Wednesday, October 29, 2008

It's Beer O'Clock Gentleman

No it's not Miller time. It's not Hammer time, nor even Morphin time. Apparently it's Guinness time.

1759, their birth year you see. Which is a nice idea, if not wholly original. What I don't get however is what on earth the ad is actually saying! At least Kronenbourg's ad (chopping bubbles) made sense in terms of a message, this just feels like some random attempt to create a human representation of Guinness. I hope its not just me on this one...

I hope AMV find somewhere better to take this idea as the history of Guinness advertising is so good that it should never be sullied with anything below top standard.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Nickleback: An apology

I may, in a previous post suggested that Nickleback's Rock star overlaid with DFS sofa's was the most irritating soul destroying piece of shit I had ever seen. I wish to apologise reservedly to Nickleback for any offense this may have caused.

Mariah is back. Miss (is she still miss?) why sing one note when you can sing 347 and sound like a police siren over a bland as dishwater rnb ballad with sleigh bells to signify christmas. Yes the DFS christmas ads have begun in mid October. Terrorising us repeatedly with a song that will be rammed down our throats by most radio stations and music channels anyway.

I imagine DFS must be a hard client to work with, what with their pricing and sale strategy; but please someone tell them just how awful these are. And they are. So awful that I won't inflict them on you dear readers. Imagine 'all I want for christmas' with some sofas and lots of low priced 'its mid september but I am celebrating xmas now!' jolity.

Nickleback, at least you play your instruments and write your songs, and make money for Roadrunner records that is channeled into decent bands. You are terrible, but you are not the worst DFS ad music ever anymore.

Admittedly this is like being Stalin instead of Hitler, but it's still one rung down on the ladder of 'hunt down and kill you for enforcing this shite on our screens and radios you fucking bastards ness'.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Piers Morgan on M&S Steak


It is my opinion, and therefore fact; that this ad is a pile of useless steaming shit. (Pardon the Parkerism) 'I know' said someone... I hope to god not a creative. 'Let's take our highly effective, culturally renowned, much imitated, sector leading ads; remove the good bits, add a celebrity no one in their right mind could possibly be influenced by for food, and give him some rubbish script that starts off with what sounds like an insult to our customers intelligence.

Campaign's turkey of the week? More like a Bernard Matthews bird flu contaminated turkey farm.

What the fuck were you thinking RKCR? Oh right...

Links update!

I have needed a links update for some time. So will anyone who would like to be linked to let me know and I will add the best bunch to my links section.

Gemma - I will be adding you finally also!

Coco Conflict

The new Kelloggs Coco Pops ad... is a little familiar. Someone clearly saw the Drench ad with Brains dancing and said "I want one of those". It even uses the 'other' single by the same artist!

As an execution it lives in the better shadow of its blatant influence. But that's not to say as a kids ad it doesn't work.

After initially despising it for its lack of effort to distance itself from Brains, a heated debate with James (creative sat opposite me) followed. Whilst I still think it is a blatant rip off, I am slightly calmer to see that it does work, and is the kind of thing that kids will pick up on.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

HHCL Yeah

Great post from Scamp asking creatives to think about what HHCL would do. List of product benefits mixed into an amusing scenario? Brilliant.

It's also an opportunity to replay a phenomenal ad that deserves a place in HHCL and indeed the UK's finest ads of all time. Count the product info here, but you barely notice it. Their ads are the FedEx arrow (design in-line there).



What would HHCL do?

Beating the Drum

(Thanks for that title Graham)

The Drum, advertising magazine for those outside the M25 bubble. Not always the most exciting of publications but it does a good job of giving the 'rest' of adland the attention it deserves.

However, they suffer from a slight flaw. Their website is the most useless piece of shit I have ever come across. It simply never works.

Having worked with small businesses I have seen some thought forsaken pieces of 1993 clip art based unusable search tag free wastes of bandwidth. But at least they bloody worked.

I get the regular news email from the drum, click it........... ......... ....... ....... ...... nothing. Or sometimes a header, the first line and a log in request. I enter my details... nothing.

I know its not just me, so why isn't something done about it???

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Northern Northern Northern

The Northern organised Northern Ad Meet, at the Northern Pub in the Northern Quarter of Manchester went very well last week.

As well as the regulars, a couple of folks from my work turned up, as did my brother, several of Love, and numerous new people from the area. In fact everyone seemed to know everyone via a degree of seperation, indeed one guy joined in whilst waiting to meet some of my colleagues without even realising what our meet was...

A lot of discussion centred on me oddly, people asking how I was getting on here; and they were pleased to hear that (bar travelling) its was great so far :)

After 6 months away it felt like a great return to a friendly and always interesting evening. May the next one be much sooner!