Clever Ads

One of my favorite programs was the International Television Advertising Awards. The ingenuity that goes into these 30 second movies is inspiring. Many famous directors got their start in this fantastic field (including Ridley Scott).

We've had a few mentions in these threads, I thought Ads should have their own place here.

This first one is rich on concept & the effects to cinch the delivery are perfect.

Enjoy... (& share your own favorites)

It's been over a week, time for another brilliant advert. This one's more of a Romantic Comedy.

It's from Prada & directed by Roman Coppola

A mini 3 minute movie with 3 acts as 3 commercials for Prada’s new fragrance

I love it.

Granted this one's not quite as clever as the previous ones, & a lot of it looks like it's copied from an episode of Top Gear. However, it does contain something I haven't seen very often...

You know that weird neon green color you hardly see in nature, like the kind used for green screen chromakeying?

Can you think of an situation where you would use that color for a lens flare? Me neither...

Unless... you're promoting your new enviro supercar






Ehh... I'd still rather have the Tesla

I like ads that take an idea and run with it through an entire campaign.

The most successful one I can think of (recently) is the 'Most interesting man in the world' campaign by Dos Esquis beer.

The idea is simple, take some old archive footage, mixed in with some acting, add in some 16mm effects, light leaks and that kind of thing to show 'The most interesting man in the world' during his various exploits as a younger man, and then show him at the end surrounded by women in a bar drinking Dos Esquis. Its so simple really (and its practically a riff on all those Chuck Norris jokes too).

The character became so popular that they were then able to evlolve the ads into simple life lessons in the bar (imagine how inexpensive those ads must have been to produce, and yet delicver such a big impact using a now famous character, the same bar, the same music etc).

Heres a compliation:

Being a passionate beer drinker and proud beard wearer this one really rings true for me!

Funnily enough Dos Equis actually does not taste too bad.

Definitely one of my beers of choice in the States.

Stay thirsty my friends

"He's a lover, not a fighter.....but he's also a fighter so dont get any ideas."

Love it!

Well it is Saturday night and later than 18 hours where I live.

So it is time for more alcohol adverts. Malibu…

I blame Simon. He started it all with his Beer Advert

Hehe... these are great!

Comedy works well in adverts.

The Most Interesting Man collection excelled because of the writing first.
Though some were funnier than others.
Brilliant writing on the good ones, laugh out loud worthy.

These Jamaican ones are also a hoot "I just wanted a melon." or "Oh man, it's total gridlock!"

Have to admire this kind of filmmaking, no wonder so many great directors started this way.
You have to create an entire movie in such a short time.
Distill everything down to the bare essence. Almost zen.

Sometimes you start with a good idea, but try to stretch it out over too many "episodes" & it becomes diluted. Or it's difficult to sustain the level of writing, SNL is famous for this, as is Fawlty Towers for going the other way (stopping at only 12 episodes rather than destroying it by letting it decay into mediocrity).

Here's a example.

This first Norwegian advert won international recognition, so they tried it again, with a much weaker result.





Here's the whole series. By the time they change heroes it's almost finished. (But the strength test & little dog at the country fair are priceless)

Loved those Japp adverts.

It is time for the Top 7 Panda Cheese Commercials.

And do not forget never say no to Panda…

They really are some how scary or is that just me . :dry:

The scene in the hospital is one of my all time favourites.

Not quite sure if this classifies as Advertising!

More like anti advertising .

But if you are going to do something you might as well do it properly.

This guy should work in Advertising.

He could make a fortune!

The one and only Remi Gaillard.

No, your first assumption was correct, that's not advertising. Nor is it clever, it's actually a very malicious & spiteful prank that's highly illegal. They've caused thousands of dollars in vandalism & damage to that shop & practically destroyed a person's livelihood. Worst of all, it's not even funny. The various prank shows at least go to the trouble of thinking up something that's clever & witty, whereas this one is just obnoxious & offensive. That assclown ringleader would probably be shot if he tried that in Texas, of course in the more gun-controlled states he'd only receive a well deserved vicious beating.

Sadly, I find the Panda ads in the same vein. Hard to believe ad execs thought it a good idea to sell cheese this way. This series also becomes increasingly spiteful & malicious, destroying people's property, even unplugging a patient's IV drip? Wow, so they will kill you if you don't buy their cheese? That kind of advert would bring protests in North America, but if it's a success elsewhere I can only chock it up as a cultural mystery.

Interesting to see the old Macs again in the office scene...

Curious, which country are the Panda ads from?

thanks

Well I guess it just goes to prove that I have a terribly dark twisted humour. But I am still laughing so that is what counts. Remi Gaillard literally changed my life. The absurdity of his pranks gets me time and time again. The snail one was the one that got me hooked. The man obviously has a Master plan.

Coming at it from the other way. i.e. from Malicious to Flowery. I saw the film recently "No" which I found really good. In the film they talk about advertising and make the "No" campaign against Pinochet in Chile. They are clever and resist the temptation to show the suffering people number. Instead they write a catchy jingle and put their foot on the flower power pedal. Really fascinating stuff. And it also works as history has proven.



The above video could actually go in the Trailers section. But I do not think it is a very good trailer. It is here as an example of a film about advertising. In an advertising thread.

And yes the Panda hospital one is like over the line. I have seen enough people connected to drips die. No shit. And I remember the first time I saw that shot with the big furry panda paw pulling that drip I really did swallow very hard indeed. But it is so absurd that I can not help laughing. For me it is OK. I guess it is South America?

I'll have to check that movie out, thanks for the recommendation. If you like true stories about simple artistic things changing entire nations... you should see Searching For Sugar Man.

Thanks will do

Yeah, I got to agree with Trix about the Remi Gaillard clip; there is nothing funny or intelligent about that. Just an obnoxious ass that thinks shouting and causing a mess is funny? Thats the most asinine, lazy and immature idea for a prank. Its like he got the wrong end of the Jack Ass show (which was also fairly obnoxious, but at least they put a bit of thought into their pranks and came up with some inventive ideas from time to time).

If he came into any place I worked and tried something like that I'd prosecute to the full extent of the law. Its funny to me as that he uses the old excuse "But its free publicity" (the same excuse as used by everyone on the internet who uses anything illegal for their own purposes).

I cant imagine what part of that people think is funny?

Well what about the three little pigs then?

In the Panda ads they are speaking Arabic, so I'm guessing Egypt, Morroco or Lebanon (not sure that ad would be appropriate in the other Arabic speaking countries that have more regulated TV, and the characters in them don't look like Gulf state Arabs - the women have no head scarfs).

I kind of find these ads interesting, and I'm surprised they got aired (especially in an Arabic country given how regulated and 'humorless' the TV can sometimes be over there).

Advertising often tries to gently coerce the audience into making a purchase. The message often tries to be subtle, yet manipulative. If you don't buy this you wont be popular, you wont be fashionable. Other people will look more beautiful than you etc.

So its refreshing to see an ad campaign that actually does away with all the subtlety and actually shows advertising for what it is.

Yes they go overboard and make the panda into some sort of psychotic extortionist; clearly the audience does not take it seriously and knows its a joke. The expressionless and silent character of the panda is what actually makes it amusing I think; the fact that he just destroys stuff without making a fuss (if the panda was screaming and bearing his teeth (kind of like a furry Remi Gaillard come to think of it) then he'd just be scary.

The tone set by the silent panda, along with the soothing music, when contrasted to his systematic destruction, is what makes this amusing I think.

Probably the most honest ad I have ever seen, as it probably reflects the inner desires of what marketing people would love to do if there were no restrictions: "Buy the product, or else!"

paurray wrote: Well what about the three little pigs then?

What do you like about that ad?

To me it seems like a very expensive and very well produced ad, thats also a terrible bore and way too long?

Are ads getting this long on TV these days (I haven't had a TV for a few years)?

The 3 little pigs is like a mirror for me of how something works. In this case the print Media and of course now online and social Media. I also like the background story, people fighting for there houses. 5,000 people protested yesterday in my home town against property tax.

This man here was recently in the news media circus.

Oscar Pistorius

www.tmz.com/2013/02/15/oscar-pistorius-murder-court-bail/

Regardless of what he did or did not do….

What the media also did to him was criminal.

There is a video compilation some where online of excerpts from TV reports where the Media Circus went to town. The clue is I could not remember anything about this man except "celebrity breaking down and weeping in court." I put that short sentence, word for word into google and found him straight away.

I like anything that makes me stop to think. Like why do we go for all this FUD. Fear, Uncertainty and Disaster. Surely these are the tools of advertising and any advertiser who uses these tools consciously is onto something?

This one is shorter



!!!Guess I should also translate!!!

Why does it take 500 sperms to fertilise an egg?

Because men do not like to ask for directions

Buy the Blah car with Navigation system XYZ