Every day we come across hundreds of commercial messages. Only a handful are memorable. Here are a select few which caught my eye, the week ending 24th November, 2017.
Apple: Sway
The Christmas advert from Apple has become an event to look forward to. I think the 2013 one, ‘Misunderstood’ set the trend. This year’s advert is a riveting watch and has the hallmark of classic Apple advertising: product is the hero. Many brands opt for what is loosely dubbed as ‘lifestyle advertising’ with a montage of visuals held together by a song and promising something vague like ‘seize the day’. Some of them work but a lot depends on execution as there is no central idea. In this advert, Apple urges the viewer to ‘move someone this holiday’ with Apple’s products – AirPod, Apple Music and (obviously) the iPhone being central to the story.
Norwegian Air: “America. Just Like The Movies”
Destination advertising is common in the airline industry. It can be treated either as a tactical ad (‘now flying to Singapore from Mumbai’) or as a thematic one. An ad for Norwegian Air takes the latter route dramatising America is it is portrayed through its biggest export: the Hollywood movie. The common stereotypes of America are all referenced with light humour. The industry cue of ‘arrival’ of an aircraft which then leads to the transformation was a deft touch.
Agency: TRY, Norway
Volkswagen T-Roc: Born Confident
How to weave an interesting story with a premise which is not anchored on any product feature and could be equally applicable to many SUVs? Here’s an exhibit.
Agency: adam&eveDDB
Audi: parking lot
Almost every brand creates a Christmas-themed ad every year. Most of them are sappy, sugary-sweet stories meant to tug at the heartstrings. This one from Audi features 2018 RS 7 and RS 3 sport vehicles and dramatises the all-familiar fight for parking lots in malls. And after that race, there is something else to compete for.
Agency: Venables Bell & Partners
Snickers – doctor
I have written several blog posts on Sncikers highlighting how their ‘you are not you when you are hungry’ positioning is brilliant. The hallmark of the campaign is that they have executed it across media using that medium’s core strengths. On TV, they have dramatised behavioural changes ’caused’ by hunger and offered Snickers as the solution in many hilarious situations. Here’s a whacky one – just loved the last ‘better-butter’ joke on Siri.
Agency: BBDO New York
Shizuoka Shimbun and Shizuoka Broadcasting System – The Mass-Media Brothers
Advertising from Japan has always been unique; sometimes, it borders on the bizarre (at least for those living outside Japan). Their best ads (as with advertising everywhere else) have a strong idea at the centre, while the execution dramatises it. Here’s an ad from media groups which are ‘old’ trying to convey that they are with it when it comes to adapting to current trends.
Agency: Dentsu
Motilal Oswal: think equity
Focus is good, said Motilal Oswal in its new campaign a few months ago, driving home the message that they have been doing only one thing and doing it very well for decades. Here’s the second instalment in that series.
Agency: Mullen Lintas
EKO-KOM: where they belong
The company describes itself as a ‘packaging company, which provides associated compliance of take-back and recovery of packaging waste’. The campaign’s objective is to drive home the point that segregation is important in recycling and things have to be ‘put where they belong’.
Agency: Havas, Prague
Which one was your favourite? Comment in.
1 Comment
Loved the Shizuoka Shimbun and Shizuoka and the EKO-KOM.
Superb idea as well as execution.
From the festive ones, I think Audi takes the cake, Gripping and realistic.