Autopsy

how to make this ad in 7 easy steps.

1. get a rubbish idea:

how about the old* naked chick & "now we've got your attention" route?

2. bastardize a famous campaign line:

"Hello Boys"

3. insert another cliche:

"Weapons of mass destruction/destraction"

4. find a type treatment that engages the audience.

red and white on black. genius. don't forget the ellipsis.

5. find a saucy picture. on a budget.

hmmm. lets type "buck-toothed + pot bellied + car-crash victim + breasts + bikini" into Getty.

6. whack a pack shot in

down the bottom. do not take attention away from the toothsome breasted one.

7. whack the price in.

yes it ruins the ambience of the ad. but it'll keep the Client happy.

cheers to Simon for the find.


*no pun intended here. just a beautiful coincidence from the English language.

job well done

nice digital campaign for Yell.com. nice idea. nicely executed.

i imagine it was quite a nice brief to work on too. and the rich media ad is a little like something i once did for an anonymous hotel chain... anyway. nice work.

interactive 6-sheet

transvision

gps bus ads

video banner

rich media ad

fag loving cowboy beats off big brother

today Reuteurs notes that the Marlboro Man is at the top of the list of "The 101 most influential people who never lived". a big yay! for advertising, and for lung cancer.

number two on the list is Big Brother (of 1984 fame), then King Arthur, then Santa Claus.

i would have gone for Barry Scott

balls to paint

couldn't let this one pass without posting.

the verdict? well, the hype has already done the job. the ad didn't really need to be aired. but now that it has, i have the feeling i've watched Glazer's Phantom Menace. wait a minute... that was Birth.

was expecting something a bit more dramatic. a little less of a daytime tv feel, a bit more colour. a bit more like the choreographed explosions in V for Vendetta.

i drive a fast car and i hate poor people who aren't white.

not my words. but certainly the take out i got from two of these Mercedes ads. beautifully shot racism from Leo Burnett South Africa. utterly offensive.



Copy: From 0 to lost silk scarf in 4.9 seconds. The all powerful SLK AMG convertible.



Copy: From 0 to lost toupee hat in 4.9 seconds. The all powerful SLK AMG convertible.


Copy: From 0 to lost summer's hat in 4.9 seconds. The all powerful SLK AMG convertible.

ads people like. or not

Adverblog, site of extreme goodness, points to a guerrilla campaign with the objective of raising the level of consumers' awareness about the quality of outdoor advertising in a city.



so yeah, people go round tagging stuff.

however

personally i think it is a mistake to confuse good advertsing, with ads people like.

ads solve business problems, and the solution is rarely to create a piece of art...

i will never get to share a cloud with Bernbach in Ad heaven for saying this, but there is a difference between an ad being good and people liking it. when your mum sees a Tesco's ad, the reaction shouldn't be "that's a nice ad". If the ad has done it's job it means that Lord Sainsbury will be £50 poorer next week.

as a solution to a real business problem, i think the Cillit Bang ads are brilliant.

discuss/

oldie, but my what a goodie

FCB, whoever they were.

Baackpain

This has to be the lamest use of myspace in the entire world. A brilliant example of how not to do it.

Campaign microsite here.

Hay Fever

Best hayfever ad I've ever seen.

absolut fruity goodness

im not sure on the idea behind this. but this Honda-esque campaign is the best fruit based musical choose your own adventure story I've seen this year. i'd forgotten just how important sound can be.

these people have very good ideas

check them out

beer ideas

having done a fair bit on beer and alcohol brands, this work from Carling caught my eye. I've long respected them for their CRM & event work. But now they're branching out into the realm of real ideas - centred around their product

unfortunately the work is rubbish. it looks really amateurish, far too amateurish for the homepage of thir flagship product. with a bit of thought, and courage, the ideas could have led to so much more.

all this however isn't the point. it's a step in the right direction. next time around could be amazing.