I have not been able to update my blog over the past few weeks. I aim to post a compilation of compelling creative ads every week and an occasional post on issues pertaining to the business of advertising. This week’s post includes ads from Liquid Death water, Hyundai’s IONIQ and a few others.
Liquid Death: Kids Hydrating at a Party
Judas Priest’s ‘Breaking The Law ‘ forms the perfect background score for visuals depicting a group of people partying – shot in a style reminiscent of boisterous beer parties. The twist: the one’s partying are a bunch of kids and they are ‘partying’ while drinking ‘Liquid Death‘ water. Everything about this ad brings a smile: ‘Check out our first overpriced national TV commercial from the Big Game!‘ is the description over at YouTube as this seems to be a ‘made for Super Bowl‘ commercial.
Given that ‘it’s just water’ that they are selling and expecting consumers to pay a premium I suppose, their story and content becomes that much more important. They can’t bore people into get the brand into the consideration set. It’s evident from their ‘manifesto’:
We’re just a funny beverage company who hates corporate marketing as much as you do. Our evil mission is to make people laugh and get more of them to drink more water more often, all while helping to kill plastic pollution.
Source
Hyundai: your dad is going electric
Actor Kevin Bacon and his real-life daughter, Sosie star in a new campaign for Hyundai’s EV – IONIQ 6. The cheesy one liners, ‘It’s electric – don’t be shocked’ or ‘It’s an ev, rhymes with Kev’ are likely to get you smiling but don’t miss the smart strategy behind it. The message that even ‘older’ and possibly less tech savvy generation has made the switch can reassure a lot of the fence sitters. The ads address ‘range anxiety’ and other concerns potential EV buyers might have – with tongue firmly in cheek.
Cadbury: there’s a glass & a half
‘There’s a glass & half in everyone‘ is a powerful, layered expression. It cues that there’s inherent goodness in all of us and motivates or salutes acts of kindness. It’s also a distinct brand asset for Cadbury and can lead to several interesting stories. Here’s one such – a simple story, made memorable by some acting and a situation many of us can relate to.
Agency: VCCP
McDonald’s: eye brows
It doesn’t always take a compelling story or an unexpected ‘twist in the tale’ to make ads which are noticed, enjoyed and work for the brand. This ad, widely shared on social media recently, does it all. It is playfully anchored on a distinct brand property – the arch and hence can only be ‘owned’ by McDonald’s. The execution is fun, relatable and triggers a craving to visit the outlet.
Agency: Leo Burnett, UK
British Airways Holidays: take your holiday seriously
According to surveys, 52 per cent of working Britons check their work emails whilst on vacation and half of UK working adults do not take their full annual leave allocation. A new campaign from British Airways Holidays aims to address this issue. We would all agree that taking a break is good for health and is something we all should do but don’t actually do it. Hence, the brand is asking Britons to ‘take your holidays seriously’.
Agency: Uncommon
The print & outdoor execution of the idea is a clever visual play on the ‘Out of Office’ reply. The wry humour conveys the message that its not so hard to completely switch off from work during a holiday.
Snapchat: wait’ll you see this
‘How am I supposed to use this?’ was my reaction when I first downloaded Snapchat. The product interface design was a clear signal that if you didn’t ‘get it’ it wasn’t meant for your demographic. A new ad speaks to its core audience I suppose dramatising its lenses and the scope for Augmented Reality.
iPhone 14: action mode
The product, a feature and more importantly – its benefits are smack, bang in the centre when it comes to Apple’s product advertising. The results of enabling ‘Action Mode’ while recording video on the iPhone 14 is brought alive clearly in this ad. In an era where genuine product differentiators are difficult to come by in any category – especially mobile phones, such communication provide the rational reason for someone to switch or upgrade – even though it is purely an emotion driven purchase. These help justify the purchase decision.
Cartier Tank:
‘Since 1917’ is the blurb below Cartier Tank. A new film captures the heritage interesting with the trappings and mystique of luxury brands. The description over at YouTube says:
The new Tank Française, embodied by Catherine Deneuve and Rami Malek, presents an expression of a certain avant-garde spirit and connects us to Paris, its freedom and creativity, a cultural geography that was so well captured by New Wave cinema. It was therefore only natural for Guy Ritchie to capture it on film halfway between the Left Bank and the Right Bank, a heroine of the passing of time which remains relevant today.
Agency: Publicis Luxe
Apple: ‘unsend messages’
We all know that there is a use case for retracting messages on our devices. We sometimes regret pressing the ‘send’ button and wish there was a way to undo that act. A new, short duration ad from Apple brings alive the ‘unsend messages’ feature in a quirky manner which both drives home the point and brings a smile.
Apple: privacy on iPhone
Apple has positioned ‘privacy‘ as a huge benefit of its ecosystem for a long time now. It is likely to resonate well both among its own users and prospects. We do see reports and debates on how consumer data is exploited by advertisers through trackers. A new long-format advert-plus-infomercial format features actor Nick Mohammed (of ‘Ted Lasso’ fame) and how he discovers the benefits of the privacy features. An ‘educational’ film without being boring.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
