Ah, the privileges of living in affluent societies. Here’s a campaign urging people to conserve water, released in Denver, Colorado. We’ve seen such Public Service ads in India too – urging us to turn off the tap when brushing teeth; ads for detergent powders have sold us the virtue of using one bucket less. All everyday, utilitarian stuff, for us. And in some Indian cities, water conservation is not an issue – getting water supply…
Winning a Filmfare Award is considered prestigious in the Southern film industry (unlike perhaps in Mumbai where it’s a tad less shiny thanks to so many other awards) and here’s an ad meant to announce the event. Can it get more cliched and stereotypical than this? I find such an attitude so patronizing and irritating. Am sure the elite of the industry and Page 3 types who see this and choose to grace the occasion,…
Maybe it’s my penchant for drawing from my childhood days, that I still seek out great illustrations and drawings in ads. Vintage ads had to perforce resort to illustrations to convey their message – ads for Pears, Lifebuoy and several others come to mind. Photography then became the norm. Illustrations then became a way of breaking the clutter, as they simply looked different. Herewith a small collection of ads which use illustrations to enhance the…
Haven’t we heard these all: 1. The client only wants to see how it looks. 2. The ad is required to go by 4pm today. 3. The client loved it! 4. According to research… 5. I get it, but will our consumer? 6. Give me 2 minutes… 7. I’ll call you back 8. This is the last of the revisions. Really. 9. Don’t worry about the budget now. 10. I timed it. It’s a 30-sec…
‘An ad for an ad’ is one of the many descriptions of the Creative Brief. Much has been written about the importance of the Brief. Every big agency network has a brief template, with similar sections to fill. Some like the Thompson Total Branding and Disruption have become brand names themselves. More on what makes a good Creative Brief, later. But the hallmark of a good brief is it’s memorability long after the ad is…
Most of the computer users in this universe will wonder what the great deal is about. Some new desktop wallpapers of the impending Mac 10.6 Snow Leopard and news of the new Quicktime X icon is out. Similar news about developments on Windows 7 is also out from time to time. But there is a huge difference between these two, at least for me. Even a simple icon for Quicktime reminds me of several things…
Add this to the list of ‘when the world zigs, zag’ ideas. Canadian entrepreneur Lino Fleury has created Slow Cow, dubbed as the anti-energy drink. He believes that caffeine-packed drinks like Red Bull increase anxiety and created Slow Cow, an antidote to energy drinks. It contains theanine, chamomile, valerian, passiflora and other ingredients known for their calming effects. Red Bull, apparently is not amused by the logo. Some of us have an urge to be…
Set a video alarm and other cool things to with YouTube Videos http://tr.im/t5HI # How Can Advertisers Get Through to Teens? – eMarketer http://tr.im/t5Mw # 30 great print ads with a visual story http://tinyurl.com/ny7vtu #creativeads # iPhone App that makes $7000 a month from ads http://bit.ly/nQu9y # Find out how Aussie you are with this Fosters iPhone App http://tinyurl.com/m3ukak analyses tweets in real-time to create a league table # The exploding internet http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/archive/2706/27062201.jpg # The…
Beer Advertising is perhaps the toughest category to crack. Especially in the US, this along with automobiles, is most cluttered. At least with automobiles, there could be slim chance of a product feature or news to hang on to. But a beer is a beer is a beer, usually. Advertising plays a huge role in terms of enjoyability and memorability. In that context, what Euro RSCG has pulled off for Dos Equis beer is commendable.…
I’ve had the ‘wish-I-had-thought-of-that-idea’ moment, when it comes to ads created by others. It happened with this product concept. OFF! Clip-On is a personal mosquito protection kit which you simply clip-on to your belt or purse. Quite like an iPod Shuffle. Apparently, SC Johnson, the manufacturer can’t make enough of it in the US and the sales have exceeded expectations by 400%. Should sell like hot cakes in India too.