Ads which break through clutter of information overload and other messages vying for one’s attention need to be applauded. Because getting noticed is the first and most important task of any ad. If ignored, it’s a fate worse than being seen and disliked. My weekly compilation of creative ads (aside from my occasional views on the business of advertising) is a small tribute to brand teams & agencies everywhere. Here are a few clutter-breaking ads from the past week or so:
LG: Fridge gazing
According to the agency’s research, 95% of US adults reported having stared into their refrigerator without a plan, with the average US adult spending 12 minutes a day looking into their fridge. While I find the statistic on ‘time spent’ hard to believe I can imagine why some loving gaze into the fridge to figure out what snack to indulge in. LG’s new InstaView feature shows what’s inside the fridge without opening the door. One simply had to demo it interestingly and the ad does it so.
Agency: TBWA
Hartz: ‘protection’ for pets
A flea & tick collar for pets is positioned as a device for ‘protection’ with innuendo of the other kind in these amusing spots from the US.
Agency: Cutwater
Heinz soup: good then, great now
The history of soup makes for interesting reading. A new campaign from Australia uses humour to draw parallels between the ancient practice of drinking to Heinz’s range of soups. ‘No tablets at the table’ and references to ‘work from home’ bring a smile while the hark back to history establishes the known good habit of soup consumption.
Agency: TBWA
OMAXE: Purani Dilli
Here’s a campaign that breaks category codes when it comes to real-estate advertising. A new ad from Omaxe romances ‘old Delhi’ and its charm before plugging a new real estate property. It’s feel good factor would really appeal to Delhi folks. Use of Vijay Raaz’s voice over seems to have become mandatory for films which aim to create a mood.
Glenlivet: Father’s Day
The folks at Glenlivet asked an AI tool to ‘write a whiskey commercial for Father’s Day’- as part of a social experiment. They brought a father and their son or daughter face to face and were asked to ‘enact’ the commercial as suggested by the tool.
This script reflects AI’s interpretation of what a Father’s Day commercial should look like, based on stereotypical representations of fatherhood throughout the decades. Needless to say, it didn’t quite hit the mark.
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What followed as a regular chat between father and son or father and daughter revealed that there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ definition of a dad.
Wayfair UK: escape the catalogue
In what seems like a pointed dig at IKEA (notice the accent of the voice over?), the UK brand Wayfair places a couple inside a furniture & furnishings catalogue where the world is all dull grey.
Agency: BBH
Cadbury Dairy Milk: speakerphone
‘There’s a glass and a half in everyone‘ is a long-running campaign from Cadbury’s in the UK which tells touching stories of small acts of kindness as manifested in the gifting of, what else, Cadbury Dairy Milk. In a new spot, the relationship between a father and his son is beautifully captured in a situation depicting the father’s first day at a new work place and his apprehension of being the oldest among his young co-workers. Ageism at work is common in many industries and this is sure to strike a chord among many.
Agency: VCCP
Volkswagen ID.4: jitterbug
What can go wrong in an ad which grabs your attention within the first few seconds in an intriguing manner with the spontaneous laughter of an adorable kid? A new ad for Volkswagen’s ID.4 electric vehicle promotes the intuitive sit-to-start feature which cracks up the little one and brings a smile on the viewer’s face.
Agency: Johannes Leonardo
Chewy: pets aren’t pets
Pet owners aren’t rational when it comes to indulging on their pets. Why should ads for pet food brands be? An ad for Chewy promotes its auto-ship facility cleverly by recreating a situation we’ve often seen in movies & streaming shows – the reading of the will of a deceased wealthy man. Marbles, the cat gets the summer-house too. Sounds fair.
Agency: Arnold
Stella Insurance: it takes boobs
‘The language we use shapes the way we see the world‘ is a powerful line from a TVC from Stella Insurance – a brand which caters to women. The ad calls into question how we unwittingly encourage the view that every courageous act has a reference to a man by using phrases such as ‘ballsy act’.
Agency: Cocogun
Samsonite: travel like your parents
Does nostalgia work with Generation Z target audience too? Apparently it does – going by the new campaign, ‘Travel like your parents‘ from Samsonite. The idea is based on the premise:
In today’s fast-paced world, where digital connectivity often consumes our lives, Samsonite encourages individuals to disconnect to reconnect and recapture the magic of travel as our parents once did
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According to a McKinsey report, Gen Z is yearning for simpler times and hence the proposition that for our parents ‘creased maps guided their greatest adventures, film cameras captured their fondest memories…they lived in the moment and embraced every possibility‘ has an appeal.
Source: McKinsey
Burger King: We give up
A whole lot of screen time is for Burger King’s Whopper – but the ad aims to convey that Chicken Royale is king in the UK. In a clever, roundabout sort of way, Burger King shows the various promotions to push the Whopper variant in the UK through adverts but the the consumers seem to prefer the Chicken Royale instead. All nicely summed up in just three words.
Agency: BBH
Britannia Snack Inc: visual stories
Brands have it tough on every platform – breaking the clutter is increasingly difficult. In a visually engaging platform like Instagram it is even more so
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
