Every day we come across hundreds of commercial messages. Most of them are simply ignored while a few are noticed. An even smaller number is remembered. Here are a few which caught my eye this week ending 20th October, 2018.
1. Three UK: #PhonesAreGood
Over the last few years, the negative effects of mobile addiction have been highlighted in media. ‘We are captives to our phones, they are having a deleterious effect on society, and no one is coming to help us’ said this review of Google Pixel 3. Mobile phone manufacturers too have taken steps to educate users about the harmful effects of excessive phone usage. Three, the telecom brand from UK has taken a contrary stand by claiming ‘phones are good‘ by dramatising the role they play (along with data, of course) in making our lives easier: ‘Far from bringing about an end to humanity, we think phones are good. Think about it! You can find love lounging on your sofa, buy new shoes from the toilet and order a chicken burger garnished with a side salad, and delivered to your precise location at the drop of a thumb’. In order to bring it alive, a fun TV spot showcases historical events would have turned out had the protagonists used a phone.
Agency: Wieden & Kennedy
The idea is being taken forward tactically by getting 3 influencers to go phone less (the horror!) for a day.
the horror is real. these guys have NO idea what’s in store… 😁 follow @threeuk on Instagram and watch the utter terror play out on Stories from 22.10 👀😱 #PhonesAreGood #halloween #horror #phone @dontjealousme @Freestyleandrew @chessieking pic.twitter.com/VavXg58Tua
— Three UK (@ThreeUK) October 19, 2018
A good read on the planning behind the campaign is here. Also loved the execution in the London subway.
2. AMF: pension plan
What actually got Mona Lisa to give that enigmatic smile? AMF, the pension company provides a clue.
Agency: Forsman & Bodenfors
3. Nespresso: The Quest
Many food & beverage brands have adopted the ‘will go to great lengths to get it’ (or variations thereof) in their advertising. The format lends itself to an irrational craving often felt for food products and can depict protagonists going to the extremes to acquire it. Nespresso’s latest with their log-time ambassador, George Clooney has a fun take of such a ‘quest’.
Agency: McCann
4. Ford: Built Ford Proud
The American automobile market is an extremely competitive one with several legacy homegrown brands and ‘imports’ from Germany & Japan vying for attention. In this context, Ford plays up its strength – of its unique legacy and contribution to the automobile industry as a whole in creating the ‘assembly line production’ and other firsts. A new film starring Bryan Cranston in many avatars, drives home the point that the future is not created by talking but by ‘building’. Loved the swagger of Bryan Cranston and the potshots at Silicon Valley.
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy New York
A series of static ads bring alive the same idea.
5. Canal+: The idea
‘Where do you guys get such bizarre ideas from?’ is often asked of creative folks. Canal+ the French cable-network takes that idea forward by showing the ‘process’ of how an idea is born, the mysterious ways in which our minds associate one bizarre element to another. A lavish, jaw-dropping production.
Agency: BETC
6. Assam Tourism: Awesome Assam
Everyone knows advertising exaggerates. While viewers may take such exaggeration in their stride, the gap between promise and delivery cannot be huge. If telecom companies promise blazing network speeds but don’t deliver on that promise, it leads to dissonance on the ground. It is said that great advertising kills a bad product faster. When it comes to tourism advertising the challenges are similar. What is promised in the advertising must be delivered on ground by several stakeholders who had no part n creating the advertising. So when India promises to be ‘incredible’ every player in the tourism experience chain – from the driver at the airport to the hotel staff and more. In that context, the latest TVC from Assam Tourism showcases the laid back, easy lifestyle of Assam. Even though the film is languid, it is riveting.
Agency: YAPP-Crayons
Which one was your favourite? Comment in.
