Every week, I attempt share a compilation of clutter-breaking creative ads. This week, ads from Nationwide, Uber Taxi, Tasmania Tourism and more.
Nationwide: Mist Me
Strategically the ad series in UK, featuring the CEO of a fictional ‘A.N.Y Bank’ is sound. It highlights the features and benefits of Nationwide without getting into a direct comparison by naming any competitor (some brands take that approach too). The ‘uncaring’ boss (portrayed so well by Dominic West) and his assistant (comedian Sunil Patel) have created some memorable work, each ad focusing on one aspect that makes Nationwide different. The latest ad introduces his daughter who also rejects his bank’s product to choose Nationwide, due to its profit sharing. As with other ads, the little touches (‘mist me!’) make for delightful viewing.
Agency: New Commercial Arts
As an aside, if fictional characters are created using real people, there comes a time when the actors need to be changed. Ages ago, Indian luggage brand Aristocrat used a ‘coolie’ as a character in advertising with actor Harish Patel portraying the role. But what happens if the actor wants to move on from such roles or is simply not available? Parle’s Krack Jack created two characters – well, Krack & Jack in the ads played by actor Boman Irani and a model. Again, it will not go on forever. On the other hand if a mascot is created – such as Fido Dido for 7Up or Bibendum for Michelin tyres then the campaign is not dependent on the actor. I am not suggesting that Nationwide should have chosen an animated character as mascot. The choice of real people and their traits suits the narrative very well. But this campaign will have to transition into another execution or an idea at some point in time.
Tata Coffee: print space usage
It’s nice when brands make the best use of the medium’s characteristics. It’s a rarity in radio especially – where most ads are just mindless, boring, fake ‘conversations‘ between two characters. In print too, we have seen some smart innovations. Here’s one for Tata Coffee which brings alive the anchoring creative idea very well. The wafting smell of coffee is familiar to all of us and the publication has accommodated the idea well. Thankfully the masthead is not touched.
Purists in the print media business might scoff at such liberties taken by brand in the editorial space but as long it is not intrusive and annoying for the reader, I think it should be fine.
Vodafone: network
The best of advertising respects the audience’s intelligence. The ad does not spell out everything and scream ‘hey, I am an ad, watch me!’ which is guaranteed to turn people off. Also, the right amount of subtlety leaving the viewer to connect the dots or ‘fill in the blanks’ always works. A new ad for Vodafone in Ireland portrays a woman getting back to cross-country cycling after what appears to be a long break due to motherhood. It conveys the message of a reliable, strong network ever so gently but powerfully.
Agency: Grey
Tasmania: come down for air
‘Come down for air‘ must surely rank among the best of taglines from recent times. The unspoilt, unhurried nature of Tasmania has led to some cheeky barbs at AI in the past. A new set of ads continue the tradition of pithy, sharp lines that drive home the point and bring a smile.
Agency: BMF
Piramal Finance: business loans
Amongst the barrage of negative news on social media, we see stories of those who earn an honest living and have the right intent in doing whatever job they do – plying an auto, running a small shop and such like. When we see instances of someone maintaining an auto well – offering packaged water, even Wi-Fi (okay that is peak Bangalore) and charging by the meter, it brings a smile. It resores our faith in humanity. And we want to support such people. This simple insight to help people who do good and ‘do right’ makes these set of ads from Piramal Finance very endearing.
Agency: The Womb
The Land: Mission Land Here
Baden-Württemberg is a province in Germany which aims to attract talent from all over the world because they are understaffed. They have branded it ‘THE LÄND’ and have a landing page (get it?) which outlines the reasons to move there. At the centre of the campaign is an invitation for aliens to land – the logic being that ‘anyone’ is welcome. So much so, that they have built a landing strip for aliens.
Agency: thjnk, WPP
Dream11: Poora Fan
I liked the idea of one being just a ‘half a cricket fan’ if they support only the men’s cricket team. It taps into the mindset and behaviour of many cricket fans in India who switch off and show no enthusiasm towards women’s cricket.
Uber Taxi: Let’s Go
Apparently the word ‘Kung Fu’ also means ‘effort’ in Cantonese. A new film from Uber Hong Kong features martial arts actor Louis Koo in a situation which juxtaposes the mess of relying on a conventional cab as against the reliability of a Uber Taxi (if only the claim was true in India). Nevertheless, the film works even if watched in mute which is a great test for a visual story.
Uber has launched a campaign in India too – featuring actor-celebrities Jackie Shroff and his son, Tiger Shroff. Casting the actors as themselves it also could be seen as ‘old way’ vs ‘new way’ – the latter dispelling many mistaken perceptions about hiring services like Uber. The film is likely to be popular (already 1.2mn views at the time of writing) not withstanding the credibility factor of actors taking an auto. Ok, maybe with Jackie Shroff that maybe plausible.
Agency: Special and FCB
SURREAL: cereal love
I wonder how I missed this brilliant campaign when it was talked about on LinkedIn a few months ago. I discovered the campaign via an article where the co-founder and marketing lead of a cereal brand in UK, explains why it chose to catch the eye of advertising professionals. A regular LinkedIn post and the creatives generated a lot of interest & debate: 10K reactions, 500+ comments and almost 400 reposts.
The outdoor creatives are sure to strike a chord among advertising & marketing professionals with their insightful humour about life in the business. The ’email screenshot as creative’ or placing a long URL on a billboard are all laugh-out-loud stuff for industry insiders and no wonder they shared it a lot on LinkedIn. Loved it.
Squarespace: website makes it real
‘They don’t even have a website’ is a common comment to refer to lack of credibility of a business we have not heard of. Also, we tend to judge the professionalism or success of the business by the website upkeep – the design, content, when last updated and so on. ‘A website makes it real’ is a powerful claim in that context. A new spot for Squarespace brings it alive literally. Great production values. Brings a smile when the penny drops.
Cricket Australia: you need to see it
Sports promotions have a template of sorts: montage of visuals and fan reactions set to some rousing, fast paced music. A new ad for the upcoming season from Cricket Australia has all of these yet is not stale.
Heinz: smiles
A new campaign for Heinz released around Halloween theme, has the internet divided. Some on LinkedIn are pointing out that this does not have an insight. In my view, there is no need to over-analyse every piece of creative. It passes the first test: it got noticed. It playfully ties the category to a practice common during Halloween where it is celebrated: dressing up as the Joker from Batman. End of story.
Agency: GUT
Piraeus Visa: shopping cart race
In Qatar, every Piraeus Visa purchase could take you to watch the Visa Cash App RB Formula 1 Team race. A ‘race’ to the till ensues among two contenders only to be beaten by an unexpected opponent. Fun spot for a promo.
Agency: The Newtons Laboratory, Greece
Capital One UK: no nasty surprises
‘With QuickCheck, you can check if you’re eligible for a Capital One credit card without affecting your credit score’ is the simple premise. From there on, there’s a leap to the importance of due diligence before taking major decisions, all tied up to ‘Credit with no nasty surprises‘. Suspension of disbelief at its best.
Agency: Fold7
AG1: print ads
What a difference good copywriting makes. Words matter.
Swiggy Instamart: Falguni Pathak collaboration
It’s tough for brand teams during festive season in India. They have to capitalise (if relevant to the brand) on so many different festivals, celebrated in myriad ways across the country from October for the next 2-3 months. Quick commerce brands such as Swiggy Instamart cannot afford to sit out such opportunities in social media. A clever campaign taps on the belief that artist Falguni Pathak known for her popular songs played during Navratri is flipped as ‘not visible outside of this season’ but visible on Swiggy Instamart through some promotion. Smart stuff.
Aside from these, I was a bit puzzled about either the strategy or the creative elements in some ads.
Zepto: Chennai campaign
Why is it that the movies and Rajnikant become the automatic go-to options for brands when trying to appeal to Chennai? The stereotype feels jaded. The practice of milk ‘abhisheka’ to a star’s cutout was surely prevalent a few years ago. Maybe done by fans even now. But viewing Chennai from that lens along feels like a tourist view to me, something which folks from outside the state assume to be the standard (minus the ‘Yenna Rascala’ bit).
Levis: Launderette
A new ad for this had this to say in the PR blurb:
Drawing inspiration from Beyoncé’s innovative approach to art, culture and storytelling, the campaign reimagines classic Levi’s® looks and films. In a series of chapters, the new campaign reinterprets several of the Levi’s® brand’s most iconic advertisements, bringing them into the modern era through the transformative vision of celebrated filmmaker Melina Matsoukas. The first film — inspired by “Launderette,” the 1985 ad that famously reignited “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” on the Billboard charts — places Beyoncé center stage and celebrates the Levi’s® brand’s heritage as a canvas for self-expression, worn by changemakers and icons’.
It’s a bit puzzling to call it a re-creation as if anyone remembers the original ad made in 1985 (and popular among ad agency folks till perhaps the mid-90s or early 2000s) – they’d surely be in their lat 40’s or 50s. The core audience of Beyonce is unlikely to have any reference to the original. Also, even if one is forced to compare, the new effort feels listless and lacks the magic which the original had. Maybe it was the music, the casual tone and the ‘shocked-but-cannot-show it’ feeling of bystanders – it all felt cool. In this case the put-on swag and almost objectification of the protagonist and the abrupt ending makes it feel incomplete. Maybe those who have no idea about the original may still find it engaging.
Agency: TBWA
Among the comments on LinkedIn, this summed it up well:
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
