Every week I attempt to curate a list of top new creative ads. It’s a small tribute to the efforts of ad agencies across the globe. Creating clutter-breaking creative ads is not easy. In fact, a majority of ads are not even noticed by consumers. In that context for an ad to be noticed, liked and shared is a commendable feat. This week: ads from BBC, Volkswagen, Berger Paints and more.
BBC: what has the BBC ever done for me?
In the UK, people have to pay a license fee to watch BBC. In 1986, they created an ad starring John Cleese with him asking, ‘What has the BBC ever given us?‘. The ad featured all the stars from its various shows and programmes. Now, they’ve got comedian Romesh Ranganathan asking ‘What has the BBC ever done for me?‘ with a similar reveal of all the stars – but only more grand in production and scale. The case for a publicly funded BBC is made as there’s a decline in licence fee payments thanks to the options available: streaming services, YouTube and more. I liked the way the entire repertoire of BBC was presented across shows and genres as Romesh travels through Albert Square, Casualty, BBC News, Radio 1Xtra, Graham Norton’s studio, Wimbledon, ending up on stage in Strictly Come Dancing.
For some, it is the trusted news they turn to when the world feels uncertain. For others, it is the local radio presenter who feels like a friend, the drama everyone is talking about, a children’s programme that becomes part of family life, educational resources helping young people learn, or major sporting moments that bring millions together.
Source
Agency: BBC Creative
Berger Paints: rang bana rahe
The paints category in India has seen some interesting brand wars and diverse ad campaigns over the years. Asian Paints’ ‘Har ghar kuch kehta hai‘ is seen as the benchmark in emotional advertising while the category has largely focused on rational benefits & product features. A new corporate film for Berger Paints compares colour protection to resilience to face life’s ups & downs and remain ‘bright’ and cheerful. It worked for me at that level as it was a refreshingly new approach in the category.
At its heart, ‘Rang Bana Rahe’ is a celebration of resilience and defiant joy; the quiet determination to hold on to your colours no matter what life brings. Everything from the identity to the film flows from that single thought.”
It will be interesting to see how the creative expression (which works well in Hindi) is translated in other Indian languages conveying the same deeper meaning.
Agency: Sideways Consulting
The Globe and Mail: brand identity
I am a fan of newspaper and magazine brands that have good design. In my view, the design systems created for NYT, The Economist, WSJ, National Geographic and few other brands play a big role in attracting and keeping their audience. Unfortunately very few Indian news brands take this seriously. The desktop and mobile websites of India’s news brands are cluttered with intrusive ads and clunky interfaces. Their TV screen deisgn is loud and an eye sore. It was refreshing to see the approach taken by Globe and Mail, Canada for a brand refresh. I loved the bespoke typeface created and the visual grammar and consistency of section names: [blank] and [blank] to cue any two words related to business, politics, culture, sports.
Agency: VML
Vibe: CFO loves the CMO
Vibe is a streaming TV advertising software that promises to ‘unlock growth for businesses of all sizes’. A new ad is a funny but risqué take on the situation of CMOs today: they have to justify their role and spends with ROI. Hence there’s always been advice given to CMOs that they have to convince their Board and the CFO that the spends are yielding returns. This fact is ‘twisted’ as ‘make your CFO fall in love with your CMO‘. A bold take in the world of B2B advertising.
Amazon Music: now with AudioBooks
In the past, Amazon has conveyed the idea that ‘there’s more to imagine‘ when you listen to audio books as they have the power to transport to another world. A new campaign dramatises that idea to highlight the inclusion of audio books in Amazon Music.
Astra Zeneca: Museum of Life
Craft played a big role in print ads – both in copywriting and art direction. Back in the days when AI wasn’t around and CGI was in infancy, it was human design aesthetics and skill that gave us polished creative outputs. A new campaign from Astra Zeneca, published in Lebanon and United States, invites healthcare professionals to view oncology as preserving life’s most extraordinary masterpieces: our organs. The ads use the Japanese art, Kintsugi, which repairs broken porcelain with gold – celebrating restoration rather than hiding imperfections. The connect might be a bit tenuous but the visual impact is stunning.
Agency: Mojo Creative Studio
Volkswagen: 50 years of GTI
Legacy brands have used this format many times: a montage of visuals from the vintage era to now, all set to peppy music. It works for Volkswagen GTI which celebrates 50 years in the UK. The film showcases the timeline of the car from the 1970s right up to this year’s anniversary-special Golf GTI Edition 50 with clever transitions which cue the relevant decade: audio cassettes to CDs and so on.
Agency: Bernbach
Stripe & Stare: for all of you
Good copywriting is not only about word play in print ads, text for social media posts. Copywriters are expected to craft good TV scripts and story lines and the spoken word as voice over in such ads. The ‘voice of God’ is also a oft used format in TV ads where a narrator conveys the central idea. A new ad for Stripe & Stare inner-wear has some lovely copy writing – give it a listen.
Agency: Earnies
Which one was your favourite? Comment in.
