HAVAS

Arnold Worldwide

Arnold - Boston
Truth Campaign – Spot 8

The first time I saw this ad I was enraged. I couldn’t believe how ineffective it was, and I AM the target market. I don’t smoke, but I’m in the age range they are targeting for sure. This is so dumb. The cartoon animations and silly lyrics and dancing around is a contrived way to be different. What was ever wrong with showing a black lung or body bag? They started out strong but then faded into this crap in my opinion. I think it’s a big waste of money. Maybe some scare tactics aren’t considered appropriate in the US, but I say screw whatever appropriateness you like if it’s saving lives.

Euro RSCG

Euro RSCG – Buenos Aires
Nugget Shoe Polish – Alien Invaders

This ad was refreshing. Evoked elements of Hitchcock and Rosemary’s baby. It was silly and a tad serious at the same time. The way they kept re-using the same explosion clip got a tiny laugh out of me at least. But at the end, I feel like there was a lack of clarity. If they had shown the light actually bounce off the top of his shoe I think it would have brought it all together a little better.

McKinney


McKinney
Sherwin Williams – “Ask Sherwin Williams” – Durham

I think these print ads for Sherwin Williams are perfect because they look like they came straight from a consumer focus group. When people want to change something about their house, its usually the paint color because it’s the easiest to do and often the cheapest. But with this comes a lot of questions. Sherwin Williams wants you to know that they are willing and able to answer any question you might have. It’s empowering and comforting knowing you can walk in the store knowing nothing and not feel intimidated by that. I think it’s great that they capitalized on one of their existing strengths.

PUBLICIS GROUPE

Publicis

Publicis – Mojo New Zealand
Green Peace – “Breathe”

In this ad done for Green Peace created by Publicis, all you hear is a quiet breathing in and breathing out. Our world changes with each breath. The message at the end is simple. I think more could have been said, but at least they had your attention because of the lack of sound at the beginning.

Saatchi & Saatchi



Saatchi & Saatchi – LA
Surfrider Foundation – “catch of the day”

Saatchi & Saatchi put packages like this in a booth at farmer’s market to shock people with an environmental message in an unexpected place. They created these packages with materials collected from an actual beach cleanup campaign on Redondo Beach. Then the packages were photographed and turned into a print ad and they ran in publications including Fader, Fast Company, and Wired. Very nice to see local pro-bono work done for such a small organization from such a big company like S&S LA.

Leo Burnett



Leo Burnett – France
Tampax – Shark bait
This is a really great ad for such a mundane product. Feminine hygiene products are surprisingly very heavily advertised. Most are pretty clear about what they’re used for and why you should by them, most of the time by verbal explanations. This print ad done by Leo Burnett gets multiple messages across with just one photo. Literally all that’s here is a photo and brand. Very clever and again, challenging.

Fallon



Fallon – Minneapolis
Equinox – “Happily ever after”

Equinox is known for being a sexy, trendy, edgy, hip, and young fitness club. These ads reinforce and attract. Whether you have a good body or you want to, these ads will probably grab your attention and point you towards the nearest equinox. It’s no secret that sex sells, so if you happen to own a business that actually deals with the business of looking sexy, I guess you should capitalize on it, right? And then there’s social responsibility…

Kaplan Thaler Group



Kaplan Thaler Group
Dawn – “Dawn Saves Wildlife”

The photography is stunning and crisp, and the coupon look is cool too. Everyone uses dish washing detergent, and most everyone likes to help out the environment. But let’s cut to the chase. The first thing I noticed after seeing the commercials and the print ads is that Dawn is limiting the donation to $500,000. Why? I’m glad they’re at least up front about it, but I’m not sure I understand their reasoning behind it, even from a business point of view. Are they just greedy? Would they begin to loose money if they gave more than $500,000? I can’t see how.

INTERPUBLIC

Carmichael Lynch




Carmichael Lynch
Harley Davidson – gas prices

The copy is missing from this ad, but it reads: “America, please don’t buy a Harley because it gets 50mpg. History has shaped this tank, not the whims of foreign oil… Let’s chase sunsets whether gas is 6 bucks or 6 red cents…”. I hate Harleys, I hate the noise, hate the look, not too fond of any part actually. The Ads are great though, and the copy here really speaks to the riders I think. It’s never been about the gas mileage, and it never will be. Harleys are rarely for getting from point A to point B. They are about enjoying the road and enjoying the feel of riding a motorcycle. Carmichael Lynch has had Harley long enough that they know what they are doing and this is certainly a step in the same direction.

Hill Holliday

Hill Holiday – Boston
Liberty Mutual – New Car in Trunk

This Ad for Liberty Mutual is currently being aired. It’s a little somber and sad at first which is an appropriate mood after a car accident. Then near the end, it shows the man pulling out a brand new car out of his trunk instead of just a spare tire. Hill Holiday is doing this to illustrate how they will replace a new car with a new car. The amount of fine print and exceptions involved with this policy has got to be mind boggling. It seems that although this is a great policy to have, most people will be angry when they get in an accident and find out that they actually aren’t eligible for a new car. This could cause more people to leave Liberty Mutual instead of attracting people to it.

Deutsch



Deutsch – USA
IKEA – Brooklyn store opening

IKEA is a really cool company and I think their store and products are great. This ad is pretty simple and straight forward. It’s not thought provoking or even beautiful. It just kind of makes you say to yourself “hmm, I’ll have to keep that in mind”. This is probably exactly what they’re hoping New Yorkers will do. Making things out of other things isn’t new, but its not old either. I don’t hate it!

Mullen



Mullen – Wenham, MA
Columbia – Are you?

This is what I would consider a good example of a mainstream print ad. It’s just something I would flip right by. I think the only reason I would read ANY of the copy on this ad is if I were currently in the market for an outdoor backpack.

Campbell Mithun

Campbell Mithun – Minneapolis
American Express – “My People” Ellen and Beyonce

Ellen is hysterical and she doesn’t disappoint in any of her ads for American Express. This one pokes fun at the phrase “my people”. Well it turns out, H&R Block’s people weren’t too happy with the commercial because they think that they were the only one’s that could use the phrase “my people”. In August of 2008, H&R Block filed a claim against American Express trying to halt the campaign and seek compensatory relief.

R/GA

I couldn’t find the image I was looking for but I know of an R/GA outdoor ad that they did for NikeID a few years back. They had a billboard with a giant Nike shoe on it, and to illustrate the customization available on the NikeID website, you could text a color to a certain number and it would change the color of the shoes on the billboard. I know there are WAY more people in NYC, but why do we not get anything fun like this in Dallas?