The brief for the agency Christmas card is one of many things I
haven’t missed by being jobless this winter. You know, working with
hackneyed old images trying to create something original and fresh while
retaining many of the cosy, familiar values of a perfect traditional
Christmas ...
Christmas is a time for merriment, goodwill and unoriginality. So let’s
see who’s going to be the perfume and hankie set and who’s going to be
the automatic solar-operated tie selector this year.
Ferrero Rocher. I’ve wanted to get my teeth into this advertising for
some time (sadly, more than you can say for the product, nasty little
things that they are). FR is a cult. It’s from the ’it’s so bad that
it’s good’ school of ads pioneered by Messrs Shake’n’Vac in the 70s. If
it had Chas and Jim and HHCL’s name behind it, people would think it
genius.
Creating a cult ad revered for its brilliant awfulness is an ambitious,
if not foolhardy, task.
The credits reveal for the first time the authors of this genius, the
post-modern ironic visionaries who have come up with a brilliantly
branded, hugely effective, consistent, much talked about cult of a TV
ad. Either that, or they’re really crap at this business and just got
lucky by being even more crap than usual one particular day.
Sainsbury’s won my heart and total admiration some time back with their
recipes/celebrities campaign. Beautifully shot, wonderfully simple and
totally appropriate. The fine folk at AMV could do with reminding
themselves of this by running the old ads back to back with this latest
offering.
Where we once had beautiful photography, a relaxed pace and understated
charm, we now have a charmless commercial garble offset by visual
clutter in a headlong race to fit in six Christmassy offers where there
was once one.
Boots advertising has been undergoing a welcome resurgence recently and,
boy, did it need to. A series of soft-focused, slow-motion images play
to music in this largely inconsequential bit of film that is part of a
larger Christmas campaign. A bit too much cheese for my liking.
These days, I find myself moving ever further away from advillage juries
and their cartel-like views about what constitutes great
advertising.
So, as if to part company officially with my past, I am going to sing
the praises of a hitherto un-awarded campaign - the Gap.
Everywhere you touch this brand there is a cool purity about what they
do. Their TV advertising, like their bus-sides, resonates a consistent
quality that is rare. The BabyGap and GapKids experience is right up
there with the world’s best brands. I feel it’s sad and significant that
no agency was found to deliver this work. It was created in-house and is
the better for it. This is easily the most refreshing Christmas ad of
this bunch.
For me, Nicholas Lyndhurst is one of our greatest comic talents. Rodney
was his tour de force and he will always be remembered for that
role.
He has wisely been reluctant to cash in on the advertising gravy
train.
W. H. Smith were the final victors in the persuasion game due to size of
cheque book and, one hopes, quality of scripts.
The campaign got off to a good start by being voted the nation’s
favourite by TV Times readers or such like.
The Christmas campaign consisting of six 30-second spots makes me squirm
with embarrassment. The weakness of the jokes is matched only by the
grotesque visuals of Lyndhurst in mini-skirt and spotty leggings or
Spice Girl regalia. He deserves better.
The key to this campaign is seeing Lyndhurst playing six different roles
interacting with each other.
Finally, the last present under the tree is VHS-shaped and bearing the
label, to Tim from Milk Tray. Now new improved - without, would you
believe, Mr roll-neck sweater himself. It’s the Milk Tray man aka M.
Wnek. The words baby and bath water spring to mine. It’s a bit like the
product without a hazelnut whirl. Unthinkable. Merry Christmas.
W. H. Smith
Project: W. H. Smith Christmas campaign
Client: Muriel Stirling, marketing controller
Brief: Demonstrate that W. H. Smith has the best selection of music,
books, videos and multimedia products
Agency: Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
Writer: Malcolm Duffy
Art director: Paul Briginshaw
Director: Sid Roberson
Production company: Roberson Films
Exposure: National TV, satellite and cable
Sainsbury’s Project: Sainsbury’s Christmas
Client: Andrew Ground, head of brand advertising
Brief: Convince housewives that Sainsbury’s can help make Christmas
special
Agency: Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO
Writer: David Newton
Art director: Andy Arghyrou
Director: Barry Joll
Production company: Barry Joll Associates
Exposure: National TV
Boots
Project: Boots the Chemist Christmas campaign
Client: Richard Holmes, marketing director
Brief: Put Boots at the top of the mind when it comes to Christmas
shopping
Agency: J. Walter Thompson
Writer: Mike Wilkins
Art director: Mike Murphy
Directors: Mike Murphy/
Mark Wilkins
Production company: Purple Pictures
Exposure: National TV
Cadbury’s
Project: Cadbury’s Milk Tray
Client: Peter Creighton, marketing controller
Brief: Make Milk Tray more desirable to a new generation of chocolate
lovers
Agency: Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper
Writer: James Rose
Art director: Kiki Kendrick
Director: Rod Waskett
Production company: BFCS
Exposure: National TV
Gap Project: GapKids
Client: Michael McCadden, senior vice-president, marketing
Brief: Convey that Gap provides things children love - cool clothes
Agency: in-house
Writer: in-house
Art director: in-house
Director: Chris Appelbaum
Production company: not supplied
Exposure: Satellite TV
Ferrero
Project: Ferrero Rocher
Client: Michele Ferrero, founder and president
Brief: not supplied
Agency: Canard
Writer: not supplied
Art director: not supplied
Director: Peter Lavelle
Production company: Beechhurst Films
Exposure: National TV
