletes.
Whether you’re a sprinter, wheelchair racer, track cyclist, or swimmer, features like the Workout app on Apple Watch, sleep metrics, and daily exercise goals — along with the ability to record and analyze your performance on iPad and Mac — ensure that all athletes have what they need to train and compete at their best. And innovative accessibility features like Point and Speak on iPhone, for users with low vision, or AssistiveTouch (which helps those with upper-limb difference use Apple Watch one-handed) further equip adaptive athletes with the ability to excel equally.
The film makes for a riveting watch and delivers a feel-good factor about the cause and the brand. It’s initiatives like this which brighten the halo around Apple.
IGP: Amazing gifts, samay par
This ad for gifting services site, IGP was getting all the laughs on LinkedIn. It is a humorous take on ‘gifting samay par’ (on-time gifting) with some deliberately forced reference to the famous ‘samay’ dialogue from the yesteryear popular serial ‘Mahabharat’. Folks of my generation instantly recollect the Harish Bhimani voice over and the reference but will it appeal to the youngsters? Unless the intent is to appeal to the older demographic.
Agency: Talented
Orange: relive the race
The telecom giant, Orange is a premium partner of the Paris 2024 Games. Much like the Channel 4 ad this year which laid out the harsh truth – the forces of nature do not discriminate, Orange says ‘When you love sport, you love sport‘.
The film juxtaposes the men’s T13 1500m final at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games with that of the Olympic Games of the same year. At the end of the race, the film reveals a surprising truth: for the first time in history, a para-athlete finished 1.71 seconds ahead of the Olympic gold medalist. The link back to the brand is tenuous alright but the film makes for good cinema.
Agency: Publicis Conseil
Mercedes Benz: House of Mercedes Benz
British royalty, albeit of the contemporary kind still exude an air of luxury. A new film introduces us to an unconventional family which calls the House of Mercedes Benz their home. It gives an excuse to showcase the characters posing with several accessories from the brand including mundane ones like thermos flask and lunch boxes. The quirky, yet stylish treatment brings a smile and evokes a sense of desire to acquire them – however low the ‘value add’ might be.
XFINITY: hide & seek
In the US, cable & satellite brands which stream or broadcast sports, movies and other content have harped on ‘all you need in one place’ as a benefit. It is interesting to see the many creative expressions. Here’s one where all the ‘entertainment’ is playing hide & seek at home and are brought together in one device.
Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Axis Bank: Sanskrit password
We are all subject to moment marketing overdose in the name of ‘celebrating’ or commemorating any global holiday, landmark event or simply some news of the day. It has become a default behaviour for brands leading to some hilarious, if not purely annoying initiatives. Many of them try to force fit the occasion to the category or brand (when there is none) or find some tenuous link. And as far as relevance to the business or brand, none usually exists. Here’s an initiative which ticks both boxes.
Axis Bank has created an initiative for the public to possibly make their passwords more secure by using Sanskrit words. There’s a microsite which generates Sanskrit passwords – essentially translations of English words of one’s choice to create a unique alpha-numeric password. I tested the site and found the results to mixed – some outcomes were inaccurate or not in Sanskrit. Nevertheless a commendable initiative.
Agency: AutumnGrey
Hornbach: obey your hands
The DIY culture is big in western countries. Hornbach has done some remarkable work in films which score high on concept and production value to drive home their services. A quirky new film, lifted by some great acting cues that men have no choice but to obey hands which seem to act on their own to get couch potato’s to get moving.
Agency: HeimatTBWA
WD -40: short videos
Remember Vines? The product mandated a maximum of 6-second duration for videos. One would wonder what kind of stories can be told in such a short time but some brands did a good job. As it is one wonders how some creative minds tell great stories in just 20 seconds. Now here comes a series of use-cases as ads for WD-40 a multipurpose spray for cleaning, rust prevention and more. Loved the out of the box thinking.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in,