Amazon ‘Deliver the love’, Homelane and more: top creative ads of the week
Every week I attempt to compile a collection of clutter-breaking creative ads. Here are a few which caught my eye this past week or so.
Monzo: money feels different
Europe is considered a pioneer in offering digital-only banking services. I have heard of brands like Revolut and Monzo before. Compared to traditional brick & mortar branch-banking based legacy brands, these services promises ease of use and personalisation as core benefits. The concepts of a physically non-existent bank may unnerve a certain demographic but for the digital natives these aren’t barriers. There isn’t much to differentiate between many such digital only banks in terms of product experience. In such cases, the user experience becomes the differentiator. Intuitive design enabling friction-less completion of tasks (a major pain point with branch or even browser-based banking) is a major attraction.
A new campaign from Monzo dramatises the contrast by portraying how legacy banking feels like compared to their experience. The choice of visual metaphors and their depiction is dramatic and memorable.
While the outdoor execution is a direct interpretation of the TVC they deliver the message in style.
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Agency: Uncommon
Whisper India: early periods
We’ve come a long way when it comes to advertising for sanitary pads. Just a decade or so ago, it was common to refer to periods as ‘those days of the month’. All sorts of visual metaphors would be created to show the absorption feature of sanitary pads in a proxy manner. We now have brands referring to periods as just that and also creating campaigns for period awareness. A new ad from Whisper India focus on onset of periods at a relatively earlier age: ‘Girls are now starting periods as early as 8.’
Whisper has been on a continuous mission to provide period education and free pads to girls. Now, we have extended the program to younger girls, across thousands of schools.
I think the song & dance, jingle-like approach towards the end helps ‘normalise’ the topic without sounding all preachy and anxious.
Agency: Leo Burnett
Dorset: securing the precious
Sometimes, the magic of an ad is in the casting and acting. An aged man, struggling with Alzheimer’s and his interactions with his son form the core of this ad to convey the message that there’s something precious in every home worth preserving. The link to the product maybe tenuous but the ad makes for a riveting watch.
Agency: Enormous
Homelane: interiors made easy
What’s refreshing about the ad at first sight is that it shows craft in print advertising – something of a rarity in India over the last decade or so. In the 90s, print advertising was perhaps at its best with a combination of smart copywriting and art direction – both of which were anchored on sound communication strategy, not just as art for art’s sake. The striking visual here is also a clever representation of a popular expression of ‘eating one’s head‘ to refer to a situation where one is being harassed or given stress.
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Agency: Talented
Michelin: on the road and beyond
Aside from being a heritage brand of tyres, Michelin is also credited with smart marketing that was the pioneer of sorts with branded content. Ages ago they created the Michelin Guide as to encourage motorists to travel around Europe. Such travel would then result in worn-out tyres which can then help in sales of the category and hopefully of the brand.
A new ad for the brand showcases how the brand plays a role ‘on the road and beyond’. The visual hook of highlighting the product in white brings the focus on to the category & brand.
Agency: BETC
Amazon: Deliver The Love
Back in the 90s’, Ad Club Bombay’s awards used to have a category called ‘Best Continuing Campaign’. In a way it was a reflection of the times back then – a ‘thematic’ campaign which used to run on traditional media for months, even years on end. Very few brands – especially among the new age brands seem to adopt this strategy. The pressure to be ever present across media, platforms & formats coupled with having to associate one’s brand with every occasion or news cycle results in many messages without a connecting thread.
In that context, it’s rare to see an advertising theme being persisted. ‘Deliver the love’ has seen many interpretations over the years – some more effective than the others but I loved the focus on human connections in a digital world.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.