The ad & marketing industry portals were busy compiling the ‘best of 2020’ lists over the past weeks. I too have shared 30+ great campaigns of last year in three parts. Here are a few clutter-breaking creative ideas I came across over the past few days including the much talked about Burger King’s new brand identity, ad film for BBC and more.
Burger King brand identity: making retro cool
Going by internet reactions from the recent past, it is unusual that a famous brand goes for a brand identity revamp and doesn’t face a huge backlash. Gap, Google, Airtel and others have faced consumer flak – which is to be expected on almost any issue in today’s world. Relatively speaking, it’s mostly been bouquets rather than brick bats for the new brand identity of Burger King. Though I am not the target audience, I liked the approach, the execution and very importantly how it has been presented to the world at large. According to the press release:
The new minimalist logo seamlessly meets the brand evolution of the times and pays homage to the brand heritage with a refined design that’s confident, simple and fun.
Source
The new logo is almost identical to the original
Another popular quote doing the rounds on social media is this:
For the rebrand, Burger King removed the blue from the logo because “there’s no blue food,” Global Chief Marketing Officer Fernando Machado told Insider. “Buns don’t shine,” he said, so that had to go too.
Source
As the case study page notes: ‘We were inspired by the brand’s original logo and how it has grown to have an iconic place in culture. The new logo pays homage to the brand’s heritage with a refined design that’s confident, simple and fun.’ I liked the work because it feels right for the category and the brand. Moreover, it has been thought through to include every possible expression: custom font (called Flame Sans), store sign, employee uniforms and more. It’d be interesting to know if they considered the likely impact of a ‘retro’ look among the millennials who seem to be everybody’s favourite target audience.
Design Agency: Jones Knowles Ritchie. See more of the work here.
A lot of thought has gone behind even small elements:
The case study page is a case study in itself on how to present web case studies on such branding projects.
BBC: Backing Brilliant Creativity
The British Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as the BBC, has created a new ad showcasing the variety of content on its platform. The literal take of what BBC means to people – from ‘Backing Brilliant Creativity’ to ‘Barely Bearable Cliffhangers’ cleverly woven with a relevant show and genre makes for a compelling watch, drives home the point and brings a smile.
Agency: BBC Creative
IKEA: Fortune favours the frugal
I fell in love with the ad even before I saw it thanks to the intriguing, fun (and yet immediately apparent) title. The ad dramatises an ‘attack’ on earth by a meteorite made of trash. But battling it is a home made of IKEA furniture which follows frugal practices and are environment friendly. The meteor then lands as a ‘manageable’ plastic bottle which is anyway recycled.
Agency: Mother
Jif Squeeze Peanut Butter: gladiators
The introduction of a new SKU – in this case a squeeze bottle could be seen as a boring task in advertising. A new spot for Jif Peanut Butter infuses some fun by finding an unusual use case.
Agency: PSOne
QuickBooks: we mean business
Personification is a common route in advertising. A new ad for QuickBooks, the accounting software for small businesses, presents features of the app as members of a team who are ready for the battlefield.
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy London
Weetabix: have you had yours?
‘Have you had your Weetabix?’ was an iconic tag lines from the 1990s, back when tag lines were a thing. It cued that those who’ve had Weetabix for breakfast would have everything going swimmingly well for them. A topical print advert for the new year draws a charming connection.
The witty copywriting is adapted well in the TV spot too which weaves in elements of the brand name cleverly.
Autotrader: Britain’s Biggest Matchmaker
A marketplace for new & used cars is positioned as a ‘matchmaker’ in a series of adverts for Auto Trader in the UK. The spots, set up as if the voice over is referring to real people in a tight spot (no pun intended) bring a smile.
Agency: Karmarama
Carlsberg: Probably the Best Beer in the World
Alcohol free beer is gaining traction, much like plant-based burgers. A new spot for Carlsberg continues to use actor Mads Mikkelsen linking the product offering to the ‘best getting better’.
Agency: Grey Europe
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
