This is a tumblelog, kinda like a blog but with short-form, mixed-media posts with stuff I like. Scroll down a bit to start reading, or a bit more to read more about me.
Joey
The groundwork for our latest brief; create a hypothetical product and brand it. Our products are a reinvention of children’s school bags, more information on the products soon. But for now, the logo, colour scheme and the first mock up of our female brand character. Improvements to be made but we’re off to a good start.
It all starts with an Absolut Blank.
Yes, I am aware that I have already written about an Absolut advert, but who can blame me for wanting to write about two?
Everyone is familiar with Absolut’s collaborations with artists over the years - if not, where have you been? They were the first brand to think to use art as a marketing strategy; that’s pretty revolutionary. In addition to this, TBWA for Absolut established the longest running and arguably one of the best advertising campaigns of all time. This is one of the most recent additions to that campaign, and it’s great.
It compares Absolut Vodka to a blank canvas, separating itself from every other generic vodka brand that stresses how great the taste is. Absolut don’t tell you how to use their product, they let you decide for yourself; creativity is encouraged and using artists is a brilliant way of portraying this.
Following this advert, they released an app where consumers could create their own Absolut masterpiece using their smart phone -a good way to extend the campaign.
Everyone aspires to be creative in some way, and this advert alongside the app allows the consumer to do this. I love it, and I can’t wait to see what Absolut come up with next.
Talk to Frank
The concept is pretty self explanatory with these print ads. They’re quite funny in a way, which I suppose they have done on purpose to make talking about drugs not as intimidating.
Using questions like these would make people feel more at ease about asking their own questions; they don’t seem so stupid anymore. I think that this is a good way to target teenagers who are probably to shy to ask.
Aside from the concept, these print ads are very well balanced and are symmetrical; they are nice to look at. So with all of these aspects taken into consideration, not bad advertising really.
Fry Lights
This is a good example of a simple but still effective use of ambient advertising. These lights were part of the ‘best fries on the planet’ campaign. Until a few days ago, these ‘fry lights’ were used to direct people to the store and could be seen from up to three miles away, so it helped to increase there customer base.
If people didn’t understand what the lights were for initially, word of mouth would have eventually informed them - which is surely the best way to advertise; cost free and the most effective.
There’s not alot else that can be said about this ambient in all honesty; the simplicity says it all.
What would the french do?
A brilliant advert and a great way to advertise to men - stereotypically not ones for cooking meals from scratch (as the advert addresses).
The slow motion shots add a kind of humorous element to the advert (from a females point of view anyway); it makes cooking an omelette seem like a kind of art, or maybe even a military operation. The shots of the fridge at the beginning support this, making cooking seem like the most daunting of tasks. Lurpak is suggested to make the experience of cooking ‘worth it’ perhaps.
A revolutionary way of advertising butter? Perhaps. Regardless, it’s pretty great.
Avoid the walk of shame.
When I first saw this advert, I found it hard to believe it was advertising Harvey Nichols - home of the most expensive brands on the market. They are clearly trying to reposition the brand or tackle a new target market and I think that this ad does work - to some extent.
The concept itself is pretty good; every woman is familiar with ‘the walk of shame’ so it is a good way to communicate to their target market. The filming aids this concept well. Before the tag line, the lighting is very dull and depressing, then afterwards it brightens up to fit the mood.
Despite all of these good aspects however, it feels like there is something missing - perhaps they just didn’t develop the idea enough? For a brand as big as Harvey Nichols, I think I was expecting a tiny bit more.
Good concept; perhaps not executed as well as it could have been.
There’s method in the Magners.
After writing about the Kopparberg advert, I thought it would be fitting to write about a different cider ad to provide a comparison.
Magners adverts are always quite funny and this one in particular is completely opposite to the Kopparberg a, as it has a different target audience - an older market.
Magners uses the fact that the cider is locally made as it’s usp. The advert portrays this to the viewer well, through the use of the setting, a small village where everyone knows everyone. This in turn suggests that that the apples used to make the cider are good quality, theoretically making their product the best on the market.
I really like the concept, and the fact that the man has a beard of bees is great; funny and imaginative.
A Holiday Miracle.
When I originally came across this on the internet, I clicked on it because I thought the lambs were cute. I wonder how many other people did the same? Probably quite a few.
It’s a little strange admittedly, but I think that’s a good thing. It makes a nice change from generic christmas ads with children in the nativity singing christmas carols (Littlewoods, you are not exempt).
After watching this a couple of times, I decided to go on the Brooks Brothers website, I wasn’t familiar with the brand. Now that I know it is a clothes store that accommodates for the whole family, I understand the advert alot better. The lambs are featured on the site as they appear in the ad, wearing the winter wear of the brand and there is an option to share this ‘holiday miracle’ (as they call it) with friends and family as your christmas greeting, a good way to extend the campaign.
The tagline is simple but effective; it stresses the heritage of the brand and the amount of time that it has been around. Brookes Brothers is reliable.
It’s a cute and funny ad and the more I watch it, the more I love it.
Grab some buds.
Budweiser. We’re all familiar with the brand; it’s probably one of the most well known and widely recognised brands of beer. So it’s only fitting for them to have an equally recognisable ad.
The structure of this ad is well thought out. The Budweiser logo is shown multiple times throughout the ad, so it is constantly in view of the consumer. In addition to this, the choice of song (Los Campesinos - You Me Dancing) is brilliant; it has a good build up, suggesting preparing for a brilliant night ahead with your ‘buds’, be it at a football game, a festival or a barbecue. This in turn suggests that Budweiser can be anyone’s drink of choice; it’s versatile.
The book of dissent.
These are part of a viral campaign for the Italian version of the Book of Dessent, which features a collection of worldwide quotes from history. This is portrayed in these ads; they look almost antique, suggesting that the book contains useful, enriching information.
When I first glanced at these, I instantly thought of a typical country and western ‘wanted’ poster, with the large header and ‘mug shot’ of each character. This, paired with the bright red colour scheme portrays a kind of menacing element, which works. It’s kind of endearing and makes you curious.
In addition to this, the balance in these ads are perfect; they a symmetrical and in a recognisable format, making them easy on the eye. I like them alot.
