Australian Ads Part 1

As with every country, advertising is generally divided into great and terrible. Australia is no exception. For every Dumb Ways to Die there is a guy shouting about barbecues whilst giving a thumbs up.

Whilst there isn't quite the number of brands perpared to make great creative work as back in the UK, from what I've seen, the standard is definitely improving.

Here's a couple of good examples.

Carlton Draught. Not my favourite beer, but it's definitely better than the cheap stuff in the UK.
This police chase ad from last year is everything you expect from a brand whose creative work travels far wider than the product.

A silly chase that parodies the movies, and avoids taking itself seriously in any way. It's fun and entertaining, taking the semi-mandatory 'several guys in a pub' setup and taking it to somewhere likeable.

It doesn't hurt that Carlton Draught has one of the best taglines of any brand in the world either.




Australia Post. Sometimes an idea is just so simply brilliant that you don't need to create an elaborate ad concept, you just need to show people. It's also another blow for people who keep going on about how QR codes and the like are useless, without realising it was the way people used them that was the problem, not the medium itself. Any postal service that doesn't consider creating this functional

Ad Round Up

This new ad from Audi is excellent. It feels like a Honda ad, and there is not much higher praise than that.

Of all the Old Spice style ads appearing, I think one of the best is the TheExpert from Loreal. Funny and devoid of the product fawning the ladies' make up ads have.

When The Little Guy Gets It Right

You've surely seen those annoying Pepsi Max ads, the one that implies pretending there is an impending Apocalypse is an acceptable excuse for sex crimes, and the slightly better one about tricking your boss into not staying late.

Funny thing is though, WKD have gone and shown on a fraction of the budget and creative spend that they can do this type of ad better.

The ad isn't exactly stepping into new ground, but it's actually funny instead of just cringeworthy; and it actually comes at you with a sense of warmth and fun rather than corporate sponsored mischief.

Yes, I know I was criticising the 'three guys in a bar' setup, but at least this ad gives the idea the space and time to work instead of filling it up with taste and pouring shots. We are actually allowed to see the idea develop and get a proper gag or two in there.

It just feels like WKD know their audience, know their brand and its' tone of voice, and have used it properly; whereas the Pepsi work just feels like it's trying too hard to be mischievous, too hard to be attractive and cool, and it just falls down.

The strength of Pepsi was always that they didn't care about looking cool, which is why they always seemed cooler than Coke. Recently though Pepsi ads tend to just feel like Coke ads with a little more edge (if you can call it that).

So Pepsi marketing team, try watching this and remember what used to make your communications good.

Good Work Headlines...

Here's a round up of the exciting pieces of work I have seen this week:

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Gillette in Good Work Shocker!

It's been a while, a very long while. But finally I get to say something nice about a Gillette piece of work!

Of course it's fake, but it says far more about both the brand and the use of sporting stars as spokespeople than any amount of sales driven tv work. Please please look at how interested people are in this video and realise that the work of the last few years is easy to let go, you've found a good path now, don't lose it.




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Give it Some Soul Kia

This is crazy work. It makes no sense whatsoever untill the endline hits you smack bang in the head. Hard to know if its the right strategy for this type of car, but the execution nails it.



via http://t4w.blogs.com/spinningaround/

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Big Up to Carlton

Their best work since the famous Big Ad. This long but nicely made piece hits bang on those slightly dodgy moments that men all know about. Plus the endline is one of my favourites of all time.



via http://realmenwritelongcopy.blogspot.com/

The Ad Pit Xmas Review 2009

It's that time of year again when I get irritated by the countless clips of red and white frivolity that pass by our screens.

So let's see what's out there...

Argos - Gifts



There's nothing here we haven't seen before in a Xmas ad, but it's done in a nice way. The tone is nice and it makes a good example of how to do traditional Christmas advertising.


Specsavers - Kitty

The usual joke with a reasonable punch line. Problem is it feels cheap, unlike the good TV work this feels custom made for the web, with a 1999 web budget to match.

Sony Centre - Xmas

Apart from the fact that without the VAIO and PSP branding it as Sony, this could easily be a fallout of the Toshiba ad from earlier in the year... only less cool and with cheaper graphics.

That sounds harsh I guess. Its nice, doesn't blast jolly old seasonal cliche's and is very watchable.


Maccy D's - Xmas menu

Not quite up to the standard of the excellent poem ad, but there is something joyful in the ripping of old panto traditions... and who doesn't enjoy comedy involving cranky old ladies? Oh. Never mind.


John Lewis - Sweet child O mine



As I mentioned previously, this is just wonderful. Would you Adam and Eve it, great ads at Xmas?!


DFS - All I Want for Xmas

ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We Wish You a Merry October

Argos have broken the Christmas hustle. Ok, so the ad isn't bad. Actually it's pretty nice for a Christmas retail ad. The problem is that it's October.

I know every brand wants to be the first in the Christmas rush, but this is getting stupid. Why can't we wait until after Guy Fawkes Night at least before we get the sleigh bells and one hit wonders out?

You don't start advertising your new year sale in November. You don't advertise Halloween in August. You don't promote your summer deals in April. Why do we think it's acceptable to shove Christmas in people's faces so damned early.

Is it any wonder people get irritated?

Now let's watch this ad again on the 6th November, when it is appropriate!

On the other hand. One ad that most certainly is not nice is the return of the spawn of musical Satan's fire laden bowels. Mariah Carey and DFS. All I want for Christmas is for them to FUCK OFF.

Floor it!

I've noticed that the slightly nifty 'clean ads' on pavements have started to get a little irritating. My 10 minutes walk from bus stop to office is now met by at least four of the things, and they are starting to lose their novelty somewhat.

Of course we need to find new and interesting ways to get our brand messages out there, but we have to remember that simply shoving logos and straplines at people wherever they look is likely to do more harm than good.

If we fill every little gap we find full of ads and brand messages, can we really be surprised when people stop paying attention to what we say?

Interesting Defence of the Big TV Ad

A nice thought on why big tv ads are still relevant in the age of digital and social communication from James at 77pr.

The role for the 90sec ad

See You Slater...

I think it is only fair considering how much I hate their previous ads, to give credit to M+C Saatchi and PC World for their latest campaign.

Gone is the terrible hard sell feature list and poor salesperson dialogue; and in comes Hollywood actors and a bit of budget.

What we now have isn't earth shattering, but it at least focuses the brand on people, their uses and needs for their computers. It shows PC World to be helpful, friendly and part of that transition of the PC from grey box with Doom to a multimedia hub with Doom. Suddenly it feels like there is a reason to go there, we all know its cheaper to buy PC stuff online, but now there is a glimpse that the experience and advice makes it worth that premium.

Whether they have fixed instore to live up to it is another thing...

But whether this is client or agency raising their game it is to be commended. Dragging away from hard sell tactics is a difficult choice to make in times like these; and to go head first into a product-less branding piece from where they were is excellent.

This isn't going to get any pencils, but hopefully it puts the brand onto a road where they can keep improving their communications for years to come.

New PC World ad at Campaign

5 Rules of Blogging PR - Aka: How Not to Go Viral

1. Don't read my blog. When you get in touch, make sure it feels like you have never visited my site before. For example, I love it when you send me a link to a new ad in a campaign I've already slagged off saying "I think you'll really like this".

2. Ignore my location. The world is flat and although I mainly cover UK stuff, what I really want is 20 average campaigns from Canada and Mexico.

3. Timing doesn't matter. Sure you could encourage me to post by giving me something early, before it is released. But to be honest I'm happy to post about ads that everyone has seen, sites that everyone has been to, and content thats already been passed around. The more people have discussed it, the more likely I am to extend that conversation further.

4. Quality is irrelevant. I might be interested in the best work you have to put out there, but I am even more interested in churned out dross. Please send me at least 5 campaigns a week, all of which are shite.

5. I don't care if it works. Some people might say that sending an active, critical blogger a dead link, or a link to a site that doesn't work properly is foolish. Not me. I am happy to spend time going back and forth to your link to see if technical support has fixed it.

Image from http://www.brickmarketingconsulting.com

Save Tango!

Looks like BBH has rediscovered its inner HHCLness with the latest campaign for Tango. After years of declining sales they have launched the save tango campaign; which along with a brilliant website, appears to wholesale bring back the tone of voice much loved during the era of orange slappers and Ray Gardner fights. (In fact they even have them as classic ads to watch on the site)

Its all done with tongue in cheek and with that brilliantly sarcastic yet witty voice. The opening video is magnificent, with wonderfully written lines like: "that utterly senseless and irresponsible act was to illustrate a point, that a much loved brand is being beaten from existence." and "Even local schools are helping out, St Enids has introduced child labour to the curriculum." The 'can fist' symbol is a brilliant bit of hookery.

Games such as 'click as many times as you like, the more you click the more you help us'; in which cans constantly appear as you click; are brilliantly done.

The soprano voice for titles, the desktop images with 'Rainforests can grow back, save tango', the Tangometer sitting at 'Up the creek'; its all produced and thought out so well that it actually does remind you of the brilliance of their past, and how sad it would be to let it go.

So people. Can Fist. Save tango, if not for the drink, for the ads.

Save Tango

John Mugabe

As someone who works in advertising I am more than aware of the power we sometimes have to put fear into people. Fear that you might smell, be ugly, have no friends, be uncool. I hate it when ads play on those fears, but quite frankly it seems we have nothing on the ads of American politics.

John Mccain's campaign ads so far have been shocking, doing the Republican thing of playing on peoples fear of the unknown. America is a divided country, and the Republicans are masters of manipulating people that are not (as much as we like to believe) totally stupid, but in most cases just very badly misled.

Frankly with ads like these (below, ads with explanations) , pushing fear, outright lying, manipulating facts, its no wonder that people who don't know any better vote for these selfish cheating scumbags.

Please explain to me John Mccain how you are any better than Robert Mugabe? A tyrant you say, fake democracy you say. Is he not just doing the same as you, using fear to make people vote one way? Scaring people and lying to them in order to win an election that everyone else around the world knows should be won by the only candidate with real ideas for a better country?

Fuck you Mccain. Fuck you Republican party. Frankly America has no hope when the world lets a country be dominated by this type of campaigning. We should have acted on Mugabe, we should have acted on Darfur, we should act on this. The most powerful country in the world should not be run by people who are happy to cheat and lie and manipulate the people they are supposed to be helping.

Image from Stu's Views

A to Z

For some reason this posted yesterday instead of saving... here it is finished!

A is for : Aquafresh (3 in one protection)
B is for : Bear (Hoffmeister)
C is for : Cog (Honda)
D is for : Dee, Jack (John Smiths Penguins)
E is for : Esso Tiger
F is for : Fat Chris (Gamestation)
G is for : Grr (Honda)
H is for : Hello Tosh, Gotta Toshiba?
I is for : It's frothy man (Cresta)
J is for : Jif Micro liquid where are you?
K is for : Kia Ora (We all adora)
L is for : Lemonade drinker (Secret) (R Whites)
M is for : Martians (Smash)
N is for : Need to hear it on a Maxell
O is for : On and on and Ariston
P is for : (Bill) Poster Wins Lott... (Red Bull)
Q is for : Quite smart (I thought they were) (Carling
R is for : Row (John West)
S is for : Slap - You've been Tango'ed (Tango)
T is for : Thunderbirds, Brains (Drench)
U is for : Um Bongo (They drink it in the Congo)
V is for : Vimto (Purple Ronnie)
W is for : Watch out there's a Humphrey about
X is for : Xtra (Who gives you?)
Y is for : Yes (The bank that likes to say, Del Monte say ... to the best)
Z is for : Zzzz ... erm... rats

Research Engine

Watching a repeat of 1990 ad program Washes Whiter inspired me to write about an old favourite ad, and how it shows the benefits of good, well targeted and thought out research over rushed basic crap.

As many people know, I am always careful when looking at research, as it generally only tells us whats in the past; but hearing about how the Oxo family came about was a great example of getting it right.

Regardless of whether you liked the ads, they created a campaign that resonated with people and really kept a brand that was seeming old fashioned at the time in our minds.

They didn't research "do you like OXO, why do you like OXO, what would make you buy OXO?", they didn't try to make it seem funky or fashionable. No, they asked people about their lives, about how their kitchens worked, how their mealtimes went, and used this to put together something that truly reflected instead of hard selling or offering aspiration.

Now THATS how what I call good research.

Review of the Year - Part 4

Last part of the ad year from me, to be followed only by my personal account of 2007...


Best International Ads

If you'll excuse the metaphor, it was a breath of fresh air.




At last, something that captures our human relationship with technology.

Review of the Year - Part 3

2007 has been a good year for traditional advertising. The anticipated collapse never happened, digital advertising appeared to be suffering from a mild hangover, and despite a flurry of brands with 'big ads', and too many 'chain reaction' ads; it wasn't half bad.

But, there is always rubbish:

Disappointment of the Year

After a decent build up campaign, and a huge huge budget, I was expecting something more than a giant domino themed version of Cog. It's a decent watch, but lacks the Guiness charm, and feels like a weak attempt at aping W+K; rather ironically, the creatives moved to W+K almost immediately after this ad launched...



The "What Were They Thinking" Award for Bandwagon Jumping

Oh. Dear. Someone read about UGC and appeared to miss the bit about quality control.

[sourcing ad... ]


Worst Ads of 2007

Still badly written. Still badly acted. Still failing to get a good message about the company across. Had a great discussion about this campaign with Graham at Cheetham Bell JWT ; might talk about that soon.



Yes, we can see what they were going for, but they just got it very wrong. We do not like, empathise or positively associate with Mickey at all.



Oh the stereotyping, woe the lacklustre use of a decent tag.

Seasons' Bleatings.

So, it's that time of year again. Christmas is creeping up on us like a stalker with Hush Puppies; shopping centres have already decorated themselves to the point of destroying the planet with lights and plastic decor, and the tv and radio are full of Christmas deals and offers. Yes. It's mid November.

The big question for me is this:

When is the 'right' time to start promoting Christmas? I mean, late November and you risk missing the boat. Late October (like DFS this year) and you risk being the brand that everyone screams "It's not bloody Christmas yet!!!" at.

Perhaps we need to see brands embrace progressive Christmasisation (now theres a word); in other words, start in early November with only a small hint of the season. Then gradually add tinsel, santa images and jingly music over the course of 4/5 weeks. That way you get in early whilst respecting those who aren't obsessed with all things red.

..what do you think?

Adtional Security...

Watching part of Britz last night made me think about how the way you treat people can affect what they become. The drama implied strongly that if you treat minorities like terrorists you will actually force them away and give them more encouragement to do so.

I started to wonder whether that is the same in adland. One of the things that most irritates me about ads is how many of them appear to treat the public as if they are stupid; as if they need everything spelling out and repeated s-l-o-w-l-y to be able to understand it. I wonder if this attitude actually causes the public to see ads as dumb, and not to read them with any sense of intelligence.

Does dumbed down advertising damage advertising that treats people with respect?

Vote Brooker for PM

Thanks to Scamp again for reminding me...

Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe, THE best show on TV is back.
This episode featured some of his traditionally accurate looks at ads...

Tesc-oh no you dont...

Tesco have made a bold move recently by actually admitting in their ads that Asda are cheaper than them on a number of products; as they fight a well publicised supermarket price war.

"945 products are cheaper at Asda, but 1213 products are cheaper at Tesco" sort of thing.

Its quite interesting to see how this might play out, because (for example) Asda might come back and say that 'The products Tesco are cheaper on are those you don't buy often' or even 'That's mostly their economy brand stuff which is worse than our economy brand stuff". Etc.

I understand the idea, and in principle I think its a good one. But it's not without risk, and if Asda fight back things could get messy...