From the archives: 24 creative ads from Europe
I attempt to share a curated list new creative ads almost every week. But I wasn’t much enthused about any of the new work I came across recently. So I dug into my archive of ads and picked a list of ads which won awards at Eurobest or Epica Awards more than a decade ago.
Volkswagen: Parking Assist
An ad which is anchored on perceptions or jokes about women drivers may get a lot of flak in today’s world. But this was 2009 when Volkswagen created an amusing ad to dramatise how easy it is to park a car in tight spaces thanks to the Park Assist feature. The casting and acting it make it even more enjoyable.
Gameboy: prison visit
‘So addictive that you will forget everything else’ can be a proposition for several categories but even more credible for a device that involves being immersed in a screen. The creative twist in this idea from 2004 is to cue that the protagonists hands were busy playing a game on the device – even at a situation where the residual visual imagery is that of ‘hand on glass’.
Agency: Brindfors MullenLowe
Halls: Balsamic Action
Benefit laddering – which is essentially exaggerating the first-level benefit of a product, is a common technique in advertising. We commonly see it practiced by stand-up comedians too with the ‘it was so…’ routine. In this ad ad for Halls – it is claimed that it is ‘so effective’ that it feels like a steam inhalation.
Citroen: shopping
If affordable price tag is the primary benefit to be offered, automobile brands tend to convey it in a cliched manner: a bland announcement of the price or the overused ‘more for less’ proposition. Humour is rarely used in such cases, as in this ad from 2009.
BMW: new generation
I am no bike enthusiast and not sure if BMW has the same cult following in the category as Harley Davidson in the US or Royal Enfield in India. Bit this one does a great job of conveying a cult that gets passed on from one generation to another.
Burger King: come to Burger King Country
I am not aware of the brief or the context of the ad but it sure does catch one’s attention – especially among the demographic which would have grown up seeing print ads of cigarette brands such as Marlboro. Maybe it was an effort to cue the ‘Americana’ behind the brand.
Olay: passport control
Originally created in 2006, this ad, considered a classic – does a great job of getting the viewer to connect the dots. It breaks category convention by not showing the user but conveys the ‘makes you look younger’ idea very well.
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Jeep: GPS
Back when GPS was a novelty, a visual representation of how the feature can actually help in the great outdoors.
Road Safety: haunting
The gnawing guilt of someone who caused an injury or worse still, death in a car accident due to negligence is painfully brought alive in this film from 2009.
Kodak: low light photography
Back when smartphones and their advanced cameras where not ubiquitous, the 35mm camera roll-based brands used to highlight their low light capabilities.
Bosch: wired drill
Ads which spell out everything tend to be boring. The best of ads make the reader or view pause to think for a moment until they are able to figure out the unsaid part. Here’s a famous one from Bosch to convey the constraints of having to use a wired power drill.
John West: flying fisherman
When it comes to food advertising, ‘we go to great lengths to bring the best ingredients’ is a great story to build credibility and assurance of quality & taste. The ‘bear fight‘ is a great example of this. John West ran some sequels to the original idea including this one from Europe.
Harry’s Bread: soft
It is said that advertising is ‘momentary suspension of disbelief’. Consumers see claims as entertainment rather than taking them literally. The charm with which the benefit is conveyed creates affinity and the ‘aha!’ moment – as in this one for Harry’s Bread.
Volkswagen Polo: singing dog
It is said casting dogs in a TV commercial guarantees eyeballs. Human nature is to gush over pets – as we witness through the popularity of cat videos on social media. Ages ago, Volkswagen created this feel-good commercial (not based on any specific feature) which owes its popularity to some great execution, including the choice of song: ‘I’m a man’ by Spencer Davis Group.
Tower Hamlets: distractions
Advertising aimed at getting people to change their behaviour is very hard. Smoking, for example is an irrational habit – people know it causes harm yet find it difficult to quit or do not show any intent to quit. Public service advertising aimed at changing behaviour such as texting & driving is hard too. TAC in Australia used fear as a deterrent to promote safe driving. In this ad from Tower Hamlets, the obvious hazard of texting & driving is brought alive visually.
Absolut Vodka: iconic bottle shape
Back when ‘Absolut Vodka’ was a long running series, just the creativity of spotting the unique bottle shape in unexpected contexts brought a smile.
Heinz: hot ketchup
Ads with no copy – relying solely on the visual hook is a rarity in advertising. Among such, this is considered a classic.
Agency: Leo Burnett
Priorin: strength for hair
Any reader who sees this ad in a magazine or daily will sure do a double take, before ‘getting’ the idea. The creative mind sees things which others don’t.
YKM: gym
A few years ago, ‘ambient advertising’ was a thing. Creating experiences or packaging ideas which go viral were part of such efforts. Here’s a clever shopping bag idea which creates visibility for a gym.
Yellow Pages: open up
The Yellow Pages were the go-to source to find business listings before the internet and Google Maps. A campaign, back from 2005 visually showcased the diverse listings in the directory.
Agency: AMV BBDO
Marmite: love it or hate it
‘Love it or hate it’ would certainly be among the best brand ideas ever which immensely helped in brand growth of Marmite. This execution used the print medium well to convey the thumbs up or thumbs down response to the product.
Activia: digestion
A force fit? Trivialising a serious issue? Not offering a solution but just a tangential reference to the cause? All of these can be valid reactions to this print ad for a dairy product which claims to help in digestion. Nevertheless, it would get noticed, people talking and does have a connect to the category and product benefit.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.