Dontcha just love animals doing cute things? A dancefloor for chicks, computer screen for rabbits or puppy photo booth – just some of the suggested uses for the new Samsung Ultra Touch s8300 (why do phones have such rubbish names?) in this new ad from The Viral Factory. Click through to watch it.
The phone has a large and SuperBright screen, we are assured, hence all these suggested uses to which it might conceivably be put. Fluffy animals acting like people and being cute – as near a sure fire thing as it gets in adland. Not a patch on Hammy The Hamster though…
Credits Client: Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd Product: Samsung S8300 Ultra Touch mobile phone Title: ‘38 Cute Animals, 1 CoolScreen, 8 Different Uses’ Agency: The Viral Factory Creative: The Viral Factory Production Co: The Viral Factory Director: Hypno and The Viral Factory Location Facility Company: Multimedia Est Sound Dub and Mix: Kim Storey @ Unit Media buying & seeding: The Viral Factory
Bad Bull for Cravendale, agency: Wieden + Kennedy London
Here’s a round-up of great ads that have passed through CR Towers of late, beginning with Wieden + Kennedy London’s latest for Cravendale. The ad is another collaboration with surreal Belgian stop motion animators Pic Pic Andre and sees a bad bull enter the Cravendale Milk Bar and cause chaos… Also released this week is another Cravendale spot, Slurp.
1 Million Users for Arnet, agency: Santo, Buenos Aires
Next up is the latest ad for internet service provider Arnet from Santo, Buenos Aires. The spot makes a neat mockery of typical internet/phone advertising.
Sarah’s Story
A change of tone for this next film, which has been created for the Motor Neurone Disease Association by Jim Weedon of Bare Films. Its graphic depiction of life with MND makes for tough viewing.
$10,000 worth of Lotto Scratchies advertising the Australia Outdoor Awards
The Glue Society in Sydney has created this unusual campaign to promote the Australia Outdoor Awards. This billboard is currently situated on a major highway in west Sydney and features $10,000 worth of $1 scratch cards, which will be the prize for the creative person or team responsible for the year’s best outdoor advertisement. The billboard is guarded 24 hours a day to protect the prize, which may of course be worth far more than $10,000 if the winner gets lucky on the scratch cards.
The scratch cards form the golden pigeon logo of the awards and the billboards directs viewers to the awards website, which gives details of entry information. The awards are free to enter and the deadline for entries is the end of April.
Stella McCartney poster ad by Partner + Partner, art directed by Christopher Simmonds
Partner + Partner has created this poster for Stella McCartney. The ad was shot by photographer Ryan McGinley and features artwork by Dinos Chapman.
Creme Egg game website
Cadbury’s has created this online game as part of the ‘here today, goo tomorrow’ campaign for Cadbury’s Creme Egg. Play it here.
Saturday for Lurpak, agency: Wieden + Kennedy London, director: Simon Ratigan
Finally, back to Wieden + Kennedy London for the last ad, for Lurpak butter. The spot celebrates Saturday mornings in all their lazy glory. Only three days to go…
Fallon’s latest ad for Sony Bravia launches today. The spot features the enormous Bravia-drome, the world’s biggest ever zoetrope (as verified by the Guinness Book of Records no less). Click through to view the ad.
The new spot follows Fallon’s earlier ‘Colour like no other’ campaign for Sony Bravia, which included the hugely successful Balls, Paint and Play Doh ads. The Bravia-drome spot moves away from colour to focus on motion, and the Bravia’s new Motionflow 200Hz technology which ensures a smoother picture than in conventional TVs.
To emphasise this smoothness, Fallon built an enormous zoetrope in Venaria, a town near Turin in northern Italy. The zoetrope has been causing a stir online for the last couple of months, with Sony posting films of it in action on YouTube while the ad was being created. The zoetrope presents a series of still images of the footballer Kaká, which when rotated (at speeds up to 50km per hour) and viewed through small slits on the outside of the zoetrope, give the illusion of being animated.
Credits:
Bravia-Drome commercial for Sony Bravia Agency: Fallon Executive creative director: Richard Flintham Creative directors: Graham Storey, Phil Cockrell Production company: RSA/Eponymous Director: Vernie Yeung (RSA) Zoetrope designer: Ben Scott
This new ad campaign for Diet Coke, starring Duffy, airs tonight on ITV. The ad, out of Mother London, sees the soft drink shed its associations with scantily clad workmen and instead aims to celebrate a girl’s “right to say no to the pressures of modern day living”.
“It used to be about girls using their breaks to ogle construction workers, but now they’ve got better things to do than sit around and wait for semi-naked men,” say the Mother creative team. “Diet Coke’s now about inspiring women to take control and do the right thing for themselves.”
Photographer: Liz Collins
Duffy was chosen for the ad because “she’s the epitome of the Diet Coke girl”, continues Mother. “Aspirational, ambitious but knows when to duck out and do her own thing. In the ad she celebrates taking a moment to herself by belting out Sammy Davis Jr.’s ‘I’ve got to be me’.”
The TV will be accompanied by a series of print and poster ads starring both Duffy and other models.
“Let us help you save money,” coos NatWest in its latest ad. “Is this the most insincere bank ad ever?” reply bloggers
With bankers high up on most people’s hit lists, and banks facing a barrage of negative publicity, how do advertising agencies tackle the tricky task of promoting them?
The first banking ads since the start of the recession are beginning to be released and the approach seems to be one of directness – reassuring voices telling customers that despite everything they’re reading in the media, they are the bank that can be trusted. This is evident in Nationwide’s recent print and poster campaign, which simply announces that they are ‘Solid. Stable. Dependable. Exciting aren’t we?’
Nationwide’s new slogan
Others are taking a similar route, with an added emphasis on making banks appear more human and friendly. NatWest’s latest series of ads (one shown top) emphasises its Money Sense advisors, who are on hand in branches across the country. The ads show a series of smiling customers exchanging banter with engaged and interested bank staff. This is perhaps not an experience that most of us are familiar with, and as a consequence the campaign has already engendered some backlash online.
Halifax stresses its human touch in its new ad campaign
Halifax’s new spot feels similarly patronising, if a little more imaginatively performed. This one shows groups of bank employees forming human ladders and pyramids to present individuals with a five pound note, representing the money that is given each month by the bank to reward current account holders, “as a way of saying thank you”. It isn’t until the small print at the end that it is revealed that you only receive the money if you deposit £1000 a month.
HSBC Lumberjack ad – is this type of campaign still relevant for banks today?
Is this really the right tack? Certainly bank advertising of the HSBC ilk, whose ”world’s local bank” campaign was becoming increasingly obscure of late (see Lumberjack spot above), feels inappropriate in the current financial climate. But short of releasing a film of bank CEOs pleading for forgiveness while being whipped by disgruntled customers, how can banks use advertising to win back consumers’ confidence?
The “we’re really trustworthy, honest” approach may seem the only available avenue at the moment, but are any of us really likely to believe it? How would you like your bank to talk to you?
Quest for G for Gatorade, agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles, Production company: @Radical Media, director: Tarsem
For your Friday afternoon pleasure, here is a selection of new commercials and music videos that have caught our attention of late. First up is a spot for Gatorade, directed by Tarsem, which looks to Monty Python & the Holy Grail for inspiration.
House of Cards for Shelter, agency: Leo Burnett, production company: Outsider, director: Dom & Nic
Turning serious now, here is Leo Burnett’s new campaign for homeless charity Shelter, directed by Dom & Nic and set to a soundtrack of Radiohead’s track Videotape. This ad marks the first occasion that the band have allowed their music to be used in a commercial.
Ray-Ban ad, agency: Cutwater, production company: Agile Films, director: Mini Vegas
Ray-Ban’s advertising has taken an unexpected turn with this spot from Cutwater.
While this ad for Cheese Strings from Fallon is just plain bizarre (but quite funny).
Mr Strings website
There are more to view at the website, here, where you can also create your own Mr Strings character.
Oxfam print work from RKCRYR, copywriter: Steve Moss, designer/art director: Jolyon Finch, illustrator: James Taylor
This new print work for Oxfam from RKCRYR aims to raise awareness of the charity’s campaign against the global arms trade.
Still from Keith Schofield’s video for Move by MIMS
Now for some music videos. First up is yet another excellent video from Keith Schofield (who previously brought us this slice of brilliance for Supergrass). His latest is for hip hop group MIMS. I can’t find it on YouTube anywhere, but it’s well worth clicking here to watch it.
Evident Utensil by Chairlift, directed by Ray Tintori
Next up is the latest from Ray Tintori. This video for Evident Utensil by Chairlift sees the director return to the style previously seen in his MGMT Time To Pretend vid.
Synthesise by Simian Mobile Disco, directed by Kate Moross & Alex Sushon
Finally, here’s the first video from ubiquitous cool kid (and CR Creative Future from last year) Kate Moross. Directed in collaboration with Alex Sushon, the promo is for Simian Mobile Disco track Synthesise.
We shouldn’t be too surprised to learn that Christian groups are planning to respond to the atheist bus campaign which we posted about back in October. They’ve been riled by the on-bus banner that reads “There’s probably no god, so stop worrying and enjoy your life”. Now, thanks to The Bus Slogan Generator, you can come up with your own versions…
Of course, history tells us that some people feel quite strongly about their religious beliefs – so strongly in fact that they need to impose their beliefs on others. Yes, we humans have been merrily slicing, dicing, mutilating, invading, pillaging, raping, torturing, enslaving our neighbouring tribes since time immemorial for the simple reason that they don’t share our credos. How dare they believe the world is round / that there are less than six gods / that the world isn’t supported by a gargantuan bearded chap! (Not forgetting that assorted godless communists and totalitarians have been equally savage and intolerant in dealing with anyone who disagreed or threatened their world view, Ed)
How has the Christian Party responded to this lighthearted squeak of opinion (the original atheist slogan’s use of the word “probably” hardly qualifies it as the most inflammatory of statements) from the usually, let’s face it, quiet and retiring atheists? What pithy slogan has been conjured up to capture the imagination of the world’s ungodly? After, no doubt, much consideration it is: “There definitely is a god”. Ah, bravo!
Oh dear, oh dear. Surely any person with a working brain, a functional use of language and just a mite of enthusiasm for his or her faith could do better than that? Well, fortunately – thanks to a nifty new online gadget The Bus Slogan Generator anyone can come up with their own bus-side theological message. Simply log on and devise your own bus slogans in the privacy of your own homes. For your own amusement. Not to actually post them on a bus or otherwise force them down the necks of our enemies – sorry, I meant fellow world dwellers. Like this:
Can you do better? Send in your efforts to me at gavin.lucas@centaur.co.uk. the funniest / wittiest / best will be posted up in a follow-up post.
Looking a little pasty? Wishing you could feel the sun on your face to brighten up these grey winter days? Now you can get a healthy golden glow without leaving your desk, thanks to the wonders of ComputerTan
As this infomercial by McCann Erickson shows, ComputerTan harnesses the power of your screen to bronze you as you work. For a free introductory session, all you have to do is go to Computertan.com and click on the free trial offer. Then sit back and let those rays do their work. Or not.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have won the Super Bowl itself, but with adland watching the breaks as excitedly as the game, who were the advertising winners on the day? Well, apart from NBC, who screens the Super Bowl and, financial crisis or no financial crisis, reportedly charged up to $3 million per 30-second spot this year. In return advertisers are assured of an audience of approximately 100 million viewers. Here’s our selection of the best spots of the day. First up is this ad from Wieden + Kennedy Portland for jobs website Careerbuilder.com. Perhaps not the easiest product to sell in today’s market, this spot takes the comical approach.
Wieden + Kennedy revisits the charm of its Happiness Factory spot in this new ad for Coca-Cola, Heist.
And W+K also completed this feel-good number for Coke too.
Jason Statham engages in a car chase through the decades in this spot for Audi from Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco.
E-Trade tackles the credit crunch through a combination of baby talk and retro tunes in this ad by Grey, New York.
Miller High Life keeps it short (and cheap) with this one-second ad from Saatchi & Saatchi New York. A series of out-takes were then posted online at 1secondad.com.
As usual, celebrities play a major part in the Super Bowl ads. Talk show host Conan O’Brien sends himself up in this Bud Light ad, also from DDB Chicago.
Crispin, Porter & Bogusky called on the services of Alec Baldwin to play an alien in this ad for Hulu.
In a less likely celebrity endorsement, rapper MC Hammer and actor Ed McMahon mock their allegedly, um, ‘difficult’ financial pasts in this ad for website Cash4Gold.com from Euro RSCG Edge.
Meanwhile Bob Dylan revealed his latest commercial endorsement in this ad for Pepsi, which also features Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas. The two duet on an updated version of Forever Young by Dylan in the spot by TBWA\Chiat\Day New York.
Finally, in contrast to the good feeling of that Pepsi spot is this pain-filled ad for Pepsi Max, also from TBWA\Chiat\Day in New York.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
