Born and Bread

The new Hovis ad is a staggering 122 seconds long, once for every year they have been around. But you know what, it fills every one of those 122 seconds whithout losing its way or feeling like it is buying for time.

It is essentially a run through the recent history of Britain, but done in such a way that it never feels contrived, cheap or sappy.

The kid playing the lead role is excellent, he gives it the northern charm that we all sort of associate with Hovis. The ad is well shot, the music is good and it really gets across the reliable and timeless nature the brand aims for.

And as Scamp rightly points out, the ad is all the better for showing sombre moments of our history, and the client deserves credit for letting an ad like this get through as it is.

122 seconds well filled. If only other agencies could get the same quality into their 1min ads.

Have we Reached the Edge of the World?

Having just started reading "The World is Flat" (now i'm settled in the new house I actually have time to read the books i've had for ages!), it was very interesting to see how India and the growing countries have taken call centres and other such jobs, leading the world to in essence become a flatter place.

However, its very clear that many British consumers arent happy with having their calls routed to India. Whilst there are far too many bigots in this country, I do believe that this has nothing to do with race; my personal experiences of Indian call centres are of friendly helpful people who have no power or access to actually do anything with your enquiries.

In the news today they mention several big firms who are bringing call centres back to the UK as leaving them abroad is damaging their reputation and brand image. Natwest are one who make a big deal out of having UK call centres.

So, the question is. If the technology has helped make the world flat, will quality of service issues mean that brands are starting to fall of the edge..?