‘How many ads do you recall from today’s newspaper?’ used to be a standard question in ad agency presentations when emphasising the need for clutter-breaking creative. You can replace ‘newspaper’ with any other mass media or new media and the answer would still be the same. Only a handful of ads get noticed – the first test of any advert. My pick of creative ads this week include TV spots for Audible, print ads for Samsung and more.
Audible: Fly Audible
Ask any bibliophile and they will speak of books often ‘transporting them to another world’. A new ad for Audible from Amazon, plays on this sentiment very well by dramatising the effect of reading an audio book. The ad is doubly relatable as there is a pent up yearning to travel again after months of global lockdowns.
Agency: Fold7
Samsung: No Reflections
The benefit of anti-glare technology of Samsung QLED TVs is brought alive in this humorous print campaign which is likely to have many shaking their heads in agreement as we have all experienced the problem.
Agency: Leo Burnett, Germany
KIA: slow dogs
Automobile advertising is one of the toughest categories to work on in advertising. It is a hight involvement category, catering to myriad budgets, segments and tastes. Genuine product differentiations are hard to come by and great advertising is not always a guarantee for market success as consumers seek and place product value ahead of the impact of snazzy advertising In this context, ads which dramatise a product feature and convey the benefit have a better chance of breaking clutter – more than just a beautiful picture of the car (which is the norm in the category). The Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist in Kia cars helps the car to stop safely in case the driver fails to react on time. A print campaign brings alive the idea with visual analogies featuring dogs – a trick guaranteed to get attention.
Agency: Innocean, Germany
Company Cam: deck pictures
‘The photo app every contractor needs’ is how Company Cam describes itself. A new ad for the brand is doing the rounds of ad blogs capturing the day of a new customer support executive falling prey to the accent of a New Zealander.
Zoological Society of London: extinct
It may be a straightforward ad asking for donations to keep the Zoological Society of London functioning but I liked it for two reasons: targeting the right audience through use of David Attenborough as a spokesperson and tying the idea of ‘going extinct’ with dwindled incomes due to the COVID-19 situation.
BBC: Our Stories
As a big fan of British TV, I could relate to this new ad which brought together BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. The attempt was to convey that the content on UK’s major broadcasters have the power to unite people during uncertainty. Glimpses from British serials such as EastEnders, Fleabag, Gogglebox, Strictly Come Dancing and The Great British Bake Off are showcased in this riveting film.
Agency: Uncommon
McDonald’s: Graduation 2020
In Italy, high school students had to take their exams in June. A digital campaign for McDonald’s promoted their home delivery service using syllabus as a theme. The campaign reminded me of the famous Snickers campaigns however.
Agency: Leo Burnett. See rest of the ads here.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
1 Comment
The last one from McDonalds seems attractive. I don’t know why! It shows that the brand is caring for the students. May be because I am a student, I connected to it.