So, Will You Ever Show Me Your Soft Side. . ?

Well it certainly has been a quiet month on the Ad Libs front - tis the life of a business student four weeks from finishing her degree! No time to stop and smell the. . . well, adverts I guess! I must say I have missed keeping my eyes peeled for quirky, brilliant or just plain rubbish adverts to share with you all. 

Although I am still extremely busy for the next few weeks I thought I'd share this little treat I saw on the tele the other day - for some reason it just cracked me up. I love how the man just unexpectedly turns into a teddy bear. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with Cornetto really, nor does it particularly make me want to try the new 'Enigma' version of the ice cream - but for the fact that there's a giant teddy bear in this advert, I might help Walls' profit margin a little by purchasing one of these in the hope that I too may turn into a big, big bear. 

Enjoy!

I Can't Have Lunch With You. . . I'm Just An Egg

There hasn't been an advert that I have seen in recent times that has tickled me quite as much as this one - I'm not even entirely sure why, but it works! Perhaps it's because it's a scotch egg, and I find them quite a weird concept in themselves. Who knows. But either way, it's a funny advert, and although it probably won't convince me into drinking anymore Oasis (or scotch eggs - I'm vegetarian!), it's always good to have a little giggle!

Coca-Cola Makes The World Go Round. . .

My goodness, it's been a while since I last posted! Far far too much university work - less than two months until I finish my degree, how scary! 

Anyhoo, I've managed to finally find some time to post an advert I found whilst clearing my memory card for my camera - I think this advert is brilliant! As you can see from the video clip, it was an advert that I believe was exclusive to Piccadilly Circus, made by Coca-Cola. I was lucky enough to see this during my week of being a tourist last Summer, during the time my friend from Japan came to visit. We just happened to notice it earlier on in the day and I decided to record it when we later returned to Piccadilly Circus in the evening as I loved it so much!

I don't have a whole lot to say apart from I think Coca-Cola have adapted this advert really well to the place it was being transmitted, by depicting the Coke bottles as tourists, riding London's double-decker buses and the London underground, directly connecting with the heightened level of tourists that visit London during the Summer months. At one point near the end of the advert, they have cleverly made good use of including a wide variety of languages on their Coke bottles, to further reach their target of tourists on a more personal level. The tagline for this advert is "Open Happiness", and I must say, although I'm not the biggest fan of Coke, this advert did indeed make me happy!

Overall, a very fun advert, and I'm really glad I got the chance to capture it, as it seems near impossible to find any reference to it on the world wide web! Hope you all enjoy! =)

1 Pack = 1 Vaccine

Today's post is somewhat more serious in tone than previous posts, and doesn't particularly look at one specific advert, but instead the effects of an advertising campaign.

I attended a very interesting presentation today by Saatchi & Saatchi in which the Managing Director of Saatchi & Saatchi X talked about, and showed us, some of the agency's most influential campaigns, prior to discussing their upcoming graduate scheme. The campaign that really stuck out for me was the 1 Pack = 1 Vaccine campaign where Pampers and Unicef teamed up in 2009 to ensure that for every pack of Pampers sold, one vaccine would be administered to a child or pregnant mother with tetanus. Now I know it's quite an old campaign, but it was the first time I have come across it and just thought it was really effective. I wish more people in the world could be helped as a result of something as simple as buying a pack of nappies.

Just thought I'd share.

Why'd You Do It, Brown Bear?

Keeping to the theme of celebrity endorsements - I just turned on e4 and wouldn't have, even in a million years, expected to see this advert! As an avid fan of Scrubs, I have little to say but "Why Donald Faison, WHY?"

I was equally as shocked that this advert is being used in the UK to promote the Sims, as usually terrible adverts like this only ever air in the US, or at least it appears that way. I can't quite figure out if it's meant to be tongue in cheek, or whether it's just an ad that went horribly, horribly wrong! I wonder what everyone else thinks. Is he meant to be playing his character Turk or himself? I really don't know!

I've always associated Sims with younger children - as in those not old enough to watch Scrubs, so I really don't see the connection here. Perhaps i'm just completely missing the point. Actually, I've just watched it again and apparently this game is targeted at teens, so perhaps knowing that Donald Faison likes to role play, like many a geek out there, may indeed rake in the thousands to buy this game.. ?

Let's just hope this isn't the beginning of the end for Donald Faison, as has happened to many a celebrity after appearing in painful, painful adverts.. Watch this space!

So John Cleese Does Make Some Good Adverts. . .

So I was in my weekly Monday marcoms class and the featured advert this week was based around using dark humour for social marketing purposes. Now I'm far too young to even remember this or have seen this, but I just thought it was pure genius. So simple, so effective and so very Cleese! It may not stop people smoking but it sure does make for a good ad! Something from the archives to prove Cleese could once do a lot better than his 'value to shout about' days before him.

Enjoy! (And please stop smoking!)

The Ultimate Attraction

It appears that things have been quiet on the advertising front this week due to my lack of blogging! Alas, this is not true, I have seen many an advert i've wanted to discuss, however, university coursework has been taking over my life. *cue the violins*

Anyway, during a conversation with one of my friends yesterday following the watching of some viral ads, he decided to show me a print ad from 2002 that has always stuck in his mind. It was a BMW advert that I'd never seen, or at least don't remember seeing (I was 14 at the time and had little interest in cars), and I am so glad it was shown to me! Look at this:

Source: http://www.coloribus.com/adsarchive/prints/unknownadvertiser-the-ultimate-attraction-4426105/

Isn't that just brilliant? Albeit perhaps a little sexist but it's a well known stereotype that men like women and cars, and here BMW bring together the best of both worlds! But of course, the attraction of a beautiful car outweighs the attraction of a beautiful woman. Perhaps, as a woman, I should be offended by this? But you know what? I'm really not. I actually find it pretty hilarious. I personally think it would be more derogatory if it was a woman on top looking at an open mag about household appliances - now that would be sexist. Oh the joys of rubber gloves. Puh-lease.

It's a great ad because you don't immediately notice the car magazine and therefore may think it's an ad for aftershave or perfume (as they are usually particularly provocative). There's no information about the actual car as such, and therefore it is presumed that BMW are almost reliant on the theory that 'sex sells', as the primary reason as to why the public would even look twice at the ad.

Still doesn't make me want to buy a BMW unfortunately though. I severely dislike BMW drivers, though of course this is nothing directly against the brand. Perhaps it's adverts like this that attracts the utter *insert bad word here*'s that give BMW drivers such a bad rep. 

Oh well, put your foot down and think of England, I guess.

So When Are You Going To Tell Them. . ?

When to Start the Ma..
Watch the ad...

Possibly one of the most manipulative adverts I've ever seen! How awful is this for people who have children? Imagine, one evening, just sitting there snuggled up on the sofa with your family and this Disney advert comes one, basically TELLING your kids that you've booked a holiday for you all to go to every child's dream land? How incredibly awkward and challenging is it going to be having to explain that it is only an advert and "no, sorry little johnny, we're not taking you to meet Mickey Mouse this summer, that's just every other kid's parents doing that this year", or so the advert suggests! 

What a terrible way of getting children to force their parents into major purchasing decisions! Soon they'll start to ask around at school and find out that Sarah and Jenny's parents are taking them to Disneyland, oh and Joey's parents are too. But why can't we go dad? Mum, can you make dad take us, puhleaaaseeee? Ugh, I can hear the echoes of whinging children without even having any!

On one hand, a very clever ploy on Disney's part, however, I find it a little disgusting that Disney stooped so low by resorting to the manipulation of children. Oh well, perhaps there'll be plenty of happy children this summer - or more realistically, thousands of disappointed ones because mummy and daddy are still recovering from the recessionary pressures of modern day Britain.

Gotta Love A Superhero Who Uses MAC Cosmetics!

Got an email with this advert in it today - how cool is this! DC Comics have helped create this ad for the limited edition range of Wonder Woman cosmetics for MAC. I love comic book art - and advertising, and combining the two makes me very happy! Can't wait to head down to MAC tomorrow to go purchase some of the new range - even though, to be perfectly honest, I'm a little young to know much about Wonder Woman. 

Effective advertising? I think so!

Food With Faces Make Me Happy. . .

Time for a classic advert today. My love for food with faces - addressed! =)

Just Give It Up.

Source: http://www.thedrum.co.uk/news/2011/02/17/18789-new-anti-smoking-campaign-targets-south-west-rolling-tobacco-users-/

Now I've never been one to agree with smoking, and have always found that although it is a legal requirement to have something along the lines of "Smoking Kills" on packs of cigarettes, I've always thought this was pretty ineffective, as those who are callous enough to smoke rarely seem to care or even bother to read the box. 

But how great would it be if words to the effect of the above ad campaign recently launched by SmokeFree South West were actually featured instead? Would this help to reduce the number of smokers in the UK? No man likes to be told that something can make him impotent, let alone something that can be controlled. And no one voluntarily wants to have a limb amputated.

SmokeFree South West really seem to have hit the nail on the head with this campaign, and all I can say is I really hope it works.

Swan Dive. . . Into The Best Night Of Your Life!

Following on from a previous post about The Sun's parody of an Old Spice advert, I found myself having to watch several of these Old Spice ads upon youtube's recommendations. . . I think I've developed a slight obsession, with the following one being my favourite, so I thought I'd share! It gets me every time =)

The Future Of Advertising. . ?

Although the concept of 3D TV and cinema viewing to me feels like merely a fad of the moment, upon reading an article this morning from Brand Republic, the concept of 3D advertising as a future means of conveying messages to the masses seems quite appealing.

The report described how a 3D ad campaign was launched last month where Sony developed their own 60 foot, 3D billboard for the film 'The Green Hornet', which features a car driving out of the screen.

Source: http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/1049371/Sony-employs-3D-billboard-Green-Hornet/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH

What a great way of capturing people's attentions to a film in 3D? It seems pointless to promote something in 3D in 2D formats, doesn't it? So by providing consistency throughout the launch of a film through its advertising, seems to be the way forward.

As mentioned in one of my previous posts about Nintendo's current 3DS advert - it fails to do the product any justice if the consumer cannot see how the 3D aspect actually works through the advertising campaigns prior to the purchase of the product, or at least I think so.

Perhaps this has been done before, but it's the first time I've seen anything like it (apart from 3D film trailers in the cinema) and I must say if this is the future of advertising to match a future of 3D media viewing, then I very much welcome it!

Stick With The Old Spice.

Quite possibly the most cringeworthy advert I have ever seen. Really?! Has someone really commissioned this advert to actually be made and transmitted?! The worst thing thing about it is that it's likely to actually capture the attention of numerous males, most likely diverting their attentions away from their girlfriends. How very sad. Everyone knows what the Sun's 'Page 3' has to offer and I guess with broadened access to similar material due to the internet, even the Sun needs to advertise such a thing. I guess I shouldn't be surprised and really shouldn't expect anything more tasteful from such a publication. Just thought I'd share, because although I'm sure it has proved successful, I find it derogatory and distasteful and would quite frankly live a fruitful life without ever having to watch it again.

The video below shows how it should be done - the original Old Spice advert from which the concept for this Page 3 advert has been adapted - however, the Sun of course don't provide the same level of amusement. This advert however, is hilarious!

I Had The Craziest Dream Last Night About A Girl Who Has Turned Into A Swan, But Her Prince Falls For The Wrong Girl And She Kills Herself.

 

Absolutely love these posters for the film Black Swan.

The influence of Czech and Polish posters from the 1960s/1970s make these absolutely striking and in my opinion, stunning. The use of colours in the posters are significant of the three colours prominent throughout the film; black, white & red - an integral part of the overall plot. The posters also totally capture the melancholy tone of the film, which I surprisingly fell in love with this weekend, despite my general, albeit irrational, dislike for Natalie Portman. 

Highly recommended viewing.

Who Knew Lurpak Would Have So Much In Common With A Serial Killer?

Perhaps I'm just a little too obsessed with the show Dexter, but as soon as I saw the latest Lurpak advert, I couldn't help but notice the resemblence between the breakfast sequence in the intro of Dexter and the articulation presented in the Lurpak advert in the making of the omelette.

I wonder if anyone else sees this? If you're not an avid Dexter fan, then probably not. But it definitely made me smile as this advert is filmed with such precision, that I think even serial killer Dexter Morgan would be proud to make his own breakfast using Lurpak!

An aesthetically rich and pleasing advert, with such attention to detail that even the cheese grater at one point appears to be smiling (25 seconds in)!

Gotta admit though, I do quite miss the little fella with his trombone.. RIP Douglas?

I've Got A Lovely Bunch Of. . . Oranges, Lemons & Limes?

Source: Vanity Fair March 2011 Issue

Just saw this hiding behind the foldout front cover of the latest Hollywood Issue of Vanity Fair and immediately thought this was brilliant!

To be perfectly honest I would sooner hit the streets wearing an actual assortment of fruit as opposed to the (in my opinion) simply hideous piece of clothing designed by Stella McCartney modelled on the right hand side of the ad, but nonetheless a very clever little idea for a very simple, yet effective advertisement.

See it. . Want it. . iPhone it.

Ever watched an advert and wanted to take control? Well now you can reach out, grab characters with your iPhone from Honda's latest advert, and interact when them through their new interactive 'screen hopping' app!

Don't believe it? Try it for yourself by downloading the 'Honda Jazz: This Unpredictable Life' app now free on the appstore.

Just tried it myself. Feel a bit crazy shaking my iPhone around in front of my TV but seems to work! But I guess this notion proved successful for Nintendo with the Wii.

Perhaps this is the future of advertisements? Watch this space.

Dum dum dum dum-duh dum, dum-duh dummmmm. . .

So unfortunately I am majorly flu-ed up and have been exposed to very little today except for the interior of my university cafe and the four walls of my bedroom. . . therefore little inspiration in the way of advertising has occurred today - even after putting myself through the pain of watching the Brit Awards in the hope of being wow-ed by one of the adverts in ITV's breaks, upon breaks, upon breaks.. but alas nothing more than realising that Nintendo are failing miserably to demonstrate the 3Dness of their new 3DS console. Oh well, I'm sure someone will succumb to the fad of 3D.

Anyway, so a friend of mine suggested a few days ago that I check out the latest VW advert created for the Superbowl, so as you can see, this has become the feature of today's post. And what an advert! VW never fail to disappoint. Still doesn't quite outshine my favourite 'Singing in the Rain' advert by VW, but genius all the same.

Enjoy :)

A Clever Play on Words or Recipe for a Mispronuciation Mishap?

 

(Source: http://www.nmauk.co.uk/nma/uploads/18533/highres/mcd_gherkout_hires.jpg)

A clever campaign that captured my attention at a bus stop today - it says to me that with McDonalds, although heavily processed and automated in their offerings - there is always room for a little customisation if you just ask. Something that us non-frequenters may not be aware of. Good to know. 

Let's just hope McDonald's target demographic don't misconstrue, or should I say mispronounce, the message here.. You know it's just waiting to happen.