I attempt to share a curated list of clutter-breaking creative ads every week. Here are campaigns from John Lewis, Asics and more which caught my eye this week.
John Lewis: The Window
UK-based ‘big retail’ brands have been at the forefront of massive, big-production Christmas ads for years. It is perhaps one festive season campaign which sets up a lot of expectations – even beyond advertising & marketing trade portals. The ‘John Lewis Christmas ad’ is a landmark event during this season delivering many blockbuster hits via adam&eveDDB. The account moved to Saatchi & Saatchi last year and since then there has been anticipation on new ideas for the brand. Even prior to changing the agency, in 2022, they dropped the long-running tagline, ‘Never knowingly undersold’ pledge. Recently, the brand announced that they will bring back the tag line and have it reimagined.
A new ad is anchored on the 100+ year history of the brand and uses the shop window as the eyes which has seen the evolution of fashion. The ‘over the years’ montage has been done very often for several heritage brands but the execution still holds one’s attention. I wouldn’t say it surpasses the previous Christmas ad efforts but does a good job highlighting the history of the brand in an unboring manner.
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Clinic Plus: an ode to daughters
I came across this ad on social media where a popular influencer shared this ad praising it to the skies and tagging Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India. The ad is surely popular with the version on the brand’s YouTube channel clocking 1.29 million views at the time of writing.
The message is hugely relevant for India where, even among educated families ‘the birth of a boy child is celebrated, and a girl child is often not wished for. This deep-rooted mindset leaves girls feeling unwanted right from birth.‘ The writing is top notch and the script is riveting. But I maybe in the minority when I felt a tinge of anti-climax when I saw the brand name.
Yes, I understand the connect to the proposition of ‘strong from the roots’ and its link back to haircare and shampoo, but still – the tenuous connect between the category and the brand was top of mind for me. It reminded of the effort from Mirinda years ago – taking on a noble, real cause of exam pressures years ago.
Agency: Ogilvy
Swiggy Instamart: Chawla
I like it when brands don’t take themselves too seriously about the benefit they offer. ‘Instant delivery of anything’ is given a literal, comical twist in this second ad in a series for Swiggy. The first one had the delivery team picking up a groom while the user meant a broom, in this one they interchange Chawla with ‘chawal’ (rice) in what makes for a fun watch. The soundtrack – or the lack of it using ambient noise as SFX and the hurried editing style goes well with the mood of the film. Also, in a way its smart use of the celebrity who was quite sporting to take up this role.
Agency: Moonshot
IKEA: Start the car
A few ads are timeless and feel relevant & contemporary even years after the original release. Nostalgia might play a role but usually its the connect with the idea or the story that makes it memorable. Folks of certain vintage in India will still recall ‘Dhara jalebi’, ‘Vodafone pug’ and many others from the past. In Canada, apparently an ad for IKEA relased some 20 years ago is immensely popular. It is back on air now and you can see why – it is anchored on a common, universal consumer behaviour – the glee of thinking or knowing that a store has billed them less by mistake.
Asics: move
In India, the tragic news of a young lady’s death to work stress is in the news. The negative impact of being ‘tied to the work desk’ is being highlighted by a sportswear brand, Asics, ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October.
ASICS’ conducted a global State of Mind study for World Mental Health Day, evaluating 26,000 participants and their connection with work environments. ASICS discovered that our mental health state begins to fall after only two hours, while stress levels tend to increase by 18%. The performance label looks to promote daily movement, revealing that only 15 minutes of movement can improve mental health and productivity by 22.5%.
The screen perception of the actor (fresh after the popularity of Succession on HBO) and the credible link to the message from a brand that says ‘sport and movement had the power to lift spirits, project positivity, and propel people and whole communities forward‘ makes the entire package work.
Agency: Golin
Ford: day in the life of
The many ways in which a product plays a role in the daily life of a consumer through a ‘day in the life of’ format is not new. Yet, a new ad from Ford drives home the usefulness of its features by highlighting the micro moments when they are useful.
Woolmark: wool, not waste
It is common to see a clear ‘enemy’ identified in big ideas: they stand against something – a social evil or negative attribute. Woolmark claims that synthetic fibres can haunt our planet for up to 200 years – filling up landfill and choking our earth. A new film brings that alive literally through some stunning visual effects in a riveting film.
Agency: 20Something
Telstra: Wherever we go
The network strength of a telecom brand, Telstra Australia was cleverly brought alive cueing the vertical bars on a mobile screen in an outdoor campaign recently. The same brand is back to suggest that the network accompanies you wherever you go – a bit like the famous Vodafone pug idea from India.
Agency: Bear Meets Eagle On Fire
The outdoor idea is not a lazy slapping on of a visual from the film but an interpretation that uses the medium’s characteristics well.
Specsavers: causing confusion
The power of strong brand properties or distinct assets is that they aid memorability of a brand. Just noticing the swoosh might remind one of Nike. A sound mnemonic such as ‘Intel Inside’ is still memorable. In ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’ we have such an idea which be milked for eternity. A new prank by the brand in Australia is quite clever as it puts up ‘Welcome to’ signs deliberately getting the names wrong, to drive home the point of have your eyesight checked.
Waitrose: idents for The Great British Bakeoff
I love short format TVCs and idents. A 30-second ad is in itself a huge challenge as it compels the brand & the agency to tell a story in a concise manner. 20 and 10-second stand alone ads (not cutdowns of a long format ad) are even tougher. In that context, 4-5 second idents, which convey the association of a brand with a programme or remind people of the channel they are watching are great ‘cinema’. Check out a few for Waitrose to announce their association with the The Great British Bakeoff.
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Channel 4: Paralympics
A new print ad from Channel 4 relies on a bit of shock value to get the ad noticed and drive home their recent platform of ‘Considering what?’ – urging paralympians to be viewed as regular sportspeople and not give any mental concession for them.
Hamptons: crossword
The crossword puzzle has been used in the past in print ads – to help the reader interact with the ad. A new ad from Hamptons tickles the fancy of compulsive crossword players by tying the format to the journey of home buying by an estate agent in the UK.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.