I had never heard of Dermablend until now. Now with tweets and blog posts talking about an ‘amazing’ video for the brand, I do. The video, with nearly 2.1 million views as of date, is likely to be talked about even more in the days to come. Dermablend is a ‘coverage cosmetics’ brand in the U.S and according the PR blurb: from tattoos to undereye circles to more serious skin conditions, Dermablend Professional provides an array of…

‘We help well known brands do what they do best’ is a common theme when it comes to corporate advertising. The objective is to associate Brand X (usually a smaller or lesser known brand) to with Brand Y (a large, well known brand of repute) and hope that there is a positive rub-off on the former. A campaign running in the latest issue of HBR for Xerox caught my attention. Released first in 2010, the…

Alcoholic beverages are one of the most visible categories in advertising. The vast range of appeal – from humor (beers) to sophistication (high end whiskey) is fascinating. Most of the category communication relies on strong visual imagery, especially in static media. Loved these set of print ads for Bacardi. Agency: RKCYR Loved the graphics and the layout – captures the high energy, night time party mood well.

I guess December is upon us. Nevertheless, here are a couple of refreshingly new creative takes.  The first one is for Wildlife Reserves Singapore. The smile-inducing twist on excursions to such places being a ‘learning experience’ and the striking visual makes the ad stand out. The second one is for WWF – one of the favorite brands of the creative teams, especially towards December. Again, loved the visual depiction of what happens when you cut…

The ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’ theme continues with a new execution. For once, Gordon Ramsay is left speechless. The theme  lends itself to creative executions across media. As long as the execution is surprising, refreshing the plot can never get jaded. Unless of course a new Brand Manager decides to ‘do away with the old’. Sigh.

‘Let’s make a viral video’. That’s something several agencies and clients set out to do, when discussing digital marketing ideas. However, that can hardly be an objective when it comes to YouTube video simply because a video is made to go viral by consumers. The view counts, likes and pass-along value usually determine if the video has gone viral. So it should ideally be ‘let’s make a great video, hope it goes viral’. Some ingredients…

There are several TV spots that are merely glorified radio spots – conversations captured on camera. The assumption is that viewers will follow the audio and get the message – without any visual hook the risk is huge. A new TVC for Twinings, UK caught my eye in this context. Agency: AMV BBDO The animation style is riveting to say the least. And quite like some of the great Pixar movies, its proof that animation…

Müller, the UK-based dairy brand has been a subject of my fascination for some time now. They have taken a basic product like yogurt and infused fun into it. Also, the way they have managed their brand extensions and product offerings across different target groups, usage occasions is interesting. A new TV commercial with a campaign theme of Wünderful Stuff is doing the rounds of ad blogs. Agency: TBWA/London The idea of a robot turning…