Audemars Piguet 150, The Times 240 Years and more: creative ads of the week
Every week, I attempt to share clutter-breaking creative ads. This week, creative ideas include the website to celebrate 150 years of Audemars Piguet, 240 years of The Times and more.
Audemars Piguet: celebrating 150 years
The context: Luxury brands stand testimony to the fact that consumers are willing to pay a premium even in categories where parity seems common. Forget the fact that all watches show time. Even among luxury brands of watches there is a fan following for select brands. The category also allows for ownership of multiple brands and hence watch connoisseurs can be fans of several top brands. I am not the target audience for such (I am happy with my Apple Watch) but I perceive Audemars Piguet to be one such top of the line brand with an iconic look of the watch (I guess other watches too such as Rolex, Omega and even RADO have distinct residual imagery). The brand is in its 150th year and to celebrate the occasion they have created a theme: House of Wonders. A special interactive website brings alive the heritage, craftsmanship and the mechanical precision associated with the brand.
Why I like it: most heritage brands have a story to tell by way of simply being around all these years. A common theme of such is to showcase how the brand has witnessed change. Audemars Piguet goes beyond that by involving users and aspirants to experience the craftsmanship of the brand.
The first chapter of the anniversary begins at the House of Wonders, where you can relive 150 years of horological expertise, bold design, and enduring passion.
Agency: Make Me Pulse
Aside from the website, the brand has set up physical ‘House of Wonders’ exhibition centres around the world.
The Times: 240 years
The context: news brands literally witness global events unfold before them. UK’s famous masthead The Times has launched a campaign to celebrate its 240th anniversary.
Why I like it: the line ‘Times Change. The Times Remains’ captures the vast time span and having reported global events across that period. With a brand name like that it could be seen as an obvious choice but it works.
Agency: The Pulse
ACCIONA: Noma Bar posters
The context: ‘we provide sustainable solutions to the global challenges facing humanity’ is how Acciona Australia describes itself. They focus on provision of renewable energy, infrastructure, water and services. A new outdoor campaign showcases the seemingly small innovations which make a big impact.
Why I like it: aside from clever use of negative space from Noma Bar’s signature style illustrations, the campaign presents ‘boring’ facts interestingly. ’90 tonne diggers powered by last night’s fish and chips?’ refers to this process: Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), is a renewable diesel fuel made from used cooking oil from restaurants and food processing. ACCIONA is one of the first in our industry to trial HVO on our projects.
Agency: DDB
Volkswagen Maxime: cures indecisions
The context: for most of our purchases, we have a consideration set. And choosing one among them could lead to a lot of vacillation. A new ad for Volkswagen Maxime in France dramatises this feeling by creating a character who suffers from chronic indecision.
Agency: DDB
Why I like it: exaggerated humour around choice (even with ‘pick a card’ tricks) keeps the viewer engaged until the resolution of the ailment with Volkswagen Maxime as the only choice.
Brittany Ferries: Uncommon Holidays
Great use of print space, typography and copywriting. Enough said.
Spotify: vibes on track
The context: all music streaming brands help us shut out the world in some way. Even hearing devices can claim that as a benefit – as AirPods demonstrated dramatically. New ads from Spotify India showcase how everyday situations can trigger songs that can help users keep entertained despite the chaos around.
Why I like it: clever use of regional language edits instead of relying on a Hindi master which then is translated, with a good chance of losing the essence and charm. In this case, regional language songs are used with minimal production budget and creating more affinity with the intended audience. Aside from Hindi, there are three regional languages of the South, except Kannada. I wonder why? Even back from my ad agency days, not many national brands invest in original Kannada scripts and dubbing, probably assuming that the cosmopolitan nature of the biggest city, Bangalore can take care of reach and affinity? I doubt it.
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.