Canal+, McDonald’s and other top creative ads of the week
In the archives section of this blog, you will see posts from January 2008. So this is the 15th anniversary of this blog. I am grateful to you, dear reader, for motivating me to write consistently over all these years. In fact, my blogging journey started a year or so before 2008 when I dabbled in two blogs: one dedicated to news about Apple (I was thrilled with the name – Mac Love Not War) and the other one on advertising. I then migrated to a self-hosted WordPress blog and critique ads in general. I was pretty harsh on some of the work out there. But then I realised that I too have my share of mediocre output at work and it would be hypocritical of me to criticise other people’s work. I then pivoted to showcasing clutter-breaking ads and the occasional opinion piece on industry trends.
I was never obsessed with monetising the blog (that would be welcome, though!) or closely monitoring the traffic numbers via Google Analytics. I do recall having monthly page views of around 35K. I lost some content (managed to recover most of it) and traffic while shifting web hosting services in 2017. Currently I have an average of 7K-8K monthly page views and don’t earn much by way of Google Ads. But I still have the same enthusiasm to write regularly and maintain my blog as I did when I started off 15 years ago. I am grateful for all the appreciation I have received over the years on the content. Naturally, there is always scope for improvement (I cringe at some of the older posts) and I hope to add some value to those who love the business of advertising – just as I do.
Here are a few ads which caught my eye this past week or so:
Canal+: Papa?
In my view, ‘story telling’ has become a buzz word of late needlessly, when the best of advertising has told stories for decades. ‘A drop of water from a leaky roof wiped off millions‘ is one such ‘story’ and so this non-linear one. A new TVC for Canal+ pays a tribute to short films through a short story. The whole premise, casting, acting and the twist in the end is all very enjoyable.
Agency: BETC
Paramount: Stallone face
As I have said before, the opening titles of a movie with the Paramount logo is etched in our memories. ‘A mountain of entertainment’ is a great tagline in that context – as it reminds us of a distinctive brand asset. A new quirky film features Sylvester Stallone (among other stars from the brand’s movies & shows) and his real life daughter’s at a mountain which has three faces – including a ‘Stallone Face’.
McDonald’s: home delivery
The MasterCard logo and tag line, Heinz red, Tiffany’s blue, Nike’s swoosh and ‘Just Do It’ – these are brand assets which aid memorability and recall value of the brands immensely. What’s more they are unmistakably ‘owned’ by the brand. McDonald’s has a problem of plenty when it comes to distinct assets: the arch, the burger (with the bit of cheese popping out), the fries on a red pouch and the ice cream swirl are all properties that can immediately bring up associations of the brand. As new print campaign from France does it cleverly to create awareness about McDelivery – the door delivery option.
Agency: TBWA
Downy: sniff it to believe it
Teasers are common when it comes to pre-Super Bowl ad campaigns. But Downy, from P&G had launched a teaser 12 weeks prior to the Big Game – to match the claim that ‘Downy keeps clothes fresh for 12 weeks’. The twist: the protagonist covers his face for the entire duration to sniff a hoody. A new set of teasers keep the suspense going with some funny situation arising out of the celebrity being unable to see what’s going on in front of his eyes.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.