Every day we see hundreds of commercial messages. But only a handful of them are even noticed. An even smaller number of such ads strike a chord and become memorable. Herewith a few creative ideas which caught my attention over the last week.
The Shower: Hindustan Unilever
Advertising is meant to fulfil many objectives – from creating awards, building affinity, changing perceptions to changing behaviour. The last aspect is perhaps the most difficult, especially when it involves habits which have become second nature. Smoking, for example is an irrational behaviour – smokers know its harmful effects, yet continue to indulge in the habit. Anti-smoking campaigns have a tough ask in changing such behaviour. A few campaigns which urge people not to drink & drive have also been effective: Australia’s Traffic Accident Commission (TAC) comes to mind.
In this context, comes a film raising awareness about water consumption and urging people to change their behaviour. The film is intriguing, riveting and has an ‘a-ha!’ moment which drives home the message.
Agency: Ogilvy, Mumbai
Qantas: The Passport Take-Off
Selling a destination takes more than advertising. News reports from the country, historical perceptions of the place – all play a role. Apparently, Australia is part of the bucket list of many Americans but a mere intent did not result in actual trips. Research revealed that 3 out of 5 Americans don’t have a passport. Armed with this insight, Qantas created a campaign which offered to pay for their passports. This caught the attention of media houses and eventually resulted in a +158% increase in bookings.
Agency: BWM Dentsu
Welti-Furrer: fine art transports
If you are a company specialising in moving valuable fine art – with museums, galleries, curators and art collectors being the target audience, how do you convey you take extreme care while transporting them? Here’s how. Even though the line spells it out, the visual still leaves a little bit unsaid for the reader to ‘fill in the blanks’.
Agency: Ruf Lanz, Switzerland
Clark Street Bridge: writing
Clark Street Bridge is a School of Writing. A series of posters meant to kindle interest in the programme work like a proof of concept.
Agency: FCB, Chicago. Check the hi-resolution versions of these ads here.
Google Assistant: Home Alone
Christmas movies like Die Hard, Home Alone and Love Actually are a part of Christmas holidays. In a clever casting, Google Assistant re-creates the famous scene from Home Alone with the all-grown up original actor.
Berlitz: Be part of the conversation
The pitfalls of not knowing a language when most needed has been a subject of ads for many language courses, including this hilarious spot from Berlitz. Here’s another campaign dramatising the problem, with an arresting visual.
Agency: Rethink, Canada
Swiggy: what does Santa look like?
It is not just fashionable but mandatory for brands nowadays to create topical ads for occasions like Independence Day, Mother’s Day and so on. Most of them are created by brand managers & agencies with FOMO as the main motive. Many of them have a tenuous or no link to the brand and don’t really have a business case. This one’s different: a film to highlight that Swiggy is recruiting women ‘delivery partners’ anchored in a ‘Christmas themed’ message.
Which one was your favourite? Comment in.
