Some have called it a ‘new low’: Apple apologising to its customers. And what’s more, recommending competitor’s products, albeit as stop gap arrangements. I think it is a sensible and bold move by Tim Cook and befits a leader. Here’s why: – it was an honest acceptance of poor execution. Apple called it ‘falling short of commitment’ as they take pride in offering a delightful user experience – it was a surprising move. No one…
I plan to share inspiring interviews, presentations from around the web in the Inspiration series. Here’s a presentation by David Bell, Executive Creative Director at MercerBell, on ’33 Things I know about Art Direction’. Great read, great examples. Instead of it being a mere collection of great creative, David has shared invaluable tips and advice. Pretty useful not just for novices but experienced Art Directors & Copywriters too.
The dictionary defines stratagem as: noun: a plan or scheme, especially one used to outwit an opponent or achieve an end: a series of devious stratagems.• [ mass noun ] archaic skill in devising plans or schemes; cunning. What Samsung has set out to do since the launch of Samsung Galaxy S3 is just that: a series of plans to outwit their main opponent in the mobile phone business – Apple. On the face of it, it is a classic marketing ploy to diss competition. It…
A series of ads for a Canadian brand Focusyl,’an all-natural supplement that provides an immediate increase in focus and mental performance’ are doing the rounds of ad blogs. Agency: Red Lion I thought these were great examples of (a) lines blurring between TV and ‘news’ (b) how to make effective short-duration ads and get clients to love you for it . Check out the ‘press release’ here.
Came across a new ad for Fevicol Marine on YouTube. Really liked the idea and the execution – especially the music and the acting. Agency: Ogilvy And that’s Piyush Pandey’s voice over at the end. This ad is much better than their earlier efforts, no? Cuts across language barriers, rooted on the product benefit and conveys the message without saying a word.
All that had to be said about Volkswagen India’s recent wrap around ad in the Times of India (‘shiver of excitement’) and the social media gaffe (not once but twice) has been said. Good reads here, here, here and here. Yes, Volkswagen should have apologised for the offending tweet and moved on. That would have made the brand come across as genuine, humble and human. Everyone makes mistakes, but to repeat the same mistake? I…
The 2013 Volkswagen Jetta commercial for the US market, shows the benefits of keyless access. The creative dramatises the everyday usage of such a feature – placing the car keys (oh yes, you still need a key to start the car) in shirt or pant pockets. Or elsewhere. Agency: Deutsch Another winner from the agency which also created ‘The Force’. Not as dramatic as The Force perhaps, but damn funny. The song (‘Dirty Old Egg…
I saw a blog post over at Creative Review about the upcoming re-design of USA Today. My first reaction to the re-designed masthead and the proposed logo was one of shock. A simple circle as a logo? You begin to wonder if this is the most creative concept the agency can come up with – a typical client reaction too. Agency: Wolff Olins But when you see the entire ‘package’ the newspaper design, the usage…
A nice, visual campaign for Marinella Ties is doing the rounds of ad blogs. The objective is a familiar one: convey that the brand is available and sought after across the world for a long period of time. Even the creative idea of using local sights & landmarks in the ad has been done before. But the usage of the product into the visual to create a pun makes the ads noticeable and memorable. Agency:…
John Lewis, the UK retail chain has unveiled its 2012 ad, titled ‘The Other Half’. It shows love story unfold across two different eras (split-screen being the creative device) and connects it to ‘things that really matter do not change’ as an idea. Agency: Adam & Eve/DDB The ingredients are all in place: cover version of a popular song (INXS track Never Tear Us Apart, re-recorded by Paloma Faith) which fits in well with the story, interesting…