Apple M4, Brian Cox for Uber Eats and more: top creative ads of the week

After ASICS the screen personality of actor Brian Cox is used creatively in a hilarious ad for Uber Eats. This and other clutter-breaking creative ideas in my weekly curated list, which has been ongoing for a few years now.

Apple M4: No sweat

Apple made a slew of announcements recently focused on the Mac lineup. The powerful M4 chip became part of the iMac, MacBook Pro and the new Mac Mini. Traditionally, Apple devices have been preferred by folks in the creative industry – especially those with heavy work loads such as graphics or video editing. A new meant to dramatise what the M4 is capable of, plays up on the ‘heavy lifting’ phrase – commonly used to refer to the ability to do difficult tasks easily.

The literal depiction is a creative tool used quite effectively to drive home a point. For example, ‘Going into a shell’ is an idiom used to connote being withdrawn or quiet. A charity in UK used that cleverly to create awareness about the need to make children feel ‘they belong’. Pluto TV depicted a couch potato in a similar vein.

In this ad, a weight lifter not only lifts hug weights effortlessly but literally toys with the task – driving home the point that the M4 can handle any memory-heavy task. The obvious computer graphics needed could have made the production a bit corny but the execution is top notch.

Agency: TBWA\MediaArts Lab

Uber Eats: Brian Cox goes to college

After Ascics, the screen personality of actor Brian Cox is used creatively in a hilarious ad for Uber Eats. This is a great example of laddering where a common technique is to come up with a stretched (and often funny) rejoinder to the main benefit. Stand up comedians use it routinely. ‘It was so cold out there, that…’ and what follows would be a really exaggerated joke. A new ad for Uber Eats has that routine dramatising the benefits of Uber One for students. The take? ‘Membership benefits so good, anyone would want to be a student‘. But the real kicker is in converting ‘anyone’ to Brian Cox who does a fab job, as usual as the bossy, grumpy character who doesn’t care much about others. Quite LOL.

Agency: Special

HP: revive the magic of Indian folklore

One of my pet peeves about Indian advertising is that it has long been influenced by those with western sensibilities. In the 90s especially, ad agencies were full of South Bombay folks form whom anything beyond Bandra was an alien land. Most would only think in English and would unaware or not exposed to Indian traditions & rituals. Things changed with the rise of TV but I feel even youngsters in digital advertising are heavily influenced by western OTT and pop culture trends.

One can see that in the way Diwali advertising is approached – most are restricted to stories about bringing people together or depicting the festival as a reason for revelry. Each one of our festivals have a deep cultural connect and meaning beyond the superficial ‘celebrations’. Unfortunately our popular culture – including movies and advertising have reduced the festival to feasting, dressing up and partying. In contract, Christmas ads are anchored on the ‘spirit of Christmas’ and tell stories of sharing, joy and doing good deeds. Of course, there are exceptions.

HP India has a great track record when it comes to Diwali ads which are anchored on everyday real stories with a high dose of feel-good factor. I guess many creators in ad agencies would consider such to be cliched and want to do something quirky, different. In this year’s Diwali ad, HP India anchors the story on a retired man telling the story of ‘Jatayu’ a character from the Hindu epic, Ramayana (which cannot be reduced to a ‘folklore’ as the title suggests – but let that pass). A 6-minute film manages to hold our attention even through as a viewer there is no surprise plot twist or the role of HP products.

British Airways: your family in the skies

Advertising is suspension of disbelief. The situation of a small-town girl traveling to the airport accompanied by a large group of family members for the sendoff, is a common sight in India. A British Airways crew offers them a lift after the car they are travelling in breaks down. What follows is a lovely interaction between the family members and the crew, sharing food, stories and laughter. It’s a feel good film bound to be liked by Indians and the Indophiles among the western audience.

Agency: Uncommon

The longer list included ads from Lenskart, IKEA and Lloyds Bank among others. Do give it a read on my blog.