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The Week In Advertising

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Very - Can't Wait For Summer

Quite a plush and expensive looking spot for Very, here. And a nice little twist at the end. It's just a shame the whole thing is focused on models with 'perfect' beach bodies, rather than the actual people likely to be shopping on the site. Quite why anyone would aspire to be Fearne Cotton is a bit of a mystery too. This is actually a decent shot at what could have been something rather dull and predictable, but where are the 'real' women?


Ataxia UK - Unfeeling

I often think the some of the most creative work in advertising is now being done in the charity sector. Stripping out the profit motive, and overly conservative corporate impulses, creates a clear canvass and room for ideas to breathe. This work for Ataxia UK proves the point. Slightly disturbing and certainly impactful, the picture of a distressing disease is acutely illustrated using visual effects alone. The simple, powerful copy adds to the power. My only reservation is the lack of real information. Before viewing this, I had little idea what Ataxia is, at the end I wasn't really much wiser.


Colman's Meal Kits - Say It All

There's trope in modern advertising which attempts to hitch deep, human emotions to the most prosaic of products. We saw this is the ludricous KFC campaign, whereby the comfort of adopted children was linked to take-away chicken; and now Colman's are suggesting their convenient dinner kits are capable of smoothing the first meeting between a little girl and her dad's new girlfriend. And I'm afraid this strikes me as just as daft. For a start, I don't think kids are won over by rice dishes (you can almost hear the 'yuk!'). More than this, though, the proposition that a ready-meal has any part to play in complex, human relationships is just a bit silly and insulting.


Clas Ohlson - We Can Fix It

Before seeing this, I'd never heard of the brand - suggesting it's either new to the UK, or I'm such a novice at DIY, I've missed out. Either way, this is obviously a Scandanavian name and, with those nations' reputation for efficient design, that's a real advantage. The obvious comparison is with Ikea - and this clip has a very similar feel to the campaigns of the furniture giant. Lots of cheeky humour, followed by a firm value-for-money pay-off. It works too. In the unlikely event I find myself in the market for a power-drill or some solar lighting, I may well have a look at Clas Ohlson. That said, I'd prefer a capable looking bloke in a blue shirt to do all the hard work.


Channel 4 - Humans

And finally, something very clever from Channel Four. I first saw this in a break in the science fiction movie 'Prometheus' - and took it to be a little enhancement to that screening, as the film features an android. It isn't though. In fact, it's a trailer for a new show called 'Humans', masquerading as an advertisement. Amusingly, a fair few folk have fallen for the stunt, taking to the web to enquire where they might buy a 'Sally'. There's also a convincing eBay listing for this synthetic assistant, so you can see why people were foxed. If the drama itself is as smart as the marketing, then we're in for a treat.

Magnus Shaw is a blogger, broadcaster and copywriter.

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