Two Thumbs Up

Besides my own group, Crispin and Porter, which I obviously feel should get a gold medal, there were two presentations that stood out to me as excellent. Those groups were Saatchi + Saatchi and TBWA.

Saatchi + Saatchi followed the same format as our video presentation but I had profound respect for the video editing. Since my contribution for our group was working mainly on the video, I watched this group's video analyzing how much time they must have spent piecing everything together. Personally, we spent over 20 hours editing our video! We could have used 3 or 4 more weeks to get it to perfection but we simply ran out of time. Great job Saatchi!

TBWA was by far the best presentation in my book. Even better than my group, which I will reluctantly admit! Their concept was out there creatively but it totally worked. I understood the metaphor and was just thoroughly entertained by the whole thing. The biting sarcasm added great entertainment value as well, ha! Take a bow TBWA and company, take a bow.

Advertising To Kids

One of the most debated topics in advertising has to do with the target market that hasn't even hit puberty yet. That target market, of course, is kids below the age of 12. Specifically, Sugared cereal advertising is right up there with alcohol on the list of things that are close to being banned as far as advertising is concerned. Self-regulatory bodies are keeping a close eye on it and have done an OK job thus far but there's no telling what might happen in the future.

Ultimately, parents are the purchases and have the final say in the matter. But, kids nag and nag and nag so much that I don't blame any parent that gives in to the cereal aisle and walks away with a couple boxes of nothing but sugar just because their kid threw a tantrum over it. It's just easier to give in!

And is it really all that bad that a ban must be placed? Bonnie Taub-Dix, a nutritionist that is keepign a close eye on this, doesn't think it's something that should be as closely monitored as it is. She makes a good point in saying that cereal and a glass of juice is better than nothing for breakfast. Statistically speaking, only 40% of kids ages 6-11 even eat breakfast on a consistent basis. For her, there are much worse things is world. But, as a starting point, she suggests teaching kids to mix cereals. Her own kids mix Trix and Cheerios, where the Cheerios have 9 grams less sugar than the Trix do.

I agree with her but also see the frustrations of a parent trying to keep their family on a balanced diet. It's hard to find a middle ground, that's for darn sure.

Richards Group

Here's a little ode to some of the print ads out of the Richards Group agency, located in our very own Dallas, TX.



Not the most mind-blowing ad you'll ever see but it sends a good message. Besides, I wouldn't want to be put on a shoe polish account. I wouldn't have the first clue on how to get that stuff to fly off the shelves!



"When you're sleeping, we look just like those big fancy hotels. Motel 6"
Ha! But, it's quite true. What difference does it make when your eyes are closed? Although, I must say the beds make or break the hotel for me so this ad could be completely false to someone who feels that same way.



Another thing I would hate to advertise, furniture! I get a real kick out of things that are totally different but look really similar. That's why I think this ad is really effective. To the right, it says, "Thomasville, so you." That makes sense, considering people's furniture is usually a clear reflection of their personalities.



While the other three were all ads I liked and thought really worked, this one... not so much. They kind of went off on an Axe/Linx tangent for a minute with this one. It's a bra for heaven's sake! What does it matter what kind of animal you look like in it? And why is her hand so awkwardly posed? She looks like she has something wrong with her... not like a tiger.

Bartle Bogle Hegarty

New York:



As per usual with Axe, this commercial should be offensive to most women with a brain. I seriously, seriously hope some guys don't automatically do this to every girl they pass. They partially redeemed themselves at the end by doing a little role reversal but still... I'm not a fan. What's the point of the Axe Bullet anyways? Was there a big mobility problem with deodorant in the first place? It's like Go-Gurt, I don't get it! Yogurt isn't that hard to transport. Bad song choice also, just as a sidenote.

Singapore:



This campaign was to raise awareness for the indoors smoking ban that went into effect in the summer of 2007. If you can't tell by the picture, they made planters into huge ash trays and filled them with green plants. Kind of an, "in your face, now the air can be clean again" deal going on. I like it.

London:



I love the visuals in this ad. The concept of grip doesn't connect to a car in my head, until now. It was a neat way to bring a product benefit to the surface without just throwing a bunch of numbers and statistics at you. I love the different objects they used, especially the fish versus carrot. Ha!





I give mad props to this organization. Based on their tag-line and the ads the have put out, through BBH, they really have a heart for kids that aren't exactly on the right track. The smaller copy on this ad makes a really good point in saying that 10,000 kids expelled is 10,000 futures put at risk meaning kids with behavioral issues should be given help and hope, not simply punished to the point of no return. Great message!

Neogama:



"Meanwhile, you were cleaning your freezer." HAHAHAHAHAH!!!

Weiden + Kennedy

Portland:



I think this ad is awful. I don't get the connection or the association between PlayBoy and this particular brand of vodka but the picture alone is just not appealing. I love how they still had to put boobs on the cartoon but since the bottle ran through the middle, they had to awkwardly put them to either side. How sill is that? Why did the bottle have to try and take the shape of a PlayBoy bunny anyways? Again, not a fan.





I love this campaign by Alta Vista. We saw a few of the TV ads in class; the ones about radar guns and testicular cancer. I haven't visited the site but from what I've seen in ads such as this one, they are trying to send the message that they have answers for everything, even obscure questions that you may not have even thought of on your own. Otherwise, it would just be another google or yahoo search engine, and who would choose a no-name over one of those without ads giving them a reason to?

New York:




Here's the link for this since I'd be willing to bet you can't read the words. http://wk.com/?#/works/391/ I'm a sucker for great copy that looks boring and tedious at first but slowly and pleasantly surprises me. I'm quick to judge, because, let's face it, I'm in college and hate reading anything more than I absolutely have to. I also enjoy copy that feels more like a conversation than a lecture and this did just that. Besides, I love football and pizza. Great, now I sound like a dude..

London:



This ad confused the heck out of me for a good 5 minutes. The first line reads "Have you ever written on a banana in biro?" I understood every word except biro. I was thinking, why doesn't it just say pen? Don't they mean pen? I have written on a banana in pen and it was glorious, but what's biro? Does that really say biro? Moral of the story: I finally looked it up, found out that it did indeed say biro and that it meant ballpoint pen and had an English origin. Then it all made sense, the ad was made in London, duh. Anyways, just a prime example that where the ads are made and displayed has a lot to do with the content and style of the ad and especially the copy within the ad.

Tokyo:



While we watched circa 30 awesome and heartfelt ads for Nike by W+K, this one was less than impressive. no music, no copy besides "Just Do It" and no amazing feat of athleticism. Am I missing something here? Sure, it's cool that they made it look like he was skateboarding in some crazy direction that look like up one way and sideways another, but that commercial was boring. Period.

MDC

Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami:



This is an ad for one of CPB's smaller clients, Domino's Pizza. My group used this ad for our agency presentation and I just thought it was a light spot that was a funny intro to a new product.. even though Pizza Hut came out with the whole pasta idea first. This is definitely not on the same page with other CPB ads like the German engineering ones we saw in class, sometimes they are just really off the wall but I loved learning about them!




This promo for the Ad Council, also by CPB, is more along the lines of the agency's personality. It's obviously meant to be a play on words and my first reaction was, "what the heck does that have to do with Ad Council?" But, as I read the fine print, I was shocked at the statistics for what the message was really trying to convey. On a totally different note, if you haven't seen the Ad Council spot promoting fatherhood and involvement in kids' lives with the cheerleading dad, you have to go watch it! I absolutely love it and thing it is so poignant.

VitroRobertson, San Diego:



Again with the golf ads, I'm sorry but most of them are either spot on or brilliant so either way, I have to use them. Having David Fehrety is always a plus and if you don't know who he is, well, he's the guy in this ad with a wicked awesome accent that makes everything better. His other commercials for Cobra are hilarious but I liked the golfer in this one. Pretty self-explanatory.

Cliff Freeman & Partners, NY:



Even though Cliff Freeman does work for two of my favorite eating establishments, Quizno's and Baskin Robin's, I wasn't a huge fan of a majority of their current work on the website. So instead, I found this throwback for Little Caesar's. And by throwback, I mean, holy cow this was when delivery was a big deal. Now, we expect Jimmy John's to have someone bike over one lousy sandwich because we're too lazy to haul our butts over there. I really dig the uniforms shown here too.

Kirshenbaum Bond, NY:



Nothing like a strange viral video to start your day off right. This one actually made me jump a little, not going to lie. Although the Guitar Hero video will probably always be my favorite viral ad, this one was pretty cool too. They never mention Wendy's (even though the burger used is really distinct) forcing you to give in to your curiosity and visit the website of whatever these so called, "meatatarians."

HAVAS

Arnold, Boston:



I think this ad for Tyson chicken is really neat! It's simple, straight to the point, and really drives home the product benefit of building strong muscles. That kid has pretty good form from what I saw in the Olympics, too. I mean, that's just an observation.


Euro, Chicago:





Ha! I just thought these ads were clever. I would be willing to put money on the fact that the company named their vodka Effen for the sole reason of the ad campaigns that could stem from it. Still unique, but pretty 'effen' transparent if you ask me.

McKinney, Durham, NC:



I thought this ad, but more so the campaign behind it, was really interesting and unlike any fully integrated campaign we've looked at in class. McKinney worked under the theme of "Love from Above" for Virgin Atlantic. I was interested for one because our group project coming up is on Crispin Porter and they used to do the ads for this company so it was neat to be able to make that connection as soon as I looked at the McKinney website. The campaign specifically, though, was really really cool. They turned NY City into London the week before Vanetine's and had free cabs running on a 35,000 foot stretch of the city. Besides all that, they places ads like the above all over the place and included a number to text for special treatments which included directions to pubs giving free drinks away and bars giving free food away and raffling off prizes. The week ended at the famous Love sculpture where representatives were giving away free bouquets of roses! The idea was to treat people like they are treated 35,000 feet in the air when they travel with Virgin Atlantic.

PUBLICIS GROUPE

Publicis, Paris



Ha! This is such a strange ad for a lawn care item. In fact, I don't notice a lot of print ads for anything similar to this. Recently, with summer just around the corner, I've seen a bunch of ads for lawn mowers but they have all been TV commercials. It took me a second to grasp the concept of this ad, but after I understood, I was a fan. If you can't read it, the line at the bottom says "Don't Wait Too Long."




This was also done by Publicis, Paris. I love the look of it, especially the vibrant colors in the birds. It chic, classy, and has an Italian feel...after all, that is where the Diesel brand started. Brownie points for the models actually being clothed too. I'm so sick of Abercrombie and everyone else parading naked people around to sell clothes, stupid!

Saatchi & Saatchi, Singapore



I thought this was a really cool way to advertise ESPN and the loyalty of so many of its viewers. Usually, beer, hot dogs, beer, grease, and more beer are shown in ads with dirty men glued to sporting events on the tube. This ad says the exact same thing but does it in a whole new way. The other ads in the campaign aren't as funn as this one because the patterns of the couch aren't as feminine. And...apprently the dog isn't interested enough to stay there the whole day.

Saatchi & Saatchi, Argentina


What the heck? Without even going to his dancing skills, why is that the fridge of this guy's dreams? Hasn't he seen Cribs? He needs to raise his standards. Hilarious commercial, though. I'm surprised he wasn't a better beat boxer in what he thought was a dream.

Leo Burnett, Madrid
(Warning: There is some female nudity in this spot, hopefully you are old enough to handle it. If not....I'm sorry??)



Extremely provocative, yes. Extremely poignant, also yes. I would have used a different ad to avoid the explicitness, but I couldn't help it. I think this ad is the best piece of AIDS awareness I've ever seen. Statistics only go so far and are shocking up to a certain point. This spot literally shows you the act of, and consequences of, spreading this devastating disease. The line at the end reads, "Every 10 seconds someone in the world dies of AIDS. Time is running out." I can't imagine the impact this campaign and website could have, it sure got my attention.

Fallon Worldwide, Minneapolis MN



I'm trying to limit myself in the golf department but I just can't help it, there are so many good spots related to it these days. This one is hilarious, especially if you're familiar with Phil Mickelson. Personally, he's my favorite pro athlete so perhaps I am a little bias. Then again, I tend to think anything with pro athletes in it attempting to be funny, is.. mainly because it's so out of context from the environment we usually see them in. Well, and the look on the Asian man's face doesn't help any, either!

Kaplan Thaler Group, NY


Ummm... not a huge fan. As if people didn't already know why they were purchasing this particular product by Trojan, they went ahead and spelled it out for you, literally. I think it lacks taste big time, if there is such a thing in advertising. I wouldn't know where to begin if given an account like Trojan so I guess I can't really blame them but "orgasm"...written as a roller coaster...really?

Team One Advertising, LA


Long copy and I do not get along well. With that being said, I expected to hate this ad and surprise, surprise, I did. I got bored after one sentence. The plain background and extremely small visual didn't help either. The title was intriguing, but that's about it. I couldn't even force myself to finish the whole thing so let me know how the story ends!

INTERPUBLIC

McCann Erickson Italy



I don't know how I feel about this one. For one, it reminds me of the lamp in "A Christmas Story." For two, Dr. Scholls, really? When I think Dr. Scholls, I think old people. I think Bengay (ok, maybe that's a stretch) but my mind definitely doesn't go straight to sexy leg lamps. Am I wrong here or does this ad seem like a brand misfit?

The Martin Agency Richmond, VA



Ha! This commercial totally plays off the attitude of a lot of golfers. And being a collegiate golfer myself, I can say that. We have one good shot and suddenly we feel entitled to an exemption into next year's Masters Championship. I can, however, speak well for the Ping brand. I have the G10s and absolutely love them. This spot's sarcastic, funny, and witty.

TM Advertising Dallas, TX



This non-tradition piece of art is really eye-catching. It's massive, so how could you miss? Especially with that obnoxiously bright yellow color of paint. The best part is that they totally doused cars and bus stops on the ground when making the huge puddle in this parking lot. I love the way non-traditional ads look and how the people behind them think. Another neat thing about this ad is that it advertises two things in one. The places providing the destructive paint on the left, Coop's Paint, and the company that will help with the clean up on the right, Nationwide Insurance. Ads like this make me feel like I'm in the action instead of looking at a 2D print ad. So cool!

DraftFCB New York



This ad isn't anything extraordinary, but I thought it did a great job of getting the message across that Starbucks wanted to portray. Usually, people go to Starbucks; they meet others there or stop on their way to work. This campaign really drove the point home that Starbucks can be part of your routine without ever changing out of your pajamas. The menu board is now in your own kitchen- something that could be dangerous for serious caffeine addicts but good news for Starbucks!



This ad, also by Draft FCB in NY, is one of my favorites in the heart string tugging department. Right up there with the "Home" spot for American Airlines, this ad gets me every time for no particular reason. Oreos aren't usually a family gathering food, but now they can be. It seems awkward to reminisce about cookies instead of something like biscuits and gravy or peach cobler.

Lowe New York



Thank you J&J for pointing out the obvious. "Having a baby changes everything" isn't something I've ever heard or anything. Still a cute commercial despite the painfully obvious copy. Who doesn't love babies and frogs in the same commercial?

Carmichael Lynch Minneapolis, MN



I find this campaign to be a little over the top with its tag line, but every ad is still pretty funny. This one in particular is just ridiculous with that cute old man. I just couldn't resist. But, for some reason, I find it hard to believe that, if this organization didn't advocate for the preservation of our nation's bike paths, bikers would be at a loss and begin doing ridiculous activities they don't enjoy. There are plenty of places to bike in the United States... correct me, if I'm wrong.

Hill Holiday Boston, MA



Wow. I hate this commercial. I'm not even sure where to start. The song: obnoxious. Am I missing something here? What does the phrase "lefty loosy, righty tighty" have anything to do with a good cup of coffee? Can you really get more done with DD in one hand? Besides, I would think you would need both hands to accomplish the tasks being shown in the ad. Oh, and John Goodman to do the voiceover? Fred Flintstone to be the spokesperson for your donuts, really? Maybe I'm too bias because I would take a Krispy Kreme and Starbucks over Dunkin' any day of the week..

Deutsch NY




If you haven't caught on yet, I really like non-traditional guerrilla advertising. IKEA teamed up with Deutsch on a hilarious campaign that placed mock rooms using their furniture all over the place. I highly recommend researching the rest of the ads, they are pretty great. In the meantime, this bus stop/park bench combination looks pretty comfortable.

Mullen Boston, MA



I love what Mullen did for the Grain Foods Foundation. This ad is just a visual snapshot (literally) of the entire interactive campaign. They had an entire website devoted to the campaign where users can create their own artwork like the pieces of burnt bread seen in this ad. What a great way to spread the scary statistics of hunger all around the world. One dollar is donated for each piece of art made by visitors. Check out the website at http://breadartproject.com/#/home and head to the gallery to make your own!

Campbell Mithun Minneapolis, MN


Another great visual for a another great cause. Nothing fancy, but it's true. They sure can't speak or fight for themselves, we have to help!

Dailey & Associates Los Angeles, CA



This was a really interesting find, I thought. I haven't ever seen an agency advertise..for themselves. It was light-hearted and funny, not flashy, and definitely wasn't trying to sell the company. It was just a nice message from them to us. I wonder where it aired, if it aired?

WPP GROUP

JWT Milan


I love this spot. I had no idea what they were trying to get at...I knew it was a hospital commercial but what does that have anything to do with video games? Besides, since when did hospitals invest in creative advertising? I thought the concept was really unique and the short copy at the end brought the whole ad full circle and gave it a whole new meaning. It was so cool!


Ogilvy & Mather New York


For such a dull product like deodorant, this is one of the coolest ads I've seen. Things like toothpaste, toilet paper, and deodorant are all things people need and buy on a regular basis. The opportunity comes when consumers aren't loyal to any particular brand in these categories. One great visual like this might make you a loyal customer for Dove for a lifetime!



This print ad isn't anything spectacular but I think it was a pretty creative ( and probably very cheap) idea. I always love to see ads where the product, the toy cars in this case, isn't even shown. It fascinates me how well consumers are able to pick up on and identify what is being sold without actually seeing it. I also love when advertisers use every objects to portray product benefits, like the stair railing. This ad combines both of those things perfectly for me.

Y&R London



Y&R Melbourne


The art direction in both these commercials is awesome; very beautifully done. Y&R seems to have a thing for exploding liquids in slow motion, but it works. I especially liked the spot for Schweppes. Some of the shots were so cool being able to see the water still in the shape of the balloon, even after it was popped. I've never seen anything like that. At first, I thought the "Schweppervescence" was kind of a tacky tag line, thinking they just put the brand name in with a word that sounded fancy. But, curious, I looked up the definition of effervescence. It reads: To escape from a liquid as bubbles; bubble up. It was no coincidence they chose that word to go with their commercial full of bubble explosion.

Grey Copenhagen



Besides just being funny to look at, this ad makes a bold statement. Kind of like "in your face, it's not about race." I sort of doubt that it helped either campaign one way or the other but still a very poignant ad in my opinion. Is it just me or is white Obama a lot stranger looking than black McCain??

OMNICOM

BBDO, Germany



This spot for Jeep is catchy. I love the childish approach, without being immature or unintelligent. They didn't even show the car, but you know by the grill and spare tire that the last car standing is a Jeep. I thought that was a neat approach since I thought for sure the flow of the spot would be ruined with a shot of the real deal on the showroom floor.

DDB, London:



I love this idea for an interactive and integrated campaign for Hasbro's Here and Now limited edition of Monopoly. I can imagine thousands of users being addicted to checking the status of their own game and how they are doing in comparison to the rest of the city, I know I would be. Not only did this campaign boost sales for a game whose demand was quickly dwindling, it rewarded consumers for getting in on the action, both with entertainment and material prizes.

TBWA, LA



If you don't feel compelled to adopt Otis, you must not have a heart. Let's be honest, they could have made him look a little more sad though...The copy for this campaign is very well written in each ad they put out as well. They do a great job of provoking a feeling of guilt, unfortunately.

180, Amsterdam



This ad for Adidas feeds off of the Olympic spirit. The cool thing about this campaign was that the photos were shot in Beijing a few weeks before the games. The handful of athletes that were featured in the campaign were some of the few who traveled to China very early to adapt themselves to the climate and the city itself. They epitomized the copy of the ads by proving that even though they were all very talented and favored to win gold medals, "gold's never a given."

Goodby Silverstein, San Francisco

http://helpthehoneybees.com/#/home/home/

This website done by Goodby for Haagen-Dazs raises awareness about the plight of honey bees. It's interactive, informative, and interesting in my opinion. The connection between honey bees and the effect it has on HD's ice cream had never occurred to me. It's simple but profound to the brand and I really enjoyed reading the little blurbs about each ingredient and how much the bees affect it.



This was also done by Goodby, for HP computers. I like it a lot, but...De Beer's anyone?

Dieste Harmel & Partners, Dallas



This spot for Gatorade really held my attention. We don't always think of soccer as being a really intense game but they sure portrayed it as that here. The music was thrilling, the slow motion shots gave it a really suspenseful feel, and they also made it very diverse in the people shown. Dieste was honored as Multicultural Agency of the Year in 2008 according to AdAge. They proved it in this spot, and in the intro video for their website, there are people from all over in it, check it out!

GSD&M Idea City Austin

http://www.josplumbing.com/

This website done for KOHLER is ridiculous on so many levels. It's tacky but yet, sort of funny. Trying to make a plumber sexy and giving her lines like "Flushing is fun!" and "NO no, that's too big!" has to be the most bizarre thing I've ever seen. I don't know how I feel about it in the end but in my mind it contradicts the image KOHLER portrays in its "bold look" ads.

LatinWorks, Austin



I don't care who the target audience is, I love this spot. The Indian guy really does it for me, I think. I'm not one to get sick of different renditions of the same great idea. I loved the spot teaching men how to say 'Budweiser' and I love this spot that's along the same lines. Besides, props to LatinWorks for working sherpas into their advertising.



To demonstrate the agencies loyalty to its name, I also found this print ad for the Spanish version of ESPN. It was a neat idea, but was it before the barbed wire ad for Adidas?

Martin l Williams, Minneapolis



The Not For Sale campaign struck me as a very poignant and moving one. This non-traditional ad in the form of a receipt really caught my attention. They didn't use brutal images to fear people into awareness, but they used real people with real stories in a way that really tugged at my heart strings. I wasn't oblivious to human trafficking but being pointed to the NOt For Sale website through this receipt gave me a much better understanding for how prevalent it still is today.

Out with the Old and In with the New

DeBeers:

N. W. Ayer, which began in Philadelphia, did brilliant work for DeBeers, as well as many other companies who have made lasting impacts in the advertising world with help from this agency. Even today, most people recognize that distinct orchestra song and know that a diamond commercial is playing somewhere nearby (let's face it, if it's diamonds being advertised, it's probably related to DeBeers). Just like in the most famous 1993 spot, showing the parallel between watching your children grow and watching your love grow, many of the early ads for DeBeers featured the silhouettes of people more so than their faces. This commercercial illustrates that; the viewer never sees a full shot of the man or woman's face, just a second or two of their eyes showing their reaction to the jewelry. And of course, it has the famous song playing in the background...



The newer stuff, mostly done by JWT, however, strays from the norm. Newer DeBeers ads focus more on the relationship and the diamonds as a symbol of that love, rather than just the jewelry. Some have dialect apart from the narrator, some don't feature the signature background music, some are just out there, and still others take a totally different approach- "blame it on the diamond." I found 4 great examples of all of these differences in the following ads.

JWT, Toronto

This was a great example of how DeBeers is focusing on relationships, A close up of the diamond wasn't shown until the very end of the spot, and even then- it disappeared after maybe 2 seconds.



This ad, entitled "Walk" was a good bridge between the old and new stuff. They did a different twist on the old song, but still made it recognizable. It was all about relationships, who wouldn't want to end up like the old couple? And if a diamond helps achieve that goal, so be it!

JWT, India

This ad, featuring a famous Indian actress, ran in her home country of India. Obviously, different countries will advertise differently but I hardly believed this to be a diamond ad until I reached the end. I was thinking shaving gel, a clothing company, or just a "Come Visit India" promo. No sign whatsoever that this would end with the DTC logo... interesting.

JWT, Hong Kong

Also playing in Asia, this commercial took a strange angle at diamonds. Not so sure it was the most effective way, considering he lost the girl in the end, so what piece of jewelry would get her back anyways? I doubt that the excuse of blaming it on the diamond would work.... we aren't that stupid!

VolksWagon:

Volkswagon started off with simple yet elegent advertising, just the car, some copy, and a sea of white. It was all about function and much less about form. DDB NY held the account for VW's humble beginning before they gave some work to Arnold and Crispin Porter. Today, I found a really unique campaign for VW, back in the hands of DDB, no commas necessary.



This ad by DDB NY is a great example of the kind of campaign that launched VW into what it has become today. Plain and simple: the cars aren't flashy, aren't trendy, don't even blend in at best, but they are built that way for a reason and here's why. Other ads (See below) seek to make fun of themselves to point out that VW wasn't out to make the world's first miniature sports car. They wanted to make a durable, reliable, and lasting car for the average person.




When Crispin Porter in Miami took a portion of the client, they integrated that classic function advertising with some wacky new twists. As we watched in class, they ran a series of "Safe Happens" ads followed by some off-the-wall "Pimp My Ride" type ads that were bizarre at best. They also incorporated some nontraditional advertising, like this one, that showed off the perks of the VW in a unique way.


As far as VW is concerned today, I found a current campaign run by DDB London that I thought was unlike anything else I've seen for VW, and even cars in general. The "Night Driving" campaign targets people who drive for the sake and joy of driving; not because they have to or just want to get somewhere quicker, but because they want to, because they just enjoy it. In contrast to the earliest VW campaign, "Night Driving" is much less about function and completely geared towards the look and feel of the car and how it makes you feel, especially at night, on the open road. The campaign is fully integrated, there are commercials, billboards, an interactive website, and some dealerships are even offering late-night test drives for customers who have noticed the ads and have had their interest peaked because of it. I think this campaign is so cool and so different from anything VW has done! Here's just a taste...




They didn't even show the car..!!



Coke:

Coca-Cola has always had great advertising, in my opinion. The running themes throughout include: harmony, equality, and inspiration. I walk away feeling a little bit better about myself, the world I live in, and the people I encounter. One of their first major campaigns involved the whole world, right off the bat, kind of ambitious, ey? McCann Erickson London and the "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" campaign even ran a Christmas version 13 years later.


They made sure to include people of different races, ages, genders, the whole deal. Even though a recent ad by Weiden + Kennedy suggests that it would cost $4,213,136,717.00 to, in fact, purchase a Coke for everyone in the world, it was a nice thought.


Creative Artists Agency LA is credited with the famous "Always Coca-Cola" campaign which is about as recognizable as Coke commercials come. Of course, what's Coke without Christmas advertising? I loved this ad for the simple beauty within it. Everyone has something they don't like about the holiday: long lines, crowded malls, overplayed Christmas music....but who hates the lights? No one, that's who.

Recently, Weiden + Kennedy has taken over a majority of the advertising for Coke, with Crispin Porter taking a small chunk out of Coke Zero. W + K is revealing a push towards social responsibility in many of the ads I found done by them. Like the "Grand Theft Auto" spot, commercials like the one below are encouraging folks to better the world around them, and use Coke to help get the job done.

W+K, Amsterdam
http://www.wk.com/?#/works/313/
(Work with me here, the agency site won't let me post the actual video. Copy and paste people, it's not that much labor!)

Even in print ads, Coke is spouting (pun intended) socially responsible messages. Not to mention the picture is really visually appealing.

W+K, Amsterdam
http://www.wk.com/?#/works/894/
(Again, I'm sorry but it's good stuff and I can't find it anywhere else!)

As far as inspiration goes, "The Coke side of Life" campaign has dabbled in a variety of areas to inspire people to get out and buy Coke. Not so sure this next spot really did it for me but, it made me laugh. A little different than their more mature and responsible approach, "First Taste" goes a little off the deep end. But hey, good for that guy...I'm happy a Coke encouraged him to score those twins. Yikes....

W+K, Amsterdam

Superbowl Ads Galore

This year I had mixed feelings about the ads shown during the Super Bowl. It's no secret that America as a whole raises their expectations to something unrealistic when it comes to this specific event and its showcase of advertising; I do it too and I'm not ashamed to admit that. I chose my top three based on the reason why so people tune in to Super Bowl ads in the first place- entertainment and laughter.

THE BEST

#1 NBC-The NBC Agency Burbank, CA



This commercial wasn't flashy, it didn't blow my mind, and it wasn't innovative. But, it was a ridiculous concept modeled after an acronym that many texters use in everyday life. NBC turned it into a disease that, and I'm no doctor, I'm pretty sure can't actually happen and I just smiled and said to my self, "Well done, NBC. I kinda wanna watch The Office now and experience some of that for myself."

#2 Denny's - Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco, CA



I hate Denny's. IHOP stole my heart from Day 1, but now I'm kind of intrigued. They started off with an allusion, which usually doesn't end well, but kudos to the obnoxious interruption of the waitress. I thought that was hilarious- she wasn't messin' around with that whipped cream either. Don't you have to be 12 and under to order the smiley face pancakes though? That's beside the point- let's face it, I'm a poor college student so ending with an offer for free food didn't hurt Denny's cause either.

#3 E-Trade - Grey, NY



I'm not at the point in life where I need to be worrying about investment strategies, but when I am I can almost guarantee these ads with be on the forefront on my mind. The whole putting adult voices to baby bodies is just hysterical. There's just something about it that really strikes a chord with me and I would have thought trying to recreate it for a second year wouldn't fly, but I loved it just as much as last year's ad.

THE WORST

#1 Teleflora.com- Fire Station Agency, Buffalo, NY



This commercial didn't do much of anything for me, in fact I thought it was a little over the top for the service it was selling. There was nothing wrong with the woman who received the box of flowers but all of a sudden she get's attacked by the stupid flower that called her ugly, and her cat fat. Necessary? I don't think so. Besides, my dad sent my mom flowers in a box and they come out looking the exact same. Sheesh!

#2 GoDaddy.com, In-house



STUPID. These spots are unintelligent, unrewarding, and don't really tell me anything about the site. In fact, they make me never want to go there. The worst part is, these spots weren't alone. GoDaddy tried to air the ad below, but it was denied for obvious reasons. It was only shown online. Disgusting.



#3 Pepsi - TBWA/Chiat/Day, Los Angeles CA



This ad bored me to death. I was unimpressed with the attempt at being manly and hardcore. It's Pepsi, who gives a rip how awesome and unrealistic you can make the ingredients sound? I don't know, maybe the men loved it...but, after all, it wasn't beer sooo...


AGENCIES

Best: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. Two reasons why they deserve top honors: The Denny's spot that still cracks me up, and the fact that they made the commercial that won the contest for Doritos, maybe not their idea but I still give them the credit.

Worst: TBWA/Chiat/Day. Love you guys, but seriously? It's almost a universal thumbs down. Sorry.

Mixed: Weiden + Kennedy. Two different ads for Coca-Cola. Bug Heist- clever and appealing, Avatars- sci-fi and sensory overload.

Advertising as Art

Art has been defined as deliberately arranging elements to appeal to the senses or emotions. These ads do that, for me at least. Each one does it in a different way and appeals to different emotions and senses, but definitely not all of them at the same time...obviously.

Weiden + Kennedy Portland, OR


This ad, called "Freestyle," for Nike is art, but not in any way fancy. I enjoy it not because it makes me want to go out and buy specifically Nike brand items (or because it won all sorts of awards including a silver in the Art Director's Club), but it makes me want to move. Whether that be through basketball, another sport, yoga, or any other activity, watching these tricksters (yeah, i just said tricksters) gets me excited to DO something. Any brand that inspires me beyond my superficial need of material things, is a brand worth investigating.

BBDO New York


I love this ad by BBDO because it is something not many people would think of. It's such a simple concept, but they made it visually appealing and caught my attention by their use of human beings to portray a simple part of nature; water. They focused more of their energy into the product benefit than they did on the product, which may be risky but can also pay off if done well. Telling me what the product does doesn't make near the impact that showing me does.

Weiden + Kennedy London


This ad, also by Wieden + Kennedy, is one of my favorite ads that can very easily be interpreted as art. One thing that I caught the third or fourth time watching was the opening line..."This is what a Honda FEELS like." Notice he doesn't say, "This is what a Honda SOUNDS like." Although the talent of the choir is worth noting, the way they made me feel is much more important, especially to Honda. I also listened to the ad once without looking at the screen, and I encourage you to do the same. The car came to life in my head and allowed my imagination to fill in the blanks.

Dentsu New York


Finally, I found this this print ad by Dentsu to be particularly artful. It appealed not to my emotions, but definitely to my sense of touch. I actually made a face when I first saw it and knew exactly what the product being advertised must be, and I was right. They made similar ads with other materials including concrete and steel. Either way, I felt the sudden urge to use cream... guess it worked.