This week, my curated list of top new creative ads includes the return of The Most Interesting Man by Dos Equis, product-feature based ads from Ather, iPhone 17 and more.
Dos Equis: Return of the Most Interesting Man
In a category marked by cliched advertising, Dos Equis grabbed attention and created affinity with their ‘The Most Interesting Man in the world‘ campaign. The campaign was created in 2006 by Euro RSCG Worldwide and became hugely popular and even considered meme-worthy. “I don’t always drink beer, but when I do I prefer Dos Equis.” and ‘Stay thirsty, my friends’ became internet sensations. The campaign won a Gold at the 2009 Effie Awards and also a Gold for effectiveness in 2013. Maybe the team felt that the character, played by Jonathan Goldsmith, was overpowering the brand and decided to retire him in 2016. A hallmark of the campaign which ran for 10 years was the top notch copywriting.
Earlier this month, a new campaign saw the return of the same character & actor. Apparently, the brand’s recent research found 83% of people exposed to the original campaign wanted to see it return, and the old ads drove 97% brand recall. Was that the only reason to bring back the campaign idea? Maybe not. A lot has changed in the world in the last 10 years. COVID has made people risk-averse, play safe and not see any issue with a ‘routine’ life. The category is facing challenges too in the US, with people getting more health conscious.
The other notable difference now is that the beer category is facing challenges such as inflation, declining sales, and increased competition from new beverage competitors like non-alcoholic brands.
Source
The ten year gap is reasoned as a period of amnesia and the re-appearance of the idea is attributed to the protagonist discovering a bottle of Dos Equis and that triggering his memory.
The reveal was preceded by a set of teasers showcasing the boring life of the protagonist.
Agency: Le Pub
As they say in advertising, the idea ‘has legs’. And since it became a meme material it appears to younger audience too. Sometimes, an actor or model gets linked to a character and it then becomes a challenge to plan the way forward. It remains to be seen how the brand team deals with the protagonist and the actor in terms of continuation.
CP Plus: the one above
It’s always interesting to see how an idea expressed as phrase in one language is adapted in other languages across India. ‘Ooper wala sab dekh raha hai‘ worked well in Hindia for the category of CCTV surveillance cameras. A new ad for CP Plus uses a similar phrase in Tamil. Even though I have not heard that phrase in colloquial usage, the ad delivers because of the acting, dialogues and the context of ‘being watched’.
Apple: shot on iPhone
The latest in the ‘Shot on iPhone’ series is here featuring Australian cricketers. Why did I choose this ‘old’ campaign? Because of the consistency, not changing what’s working. And staying true to show & tell rather than just listing raw specifications.
Jeep: The Great Pretenders
I am not a petrol head and don’t really understand the motivations of SUV owners. But I get the fact that sometimes people pretend to have a lifestyle that’s fake or at least a ‘show’- being a connoisseur of wines, for example. A new ad for Jeep in Europe pokes fun at the ‘pretenders’ who stage their SUVs to convey an adventurous outdoor weekend (when all they did was maybe a drive in the city), juxtaposed with a squeaky clean Jeep which then goes off-road.
Flipkart: Pongal Deals
A spoof on typical Tamil movie melodrama can be fun, if done well and in context. The over-the-top reactions and dialogue delivery works well in an ad from Flipkart to convey the Pongal deals on the platform.
Heinz: creativity in packaging
In the business of advertising, an ad is not the only way to demonstrate creativity in addressing a consumer pain point or unmet market need. Heinz has created a french fry box with a built-in ketchup compartment for ‘dipping on-the-go’. An out of the box idea in every which way.
Flipkart: Harbhajan Singh slap
I liked this idea for a couple of reasons. In India it’s common to ‘set right’ a faulty television by giving it a hard tap on the side or even a whack. And then there’s a famous cricketing moment, often called “Slapgate, involving Harbhajan Singh. These two seemingly unrelated observations are brought together for an ad promoting Flipkart’s sale. Good fun.
Ather: feature-based ads
I love ads which focus on a feature of the advertised brand and convey the benefit either in a simple or dramatic (often exaggerated) fashion. Apple is a master at this. A set of new ads from Ather electric scooters focus on features like anti-skid mode the drive home the message.
Nissan Kicks: conquer all conditions
Personification of a concept is common in advertising. Dust, for example can be shown as a ‘monster’. In a new ad for Nissan KICKS (loved the name) in Canada, extreme snowy weather is brought alive as a monster that needs to be tamed.
Agency: TBWA
iPhone 17: scratch resistant
Another ad from Apple where the entire limelight is on the product coupled with an interesting manifestation of a product feature. In this case, ‘more scratch resistant’ is conveyed in a context that brings a smile.
Tresemme India: featuring Ananya Pandey
Celebrity advertising for beauty & fashion brands – especially in FMCG almost always follows a boring template. This ad breaks the mould using both Ananya Panday and Anurag Kashyap well. Ticks all the right boxes in terms of connect with the target audience and using celebrities as celebrities anchored on their public personas.
AJ Bell: investing is not only for the rich
In India, several mobile-app based financial platforms have democratised investing for the retail investor, at least with respect to SIPs and small but regular investments. In UK, maybe the perception is that investing conjures up images of the wealthy making huge investments in stocks & so on. AJ Bell has launched an under its ‘Feel Good, Investing’ platform smashing the myth that only the super affluent can invest.
Agency: Pablo
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
