This week we have one beauty, two good-lookers and a pig. Oh, and some
more of those posters. In one, Labour promises lower income tax and, in
the other, the Conservative Party proclaims ‘you’re worse off under
Labour’. Or could it be the other way round? Either way, Labour seems to
be sticking with its powerful grabbing hands visual. (It should be
careful that people don’t think it is the same poster going up each time
- how about changing the background colour on each message?)
Meanwhile, the Tories have forsaken their ‘demon eyes’ visual for
something altogether more chilling. We’ve got five more months of this
to look forward to.
Martini has a new festive campaign that continues the ‘beautiful drink
for beautiful people’ theme. In one ad, our bitchy spokeswoman
encourages us to ‘indulge, darlings’, while recommending liposuction for
any after-effects. In another commercial, she admonishes other
advertisers for re-running old ads at Christmas. The film then cuts to
some deeply nostalgic footage of a 70s Martini ad. Here we get on to
dangerous ground - it’s always a little self-conscious for
advertisements to talk about themselves in this way. However, the
commercial prompted memories of a girl at art college we used to call
‘Martini’. Any time, any place, anywhere...
Calder’s is attempting to convince us that its cream ale is as ‘creamy
as a stout, as smooth as a bitter and as refreshing as lager’, through
the eyes of a man who thinks he’s lived three lives before as an Irish
freedom fighter, a Yorkshire miner and a Bombay curry taster. It’s very
nicely filmed, with a thoroughly convincing ‘taste and smile’ shot (see,
they can be made to look good), after which our hero says to his pint:
‘Where have you been all my lives?’ It’s light, refreshing, but a bit
low in strength.
I’m writing this over the weekend, looking out over a bleak, brown,
muddy autumnal landscape not far from Colman’s of Norwich but a million
miles away from what is meant to pass for Norfolk in its latest
commercial. A Brummie pig leans over a dry stone wall (you don’t get any
dry stone walls in Norfolk). Beside him is a tiled barn (it should be
pantiled or thatched). Behind him in the distance is a church spire
(there are just two church spires in Norfolk) set in rolling hills (you
don’t get...). I’m not sure how many Brummie pigs there are either but,
all pedantry aside, this is a competent re-run of an old idea - one type
of animal encouraging us to eat another type of animal. There is even a
version of the idea in this year’s D&AD annual, on page 56.
Finally, a set of commercials for the Elida Faberge fragrance,
Addiction. At last, here is a perfume ad that doesn’t assault the senses
with enigmatic, pretentious cliches, usually French. All six executions
feature messages faxed between two lovers, simply known as W and R.
(Looking at the credits for these ads, I wonder if there is room for a
menage a trois, featuring the mysterious ‘M’?) Commercial breaks towards
Christmas will be peppered with unbranded ten-second spots, ending with
a pack-shot and the line: ‘Do you want a non-stop fax life?’ Excellent
music holds the whole piece together. It’s a great idea that cost
pennies to make. That’s the ‘best commercial made for under pounds
40,000’ category taken care of. By the way Rosie, my fax number is 0171-
591 9289.
Gerard Stamp is the executive creative director of Leo Burnett
Conservative Party
Project: Conservative Party
Client: Charles Lewington, director of communications
Brief: Remind voters that the Conservatives have delivered economic
success
Agency: M&C Saatchi
Writer: A. Hunn
Art director: G. Khan
Exposure: National posters
Carlsberg-Tetley
Project: Calder’s Cream Ale
Client: Doug Scott, marketing director
Brief: Launch the brand
Agency: Saatchi and Saatchi
Writer: Kes Gray
Art director: Dennis Willison
Director: Jonas Grimas
Production company: Phoenix Films
Exposure: Regional TV
Elida Faberge
Project: Addiction
Client: Simon Clift, brand development director
Brief: Establish a strong and appealing personality for Addiction
Agency: Bartle Bogle Hegarty
Writer: Will Awdry
Art directors: Rosie Arnold, Martin Galton
Directors: Rosie Arnold, Will Awdry
Production company: Bartle Bogle Hegarty
Exposure: National TV
Labour Party
Project: Budget poster
Client: Margaret McDonagh, general election co-ordinator
Brief: Highlight Tory tax rises since 1992
Agency: BMP DDB
Writer: Andy McLeod
Art directors: Richard Flintham, Peter Gatley
Photographer: Malcolm Venville
Typographer: David Wakefield
Exposure: National 48-sheet posters
Westbay Distributors
Project: Martini
Client: Chris Meredith, marketing controller
Brief: Keep Martini front of mind in the Christmas drinks market
Agency: Howell Henry Chaldecott Lury
Copywriter: Antonia Green
Art director: Nani Kohler
Director: Kim Knott
Production company: Eclipse
Exposure: National TV
Van den Bergh Foods
Project: Colman’s Classic Condiments
Client: William Brown, marketing manager
Brief: Launch Colman’s Classic Condiments as an essential element to any
roast meal
Agency: J. Walter Thompson
Writer: Richard Spencer
Art director: Jo Dickerson
Director: Matt Forrest
Production company: Tony Kaye Films
Exposure: National and satellite TV
