Review of the Year! - Part One

If I have time I still hope to organise the blogosphere ad awards for 2007 once people are back online, but in the meantime here is my personal review of the year in adland and marketing.

Best ads of the year:

3. Irn Bru - Snowman. Alright, technically it was from last year, but I never saw it; and it is a perfect pastiche in every respect. It commands your attention, and the moment when you hear the music and get the joke is just wonderful.



2. Cadbury's - Gorilla. Ok, I like it more now than I did initially. Having thought about the message hidden away it's cleverer than it appeared. But the real magic is in the CGI, timing, choice of music, and the direction. Admirably subtle, jumping on the 'big ad' wagon whilst keeping a sense of compactness and personality (unlike Guiness Domino for one).



1. Carling - Space / Igloo. This might be controvertial in some circles. But I stand by my comments in campaign. This ad singlehandedly expands the Carling brand without alienating it's core users. It's almost perfectly produced, the atmosphere, the timing, the writing, the way it understands male friendship without being patronising or stereotypical (*cough* Carlsberg). I finally see the distinction between BMB and TBWA under Trevor Beattie, this has the humour and disruption of old, but with a subtlety and message that is significantly better.

I always wanted you to go into Space man...

Sometimes ads find that executional sweet spot that hits humour, emotion, friendship, and combines it all with a brand warmth.

Sometimes ad strategies take out of date, faltering ideas and spruce them up into a piece of brilliance.

It won't change the world, but for my money the new Carling space ad is better than the Cadburys Gorilla, Sony Rabbit, Orange Rainbow and Guinness Domino combined.

It's not perfect but it absolutely hits the executional bullseye. From the setting, to the writing, to the actors (that mix between the old Carling 'everylad' and the new Carling 'bestmates', which, whilst being similar to the entourage that appears in every Carlsberg ad; actually offer something far more appealing from both strategic and executional viewpoints).

Carling ads used to be good pieces of work for a brand that felt like it was being taken downmarket. This on the other hand is an entirely different keg of beer. The Belong idea takes all that was good about the old ads, their universal appeal, the community spirit; and makes it that little bit more classy without going too far as to limit the brand.