Did you see that blinding game of football last night? Why don’t
people write ads with ideas in them any more? I had that Julia
Somerville in the back of the cab once.
Such are the various, time-honoured methods of launching into this
column.
But let’s tackle this ’idea’ thing first of all. I wonder, do people
mean logical propositions when they say this? Because logical
propositions can be very comforting. And they can make you feel like
you’ve achieved something. But they tend to be behind all the ads we
hate, like that spot for Tic Tac and the ones for shampoos and washing
powders. So what do people see in them?
TV licence evasion. This campaign makes the link between spongers
helping themselves to other people’s things and not paying for your TV
licence.
There’s definitely an ’idea’ here and, at first sight, it looks like
quite a good one. As it happens, I saw a very similar idea in an Italian
ad a few years ago, where they were trying to encourage Italians to pay
their taxes (talk about pushing olive oil uphill). But, although it’s
refreshing to see a softer approach, I worry about its potential
effectiveness. Because, if I had decided to avoid paying my licence fee,
I’m not sure the fear of being called a sponger would get me to fork out
pounds 91. Similarly, I’m not sure that anyone ever gave up a career as
a drug dealer because someone accused them of ’not being a team
player’.
Umbro. A fabulous campaign. Which, again, understands the importance of
a distinctive tone of voice over a logical proposition. In terms of the
’nice soft grass’ ad, I must admit I felt that as I read it. And the
goalpost ad struck a similar chord with me - I once fell asleep in a
park while sunbathing and woke up to find I was being used as a
goalpost. But that’s Shepherd’s Bush Green for you.
I consider myself fortunate that I wasn’t being raped and injected with
crack.
Waterstone’s. Striking, witty and beautifully art directed. But, in my
opinion, lacking something. They’re lovely looking ads, but they’re
generic and the tone of voice isn’t distinctive enough (unlike Ikea’s
latest offering). What’s needed is a unique tone of voice for
Waterstone’s. Liking books, while in itself an admirable trait, is not
perhaps the most competitive claim for a bookseller these days.
Playstation. It’s loud, it’s shot with real energy and it’s full of
striking imagery. As someone once said in a different context - for
people who like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing they’ll
like. Personally, I like the shot of the guy catapulting out of the
fridge. It’s an Inuit, innit?
And Ford Direct. While I yield to no man in my admiration for what has
been achieved for this client over the past year, I am not a huge fan of
this ad. To be honest, the used-car dealer network is always a bit of a
bugger to deal with, and this ad is only redeemed by a) an understanding
of Ford’s tone of voice and b) some nice touches in the direction.
It’s interesting how small a part logical persuasion plays in these ads
- especially in the ones I like most. But for those die-hards out there
who still hanker after a logical proposition, think about this.
If it were all about logic, consumers would just buy own-label
brands.
And most of us in advertising and marketing would be out of a job. And
that would be a shame, wouldn’t it ? Hang on. Did you see that? Bloody
van driver cut me up.
Waterstone’s Booksellers
Project: Waterstone’s Booksellers
Client: Martin Lee,
marketing director
Brief: Portray Waterstone’s as the book retailer that values the
importance, pleasure and power of books
Agency: BST-BDDP Writer: Nigel Roberts
Art director: Paul Belford
Photographer: Laurie Haskell
Typographer: Paul Belford
Exposure: National press
Sony Computer
Entertainment Europe
Project: Sony Playstation
Client: David Patton, European marketing manager
Brief: Take the powerful experience of Playstation
into the entertainment
mass market
Agency: TBWA
Simons Palmer Writer: Simon Bere
Art director: Marc Bennett
Director: Chris Palmer
Production company: Gorgeous
Exposure: National TV
BBC TV
Project: TV Licensing
Client: Georgina Hodges, marketing director
Brief: Present payment
of the TV licence as a
social obligation
Agency: BST-BDDP
Writers: Lucy Marsden,
Chris Jones
Director: Trevor Melvin Production company:
Blink Productions
Exposure: National TV
Ford Direct
Project: Ford Direct
Client: Kevin Griffin,
manager, Ford Direct
Brief: Reposition Ford Direct as the brand that really understands the
emotional side of used-car purchase
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Writer: Mike Brooking
Art director: Dave Keightley
Director: Trevor Robinson
Production company:
Quiet Storm
Exposure: National TV
Umbro
Project: Umbro brand campaign
Client: Tim Gardiner, brand marketing manager
Brief: Umbro is as dedicated to football as you are
Agency: DMB&B
Writer: Nick Hastings
Art director: Dave Godfree
Photographer: Simon Mooney
Exposure: Men’s and football magazines, match programmes
