Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Improving the Unimprovable

It's so nice when brands don't take themselves or their communications too seriously. So many brands take a position of being uptight and faceless, often those that try and produce humorous ads, still do so from a brand position of being humour free. You laugh at the execution, not the brand.

Well sometimes laughing at your brand is the best way to make me buy it.

Take the new work for Stride Gum and their Shaun White inspired Mintacular flavour gum. It doesn't take itself seriously, it mocks apple, mocks other ads and online videos, and deliberately mocks the ad industry's often sad habit of feigning importance onto completely insignificant products.

The moment when I saw the caption, "Jamie Gill-Sans - Senior Vice Executive Vice President, Glasses and Facial Hair" was the moment I knew this had to be shared.

I hope more brands realise that being funny as a brand is different to having a funny execution. Another great example below from Carlton Draught, owners of one the best straplines I have ever seen, even includes the line "It's a big ad, expensive ad, this ad better sell some bloody beer." That is a mile away from having a three blokes in a pub gag.

1 comment:

Patrick said...

I also love the on-screen note ‘sequence shortened’ while the woman is examining the gum packet!