Lego Out And Have Some Fun

It's Monday. Which means it's time for my weekly rant.
I hate this ad. It's trying to be too clever for its own good. I understand the concept, but it adds nothing to the brand whatsoever. We all know what you can do with Lego. But just rearranging things isn't fun, it isn't exciting, and it isn't what kids want to do. First of all I thought maybe 'Eglo' is a word I wasn't aware of and it IS a great ad. But it's not. I would have gone with the word 'Ogle' and copy such as 'Impress yourself' or something similar, but Miami Ad School, Madrid went with this. Another thing that pisses me off about this ad is that the copy 'Unlimited Possibilities' is great and it sums up what Lego is all about perfectly. But with this ad, this great copy is ruined. There are NOT unlimited possibilities for this concept. There are in fact only 24 variations. Unlimited it definitely is not. They're trying to be far too clever, and are ending up with a crap ad.

Now if you want to see great Lego ads that sum exactly what the brand is about, then these are the ones for you. They were created by  Escola Cuca, São Paulo, Brazil for Lego's new Star Wars range. I love the fun, and the childishness conveyed by these ads and think they are excellent. 'Make your own story' is brilliantly inspiring. Really great stuff. Consider this post the 'how' and 'how not to' advertise Lego. Which is bound to come in handy in the future. Probably.

Home Groan Veg

I have no idea what these ads are saying to me, but they made me laugh. My inner-punsman absolutely adores the logo and loves 'We make Pizza not War.' They were created for Pizza&Love by Contrapunto, Barcelona but I'm not actually sure what Pizza&Love is. I assume it's a Pizza restaurant or something similar. However, these ads don't spark interest in the brand enough for me to bother to find out. My attention is all on the vegetables having sex (I mean, who wouldn't be?). I love the illustrations and they really are funny, but I don't care what these ads are for. If the idea of these ads is to make me want to find out more, then they have failed. But who cares; they show vegetables having sex. And that's funny. To me anyway.

Not Brand New

This is a great idea for Chinese restaurant Tai Ching created by Filadelfia, Belo Horizonte in Brazil. It's a really funny conception in pretending that all the famous brands were not the originals. Looking at each picture is very funny and I think the copy of 'The Original Chinese' will set it apart from most Chinese takeaways in the area. Some are a little silly, such as SQNY and the iFan, but I suppose that's the whole point of this ad. I know not much focus is on the Tai Ching brand amongst all the other "brands", but after seeing this ad once I still remembered it, and I think this ad would actually raise a lot of awareness. Really amusing idea which I love.  

For Previous Takeaway ads:
Social Net Wok

Old Tat

I really like these ads for the New Zealand version of Antique's Roadshow created by DraftFCB, Auckland. I think the art direction is fantastic, and the copy is genuinely impressive and they both sum up the show really well. Not that I've ever watched it. *ahem* 'The Story's Just as Valuable' is really great copy for a show which, let's face it, can be pretty boring at times. An excellent conception and a good way to advertise the show. My only concern is that I don't think this will attract new viewers; it will only act as a gentle reminder to those who already watch it.

Safari Sooo Good

Stupid ad of the week goes to Honda's all-terrain vehicle created by DDB Bogotá, Columbia. How did no one realise what these stupid ads look like? If not at DDB, then surely the guys at Honda must have raised a concern. I mean someone must have. Someone. One person. Anyone. But no. Stupid, stupid, stupid. It's a shame these ads aren't for Toyota. 'The Ride of Your Life' would have been an absolutely beautiful tagline.

Pick Your Brain

These ads are beautiful. Amazing art direction, amazing copy. But I have no idea how they fit in with Mercedes and their tag line 'the best or nothing'. These pieces of art, and they are pieces of art more so than ads, were created by Y&R, Tel Aviv. Are they telling us the left side of brain isn't the best, and the right side is, and that we have to make a choice? Or that Mercedes is all about creativity, and not about mechanics or science or technology, which isn't true. It just doesn't make sense to me. Maybe you understand it, but I honestly can't say I do. There's no denying they are amazingly executed and just stunning to look at, but I just can't make a connection between the ad and the brand. In a few months, these will be up for sale somewhere, guaranteed.

Got a feel for the Ambience? Pt 7

It's time for part seven of the ever-popular series of ambient ads, and to start with we've got an excellent ad created by Miami Ad School, Hamburg for FedEx.
This ad is brilliant, simple and effective. It goes to show just how strong the FedEx brand is as there's no need to show the whole logo. Although we all know that the yellow truck is DHL too... A stunning execution which easily delivers its great message. This is exactly what great ambient ads are about. Amazing stuff.

This next ambient ad is for I.C.U glass cleaner and is such a simple concept, created by TBWA/Johannesburg. There were several different executions placed at high volume traffic locations such as airports, and in my opinion they would have really grabbed people's attention. I'm sure this idea has been done before, but this is the one I found, and I think it's brilliantly simple.

This next ad is created for the Mini Cooper by Jung Von Matt, Zurich and was placed at the train station entrance to highlight that the car is actually surprisingly spacious. A truly eye-catching campaign by the innovative car manufacturer.

Wonderbra are usually very clever with their advertising and this piece of ambient hits the mark once again. Such a simple conception crafted by Euro RSCG, Singapore. Whether everyone at the station would understand this piece of advertising, or whether it would convince women to buy the product I'm not sure, but still an excellent idea.

More so than Wonderbra, I'm always impressed by Virgin's innovation when it comes to advertising their services. This could be classed as guerilla marketing, but it is an astoundingly simple way to promote their careful baggage handling. This campaign ran a few years a go and was crafted by BBDO, Johannesburg. Excellent stuff, Richard, excellent stuff.

Finally, this ambient/outdoor ad is for 3M Security Glass, but I am unable to find which agency created it. Real banknotes (to the tune of $500 with the rest fake) were put between two panes of their security glass and this is an almost arrogant, yet perfect way to demonstrate the true benefits of their product. Several people attempted to break the glass with baseball bats and golf clubs but to no avail. This only enhanced their image and credibility, and is a remarkable concept. 

For previous parts:

Got a feel for the Ambience? Pt 1

Got a feel for the Ambience? Pt 2

Got a feel for the Ambience? Pt 3

Got a feel for the Ambience? Pt 4

Got a feel for the Ambience? Pt 5

Got a feel for the Ambience? Pt 6

Complete Load of Bank

It's Monday morning and I think I'm entitled to a rant. These ads are so awful. I sorta understand the concept, but it's a s**t one. What's so great about a bank that doesn't have emotion? We don't expect emotion from a bank, so basically Barclay's have plucked a selling point from thin air which isn't a selling point at all. And also, what does pointing out their lack of emotion say about Barclay's customer service? Truth is, all three of these ads are hard to comprehend. And that is not a good thing. I don't really get them, I'm sure you don't really get them, so what is their point? Barclay's gain nothing from these ads, and perhaps even lose credibility. Russian agency SAA, Moscow were responsible for these abominations. I really don't want to rant all day but I hate them. With a passion. They're just awful. Really f***ing awful.

Read Between the Dimes

I absolutely adore the copy and the art direction of these ads created by BBDO, Phillippines for the somewhat controversial Billionaire Magazine. Basically it is a magazine devoted to the top 500 Billionaires across the world. I really don't like this product, not one iota, but my god do I love these ads. 'Making the most of making the most' is really outstanding copy. Beautiful in fact. I couldn't think of anything better for this product. All three ads are excellently crafted, with great use of humour and stunning art direction. Yes, they make you hate the product, but we're not Billionaires (yet) so it's not supposed to appeal to us. Amazing ads.

Just Do It. Again.

This ad is for Modern Shoe Hospital, a shoe repair shop in Newfoundland, Canada. The ad was created by Target, St John's and is breathtakingly simple. A wonderful concept, and astounding copy that everyone understands and relates to within seconds. I absolutely adore this ad, and it reaffirms my love for magnificently-crafted copy. Excellently eloquent and exquisitely effortless. I can't praise this enough. Superb. 

Deskjet Holiday

Pure and simple ads here for Copa Airlines from Colombian agency Lowe, Bogotá. If you don't understand it look a little closer. An excellent idea, and using their tag line as the icon's name is brilliant. It's almost a shame that the Copa Airlines logo is there, or couldn't be made into it's own icon. Or even placed in the bottom left hand corner to resemble the Recycle Bin. Being in that position it spoils the whole concept. Still, a really simple and genuinely impressive idea, and 'Escape the Office' is a lovely message. Great stuff.

Bubbles and Cheek

Who's up for some partial female (hopefully) nudity? Of course you are.
These ads are for Indian Spa 'The Habitat Club' and are by the crudely-named agency, Out of the Box, Delhi. I think the concept is ok, but what gets me is, firstly, where's her head, secondly, how can it be relaxing lying on your front and sticking your ass in the air, and thirdly, why are these women white? This is an ad in India. I quite like the line 'Love Thy Body' as it's obviously a play on the 10 commandments, which everyone should get. These ads are pretty saucy for a Spa, although perhaps these resorts have a happy ending? Who knows? If you really want to, give them a call. 
Overall, the body parts are a little warped, and the art direction is forced, and to be honest I don't particularly like these ads, but I just wanted to include some well overdue female (I think) nudity. 

Deface the Music

'Mix Your Music' is the overall message in these ads by DDB, Brazil for music-mixing and editing website, Terra Sonora and I think the visuals display this message very very well indeed. The art direction for these ads really is top notch. It's immediately obvious what they are about, and very easy to understand. Amongst all else, each individual artist's feature is so easy to pick out and that's what makes these ads great. A really simple idea, brilliantly executed, creates exceptional advertising.

Cut Above The Rest

The conception behind these ads is so much better than the execution of these ads. I really want to like them but I'm struggling to do so. They were created for Soho Hair Design by Miami Ad School in São Paulo, Brazil. They are almost too simple, but I think it's an excellent conception, and they, wait for it, certainly cut to the chase. It displays the benefits of using this service very well, I just think they could have used a lot better copy. You Look Funny is fine, but what the hell does She'll Kiss You Off even mean? I suppose it could be a Brazilian saying, but these ads are in English. My understanding is that they really couldn't think of any other executions and Kiss resembles Piss, and they thought "That'll do." I honestly believe that these ads could be really great if a little more time and dedication was given to them.  

Technology Buzz

I saw this outdoor ad and thought it was nice. Just nice. Not spectacularly clever, nor ground-breaking, but it works, and works pretty damn well. It was created by Lowe, Moscow, a worldwide agency that doesn't feature enough on this blog, and is for Beeline Telecommunications. It's a simple ad that shows the benefits of using Beeline smartly. It's certainly an ad that would definitely not have worked a few years a go. A good concept displayed, like I said, in a nice way.

Love at First Snipe

As it's Valentine's Day I thought I'd include this great ad. This is so simple I'm amazed it hasn't been done before. It comes from Canada for executivesearchdating.com and was crafted by Rethink Communications, Vancouver. This agency's name couldn't be more suited to this ad. The idea of Cupid is an overused conception, but here, surprisingly, it has been given a new lease of life, alongside an excellent execution. The use of a city skyline cleverly adheres to the executive part of the message. Overall the art direction is spot on, and the tagline 'Precision matchmaking' matches the visual down to a tee. Simple, sophisticated and brilliant. 

Highlight of the Day

This ad was created for Layconsa highlighters by Mayo Draft FCB, Peru and is a such a unique way to sell highlighters and, certainly in my opinion, is much better than the traditional BOGOF approach used by most stationery products. I think this is a very clever concept and a bold attempt by Layconsa to be different, and I think it pays off very well. This probably would never be allowed in the UK though, which is a shame, a real shame. 

Crown Paint

What a brilliant, brilliant concept for a hair colouring product. The art direction is good and the line 'The Art of Colour' is even better. These ads were created by Leo Burnett Frankfurt and are for Koleston hair colouring. Exquisitely simple, and another one of those that can be filed away in the 'Wish I'd Thought of That' draw.

Strings Attached

This ad is just astonishingly beautiful. I cannot think of a single way to get WWF's chosen message across any better than what they have achieved with this exceptional ad. Ogilvy and Mather, Mexico really have created an excellent piece of advertising here. I'm not usually taken aback by beautifully directed ads, but this one is an exception. Sensational stuff.

Shine Führer

Nice idea. I think you've got to give Onida credit for using this ad. It's bold, and could easily cause offence. This was created by McCann, Mumbai in India and it's a shame there are no other executions. This is simply one idea and not an advertising campaign. I personally love the conception. It's an image that makes you take notice and that can never be a bad thing. Although I despise the fact that the word 'Reflective' is written as though it's been reflected *shudders*. More executions though please.

Splitting Image

Now I'm never shocked. Ever. But these ads kind of shocked me. They're pretty brutal and I'm not sure if it's a good route to go down. Don't get me wrong, I love hard-hitting ads, but are these a step too far? They were created by French agency CLM BBDO, Boulogne-Billancourt and are attempting to rid football of violence and racism, which is a huge problem in their country. I really do like the idea of a split personality, it highlights that these sorts of people are family men, normal people, and this makes it more personal for the reader, which I like a lot. But I still can't decide if it's okay to create these ads, because after all, these ads are attempting to eradicate racism and violence in football by being racist and being violent. Yes they highlight the issue superbly, but I suspect that the majority of readers will simply be shocked. The concept is excellent and exceptionally brave and bold, there's no denying that, but perhaps it's just a few steps too far. I hope I'm completely wrong, and that these ads work wonders, because racism has no place in sport, or for that matter, anywhere in society.

Spick and Spam

This ad was crafted by the frequently featured South African agency FoxP2, Cape Town and is for MWeb Spam Filter, a pop-up/ad blocker; essentially this is an ad against ads. But my what a clever, simple and cool idea. The text reads 'This ad blocked by MWeb Spam Filter.' Keeping it to the bare minimum I think works exceptionally well, although having to rely on the reader to remember the company's name is a risk, but a risk worth taking in my opinion. A smart, simple, minimalist and clear conception. I love it.