JWT

JWT, Tokyo

How do you tackle the problem of competing with brands on the shelf at a grocery store? JWT Tokyo's answer was to take the item out of the store. On top of that, they also found a way to fuse political events with candy.

The thing that I find the most compelling, intriguing, and successful about this campaign is that with the information age, it seems like no one uses "snail mail" anymore, even though, I would say, the majority of us would love to receive a little surprise like this in the mail. It was interesting to see that something as simple as a piece of candy in the mail can mean so much, and stimulate the use of something many consider to be a forgotten act.

Y&R

Y&R, Kuala Lumpur

What an interesting non-traditional ad! I think it was a good maneuver for the Kuala Lumpur agency to carry out this idea; Singapore has strict laws regarding cleanliness of their cities, so this is something that everyone there can relate to and find amusing.

Ogilvy & Mather

Ogilvy & Mather, London

There are many interesting things that I noted about this ad. First of all, it followed the precedent set by Apple's 1984 ad by using the Super Bowl as the launching pad for a new product. Secondly, This ad seemed to follow the trend of other Dove ads; the copy at the end, "Be comfortable in your own skin," is reminiscent of the Dove campaign for beauty targeted at women. Lastly, despite this ad presenting a positive message for males to respect themselves and whatnot, personally, it seemed like it took a little too long before you realize it's an ad for Dove; it seemed like an ad for Hillshire Farms or something because of it's overwhelming focus on manliness.

LatinWorks

LatinWorks, Austin

Upon looking at work from this campaign for the X-Games on ESPN, I thought it was clever. Oh, ha ha, he's got a lot of guts, and oh, that tiny fraction of his brain is fear. Clever. Now look at the first one. Also funny, but depending on where this ad was displayed, I'm wondering if they got a few emails or phone calls from some angry people. I guess it's pushing it a little, but being a college student, my level of giving a crap when it comes to pushing it is pretty small. However, I do think that based on the other two print ads, LatinWorks could have tried something a little more PG, yet still achieve the same effect, but I guess with art you kind of have to test your boundaries. This was testing it, but may have been pushing it a bit much.

Dieste Harmel & Partners

Dieste Harmel & Partners, Dallas

I actually performed a Google search for something else and this caught my eye, then proceeded to make me laugh. Dieste classified this as an "out-of-home" ad, so I just imagined this on a billboard; hopefully no accidents were caused by people stopping to read it. I like the kind of monochromatic scheme they have going; though it was a little though to notice the Slurpee at a first glance, the fact that I worked a little harder for the secondary tag line made it a little more worth it. Can't go wrong with something that's simple and funny.

GSD&M Idea City

GSD&M Idea City, Austin

When people think of toilets, a series of rather unpleasant imagery pops into their heads; toilets are sold in home improvement stores, aka oddly-lit warehouses, the word "toilet" itself is weird to say, and need I explain what a toilet is used for? With such a boring, and kind of gross, product, GSD&M Idea City was able to sell it in a humorous way without conjuring the gross imagery. It was nice that there was no narrator present to simply list the benefits and features of a Kohler toilet, the fact that it can flush a towel, plants, shampoo bottles, etc. is enough.

Also, check out their print ads for Kohler --> Here.

180 Amsterdam/ 180LA

180 Amsterdam

What's cool about this piece from 180 Amsterdam is how it's different from other ads for sportswear; there weren't any celebrity endorsements, scenes of players getting down and dirty in the mud, close-ups of sweaty athletes, basketball sound effects, etc. Not only did this differ from other sports products' ads, it was different from most other work 180 has done for Adidas. The animation coupled with the music made this ad somewhat peaceful, graceful, and beautiful. It was also nice to see how artfully 180 could advertise a product that is associated with a more gritty, masculine connotation.

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners

Goodby, Silversten & Partners, San Francisco

I've always wondered how difficult it would be to advertise creatively for a creative product; that's like cooking a meal for Wolfgang Puck. I think Goodby, Silverstein & Partners did a good job with this one. It had an interesting story line despite the lack of dialogue. It was cool to see the variety Goodby had to offer with their work; everyone is familiar with the Got Milk? campaign, so it was nice that they are able to create a series of creative ads that are as stimulating as ones that are recognizable. I would imagine that Adobe was satisfied.

TBWA

TBWA/Chiat/Day, L.A.

After viewing this commercial I was left with many mixed feelings, some negative, some positive. I liked that this commercial was describing a product in a more implicit way; the fact that they never actually mentioned Gatorade was an interesting move.

Some things I didn't like:

1. Why pick Lil Wayne as a narrator? I may be a little biased because I'm not a huge fan of his music, but he's a rapper. Rapper + Gatorade = ? Also, his voice is, quite frankly, a little annoying. I probably would have preferred the generic "inspirational commercial guy" voice.

2.I felt like TBWA relied to heavily on celebrity endorsements to get their point across. Gatorade seems like a strong enough brand that they wouldn't need the huge star-studded cast list for this campaign.

3. This commercial looked a lot like a Nike ad. Did any one else get this feeling?

Here's a video I found of a creative director at TBWA/Chiat/Day talking about this campaign. Just thought it'd be interesting to share.

In summary, based off of TBWA's iconic work for Abolsut, Apple, etc., this commercial didn't necessarily fall short, but it felt as if they were trying too hard. Good idea trying to appeal to people's emotional side with an "athletic" product, but Nike seems to have that covered.

DDB

DDB, San Francisco

What I love about this campaign is the idea of taking something negative and turning it into good; "Reverse Graffiti" is brilliant. This message seems like it would hit home simply because they chose a large urban area that is most likely plagued by Graffiti, or some degree of public uncleanliness.

Using this is a launch pad for Green Works is amazing as well, because it's, essentially, a huge product demonstration; instead of Billy Mays yelling at you to buy the cleaning product, you can see for yourself that the product works. Simply put, not only does this ad send a product message, it also sends a humanitarian message to citizens; keep your city clean.