A majority of ads are simply ignored, leaving only a handful to be even noticed. My weekly curation of clutter-breaking creative ads, including a series on the best ads of 2024, is a small tribute to the ad agencies who manage to produce such work. Let’s look at some fresh work this new year:
Audible: more to imagine
Cinema, with its audio-visual impact is commonly associated with transporting us to another world, through its visual stories. We see something and those visuals trigger something else in our mind. A new ad for Audible conveys a similar message with a thought provoking angle: ‘there’s more to imagine when we hear something‘, as compared to being led visually. It makes us realise the impact of audio books and the ‘surround sound’ that triggers an imaginary world in our minds.
Agency: Fold7
Kellogg’s: See you in the morning
It is obvious that owning a distinct brand asset is a huge advantage for enterprises. It helps brand recall and can serve as a moat with respect to competition. So, why don’t more brands invest consistently in creating a distinct brand asset? Because it is hard work being consistent. It takes some guts to not give in to the temptation of changing thematic communication ever so often or to go over board on tactical ads in the name of moment marketing or being visible more across all digtial platforms.
It takes decades of consistent efforts to build strong visual identities, such as the one enjoyed by Kellogg’s. Aside from the distinct font and packaging, the brand owns Cornelius the cockerel, the brand’s mascot since 1958. The ‘K’ of Kellogg’s has probably dominated our mind-space as compared to Cornelius. A new theme film simply has the cockerel strutting about the town. There’s some research quoted as part of strategy:
The research uncovered the truth about mornings, that everyone needs ‘you do you’ time when they wake up and if they don’t get that, they start their day compromised. That insight linked to the fact that Kellogg’s, as the OG, has been waking up the world since 1906, so it simply ‘gets’ mornings and understands that everyone needs to do mornings to suit them.
But to me, it is a much-needed and strategically right way of reinforcing the visual identity in the consumer’s mind – suitable for a category leader.
Agency: Mother
Freshpet: my boy
Pet owners will relate to the idea that they go to great lengths to see their pet happy. The edge in that proposition comes alive when we have folks from The Mob believe that ‘it should be Freshpet for their pets, or else…’. A new ad features actors who are known for starring in The Sopranos and The Goodfellas gets the laughs and drives home the point that with Freshpets, ‘it’s not dog food, but food food’.
Agency: Terri & Sandy
Zocdoc: options
All aggregator services – be it for food ordering or choosing a doctor, offer choice. They feature a range of options in listing – which is pretty much the definition of an aggregator. So how do we tell their story and create some affinity even with this not-so-distinctive feature? Zocdoc shows the way with a couple of spots that keep you engaged through quirky, relevant situations and word play.
Agency: 72andSunny
Zoopla: win at moving
Moving homes isn’t fun. An ad for moving homes can be. Loved the mock celebratory, aggressive angle from Zoopla – a property search platform in the UK.
Agency: Lucky Generals
Vipps: leave behind the wallet
Checking if we have taken the house keys, mobile phone and wallet is a ‘routine’ many follow when stepping out of home. Over the years, the mobile has become the default payment device in many countries, negating the need to carry cash or cards. A new spot from payment service Vipps in Norway cleverly plays a trick on this routine of ‘forgetting the wallet’ to drive the point of ‘mobile as a payment device’.
Agency: Try
Hermès: sweet wonders
Luxury marketing is a lot about creating irrational desire. Visual design and ‘presentation’ plays a critical role. We can see why in these set of static creatives for Hermès.
Renault: we change everything
Here’s a proposition that sits well for heritage brands and ties in the adage ‘more things change, more they remain the same’. A new film showcasing new models of Renault draws a parallel between the vehicles and slices of life from the past. Apparently it is a tribute to a 1984 ad film made interesting on its own with some intriguing match cuts from the past to the present and the future.
Agency: Publicis
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.