Marketing maven McDonald’s is getting good at the whole outdoor advertising business, if it hasn’t already. Flaunting these ambient stunts for McDonald’s New Zealand, the Golden Arches is proving yet again it is as great outdoors as on print and TV.

Moving away from the all-too obvious texts on them, a shake by itself at these speed bumps denote an altogether different shake, that of McDonald’s Shaker Fries. It’s never the coincidence the speed bumps are strategically situated on one’s way to the drive-through window. Those little earthquakes do have a catch, obviously.

McShaker Fries are those that come with a sachet of seasoning and a specially designed McShaker Bag. Basically, the fast-food eater throws the fries and the spices together in the bag, whose opening is then twisted tight, and jerks it.

Mickey D’s, of course, is hoping for a different kind of convulsion—the frenetic sound of cash registers going ka-ching. McShaker Fries, which is called Shake Shake Fries in India, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, may give the fastfood giant the shakeup it needs in this kind of economy.

Maybe McDonald’s is sharpening its radical edges, but on a global basis, it is hardly the vanguard. These outdoor ads are wading in waters already swum, for one, by Volvo.

Memac Ogilvy & Mather played on the same idea for the car maker last year, which then released new models with nifty suspension. At the entrance of Volvo dealership lots in the UAE, the agency set up fake speed bumps made of soft sponge. Incoming vehicles instinctively slowed down for the dupe, then came across a sign that says “Never feel a bump again with Volvo’s Active Four-c Suspension.”

Much of the same elements were carried over by JWT for a breast examination campaign by Kuwait’s Taiba Hospital. No-brainer analogies can apparently be made between speed humps and the lumps on one’s humps, so to speak. Mounted on the hospital driveway, JWT’s speed bumps need the same clincher, a road sign.

Miraculously, the number of women having their breasts checked at the hospital increased from 60 to twice a hundred. Hopefully, this was lesson learnt well by McDonald’s. For sales do pick up speed, not slow down, from publicity vehicles like humps.

Advertising Agency: DDB New Zealand
Executive Creative Director: Toby Talbot
Creative Group Head: Paul Hankinson
Art Director / Copywriter: Pete Thompson
Account Services: Callum Walker, Zoe Alden
Client Executives: Robert Bowring, Justin Watson

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A lawn so immaculate that even football obsessed footballers will notice.

I actually quite like this. What particularly appealed to me was that I could picture an incredibly buff and beefy footy team halting, bending over, before gracefully removing their boots. It was like imagining Hulk Hogan doing yoga.

My imagination aside, the ad is overall effective and the artwork is quite good. Much of this is attributed to the log shot of a grassy green lawn. The boots along the sideline undoubtedly compliment the bareness. They almost have a festive décor appeal (not that they’re beautiful, just captivating- similar to how your great aunt’s bedroom furnishings are ‘captivating’).

The concept that a product is ‘so good you don’t want to use it’ often gets a run by agencies, particularly for product s such as beer or coffee. Agencies also seem to love the ’so good you will do anything to preserve it’ as see in the well endured Kellogg’s Crunch Nut campaign. These campaigns always involve abnormal product mis-use. The rationale behind using such concepts is mostly likely that they work. They communicate quality through humour.

However what has got me a little by the footballs about this ad, is that the boots are actually ON the lawn. Why have they only respected the lawn beyond the line? It may seem fastidious but I can no longer overlook it. Im sure someone in Publicis Conseil could place the boots on surrounding non-lawn surfaces.

Its not an unbearable flaw, however it shows they could have gone one extra mile/yard. An obvious suggestion involves the footballers avoiding the lawn all together. Perhaps playing on a carpark across the road? Actually, im sure Viking doesn’t want us to even THINK about using concrete. Perhaps then a neighboring child’s playground. Like taking candy.

Advertising Agency: Publicis Conseil Paris, France
Creative Directors: Olivier Altmann, Hervé Plumet
Art Directors / Copywriters: Mathieu Degryse, Yves-Eric Deboey
Photographer: Cedric Delsaux

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A cleaning enthusiast would look at this and say “well if God uses it, it has got to be good.”

The Bible story of Noah’s Ark is interesting. As a young girl I recall feeling slightly disturbed at the concept of the world drowning to leave only an old man, his wife, and animal couples. My elderly neighbours had 2 cats, and were suddenly suspicious in my eyes.

The story today however is far from a tragedy, but rather celebrated by children’s books and Hollywood films. Therefore many would make the connection to Noah in this ad (not to mention it is well assumed that Spanish would recognize a Christian story).

However what I can’t seem to fathom is the message. What exactly is the sponge absorbing? If it is “miraculously absorbent,” why is there still a flood? Shouldn’t the Spontex sponge have “absorbed” that and saved the naughty dying people?

It is incredible to think that agency TBWA gave us something so far off the brief, ie that Spontex absorbs water.

I was so disturbed by this poor execution that I though I overlooked something. Upon a closer look I observed water dripping from the sponge, but the mind continued to question: Doesn’t “absorbent” imply lack of water residue? Also importantly (and disturbingly), is God squeezing the sponge to make the flood?

The advertisement’s artwork is however rather superb and incredibly detailed. Therefore my theory is that so much attention was directed towards the artwork; they overlooked the ad’s non-connection to the tagline “absorbent.”

Nonetheless it could well have been their aim to blind us by the immaculate imagery, so we too, overlook the lack of absorbency. My God.

Advertising Agency: TBWA Barcelona, Spain
Creative Directors: Ramon Sala, Fer Garcia
Art Director: Fer Garcia
Photographer: Ramon Serrano
Published: January 2009

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Upon my initial viewing of this ad, my thoughts flowed something like this:

“Yep another McDonalds ad…Wait Thai Food Express?.. Oh the shoes are on fire because its hot fast food… But why boots?.. Oh they’re a pair of Thai boxing boots.. Wait aren’t these Ronald McDonald’s boots?.. Oh they claim to have smoked Maccas as a competitor… Actually maybe they ARE Thai boxing boots?…No definitely Ronald’s.”

I don’t know if anybody else had the same thought process. Perhaps they jumped straight to the McDonalds grill. However I do know that I spent so much time looking at the ad, I read “Thai Food Express” almost a dozen times. Effective brand re-call perhaps?

It seems that if any company tries to capitalise on McDonald’s name, we go wide-eyed and ask “can they do that?” My favourite is the South African who named his restaurant MacDonalds. His logo was golden in colour and an arc in shape.

Recent print advertisements by McDonalds took a similar design, and agency Publicis have played on that. Not only is the design simple, the artwork is effective. I think a statement is being made by placing these boots in the limelight.

To imply they have literally grilled McDonalds no doubt raises eyebrows. While many loyal McDonald militants would contest to this advertisement, others would love the uprising against King Ronald McDonald.

It is clear the agency aimed to feed off a food empire. To litterally heat up the competiiton. However it could also be free advertising for Maccas. The answer lies in how much the viewer wants a smoking Big Mac.

Advertising Agency: Publicis, Zurich, Switzerland
Creative Directors: Tim Hoppin, Sacha Moser
Art Directors: Swen Morath, Kritijan Tufekcic, Devika Hasler
Copywriter: Felix Freese
Photographer: Andreas Burz

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Meow meow, how cute is this. And cleverly multi-layered.

The 1 to 10n imagery could either pertain to: all the wacky things a cat might do other than sleep if it had the energy from eating Whiskas, or perhaps (and I think more likely) the ad is making reference to a cat’s alleged nine lives. If the little feline munches on Whiskas, they could have even more one.

I think this ad is sweet but my only complaint is the illustrations look a bit unclear. True, you need perspective to appreciate that all the cat’s poses are infact numbers, but in the same respect this ad needs to be viewed up close to appreciate the details. Also the cat down the bottom,  next to the Whiskas product doesn’t really look like much like a cat- does anyone think it could resemble a soft of plain faced orange possum or racoon?

Cats are cute, and a selling point. I think that the Whiskas cat down the bottom could have been made a bit more ‘detailed,’ which would equal cuter. They could still retain the cartoon imagery but just increase the detail. 

This ad is cute and effective but overall, it’s execution is a bit vague. It could have been improved by a bit more focus.

Advertising Agency: Sancho BBDO, Colombia
Creative Directors: Giovanni Martinez, Hugo Corredor
Art Directors: Diana Obregón, Diego Santamaría, Mauro Silva
Copywriters: Felipe Salazar, Fredy Méndez
Illustrator: Guillermo Valencia
Via: Adgoodness

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SBS are telling the ‘Untold Story’ of the First Australians and what better way to advertise these histories than with some old looking documents. Notice how the level of faded paper increases from the length of history, Trullwei’s is depicted as a burnt coffee treasure map quality of paper while the most recent document, Joe’s and spanning the 50s, looks just old and weathered.

It’s great that SBS are putting on these documentaries but might I just add that it is very hard to convey an accurate, unbias view of history. Remembering that history always has two sides, which sides will it be shown from? At the expense of the Aboriginies’ history or the white man’s? Will the documentary extensively explain the genocide of the Tasmanian Aboriginals or will it skim over the details?

Of these images, the last one is the most effective. it reminds that this gruesome history relating to the aboriginals is not just centuries old and archaic, a dim but unfortunete memory. It was less than 60 years ago that Aboriginals needed to carry around a documentation, as evident in the Joe image, that certified their right to walk around town “without being arrested.”

Obviously, this social controlling of indigenous people is not just inclusive to Australia. But our conflict has been less public than others. Was it only last year that our new prime minister finally uttered a genuine apology for such unfortunete events (The ‘apology’ before him did not count!)

SBS is on the right track; these histories need to heard and objectively too, and their historical looking advertisement rouses interest.

Advertising Agency: RazorJunior Sydney, Australia
Typographer: Len Cheeseman
Designer: Stephen Cicala
Creative Director: Josh Moore
Copywriter: Giuliana De Felice
Art Director: Tim Chenery
Account service: Nathan Bell & Alex Tracy
Studio Designer: Allister Eather

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Kids will always be kids, no matter what adverisities they may face, however YOU can help disadvantaged kids experience a better quality of life. How? Because you, me and the viewer of this ad is reminded by the Children’s Hospital Foundation Australia that donating money will make a difference.

These ads have a nostaglic, almost 60s cartoonish appeal about this. This could have been chosen for many reasons but I think that the cartooning of the kids makes their presence universal, omnipresent. And also, it rings a bell with people who saw this style of cartoon in the 60s (think those old Girl Guide year books for little girls), meaning that they can sympathise more and sympathy means $$.

These ads are emotive. Isn’t it heartbreaking to imagine a little tacker who can’t exit his ricketedly old wheelchair to catch butterflies, or a glum faced girl who looks aged despite her youth who can never jump across a Twister board. And then there’s the little girl wearing a quararentine mask who has a snowball’s chance in hell to blow bubbles.

The old appeal of this children is a nice idea yet I think that the old accessories complementing the scene look way too archaic- the little girl from the first picture looks she’s dressed akin to Anne Frank. But perhaps this is part of the appeal of this ad- showing kids who look glum and disadvantaged. Overall a great concept, clearly executed, though perhaps the images are a little too ‘vintage.’

Advertising Agency: de pasquale, Brisbane, Australia
Creative Director: Lars Vester
Art Director: Daniele Milazzo
Copywriter: Jake McLennan
Illustrator: Ebony Truscott
Published: August 2008

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