Volkswagen, @Maersk, @DisneyIndia and more: 12 compelling creative ads of the week

Every day hundreds of commercial messages are targeted at each one of us. However, only a handful are noticed and an even small number is remembered. Here are a few compelling creative ads which caught my eye during the past week.

Volkswagen: a new mission

The 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing saw several brands trying to forge an association. Many of them were force fits and seem to be done with the objective of ‘not letting an opportunity for tactical ad’ (read FOMO) pass by. Some, like Volkswagen found a connection. ’50 years ago we were obsessed with the Moon. Now, mankind is obsessed with our own planet’ claims the ad linking the brand’s efforts to increase production of electric vehicles and go carbon neutral.

Agency: Johannes Leonardo, USA

A print ad brings back reference to the famous van from the brand.

Shutterstock: Moon Landing ‘Exposed’

Conspiracy theories abound when it comes to major international events. With Apollo 11, some believed that it was staged. Shutterstock takes a tongue-in-cheek approach on the occasion of moon mission’s 50th anniversary with the claim: ‘We know it happened. But if it didn’t, you could absolutely make it look like it did with Shutterstock’. The route also highlights the range and possibilities of the brand for creative content production.

Maersk: All The Way

B2B advertising is often considered ‘boring’. But as we know it is an artificial, self-imposed limitation – any category of advertising can be made interesting. In the case of Maersk, they’ve made communication about supply chain interesting. Their objective would be to convince enterprises to change their way of thinking when it comes to supply chain management. In a video they have personified ‘change’ and our ‘reptilian brain’ which resists change. Loved the concept, casting, acting and the execution.

Match.com: Commitment is the new sexy

In an era where apps like Tinder stop at finding a date , Match.com has taken a refreshingly contra approach by focusing on long term commitment. In a series of print ads there is some clever wordplay, celebrating the sexiness & cool quotient of commitment. In my view, such ads charm their way into the hearts of the reader – an effective way to create affinity towards the brand.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Agency: Marcel, Paris

---

---

McDonald’s: Share the Love

Though telegrams are not in vogue anymore, an advertisement is said to convey a telegraphic message when just a glance at the visual is good enough. It is even more effective when it involves just the slightest strain from the reader to give a double take about an intriguing visual or line only till the penny drops. Loved the ‘M’ formed in this visual.

• 

• 

Agency: We Are Unlimited, USA

Virgin Trains: Very Fast Chair

The romance of train travel has been portrayed in many ways across campaigns in UK. In a new ad for Virgin Trains, the attempt seems to be to get users from other modes of transportation (cars, for example) for travel within the UK. It is a light-hearted attempt to imagine the ‘perfect’ vehicle only to be told that it already exists.

Agency: Anomaly

Disney India: kids pack

It is refreshing to see a TVC spot with a creative idea and great acting. The attempt is to convey that Disney India has a kids pack which can be subscribed. The creative idea was to portray the dramatic effect of watching programmes meant for grown ups on children. Loved the idea and acting.

Agency: in-house

Amul topicals: outdoor

In India, Amul topicals have been a thing to look forward to almost every week. They started off strategically placed hoardings (rented in prime locations in a city for a long term) with a witty take on goings-on in the world or subjects which are ‘hot topics’ of the day. Of late, the creatives are launched on social media which is known for clutter both from media brands and user generated content (which can be compellingly creative very often). Even in this context, the brand captures viewer attention. Here are a few of the latest:

• 

• 

• 

Source.

Hof de Planis: PowerPoint landscapes

The business convention market involves selecting a hotel in an exotic location and then being cooped up inside a conference room for days. Hotel Hof de Planis is a business hotel in Switzerland. In order to attract managers in enterprises, a print campaign portrayed the beautiful environs through elements most commonly used in such seminars: Microsoft PowerPoint. This tongue-in-cheek approach is definitely clutter breaking and drives home the point.

• 

• 

• 

Agency: Ruf Lanz, Zurich

eBay: Honest Alexa

Competitive advertising can be fun especially if it is an underdog which takes on a big player in the market. Of course, the brand challenging the market or perception leader has to have positive equity of its own. In this ad, eBay takes a jibe at Amazon’s Prime Day by personifying Alexa as a smart girl who mocks the deals on Prime Day. Too bad that eBay’s halo isn’t as strong as it was a few year’s ago. A fun ad, nevertheless.

John Lewis: topical ad

‘Never knowingly undersold’ has been the tagline and a ‘promise’ of UK’s retail giant, John Lewis. As soon as England won the cricket world cup recently, they tweaked their famous line to ‘Never Knowingly Underbowled’ through outdoor and print ads.

Agency: adam&eveDDB

Vodafone: Be Unlimited

‘When you have nothing to say, sing it’ said David Ogilvy. However, as exceptions to any rule, there are memorable, effective ads based on jingles. Some weave in the brand name cleverly so that it is uniquely associated with that brand while a few others have catchy lyrics or tunes working for them. In a new ad for Vodafone UK. visual effects working in tandem with the jingle make it a noticeable, memorable ad to convey ‘do more’ with a fast data network.

Agency: Ogilvy

Which one was your favourite? Comment in.