The Martin Agency – Geico
The Martin Agency scooped well-deserved Grand prix at Cannes last month for its brilliant take on pre-roll ads with “Unskippable,” ad for US car insurer Geico, and the agency is displaying that same acerbic humour here with another Geico ad, this time based around the classic board game “Operation.” The premise, and its well-executed reveal, are entertaining and genuinely surprising upon first viewing, and marks definite step up for the campaign, which has also included spots with “Free Range Chicken” and Salt-N-Peppa. The spot is part of the brand's “It's What You Do” campaign, and will be running nationwide in the US over the summer.
VCCP – Asda
Following the recent re-launch of the classic “Pocket Tap” from Asda, VCCP launched a lively 40 second ad this week, which will run throughout the summer on TV, VOD and in cinemas. As the supermarket chain celebrates its 50th birthday, it was definitely the right time to bring back the pocket tap, considering Asda's affordability has always been its biggest selling point. The spot is a colourful and summery piece from Moxie Pictures, who also developed the earlier ad, which was also based around the same theme. The new spot, however, is being supplemented digitally by an online video which follows magician Ben Hanlin, who decided to use the classic pocket tap move as a basis for a magic trick and use it to baffle and amaze customers at Asda's Old Kent Road store.
ASDA and VCCP have brought back the classic “Pocket Tap” in a big way
Ben, the 26-year-old star of TV show Tricked made £5 and £10 notes vanish into thin air, only for them to reappear in the back pockets of the various volunteers, which they got the keep. He also made money appear from bread rolls, a sealed packet of crisps and unopened yoghurt pots. Asda spokeswoman Mammy Maguire, said: “We wanted to get back to showcasing the fun and personality which we think makes Asda special. This played a big part in us deciding to bring back the Pocket Tap, we know it’s popular with a lot of the British public. Hopefully the lucky customers who walked away with a little extra cash will have treated themselves to something nice on us.”
Droga5 – Clearasil
The acne category is awash (no pun intended) with confidence clutter, with every brand shouting about confidence, which most teens just don't buy it. That's why Droga5's brand strategy for Clearasil taps into a more real source of confidence: reassurance that “It gets better.” This latest spot from Droga5 for the brand begins as a pretty bog-standard facial care ad with a talking tube of cream that appears to have a bit of an attitude problem Things take a serious turn for the better, however, as the ad, titled “Interruption,” reveals itself to have a few more interesting and hilarious tricks up its sleeve. The “Let’s Be Clear” campaign is a refreshingly no-nonsense take on acne, and a huge departure from smiley-faced models vapidly splashing water on their faces, which I enthusiastically endorse!
Deutsch – Volkswagen of America
Volkswagen of America unveiled the “Unleash Your Rrrr” site that allows Volkswagen fans to drive a virtual Golf R using only the sound of their voices. The web app uses “Deep Learning,” an artificial intelligence subset of Machine Learning, developed by VW’s agency of record Deutsch LA, to analyse each user’s unique impression of the Golf R engine’s roar. It then generates a customised video of the 292-hp turbocharged Golf R model roaring through a race track, drifting, braking, among other cool stunts that correspond with the user’s voice recording. To promote the site, two spots were filmed. The first features the “Man of 10,000 Sound Effects” Michael Winslow (of Police Academy fame) trying out the site, putting his vocal stylings to their best use since. Well. Police Academy. The other features professional stunt driver Tanner Foust, who also performed the stunts in the videos. Foust represented Team Volkswagen during the 2014 Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) season, and was a stunt driver in the “The Fast & the Furious” movies.
The “Unleash Your Rrrr” site from Volkswagen and Deutsch LA allows Volkswagen fans to drive a virtual Golf R using only the sound of their voices
Vinay Shahani, vice president of marketing for Volkswagen of America, said” “The idea behind the Golf R ‘Unleash Your Rrrr’ was simple – imagination. As children, we've all played with toy cars, and the power of our imaginations allowed us to turn rugs into expressways and wooden floors into slick racetracks. Our voice would act as the engine. Fast forward to today where we now have the power of technology to enhance our imagination, and to visualise the power of our voice.” To create their personalised Golf R videos, users can visit the bespoke Unleash Your Rrrr website on their desktops and then share them online with their friends.
Irish International – The UPC Network
UPC, Ireland’s leading connected entertainment provider, has launched its latest ad campaign which follows a day in the life of two people, a parrot, and Pixie the dog. The “Life Flows Better With UPC” ad celebrates the power of UPC’s fibre powered network, with a twee voiceover introducing the storyline of a girl who lives with her parrot, and a man who owns a dog called Pixie, who cannot resist an open door! The charming ad campaign was created by local agency Irish International and produced by Rattling Stick, with media planning handled by OMD and will also run in cinema, display, on line search, social media Video on Demand, radio, print and out of home.
Honourable Mentions
Red Bee Media – Hyundai
Kelly Brook features in the second spot by Red Bee Media to feature the hapless salesman “George.” It's light and full of innuendo, but does drag on a bit at 5 minutes.
AMV BBDO – The National Lottery
The third celebrity to receive the “Anyone but them” treatment (after Piers Morgan and Katie Price) in the new AMV BBDO campaign is famous fop Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, who is seen applying his 'visionary' interior design skills to Stonehenge, something he sees as a blot on the British landscape. It's a bit of fun, but it's nowhere near as incendiary as the brand's earlier spots. Probably because the subject here isn't quite as much of a bell-end as his forebears?
TBWA\Chiat\Day LA – Airbnb
The latest spot for Airbnb's “Never a Stranger” campaign by TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, aims to explore the kindness of man. It features a baby in a home setting and reveals the innocence and innate kindness of youth –highlighting a current example of the kindness of man. It's a little pompous, but it works.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK.
