Mon dieu!

Je ne sais pas about everyone else, but the iconic Coca-Cola bouteille looks good in a Sonia Rykiel dress! True to form, Coke Light is clothed in the trademark gold, black, pink, crimson and saffron bands of the French couturier.

Nathalie Rykiel, Sonia Rykiel’s talented daughter, invites all Gallic citizens to vivez light this month, when these season-free aluminum bottles start selling. Now president and creative director of the Sonia Rykiel fashion house, she designed and signed these fashionable vessels.

For a limited run, these collector’s items are available first in Monoprix, then in Bon Marché; Colette has a crystal-festooned variant. Fashionistas are going to have a field day imbibing the drinks, which retail for 1.25 euro a pop.

Tout ceux-ci a été fait. Nathalie Rykiel is just the latest among designers to be approached by the beverage giant for limited edition bottles. Last July, just before Milan Fashion Week, fashion overlord Roberto Cavalli was tasked to prettify Diet Coke bottles. Cavalli embellished 300,000 bottles with three leopard and zebra prints.

In August, famous shutterbug Rankin reworked Coca-Cola glass bottles in time for the Beijing Summer Olympics. The British photographer swathed the bottles with an image of a hand passing a white rose to another, symbolizing the handover of the Olympics to London in 2012.

Still, Rankin steps on well-trodden grounds. Beforehand, Coca-Cola had approached shoe guru Manolo Blahnik as well as designers Jonathan Saunders, Gharani Strok, and Matthew Williamson for their takes on the iconic bottle. An entire era has passed too since the great Andy Warhol gamely made his interpretation of the bottle.

Rykiel’s creations mark the 20th anniversary of Coke Light and the 40th year of her mother’s fashion house.

“Queen of Knits” on high, a pregnant Sonia Rykiel shot to fame when she started tweaking with materials from her husband’s fashion boutique, inverting seams, and taking away hems. Relying on sheer instinct and non-existent fashion training, she hewed, among other maternity dresses, the Poor Boy Sweater, which eventually graced ELLE’s cover. Her clothes have since been worn by the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Kruger, and Kirsten Dunst.

Collaborations have oft-proved to be fickle ventures for many. Whatever the ramifications of this little escapade, Sonia Rykiel would still be the toast of Paris’ fashion circuits. Coca-Cola, on the other hand, has little but to rest on its laurels, as can be expected of the world’s most distinguishable brand.

TV ads themed “Vivez light by Nathalie Rykiel” will start broadcasting next month.

Advertising Agency: Rosbeef!, Paris, France
Creative Director: Frans McCabe
Art Director: Antoine David
Photographer: Thomas Lagrange
Published: January 2009

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A monster burger for a monster customer?

Here we have an overflowing monster burger, nay two monster burgers, merged into one.

To its loyal customer, no extensive text is needed.

Thus, no explanation is given, just a visual of some heaving beef (x2), some curls of bacon, an egg strategically plopped on top and of course, what every monstrous customer dreams of on their monster burger: triple cheese.

This monster burger gives its customer more than they bargained for- possible cardiac arrest.

Perhaps the selling point of this burger, in our 21st climate of obesity awareness, is its lack of information. Accompanying these larger than life pictures are some key points highlighted in quotations, perhaps so the viewer can imagine some soothing, omnipresent voice assuring them that it is quite alright for us all to chow down a monster burger for afternoon tea.

But then, “good for you?”

Exactly what part of a monster burger would be approved by a dietician as benefical? The three layers of no doubt processed chedder cheese, the double layers of bacon or the two oily patties?

Perhaps the creators behind the Monster Burger could be inspired by the Cookie’s Monster new found sense of moderation that cookies are a “sometimes food.”

Monster burgers, as well, should be a celebrated rarity, given to monsterish lovers on most moderate occasions.

• Advertising School: Chicago Portfolio School
• Creative Director / Art Director / Copywriter / Illustrator: Dorron Margalit
• Photographer: Stock images

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Mazda BT-50 the big ass one tonne pickup truck with junk in the back. If you need to haul a farm or just to match your dusty wife beater this ads campaign may already be too sophisticated for you.

Wow, once I learn how to spell I should be a copywriter.

Really nice uber Photoshopped artwork for Mazda from Ricardo Salamanca, this is just a nice looking ad campaign with cool and eye catching visuals. Nice insight that works for the target audience with a very daydream approach and kind of work-car-worship essence about it.

About: Mazda BT-50
Mazda’s new BT50 ute replaces and improves on the popular B-Series Ute. The new Mazda shares underpinnings and engines with the new Ford Ranger. There’s nothing precious about the Mazda BT-50. There’s nothing really sophisticated about the BT-50 package and that’s one of its strengths.

This is a good car that obviously suits tradies who need a go-anywhere workhorse. Buy the ute version for broader leisure pursuits and please, keep the rear seats for cargo.

Advertising Agency: Dittborn&Unzueta, Santiago, Chile
Creative Director: Matias Irarrazabal
Art Director: Alvaro Zamudio
Copywriters: Roberto Muñoz, Cristián Barria
Illustrator: Ricardo Salamanca

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To promote a new range of football shoes Puma has commissioned Robert/Boisen & Like-minded of Denmark to put these emotional exorcist inspired visuals. I have to congratulate Dhanank Pambayun on putting these totally awesome illustrations for Puma. This would rock as a 10mx10m works at eye level in some premium office building.

Advertising Agency: Robert/Boisen & Like Minded, DK
Digital Art: Dhanank Pambayun
Creative Director: Michael Robert
Art Director: Bjarke Lautrup-Larsen

Grey (Robert/Boisen & Like-minded) is a large advertising agency world wide, with offices in over 83 countries. Grey Worldwide provides highly creative services including brand ideas and strategies, brand planning, creative development and production. They say they believe in:

Producing truly great creative work, to produce work that soars, makes us proud and fosters the brand relationship with consumers—work that helps our clients prosper.

Sounds like a blanket marketing slogan that gets trumpeted from every advertising agency worth your salt. Have you ever heard a large ego-driven agency say “well we try to do something cool by hiring funky people before they all dry out inside and take a good cut of the top doing it”? No.

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Encourage young binge drinkers to take responsibility for their actions by reminding them that there really is nobody else to blame for the damage they do to themselves.

Don’t get me wrong, this is serious subject but the first two images are quite funny, as well as… a little fun. (And no I am not a hormone crazed teenager) Driving a hot convertible at the speed of light sounds like fun to me actually. Perhaps this campaign is actually aimed at me. Ooops.

Nice to see colour coming back in to advertising. I think we are coming back in to the age of digital Velvia, as everything in advertising it will probably only last about 17 seconds and we will be on to the next cool thing/gimmick. At least its not fashion industry were ‘that is so yesterday’ every 11 seconds.

I leave you with last bit of ‘Wisdom’, alcohol does not kill people it is people that kill people. Alternatively, alcohol does not get you laid its drunk people who can’t resist you.

NSW Minister for Health John Della Bosca, has launched a new interactive website and booklets to raise awareness among young people and their parents about the risks of binge drinking.

Advertiser: NSW health, Responsible Drinking Campaign
Agency: GPY&R Sydney
Art Director: Robbie Kantor
Copywriter: Bart Pawlak
Designer: Martin Brown, Robyn Spencer
Retoucher: Electric Art

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Help, hope and support for suicidal individuals, loved ones, professionals and survivors.

I do admit this is a really hard subject to advertise, I am sure most social awareness issues are. It is really easy to step out of line or be a considered out of touch. Perhaps having this ad campaign for EndSuicideNow as an illustration and not in photo makes this a little easier to get it right.

These ads are a little out of touch. Sure it gets the point across that perhaps there is a recourse for people considering taking ones life but it is all to cute and a little funny actually. They do not come across giving a real reason not to.

I know, I know this is a very tough product to sell. The strange thing is these would do ok for suicide assistant service also. That does not speak well for this ad. These are real people with real problems looking for a human to reach out to. These feel like a visual puns and not a message of hope and understanding.

I do realise that no ad campaign can stop people form ending their life, perhaps these ads aim at people who suspect their friends or family members who may be suicidal. But to me this is an illustration from “Suicide for Dummies” self help book.

Advertising Agency: Richter7
Creative Director / Copywriter: Gary Sume
Art Director / Illustrator: Jeremy Oviatt
Executive Creative Director: Dave Newbold

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As a self-confessed animation obsessor, my reaction to this graphic was one of shock and pain – who on earth could find this amusing? But playing the objective blogger (and yes, I noted the irony), this is quite a clever concept. It’s simple, grabs attention and for those who view my bellowed Jerry as the potentially infested rodent that he may be, delivers the point.

It does, however, make one wonder whether the agency had a good think about their target markets. Last time I checked, adolescents were not responsible for purchasing the pesticide in the family. And as far as I can tell, the humour would be lost on the average adult in the family. After all, Tom & Jerry has only been around for – ok, my mistake, 68 years or so. Nevertheless, the parent of the family is probably not up to speed on the Tom and Jerry logo, and if they are, it’s from the incessant nagging of their children to buy them a Tom & Jerry lunchbox. In which case, they probably never want to see the rodent again – wait, did I pierce the veil?

The ad is definitely smart, but I think the intelligence wouldn’t make it past the five year old psyche (or perhaps, it would upset them as much as it did me!) and in the same breath, would be lost on the average 50 year old. Nice work, advertisers! (Can you tell I’m still hurting from the brutality of maiming Jerry?)

Either way, I’m not sure the agency grasped the core of the show. There’s a reason we play ‘cat and mouse’ in real life. A distinct overlap exists between love and hate, and arch nemeses are as inextricably linked as star-crossed lovers. Both dynamic duos live for one another. And so, the ad fails – because truly, without Jerry, there is no Tom.

Advertising Agency: Freelo, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Creative Director / Copywriter: Alvaro Valdez
Art Director: Favio Encinas
Published: February 2008

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