With the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, many marketers have turned cautious in their advertising spends. Given the lockdowns, production of new advertising creatives – at least on the scale prior to this health crisis has come to a standstill. Brands have resorted to tactical ads which link back to their thematic claim, with messaging urging people to stay at home. In this context, here are a handful of creative ideas which caught my eye…
Everyday I check a few portals which publish latest advertising work from across the globe. Needless to say, only a handful are noticed, remembered and appreciated. When the count of such ads is really low by the weekend I diligently look for interesting new work. This was one such week where one had to search for good work to share. Here are a few of my picks: 1.Hennessy X.O: The Seven Worlds Super premium and…
Doordarshan, India’s public broadcaster, has announced plans to change its logo. The move is apparently triggered by the need to appeal to a younger audience. The new design is sought to be crowdsourced from the general public and the winning entry comes to with a cash prize of INR 100,000 (approx $1560). Predictably, there is outrage among a certain section on the logo change. The argument is that the logo is iconic, part of our…
Whenever a famous logo, especially one that’s been around for a long time, goes for a change, there is criticism from the public. Thanks to social media and its 24×7 outrage treadmill, the noise seems amplified of late. Some of the recent instances of logo outrage include Google, Gap, Airtel and now Wipro. The backlash for the new Gap logo was so intense that the company had to revert to their old logo. Airbnb got…
Cleartrip has been my go-to option for travel bookings – be it airline, train or hotels. I quite like the experience across platforms – be it on the web or mobile devices. In my view, its design (and in a Steve Jobs-esque way not referring to just its looks) is the primary differentiator as there are tonnes of options in this genre. Despite several temptations from other brands – be it via ads, offers etc.,…
In India, the oft-quoted example of how competition forced a hitherto monopoly brand to change for the better, is likely to be Indian Airlines. Consumers experienced better customer service, punctuality and more after the entry of private airlines, forcing Indian Airlines to improve its customer experience. A big manifestation of this change would be about better in-flight service and punctuality which would then have to be conveyed through advertising. That was a couple of decades…
Great design is often the only moat against competition. It allows for a brand to command loyalty and price premium. Apple is often cited as a great example of this. Recently it was argued that regional publications in India ought to invest in good design in order to command a premium from advertisers. In the same article it was mentioned that ‘even if Patanjali’s noodles are as good as Maggi, superior packaging design will help…
There was an interesting discussion on what ails the design industry in India over at Storyboard featuring some industry insiders. Herewith some unsolicited thoughts on the subject: Good design is the best, often only, competitive edge The days of genuine, tangible product-driven USP are long over. Parity is the norm across brands in most categories. Price can be competitive edge in the short term but can be imitated and hardly sustainable in the long run.…
Noticed the new Frooti creatives via a billboard recently and thought it was striking. Even in that fleeting medium the visual and the branding was clutter-breaking. First rule of advertising passed. My view on the overall work is that it is highly noticeable and showcases the new design very well.
In advertising, is not uncommon to perceive art direction as beautification of an ad. The copy-art team sometimes think independently and one adapts to the others’ idea. But when an idea drives the campaign embellished with great art & copy, magic happens. A new campaign for Hard Rock Casino from Canada seems to be that kind – driven by an idea and made better through craft.