Since its inception, McDonalds has tried to use itself as a dealmaker between parents and kids. “If you win this football game, you can have a McDonalds”. “If you clean your room, you can have a McDonalds.” Parents have been bribing their kids with McDonalds for a long time now, and this ad campaign simply hammers home this point. When your kid wants something which you are totally against, you will get that tap on the shoulder from your “friendly” McDonalds ally which can broker you a deal and save a tantrum.

Its fair enough that their are situations where a deal may be required, I’m not sure I would include some of these. Surely an 80-something year old Grandmother shouldn’t need to explain to her grandchild that she can’t go on the looping turbo-coaster lest she might not get off it alive. I don’t think McDonalds need to step in and save the day in this example.

I’m not really sure why the dad can’t just go to the movie with the kid either. What does he expect, the kid to choose Die Hard 4 ahead of the latest Disney film? It sort of looks like he is holding a gun in his hand as well which doesn’t help the situation. I’m not sure if McDonalds come accross as the saviour in this campaign, but more as the devils advocate.

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Apparently Land Rover makes clothing.

I for one only knew them for their keen ability to make enormous SUVs that rappers love to reference in their songs (“I was cruising down the block…”). I guess that in itself shows that this ad is effective. I had no idea that these clothes existed before, but now if I was for some reason to need expensive brand name clothes to go hiking or camping in, this would be an option.

Maybe It’s just me, but it seems to be a bit strange to me that a company who manufactures luxury vehicles also makes outdoor activity clothing. You may be quick to point out that SUV stands for ‘Sports Utility Vehicle’, but how many people actually use them for off-roading? No, I think that SUVs have become a symbol of wealth, and perhaps safety.

This may be why Land Rover launched this clothing line to start with, to try and reclaim some of that rugged authenticity. If you see their logo on hiking boots and shirts, you’re much more likely to associate their brand name with adventure and excitement.

This clothing line might also be an effect of the financial crunch. People have to tighten their money-belts and buy cheaper more fuel efficient cars, so naturally Land Rover starts putting their money into something more affordable.

All cynicism aside, in the end I think these ads have done their job. Now I know these clothes exist. These ads have also made me want to jump in a pile of mud.

I should go..

Client: Land Rover

Agency: Y&R Dubai
Photographer: Tejal Patni
Illustrator: Jomy Varghese
Executive Creative Director: Shahir Ahmed
Creative Director: Komal Bedi Sohal
Art Director: Komal Bedi Sohal
Copywriter: Shahir Ahmed
Country: United Arab Emirates

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What an amazing way to advertise glue. “Glue fixes the things that make you happy”, these ads seem to say. Each of the ads shows the result of someone’s favourite childhood toy being brought back to life with Loctite.

I certainly could have used this when I was a kid. Many a toy (specifically Transformers) ended up in the rubbish bin after a particularly adventurous day in whichever world they lived.

That Megatron was a tough customer.

These ads give amazing warmth to a normally bland and faceless product. They make you feel like Loctite created this product to bring back that one thing which you loved and lost.

When I think glue, I normally think grade one, gluing cotton balls onto the outline of a sheep cut out of a piece of construction paper. Or perhaps the kid sitting behind you who ate it when he thought no one was looking (someone was ALWAYS looking).

Each one of these ads could be the finale scene to it’s own movie. The picture with the giant-nutcracker reminds me particularly of Wes Anderson films (the Life Aquatic, Rushmore, Darjeeling Ltd., Etc.). Something about the wall paper, and the symmetry of the two lights on either side of the hug. The scene is just too perfect, like a fairytale ending.

However, I think the prevailing emotion that I feel over this ad campaign is regret. Regret that I didn’t have a giant robot friend when I was a child. A robot friend that could teach me how to dance…the robot.

Advertised brand: Loctite Super Attak
Advert title(s): Plastic-Wood-Porcelain.
Advertising Agency (Name, City, Country): DDB Milan.
Creative Direc

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Tee-hee-hehehehe.

This advertisement is so very American. By which I mean they’ve decided to call themselves ‘Class of 1969′ and they’re having their High School Reunion in the school gym with sparse and pathetic decorations. There’s nothing wrong with this- except that I might be insulting a few members of Dubai city.

I’m very interested in the rising trend of, what I call, dark photography in advertisments. By this I mean that there are a number of ads being released that don’t deny colour, but seem to dampen it by enhancing the shadows and darker tones in the photograph. I’m not sure why this is, especially since I grew up in the time when bright colours and shiney made a product seem more necessary to the comfort of my life. Looking at this photograph, even the ‘plastic’ lady in red is still dimly lit and seems to be relying more on her cleavage to draw attention to herself than a strategically placed spotlight… maybe that’s the point. I’m not sure and it’s hard to tell with this particular advertisment because, subjective being that I am, I can’t quite bring myself to want plastic surgery enough to even be able to notice if this particular aesthetic display is favourable to my consumer needs.

However, I do have some experience with plastic surgery (I worked as a secretary for a Plastic Surgeon once) and let me tell you, it’s all about the canvas. That ‘plastic’ lady must have been the picture of beauty and youth in order to still look like that. Although I must commend Dubai Plastic Surgery for not creating a smutty advertisment. Most plastic surgery clinic’s advertisments have naked women sprawled in seductive, but most likely uncomfortable, positions half naked and flawless. The kind of flawless more readily created by photoshop than by nature or a surgeons scapel (or hammer and chisel in the case of nose jobs). This advertisment is still lying to you, but at least they’re not pretending like they’re not lying.

Advertising Agency: Memac Ogilvy, Dubai, UAE
Executive Creative Director: Till Hohmann
Creative Directors: Dalbir Singh, Ramzi Moutran
Art Director: Mel Harvey
Copywriter: Dylan Kidson
Photographer: Guy Neveling
Retoucher: Cream Studios, Sydney

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I can just imagine some poor, self-conscious woman sitting peacefully, waiting for the bus to work, making  no attempt to attract any attention, just minding her own business. All of a sudden, she looks up. There, for all her fellow commuters to see, is her most secret of secrets – her weight.

That 2kg she put on during the Christmas holidays is on display, along with that 10kg post-baby weight that she just hasn’t been able to shake and the extra 1kg she gained as a result of a recent post-break-up chocolate binge.

But will this make her want to go to the gym?

If it were me, I think I would rather sulk my way home to a nice packet of comfort crisps and a slice of reassuring cheesecake. I could not think of anything more embarrassing than having my weight broadcast at a bus stop for all to see, except maybe actually going to the gym and making an ass of myself. I am not overweight, but I am a woman. And women like to keep these things to themselves.

Yeah, it is innovative and interesting, and everybody likes to see something not-so expected while waiting for a bus. However, I liken this situation to that of a bride-to-be on her hens night; she has a stripper on her lap, is utterly dying of embarrassment, and her companions are being highly entertained by her discomfort and shame (and very glad it is not them in the hot seat). If you were a passer by and saw this ad, you would think it amusing, but if you were the poor sod sitting on the evil seat without noticing it was weighing you, it would not be so funny.

So I am indecisive as to whether his is an effective campaign of not.  I don’t think this would make me consider joining Fittness First any more than I have already considered it. In-fact, I think that if it were to persuade me to join a gym, I would probably join any other than the one that has so publicly brought to my attention (and that of others) my need for some excercise. However, you might be interested in a less cynical viewpoint, in which case check out Declan’s post here.

Lets just hope that any commuters as sensitive as me will look before they sit.

Advertising Agency: N=5, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Creatives: Marco de Jong, Thijs Bontje, Jurriaan Noij
Released: March 2009

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Our most powerful magnifier yet. Please use responsibly.

I want to like this ad, I really do. But it is just that wee bit too nasty and destructive  for me.

I never thought the words “sympathy” and “fly” would be compatible in the one sentence, yet here I find myself feeling sorry for the insect being blown to pieces by a heat beam so cruelly and intentionally aimed from above. 

And what about the beetle? No question – I feel the same for the beetle. The two insects, usually divided in the insect world by the fly’s most irritating nature and the beetles powers of construction or demolition, are brought together here as victims of a massacre of the most revolting kind.

They are getting blown to smithereens.

It is all a little graphic for my liking, but I will admit I do think it is effective, and, to some people, probably quite impressive. After all, what we have here is something pretty fascinating, and often even I have wondered how the anatomy of a bug or ant getting squashed actually looks. I mean, they are so small, how could they be made of anything other than simply ‘ant’ or ‘bug’?

But here we have it: bug anatomy, mid death-by-fire.

I guess this advertisement would probably appeal to people who, as little boys or girls, pinched Dad’s magnifier from the office desk and went outside on a sunny day to burn some insects.

I only ever did it with leaves, and I am glad, because I would be experience a little self-loathing and regret right now if I knew I had ever smashed a little insect to pieces with a piercing stream of magnified solar heat.

Agency: Y&R Dubai
Photographer: Groovy Singapore
Illustrator: Groovy Singapore
Executive Creative Director: Shahir Ahmed
Creative Director: Komal Bedi Sohal
Art Director: Komal Bedi Sohal
Copywriter: Shahir Ahmed
Country: United Arab Emirates

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Disposable. Just another word for garbage.

While this advertisement is clearly exaggerating the amount of space our obsolete lighters take up in our landfills, it certainly brings home the message. I for one have never even considered a cigarette lighter as such a wasteful item, and I have never thought about the fact that a Zippo lighter might be a better solution.

What we have to remember here is that the people at Zippo Manufacturing aren’t talking about the chemicals that exist in all lighters. They aren’t talking about cigarette butts or fires or toxic smoke. They are talking about disposable cigarette lighters, and that’s it. If we think about it all too much (which is always easy to do when faced with environmental issues in campaigns like these), then the selective advertising is all too obvious, and a little hypocritical.

Having said that, I do like this campaign. It certainly made me think about something that I never had before. After all, we all know about the toxic fumes in gas and petrol, and the impact it has on our natural resources. We all know about cigarette butt litter being a problem for struggling ecosystems, and we all know the devestation that can be caused by a discarded match or butt out of a car window.

This Zippo campaign quite cleverly distracts us from all these issues associated with flames and lighters and drawn our attentions to the less obvious (and maybe less significant?) problem of lighter garbage.

A problem, unlike the others, that Zippo can solve.

Advertiser: Zippo Manufacturing
Advertising Agency: BRUNNER, Pittsburgh, USA
Executive Creative Director: Jay Giesen
Creative Director / Art Director: Dave Vissat
Copywriter: Eric Schlauch
Photographer: Tom Cwenar, Pittsburgh
Retouching: Dwight Pritchett, Pittsburgh

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