From worst to best.
In my newspaper this morning I read that starting tonight on Bravo is a
new series called Travel Sick, where "the infamous Grub Smith travels to
exotic places to indulge in such activities as lizard eating and
watermelon shagging. In every episode Grub gets five challenges to
complete, every one he fails to win incurs a penalty. The more mistakes,
the worse it gets." Sounds great, but you'd never know it from these
spoof travel posters. Plum brief. Duff ads.
Only a little better is TiVo. In this commercial we're told that TiVo
can learn the sort of programmes we might enjoy and automatically record
them for us. The product has a real consumer benefit so all the agency
has to do is not get in the way of the message. Unfortunately, it
couldn't help overcomplicating it with some faintly ridiculous imagery.
The result is dull and forgettable.
You will probably remember that TiVo is the box of tricks that will
remove ads from your telly, thus potentially bringing about the demise
of the TV ad as we know it. I would suggest that it is dull ads such as
this that make people switch off, thus potentially bringing about the
demise of the TV ad as we know it.
Perhaps TiVo should be pre-programmed to remove its own ad every time it
runs.
Next is a poster campaign for DVLA telling us to buy our road tax. By
using celebrity cars the campaign manages to be bossy yet friendly. It's
a bit like being shouted at by a teddy bear. So I end up feeling
oh-so-scared in a cosy sort of way.
Much better is the BMW 3 Series commercial. Here, the owner, having
driven to hospital through obligatory mountain scenery, ends up having
his reflexes tested. As his knee jolts, so does his car outside, thus
showing us how responsive the car is to our every command. Worryingly,
BMW seems to have had a momentary shift in strategy. Gone are the
technical nuggets that usually underpin this excellent campaign. Instead
it has moved towards one of those generic and asserted "you're at one
with your car"-type briefs. In lesser hands it might have turned into
"between you and your car there's chemistry", or "feel the road".
Fortunately, though, this ad is as well made and understated as a
BMW.
On more solid ground is the new commercial for the Army. This time the
sights are turned on recruiting officers. We are shown a series of
people of various different vocations trying their hardest but
ultimately failing to persuade people to do things. The message is that
passion isn't enough and leadership isn't easy. It's flattering to
existing officers and would-be officers. It's also another change in
direction for one of our great campaigns, but none the worse for
that.
Best of all this week is the campaign for the Energy Savings Trust. The
Government is trying to make us save energy, thereby reducing the impact
we have on the environment. This potentially worthy route translates
into a witty and very watchable campaign about people being abused by
their energy-inefficient appliances. They are spiky and fresh. The
performances and direction are masterly. The boiler ad, in particular,
is a gem.
Overall, not a bad week, where the best brief produced the worst ads and
the worst brief produced the best ones.
COI COMMUNICATIONS
Project: Army Officer
Clients: Mark Bainbridge, head of marketing, Army Recruiting Group;
Graham Langton, campaign director
Brief: Relaunch the officer career as a modern, dynamic career option
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Writer: Paul Domenet
Art director: Brian Connolly
Director: Nicolai Fugslig
Production company: Outsider
Exposure: National cinema
BRAVO
Project: Bravo Travel Sick
Client: Paul Hancock, Bravo brand manager
Brief: The travel show that laughs in the face of "been there, done
that" travel bores
Agency: Banc
Writers: Glenn Smith and Tommy F Flisher
Art directors: Craig Roderick and Andy Butling
Typographers: Neville Raven and Tabasum Patel
Exposure: Daily and weekly press
BMW
Project: BMW 3 Series
Client: Nick Hart, brand communications manager
Brief: Communicate that no car connects with its driver like a BMW
Agency: WCRS
Writer: Andy Brittain
Art director: Yu Kang
Director: Frederic Planchon
Production company: Academy
Exposure: National TV and cinema
TIVO
Project: TiVo
Client: Matthew George, TiVo product marketing manager
Brief: TiVo creates your own personalised TV channel
Agency: Bates UK
Writer: James Humpheys
Art director: Craig Hunt
Directors: Terence and Marek
Production company: Garretts
Exposure: National cinema
DVLA
Project: DVLA road tax evasion
Client: Lynne Hopkins, enforcement media manager
Brief: Convince evaders that they won't get away with not paying their
road tax
Agency: D'Arcy
Writer: Matt Wheeler
Art director: Dave Chidlow
Typographer: Chris Witham
Photographer: Andy Earl
Exposure: National 48-sheet posters and press
ENERGY SAVINGS TRUST
Project: Winter campaign 2001
Client: Jo Cook, head of marketing
Brief: Make consumers consider energy efficient options
Agency: Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R
Writer: Mike Boles
Art director: Jerry Hollens
Director: Fredrik Bond
Production company: Harry Nash Films
Exposure: National TV
