Capital FM - Biggest Hits
I'm not overly fond of Capital Radio. Over the last decade they've set about eradicating truly local music radio, and ensuring its replacement is nothing more than banal yammering. But what of their advertising? Well, not surprisingly it's little more than banal yammering, albeit from some very famous people. The concept must have taken about thirty seconds to dream up, and the script about ten seconds more. The hard work here is all in the booking and budgeting. That doesn't make the radio stations any good though.
Leovegas - Leo
Seems every other TV spot these days is for some sort of online gambling outfit. So many, in fact, it's very hard to tell one from another - which is quite a problem for these digital casinos. 'Foxy Bingo' hit on the idea of a walking, talking fox in a suit. And guess what Leovegas came up with? Of course! A walking, talking lion in a suit. That said, I do think there's a certain swagger and style to the story and execution here. Leo himself does look rather grand too. It's the orginality that's lacking, and unfortunately that's everything in a crowded market.
M&Ms - Ms. Brown
I worry for any poor stoner who happens on this campaign, after a strong smoke. Enormous talking chocolates are probably too much for their fragile mindset. For the rest of us, it's all just slightly bizarre - particularly in this vaguely adult-themed execution. The whole point of talking product characters is that they're quite cute, quite funny. The M&M people aren't really either, just a bit annoying and scary. I like a bag of M&Ms as much as the next greedy-guts, but I'm afraid it's just the sugar-boost motivating me, not these ads.
Dulux - Colourless Future
Well, haven't things changed since those Dulux ads with a fluffy dog and a happy family in their beautifully decorated home? The fluffy dog is just about hanging in there, but everything else is high-concept science fiction mini-movie. And despite the fact that someone has been watching The Matrix trilogy a little too often, it works pretty well. Yes, it's all a touch pretentious (this is just paint, after all), the plot is easy to follow, the pace nicely edgy, and the impact substantial. Will there be sequels? I suppose it depends how much sunset orange emulsion they sell.
Magnus Shaw is a blogger and copywriter
