Blimey. Ninety so-too-short seconds of animated adbliss that I would hate to sully by trying to describe properly. Enough to say that it is gloriously, heart-breakingly rendered, has flying diesel engines and grumpy suns and flamingos and rams and rabbits, oh my, there's a song about hate to bring a smile to the hardest of advertising hearts, and in my ever-so-humble it even manages to kick the shiny arse of the beloved "cog". I'd actually brave the piss-and-popcorn huff of my local Odeon in order to catch it in the flesh, which is saying something. Lovely, lovely, lovely.
Maybe I'm softened by sleep deprivation, or blissed out by Honda, but the rest of the jiffy bag innards all seem rather ... nice, actually. Apart from the Cobra posters, to be fair. Not nice, not nice at all, just very, very nonsensical. How on earth can a beer be "an inspired blend of hops, maize, yeast, barley malt, rice and determination"? Determination?
What exactly does life throw up to hinder the progress of this curry-house staple? What is it they strive against, these determined master brewers? What obstacles do they overcome with an admirable, steely resolve?
The Peter Jones posters, they are nice. Slightly familiar, perhaps, won't be forcing themselves on to anybody's Poster Of The Year list (I'm told such things exist in advertising circles), but nice all the same, restrained and comfortable and thus very Peter Jones.
And the Teacher Training Agency campaign is rather pleasant, too. It might be the tiredness again, but I found myself oddly moved by the thinking behind these particular spots. A job is only as rewarding as the people you work with, seems to be the idea, and I love the elevation of schoolchildren to the heroes of the campaign.
Inspiring. A little predictable in the execution, perhaps, but inspiring nonetheless.
The new Ford Fiesta ad seems a sweet follow-up to DDB's "tough little Polo" ad from last year, this time with a teeny Fiesta being chased around an ice-hockey pitch by giant hockey players instead of a teeny Volkswagen being chased around a Wimpey Home by giant Daily Mail readers. Truly ghastly endline, though: "Another Ford Fiesta fantasy." Glad that the whole "fantasy" thing was cleared up, there.
Otherwise, consumers might, you know, worry that they would be spending an awful lot of cash on a very, very small family car.
Finally, as weariness bites and spell check becomes an increasingly blessed thing, the new Ariel ad, which is also pretty decent. Proper old-school advertising, where an Eskimo-type lass washes her babygro in an ice-hole to prove the effectiveness of the cunning powder at low temperatures. Nicely shot, nicely put together, just nice.
Intriguingly, the tape I was sent had two versions of this commercial on it, one thrillingly titled: "Irish version." Anticipating a remix with leprechauns and rainbows and Michael Flatley washing Shane McGowan's drawers on a chilly Dublin day, I watched with bated breath. Sadly, it was the same ad, with an Irish voiceover at the end.
To bed, then. Unable to resist the siren call of cotton sheets any longer.
Nighty night X.
COBRA
Project: Cobra "art values"
Client: Simon Edwards, marketing director
Brief: Bring to life the values that allowed Cobra to succeed against
the odds
Agency: Joshua
Writer: Christian Clark
Art director: Rod Clausen
Photographer: Dylan Collard
Typographer: Joshua
Exposure: Press and tube cards
ARIEL
Project: "Ice fishing"
Client: Martin Stead, brand manager, Ariel UK
Brief: Promote the fact that Ariel Biological washes well in cool
temperatures
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Writers: Kevin Jones, Dave Askwith, Hussain Moloobhoy
Art directors: Kevin Jones, Dave Askwith, Hussain Moloobhoy
Director: Luke Scott
Production company: RSA Films
Exposure: National TV Ford of Europe
Project: "Ice hockey"
Client: Bruno Ravella, advertising manager
Brief: n/s
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
Writer: Neil Elliot
Art director: Mark Hendy
Director: Daniel Barber
Production company: Rose Hackney Barber
Exposure: European TV
PETER JONES
Project: "Gorgeous"
Client: Evelyn Strouts, head of advertising and branch marketing
Brief: Encourage reappraisal of the newly refurbished Peter Jones as a
store where even everyday items are gorgeous
Agency: Burkitt DDB
Writer: Phil Webb
Art director: Tony Curran
Photographer: Angus Fraser
Typographer: Alison Wills
Exposure: Posters, women's glossies, lifestyle press
TEACHER TRAINING AGENCY
Project: "Most exciting people"
Clients: Michele Ombler, head of campaigns; Jeeve Gupta, campaign
manager
Brief: Convince people that teaching children is an enjoyable job
Agency: DDB London
Writer: Simon Veksner
Art director: Nick Allsop
Director: Lucy Blakstad
Production company: The Brave Film Company
Exposure: National TV
HONDA
Project: Honda diesel
Client: Matt Coombe, marketing communications manager
Brief: Launch Honda's new i-CTDi diesel engine
Agency: Wieden & Kennedy
Writers: Sean Thompson, Michael Russoff, Richard Russell
Art directors: Sean Thompson, Michael Russoff, Richard Russell
Directors: Alan Smith, Adam Foulkes
Production company: Nexus Productions
Exposure: TV and cinema
