If there’s one thing more disappointing than not winning a major US
sportswear brand it’s getting the stuff for Private View and finding
there’s not one stinker among them. You try being funny about
half-decent ads! It just isn’t the same. So, apologies in advance if
this week’s column seems a little tame.
Beginning with AMV and the Aer Lingus ads. Well, apart from the howling
typo in the client’s name of all places (back in my AMV days I was
constantly on at Dave and Ron to ’check and double check’, yet still
these gaffes slip through) these are very nice ads. I didn’t receive the
Shane MacGowan execution in my pack, but I recently saw it in the papers
and it looked great. My only worry is that they might have the same
cavalier attitude to hiring pilots as they do to rushing you through
customs. As the worst flight I’ve ever had in my life was on said
aerline, I’ve a nasty suspicion that my fears may not be groundless.
Plus the thought of flying with a group of passengers who all have
reason to avoid US Customs does not exactly fill me with confidence.
More press now from BMP for the National Dairy Council. OK, it’s the old
’he’s got the milkman’s eyes’ gag and, yes, it’s another X-ray visual,
but it just about works. The art director has shown restraint and wisely
elected not to overdo the pathology/lab-report thing, with just the type
nodding towards matters medical. It’s down to his restraint and the
power of the brand that these do not look grisly. There aren’t many
products, let alone food products, let alone healthy food products aimed
at children, that look good being carried by a skeleton. The milk bottle
is still a potent symbol. How good would these have looked with a
half-opened carton?
’Whatever you do, take Pride’ goes the strapline for London Pride.
Obviously that includes mercilessly ripping off other people’s ads. I
first saw these for Radio Scotland and very lovely they were too. I’m
sure the defence was that they only ran north of the border, but they
also ran in the D&AD Annual. A piece of advice: if you’re going to nick
ideas, don’t do it from the adland Bible. Use the American OneShow
Annual like everyone else.
And remember what pride comes before. Especially if you’ve had a
couple.
M&C Saatchi’s ITV work is a bit over the top. Shot and lit like a Levi’s
film, it rather labours the point that sport shouldn’t be reduced to a
peep show. I heartily agree and would definitely watch more ITV if the
best thing on it wasn’t my ads.
I do like the new Barclaycard work. I had grown increasingly tired of
the Rowan Atkinson ads and was more than pleased to see him shuffle off
(you can bet he doesn’t have to stick it on Barclaycard any more).
The DIY execution is miles better than the restaurant one, but this too
is not without charm. How they gained access to my house to shoot this
spot is beyond me. The ending has all the glorious timing of a classic
Laurel and Hardy film. If you’ve ever seen the one where the chimney
collapses on Ollie, you’ll know what I mean.
So that’s ... hold on, there’s another U-Mat stuck at the bottom. Oh,
joy!
It’s the Campbell’s Soup ad where they cut the tins in half. Looks like
it’s going to be a funny column after all!
This is horrid. And it’s bollocks. We see the tins being sawn in half to
reveal, not a glutinous, vomit-coloured puddle of crap, but, surprise,
surprise, real vegetables.
Apparently this soup is so lovely that even kids, albeit cloned kids,
just can’t get enough. Depressingly competently shot, this is the kind
of bland nonsense that Saatchis used to sweep under the carpet in favour
of their more showy charity accounts. A wise policy they’ve foolishly
forgotten.
Apparently there is a second ad featuring Cream of Chicken and
Oxtail.
Directed by Wes Craven, it is said to be too disturbing to show Before 9
o’clock.
Aer Lingus
Project: Brand campaign
Client: David Bunworth, marketing director
Brief: Force positive reassessment of the brand
Agency: Abbott Mead
Vickers BBDO
Writer: David Hieatt
Art director: Paul Brazier
Photographer: Robert Wilson
Typographer: Neil Craddock
Exposure: National press
National Dairy Council
Project: Milk
Client: Andrew Ovens, marketing manager
Brief: Persuade mothers to give their children more milk
Agency: BMP DDB
Writer: Sean Doyle
Art director: David Dye
Photographer: Giles Revel
Typographer: Neil Craddock
Exposure: Women’s weekly and monthly magazines
ITV
Project: Sport
Client: Sam Carter, head
of marketing Brief: Communicate that
sport is free on ITV
Agency: M&C Saatchi
Writer: Pete Cain
Art director: Louis Bogue
Director: Chris Cunningham
Production company:
RSA Films
Exposure: National TV
Fuller Smith & Turner
Project: London Pride
Client: John Roberts, marketing director
Brief: Associate the London Pride brand with the English rugby team in
the November and December series
Agency: Doner Cardwell Hawkins
Writer: Chris Kirk
Art director: Ivan Davies
Director: Jason Fisher-Jones
Production company: English & Pockett
Exposure: Sky and LWT
Barclaycard
Project: Barclaycard
Client: Paul Parmenter, marketing director
Brief: Barclaycard can help you purchase the necessities of life when
you need them
Agency: BMP DDB
Writer: Tim Charlesworth
Art director: Michael Kaplan
Director: David Kellogg
Production company: Propaganda
Exposure: National TV
Campbell’s Grocery Products
Project: Campbell’s Condensed Soup
Client: Sarah Steed,
marketing manager
Brief: Educate consumers on the benefits of condensed soup
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Writer: Cliff Francis
Art director: Cliff Francis
Director: Suan Tung
Production company: Tsunami
Exposure: National TV
