Every week, I attempt to curate clutter-breaking creative ads. Occasionally I share some views on industry trends. This week my compilation includes ads from South Africa, India and UK among others.
Chicken Licken: make your family proud
Sometimes, a round about way of connecting the product to a seemingly unconnected story works if the build up, the plot and script is interesting and very importantly – the ‘aha!’ moment has a link (however tenuous) to the brand proposition. A hilarious ad for Chicken Licken in South Africa tells the story of a man who made his family proud with his achievements. But such pride from the family can also be evoked by simply ordering from Chicken Licken is the far-fetched premise. It gets the laughs at the silliness of the premise, the over-the-top depictions and the obviously exaggerated claims.
Agency: Joe Public
CRED: featuring David Warner
Over at LinkedIn, any ad from CRED gets into a debate on the viability of the business model of the brand. But most of their ads have done a stellar job of being noticed and conveying a single minded message in an entertaining manner relevant to their core target audience. I too have their app but use it perhaps once a month to pay my credit card bill (yes, it’s smooth). But beyond that I a flummoxed as to what the real advantage is – the reason to use the app often. With UPI payment and the promised benefit of ‘rewards’ the chances are higher. However, as with most reward programmes I find these taking a ‘one size fits all’ approach and not customising the offers to suit individual preferences. Of course, it may not be possible to match the preference of every user but the magic of personalisation is that – at least give the impression that ‘this brand understands me’. But very often such ‘rewards’ (across all UPI payment apps) have little or no appeal to me. And they don’t seem to be making an effort to know my interests.
Nevertheless, the ad is fun. David Warner’s love for India and our movies in particular is well known, thanks to his social media feed. He often posts Reels with him playing the protagonist’s role in some popular movie or song. The situation takes a cue from that in a very well written script.
Dove: role of AI
I don’t recall seeing any ad from Dove recently which directly sold any of their product. It seems to be all about driving ‘Real Beauty’ as the brand purpose. I guess it’s effective as it makes many of us feel that they are standing up for the right cause in a space adjacent to the brand category. Since AI is the new buzzword, and there seems to be ‘AI-powered’ everything, this new set of creatives hits home hard.
Agency: Ogilvy
Pedigree: use of AI
In contrast to the ‘no AI’ position of Dove, here’s a campaign which claims to have used AI for ‘good’. Shelter dogs always seeks home adoption. It’s a common practice for such pets to be photographed and images shared with potential ‘pet parents’. While all such pets are cute, an attractive image brings out the ‘oh-so-sweet’ reaction. Pedigree did exactly that, using AI tools to enhance an image.
Cheetos: the other hand
Tell tale signs of having dipped into a pack of Cheetos – fingers smeared with sticky mess. Cheetos uses this fun fact to claim another fun fact: ‘99% of people eat Cheetos with their dominant hand’. It naturally leads to creative possibilities of the chaos that ensue when people use their ‘other hand’ to perform regular tasks (because they don’t want to stop eating Cheetos).
Agency: Goodby Silverstein and Partners
Marmite: smugglers
The ‘love it or hate it’ platform for Marmite is pure genius. It works because it is anchored on a product truth – the product taste which evokes a polarised reaction. A new ‘mockumentary’ style film addresses those who love it – but are unable to buy it commonly in stores. Who could they be? Britishers living in New York. The campaign seeks to recruit ‘smugglers’ who are willing to take Marmite on the sly to the US when flying out from UK. We know its all for a laugh but strengthens the halo around the brand.
Agency: BBH
Norauto: for the next generation
Even if you don’t understand French, this new ad from Norauto is anchored on a visual idea that connects. Our children as responsible users of automobiles in the future comes across clearly in this clever creative idea.
Crunchyroll: anime your world
I am no fan of anime but nice to see ads from India which have the production values in a TVC to bring alive the distinct look & feel of an anime production. The segue into the world of anime is smooth and the transition transports the viewer to another world.
Agency: Tilt Brand Solutions
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
