Ogilvy once said: "People don't buy from clowns." It would be
interesting to know what he'd have made of this week's offering. It
seems that, whatever the product, we just can't stop being silly.
Take the Royal Mail ad. Fans of Carry On films will probably love our
Elt as he rubbishes the virtual world of the internet in favour of a
mountain of goodies from the Royal Mail. The pudgy-fingered pianist gets
to pull some funny faces, plug his new single, and generally frolic
around with his package. It's not my cup of tea, but then what do I
know. I still find Hello! magazine hysterical.
Harvester has made a stab at tickling our ribs with a series of ads
featuring people in awkward situations who then get to talk about it
over a prawn cocktail at their local Harvester. The best of these
features a mum trying to explain to her daughter what two baboons are up
to in their cage (the post watershed slot should give you a clue). Not a
bad idea for a campaign, but perhaps just a bit too much cheese for my
liking.
The Bisto ad sees an elderly couple having dinner at home. The bloke
pours all the Bisto gravy over his meal, much to the annoyance of his
missus. She claims to be pregnant. He faints.
She nicks his meal. He pops back up and says: "Are you sure I'm the
father?" This probably looked quite good on paper. Unfortunately,
something's been lost in the telling. It's one gag I can't see doing the
e-mail rounds.
It's a lot harder to be funnier in print, but the Schweppes creatives
have given it a go. The ads are big and bold and stand out from the
usual clutter. Karl Lagerfeld puts Camilla Parker-Bowles into her
wedding dress, while Margaret Thatcher visits Jeffrey Archer in his
cell. So far so good. But then the punchline: "Sch ... you know who?" I
do know who, I'm just not entirely sure why?
Peugeot 406 sidesteps the belly laughs and turns on the
wry-smileometer.
Over a series of nicely shot vignettes, Heather Small belts out: "What
have you done today to make you feel proud?" It's like the soundtrack to
an American blockbuster, but instead of Bruce Willis striding toward a
rocket we see regular guys doing regular things such as giving blood,
putting the toilet seat down, a dad giving away his daughter and, of
course, a bloke buying a Peugeot 406. Harmless enough, but the gag
shortage will stop this one being talked about down the pub.
Finally, Kylie Minogue, riding Agent Provocateur, romps home as this
week's winner. The cinema ad sees the tiny temptress wearing her
regulation Agent Provocateur stockings and suspenders, see-through pants
and lacy bra. She tells us that she's going to prove that Agent
Provocateur is the most erotic underwear in the world. Kylie then climbs
aboard a fluffy, red bucking bronco and writhes around, soft-porn style.
The Melbourne minx then dismounts and speaks to the male members (pun
intended) of the audience: "Will all the men in the audience stand up."
She looks out into the cinema. QED. The men would rather sit down at
this precise moment, thank you very much. The punchline's dragged out a
bit, and I'm not entirely sure what the old biddy in the ad's got to do
with it. But minor quibbles. The music's good. It's well shot.
And, unlike most ads out there, it's actually funny.
ROYAL MAIL
Project: Royal Mail Business and Consumer Markets
Client: Paul Troy, brand and communications director
Brief: Royal Mail makes virtual shopping a physical reality
Agency: Bates UK
Writer: Pat Doherty
Art director: Rob Kitchen
Director: Gregory Rood
Production company: Paul Weiland Film Company
Exposure: National TV
PEUGEOT MOTOR COMPANY
Project: Peugeot 406
Client: Xavier Peugeot, advertising director
Brief: The Peugeot 406 is for people with depth
Agency: Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper
Writer: Mark Wnek
Art director: Olly Caporn
Director: Anthea Benton
Production company: Partizan Midi Minuit
Exposure: National TV
AGENT PROVOCATEUR
Project: Agent Provocateur
Clients: Joe Corre and Serena Rees, owners
Brief: Get Agent Provocateur talked about by a wider audience
Agency: cdp-travissully
Writer: Mick Mahoney
Art director: Andy Amadeo
Director: Steve Reeves
Production company: Another Film Company
Exposure: London cinemas
COCA-COLA GREAT BRITAIN
Project: Schweppes
Client: Leslie Davey, senior marketing manager
Brief: Do some good ads for Schweppes
Agency: Mother
Writer: Mother
Art director: Mother
Typographer: Mother
Photographer: Alison Jackson
Exposure: National press
CENTURA FOODS
Project: Bisto Gravy Granules
Client: Sue Knight, marketing director
Brief: Dramatise people's passion for gravy
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Writer: Kes Gray
Art director: Dennis Willison
Director: Kirk Jones
Production company: Tomboy Films
Exposure: n/s
SIX CONTINENTS RETAIL
Project: Harvester Restaurants
Client: Adam Martin, director of marketing
Brief: Drive reassessment of the brand
Agency: Publicis
Writer: Ira Joseph
Art director: Jack Steers
Director: Paul Weiland
Production company: Paul Weiland Film Company
Exposure: TV (London, Central, HTV and Meridian)
