These ads are a really good example of creativity. They show you that even if you have something as simple, and seemingly boring, as a sheet of x’s or o’s to start with, you can still make something beautiful out of it if you use your imagination.

At the risk of sounding like an after-school special (specifically the Magic School Bus): When you use your imagination, all of your dreams come true!

These ads actually remind me of a series of web comics called “A Softer World” (please enjoy). I first found out about them because they’re printed in the local alternative-paper that comes out every Thursday in my hometown of Halifax called “The Coast”.

The idea behind the comics is that they just take three pictures (or one picture cropped three times) and insert text to create a story. The hook is that, in this ‘softer world’, the natural laws of possible and impossible are much more forgiving. As a result, the comics include arrays of things that could never happen, but are presented with such an ironclad sincerity that you can’t help but believe that any one of them might happen to you within the next five minutes.

The thing about the comics that brings them to mind when I see these ads is that they’re essentially starting with this very simple thing, a picture (or set of 3 related pictures) which they then have to create an interesting story, or snippet of a story, around. It’s exactly the same as looking at an X and saying “What is this X when it’s not an X?”. You have to keep people coming back for more.

When plans go Awry.

Advertising Agency: AlmapBBDO, São Paulo, Brazil
Creative Directors: Marcello Serpa, Luiz Sanches, Dulcídio Caldeira
Copywriter: Andre Godoi
Art Director: Andre Gola
Producer: José Roberto Bezerra
Account Supervisors: Martha Almeida, Isabela Filippi
Advertiser’s Supervisor: Enrique Lipszyc
Published: February 2009

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India is a strange place. Its currently hovering in the transformational stage between 3rd world country and one of the worlds most booming economies. The worlds most sophisticated software companies are rushing there yet its not uncommon to see an elephant walking around the cities they are located. I remember seeing some quirky signs in shops and on billboards when I spent some time there a few years ago.

Some of the gems included: “25% off with moustache”, “No elephants”, “Child Bear” (guessing they meant chilled beers, although I didn’t check just in case I got a nasty surprise) and finally “Gift Sight – Donate Eyes”.

I wasnt too sure what the sign was on about, but the penny has finally dropped after seeing this ad. I had no idea that eye transplants can give blind people back their vision, and although the picture is a bit freaky it hammers home the message in an effective way. I guess with a population of over 1 billion people theres a lotta eyes that can be used to cure blindness.

The fold out element was a nice touch to the campaign. And it obviously worked, as there was an increase in donors after the campaign ran. I’m assuming they mean you gift your eyes after you die, or else theres a serious amount of big hearted people in India.

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I promise I’ll get to commenting on the purpose and fulfilment of said purpose by these ads, but first, let’s look at them closely.

The guy in this one is obviously young, right handed and, well, a little scruffy, but notice the furniture. It’s all raw wood work and basket weaving. Also, there are numerous canes in that basket the the end of the hall. He must live with his grand parents.

This guy, must be living in his parents basement. I’m not making this statement because he’s clearly a red-head, but because what kind of sane person would put a treadmill in the middle of the key living area of a house. An have a cord that goes from one end of the room to another. Also the Christmas cards are interesting.

This guy is equally as strange. He looks like a hedonist, but he’s lying with a sheet over his couch, cheap take away food but owns really ornate furniture.

What’s going on in these ads? The RSPCA either did a really good job creating really strange people in an attempt to reach out to a group that are more likely than others to get a pet, or they just didn’t think through the details of this one.

But, despite all of that I do think that these advertisements are interesting and that people are likely to chuckle about it. And even if they don’t they’ll have to accept that the RSPCA are doing a good thing for society and are trying to link up lonely animals with lonely people. I hope they succeed.

Advertising Agency: GPYR Brisbane, Australia
Creative Directors: David Joubert, Piet Human
Art Directors: David Joubert, Lee Sunter
Copywriter: Andre Hull

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Let your human resources breathe. Exotica Corporate plants.

Let your human resources breathe. Exotica Corporate plants.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if people were actually trees? Family Guy once had an episode where there was a man who thought he was a tree trapped in a man’s body so he replanted himself. It was very amusing. Especially the part where he refers to his girlfriend, who is a tree.

Also, the other nerd in me can’t help but think to the Ents and Treebeard in Lord of the Rings. Life is suddenly so much slower and less ‘drama’ filled because everything is just slow and nothing is done in haste. One can’t help but consider the incredible inefficiency of an office that may be run in such a way.

The only explanation I have for the people dressed in 70′s or 80′s clothing with psychadelic wall paper and afro disco hair is that it’s Hippie cool. Also, I think it adds to the effect of the advertisement. The point, I assume is to emphasise the drab and dullness of an office in order to encourage employers to fill their work space with corporate plants. It’s a strange idea. I know my office is filled with plants (and I mean literally FILLED) and I’m not sure if this helps me breathe or just makes me feel a little oppressed and like a litte bit of a fake. Come on, this office is in the middle of the city and I can actually hear the cars on the street below. I’m not going to be fooled into thinking that I’m in a jungle. But green is a nicer colour than egg shell white and the ability of a plant to live in such circumstances must surely be an indicator that these circumstances are still liveable and conducive to life, right?

Maybe that’s the premise of this advertisement. These corporate plants are like the canaries in the mine. If the canary dies, run for your life. If it lives, then you’ll live too. And so, one must go out an buy plants or else their human will die.

Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett
Creative Directors: Bechara Mouzannar, Chermine Assadian
Art Directors: Manal Naji, Joumana Ibrahim
Copywriters: Amin Kurani, Alex Kent
Illustrator: Mark Calina
Photographer: Jihad Hojeily
Published: February 2009

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Okay, so generally I’m not a fan of mini versions of chocolate. I’m more of a King size, Share Pack kind of girl. But I think I like these ads. They’re clever and simple. I’m a fan of the simple things in life.

However, chocolate is not as simple and we may think that it is. Cocoa beans don’t actually taste like those delicious things that we get at $1.50 a pop, wrapped in foil and ready to eat. So it’s kind of an interesting paradox when you think of the mini break that Kit Kat are offering us Westerners who probably just need a break from our office jobs, when really they should probably be offering said Mini break to their hard working employees.

I better stop before I begin babbling on about Fair Trade instead of commenting and opinionating on the aesthetic appeal of this advertisement.

Although I do like this ad, it just like most chocolate advertisements. It’s clever and I’ll smile at it, but it’s probably not going to make me run to a shop and buy a Kit Kat. Also due to various psychological issues I have problems eating chocolate while being still, so ‘taking a break’ and chocolate don’t really mesh well with me. But they’re clever and appeal to me because I like cross-words and maze things, and they are things that I do while preforming the sedentary necessities in life, such as sitting on a train or procrastinating from anything else.

Also, because I know you’re all wondering- zeugma means: the use of a word to modify or govern two or more words when it is appropriate to only one of them or is appropriate to each but in a different way, as in to wage war and peace or On his fishing trip, he caught three trout and a cold.

Advertising Agency: JWT Dubai, UAE
Executive Creative Director: Chafic Haddad
Art Director: Nizar Swailem
Copywriter: Ash Chagla
Strategic Planner: Prabhakar Iyer
Account Supervisors: Shereen Fotouh, Jayanthi Thiagarajan

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This ad is sure to offend, to entertain, and to really make you think.

It is commendable to stand up for a people and a cause that is always neglected; this shoves it in our faces, and those losers who use the ‘r’ word either directly or indirectly might be able to see why it is offensive, uneccesary and embarrassing.

Too much stigma is attached to people with intellectual disabilities; as humans, when our curiosities cannot be satisfied and our knowledge is lacking, we often categorise that which we do not understand. This ad certainly highlights this pathetic aspect of human nature.

I hope this ad can be broadcast to millions and millions of people around the world. When a Jewish woman, or an Italian man; a homosexual or an Indigenous person sees this ad, they will be faced with the pain of the racism or sexism or homophobia or xenophobia that they have faced. This ad shocks us because the terms “tar baby” and “Jew him down” are not part of your average advertising campaign. We don’t want to read that; most of us don’t even like the knowledge that these terms exist.

But the term “retard”?

Well, that (until now) has been accepted as a figure of speech that is common in everyday language. How could a mentally disabled person even know what a retard is, let alone have the ability to care?

The irony is, many intellectually disadvantaged people have a greater understanding of sympathy and empathy than those ‘normal’ people who feel they can look at them and think to themselves ”I am better”. They do understand the word ‘retard’; they know they are different.

These advertisements will scream to the world on their behalf.

Advertising Agency: BBDO New York, USA
Chief Creative Officers: David Lubars, Bill Bruce
Creative Director / Art director: James Clunie
Creative Director / Copywriter: Pierre Lipton

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Ahhh, cute.

As a relatively new mother, these hit a bit of a soft spot with me. They imply Mum and Bub as a little team, doing things together; baby replicating what Mum does, Mum creating a little miniature of herself. Of-course, the little potty with a newspaper beside it is more suggestive of a father’s involvement in his child’s development, after all, that’s what dad’s do, right?

A very cute ad, and very appealing. However, it makes all these things appear so necessary for your little one’s preparation for life. But who are these programs catering for? The yoga I understand – Mum’s want to regain a healthy shape, and what better way than to do yoga while lifting your baby?

But I have to ask: What baby needs a dance lesson, really? Why do our children need “early literacy” skills?

In the nature/nurture debate, I lean towards nature. Actually, I really lean towards the belief that nature will only accomodate nurture when it wants to: you can’t force it. And so it irritates me to see Mum’s and Dad’s out there desperate to have their first grade child reading at a third grade level. It bothers me to think that Mummy wants her little girl to be the child star she didn’t turn out to be, carting her off  to dance lessons twice a week.

Having said all this, after looking at the website for this center, it is  good to see such a thorough program for parent’s and parent’s to be. I have found that parental education is either totally over-the-top (“but Dr. Spock said only t o allow TEN minutes in the naughty corner”) or completely uninvolved (“you just stay there and watch Sesame Street while Mummy goes out for a smoke”). I have had trouble finding a happy medium as a mother myself; everybody tells you something different. This is why I think baby literacy programs and dance lessons just complicate what is already the most complicated occupation in existance.

This is why, while other babies are out learning how to respond verbally to cue cards and being bounced around a dance floor like a puppet, mine is at home peeing on the carpet and putting shoes on his head for a laugh. And boy, am I proud.

Advertising Agency: Doug agency, Toronto, Canada
Creative Director: Doug Robinson
Associate Creative Directors: Ian Schwey, Steffan Barry
Art Director: Solly Bulbulia
Copywriter: Andre Bell
Photographer: Stacey Brandford
Published: January 2009

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