ad: Annual 2024 Now Open For Entries!
*

The Week In Advertising

Published by

Arnie And The Meerkat

Unless you've been on holiday to Jupiter, you'll have seen the current 'Compare The Market' work, wherein Alexander and Sergei run into trouble with the former Terminator. But what happened behind the scenes? Here's your chance to find out...


Habitat - Voyeur

It's very noticeable how raunchy TV advertising has become in recent years. I can think of at least two campaigns in the last year alone, which have used bedroom antics as their basis. To be honest, while sex still sells, it can also be a bit squirm inducing. This is an exception. Of course, I don't condone peeping at people through their window - but I do admire the risk Habitat is taking here. Particularly as the execution is so nicely done. Although VW did the whole 'can't stop looking' concept before, I still find this very classy, rather smart and beautifully made. Gives a whole new meaning to 'the money shot'.


Honda - Keep Up

It's not unusual for a print ad to be copy led, but a TV campaign driven by the written word is a rarer beast. However, that's exactly what Honda have done. Apparently the idea is 'borrowed' from a smartphone app, which displays books in this 'flash' format, and it's interesting how easy it is to absorb copy a word at a time. So congratulations to Honda and their agency for managing to persuade viewers to actually 'read' their tellies. How much this has to do with automobiles, I couldn't say, nor whether I could manage a whole novel this way, but it's definitely something different - forcing engagement without annoyance or volume.
 

EE - EETV

I have a personal beef with EE. Having been a loyal user for many years, the service they offered when I attempted to order their fibre-optic broadband, was woeful. Clearly they're spending all their money on Hollywood stars, rather than actually looking after their consumers. That aside, I think they've wasted this opportunity, giving Kevin Bacon some pretty poor scripts and making him come off as smug and sneery. And now they've added the two chaps from Gogglebox, it's just all a bit messy and desperate. The company that wins the broadband wars won't be the one with the most famous faces, it'll be the one that can actually take care of its customers.


Ryainair - Then and Now

Although they're the butt of many a joke, no-one could deny Ryanair's enormous success. Largely built on their incredibly low fares, their marketing is now moving into added customer benefits. As we'd expect, there's nothing subtle here - look what we used to do, look what we do now. Bam! Selling point after selling point, and very much in keeping with the airline's 'no frills' brand position; and boy, does it work. Many ads squander their exposure by forgetting to give a reason to act, Ryanair give you half a dozen in one shot. And those phone-based boarding passes? Fantastic idea and long overdue. I don't think I could handle the on-board selling for a long haul trip, but if I was simply hopping over to the continent, I know who I'd book with.

Magnus Shaw is a copywriter and blogger.

Comments

More Leaders

*

Leaders

Inspiring Female Leaders: An Interview with RAPP CEO Gabrielle Ludzker

Gabrielle Ludzker is not just any CEO. The current head honcho at customer experience agency RAPP has spent her career breaking away from the traditional corporate CEO stereotype. and leads to inspire rule breakers. Gabby is an inspirational rule...

Posted by: Benjamin Hiorns
ad: Annual 2024 Now Open For Entries!