Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Nice phrase I heard today

One thats especially relevant to advertising:


"If you have nothing original to say, make sure you steal from someone who was right in the first place."

Friday, May 26, 2006

Interesting Challenge for TBWA

(assuming they still hold the account which im sure they do..!)

Sony Playstation 3. Surely one of the most anticipated consumer products of all time. Yet so far, the reaction to it has been muted and Sony seem to keep insist on shooting themselves in the foot and irritating their customers.

An overview of issues so far:

Performance is nowhere near what was promised
The next gen Blu Ray (high definition) drive is mandatory. Meaning...
The Price is Huge (£425 was quoted by Sony, and the cheaper version is rubbish)
They are looking at banning re-sale/second hand game sales by saying that the (£50-60+) games you buy arent actually yours. No, you just buy the licence to play them!

I know TBWA have done some great work for PS and PS2, but if the consumer image of Playstation3 is affected by these issues (as it really should be); then they have some work on their hands to make a difference.

With a potentially negative brand image, will those interesting and obscure ads (Third Place, circle-square-triangle-cross etc) still work in the same way?

Friday, May 19, 2006

DFS - Another DFS ad!

While most adverts for (furniture retailer) DFS are awful, a radio ad I heard yesterday actually quite a nice planning insight in it.

Sure, the ad was poorly written, not very well spoken and a bit dull... but one of the points it makes it absolutely spot on, namely:

Men don't like shopping for sofas, theyd rather be at home sitting on the lovely new sofa they can't be bothered to shop for.

Its a great insight that reveals a lot about the attitude of customers buying sofas, but also opens up a range of ideas on how to target them: "We know its dull, but when you are watching tv with a beer it will be so much more relaxing than your current one" and so on.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

3 - Ribbons

Continuing the theme of interesting mobile phone ads is the new one from 3.
Following in their quirky style (based on Japanese legends i believe), but it does very well to put across a real feeling and emotion that phones help you deal with.

In essence a man on a coach travelling away from his girlfriend. He speaks as a cloth like ribbon, that travels back to the girl and wraps around her.

The thing I love is that the ribbon acts like a hug, and it really (in one small detail) puts across how speaking to a loved one far away feels.

Its on a little too much now, but I still think it portrays its message and the feeling behind it very well.

I also love the tagline "Talk for hours not minutes". It perfectly cuts across the network idea of having xx minutes talktime, and really gives the impression that 3 offer more.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

O2 - Bubbles - TV

Just seen this new ad for the second time O2 during the Grand Prix today.
I really like it.

A bubble is flying through a cityscape and various place, turning into lots of bubbles; with some music that sounds a little like Aphex Twin or Autechre.

Edit: Apparently its 'Utopia' by Jackson and his computer band. Thanks anonymous informant!


The bubbles bounce off things and cause ripples and other movement on the objects.

What I only noticed on the second viewing is that when flying over the city you see keyboard keys below, when the building ripples it looks like a film strip, and so on.

Whether it will connect with the customer is to be seen, but as a nicely understated and watchable ad its great.

Saturday, May 13, 2006

Pot Noodle

Apparently Pot Noodle is having a complete brand makeover soon to make it appeal more to women. Its about time it lost its student "quick fix" image.

They had a well promoted ad on today at 9-30pm. It was advertised in lots of papers but I missed it. Was it anything worth seeing?

Friday, May 12, 2006

Economist - Web Banner

Love the Economist banner ive just seen on Reuters.
Odd zooming hover buttons... but the text is absolutely excellent; it makes you think about a complex Economic issue without making it seem difficult or boring (as economics often can to people not part of it).

The text is simply:

The gap between the rich and poor is growing. But if the poor are getting richer does that matter?

Wonderfully simple and engaging copy.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Something to learn

Having just got back from a 2 day music festival, I noticed something that has become increasingly prevalent in the clothing market: artist owned clothing labels.

Now whilst the 50 cent range of clothing seems to sell fairly well, im talking about labels such as (and specifically) Atticus, started by a member of Blink 182. This label seems to keep growing and growing in terms of design, availability and popularity.

So what is the lesson here?

This brand is being happily bought by and worn by 16-30 year olds who (very often) are anti big brands or corporations. People who won't buy Nike and hate McDonalds, people who are very often Vegetarian or Vegan. They have strong views, yet these brands have something that appeals to them.

I believe its two things:

1. Credibility
2. Ethics

These labels are run by and often advertised by members of bands that have a lot of credibility with the target audience. The kids and young adults buying them respect those people, and very often the causes and ideals they stand for. This is translating into a lack of usual cynicism with these brands.

The ethics are very important for this set of people, and the backing of credible people, as well as a seemingly anti-corporate image is selling clothing at a very corporate rate.

Maybe the point is, ethics and credibility can pay off. Its been seen before, for every Walls there is a Ben and Jerry's. Being a responsible company doesn't have to mean losing money, and by being more responsible and appearing (at least) more trustworthy; maybe new markets will be opened up.

It was a tired thought at 11pm after 9 hours in Earls Court, but I think the point is there or thereabouts. Id love to know any thoughts on this...