Contrary to popular perception, people don’t hate advertising. They only hate advertising that’s annoying. Worse still, they ignore most of the advertising and commercial messages that interrupt whatever they are trying to accomplish. My compilation of creative ads every week is a small acknowledgment of the effort put in bt brand teams to produce advertising that breaks the clutter to entertain or engage the audience. In this week’s collection, a mini-movie to highlight the fast charging battery of OnePlus and some engaging TV spots and outdoor.
Bestinvest: you work hard for your money
The best of ads have us nodding our heads in agreement with ‘yes, I can empathise with that situation’ kind of reaction. When it comes to money the concept of it working hard is commonly understood – to cue that our investments or savings should get the best returns. A new spot from UK’s Bestinvest dramatises that thought with a proposition ‘you work hard for your money, Bestinvest it’. We all believe that our salaries are earned the hard way so we can relate to enduring tough situations as its part of the job.
Agency: Harbour Collective
Volkswagen UK: brand idents
I love smartly done brand idents – short films which cue sponsorship of a programme on television channels. The common factor about them is the clever, seamless weaving in of the brand story and the ‘theme’ of the programme. A new set of spots for Volkswagen’s electric cars use iconic movie moments where electricity plays role – such as the famous fence scene from The Jurassic Park. Much fun.
Agency: adam&eveDDB
Louis Vuitton and Nike: 3D Outdoor
It’s a coming together of premium fashion and footwear. To mark the opening of the Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ exhibition in Brooklyn, an eye-popping 3D billboard installation was installed which brought alive the cues of both the brands.
Volkswagen Atlas: for those guys
‘Do all you can to be safe on the roads as there are all kinds of people out there’ is a great fit for automobile brands and accessories. In fact, CEAT Tyres ran a popular campaign which resonated with their audience in India, dramatising that because there are all kinds of idiots out there, it is better to play it safe with tyres which break well. I was reminded of that when I saw this ad from Volkswagen Atlas
Peas of Heaven: the field
Plant based meat is becoming mainstream in Europe and the US. Peas of Heaven is one such brand meeting that demand. A new TVC has a metaphor to cue the source. A tongue-in-cheek description on YouTube says it all: ‘Your favorite foods are now plant-based. Just like this commercial. And no. Our products don’t actually grow on fields. It’s a metaphor. You get the idea’.
Ralph Lauren: 3D Outdoor
You know an outdoor installation or an activation is a hit when people take out their mobile phones to either photograph or shoot it. Yes that happens with the cliched ‘flash mob’ too but when it’s a 3D installation with a ‘story’ it really is a show stopper.
OnePlus: escape from the loop
A simple proposition such as a fast charging battery gets a min-movie treatment for OnePlus. It dramatises the anxiety we all have of either our phone battery dying or it taking far too long to charge. A new ad portrays the rut our protagonist has got into and how he breaks free from the loop.
Virgin Voyages: no kids allowed
Parents with young children can definitely empathise with the proposition of ‘no kids allowed on Virgin Voyage cruises’. The anxiety of having to ‘take care’ of children (of a certain age) can be a dampener when planning holidays and many parents secretly wish they could be relieved of that duty. A new ad flips the perspective to that of kids who now ‘dislike’ the brand because of this rule. Getting kids to sing a jingle and express their disapproval makes it all the more cuter.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
