CHRISTMAS AD PICKS

Christmas ads seem to come out earlier every year, decorations and mince pies are out the day after Halloween. I wanted to share a few spots that have sparkled for me this year.

A lovely piece of storytelling about a dad bringing his child's favourite snow globe to life, it helps when you get Taika Waititi directing the spot.

Elf one of everyone's favorite Christmas film, has been used in the new ASDA supermarket spot. They've used the actual footage from the film and brought it into the ASDA store, clever. The rotoscoping would have been fun on this one.

Some of the John Lewis spots in the last few years haven't been as good as some of the first few, I've felt, but this one sits up there. I love the feeling of this spot, it feels very real and relatable to learning something new too. Making people more aware of adoption at the end is great.

The world cup happening around Christmas is strange, this ad from the betting company Paddy Power brings Christmas and football together in some very fun snippets. I love the flair up the Turkey.

Have a great break and thanks for reading.

SEPT/OCT/NOV AD PICKS

Quite a few good ads that have caught my eye these last few months, enjoy.

With agencies sometimes creating ads just to win awards, this ad sums it up brilliantly. The 'Left-handed mango chutney' plays with this in a dinner party scene. 

My favourite bit is he only sold 6 jars, his wife buying 4. But he did get 12 billion impressions, brand engagement by 112% and won the Grand Prix. 

More ads should be done tackling this, I'm laughing even thinking about it.

FYP is a music video for Durex, getting more people to use them. I reckon this will get a lot of shares for the right audience too. It's a very Lonely Island style video (I'm on a boat and more).

A true love story in this one for Volvo trucks, who are back with a fun spot. 

The craft in every aspect of this ad is beautiful, for an Insurance company too, it really stands out.

Inployable, is bigger than just this spot creating a recruitment drive for employers to give people with down syndrome a chance. I fondly remember Tuck in Ozark and thought how great it was to get more down syndrome roles in TV and film too.

Virtual beauty isn't real, the representation is lacking. Dove with their 'Real Beauty' campaigns have created real characters based off real people in the spot. Gaming companies should take note.

A very clever use of media, putting these spots right at the end of a popular Murder Mystery TV show in New Zealand. They added an extra scene with the same actors who died in that episode, wishing they had life insurance. 

A good spot to end it this time too, I hope you enjoyed these spots as much as I did.

JULY/AUG AD PICKS

It's Ad Picks time.

I love a good fantasy game and I was surprised this was never done before, having a mixed male and female players in one fantasy league. I hope to see more of these in the next few years.

This next ad is very clever, playing with scenes in horror films that always happen and the stupid things they do 'running away from the killer, rather than grabbing something big and sharp, dumb'. It's for American Red Cross getting blood donors, as so many people like watching blood spilled not many people give blood

What would you trade? A man (Cheestring in disguise) buys a billboard with one Cheestring for a trade, seeing what he could trade it for. It went crazy viral with people offering all kinds of things. 

It's the same idea as the book 'The Red paper clip', that a person starts with a paperclip and keeps trading his next item for a better item until he gets a house. It is well worth a read.

Ai generators are amazing and quite scary at the same time. The other day I watched a video talking about Ai taking over from artists in the future. Heinz Ketchup jumped on the bandwagon with a fun campaign seeing what artwork it would create for 'Ketchup'. With there distinctive shaped bottle.

I hope you enjoyed reading this months Ad Picks, see you soon.

MAY/JUNE AD PICKS

Hi, I'm sharing a few ads that have caught my eye over the last couple of months.

Time to check your privacy settings on your phone. This iPhone ad brings to life the scary realities in an auction settings, making you really aware that there are people out there bidding for your data.

QR codes are now on everything after the rise of them with COVID check in's and after phones cameras finally integrated them. They have their place and when used correctly they work well, but don't just stick them on as an after though. This is a great creative example of the right use of them, integrating it into the ad.

A beautiful crafted print ad for Guinness, it doesn't even need a line. I like how the 'Guinness' logo is designed into the layout.

This cheeky stunt for Ribena around the Jubilee made me laugh, using Harry and Megan lookalikes.

What stood out for you over the last couple of months?

MAR/ARP AD PICKS

Welcome to Ad Picks March/April Edition.

I used to love playing Tony Hawk's games as a kid, I never had good balance so stuck to the game. I like this clever activation playing on skateboarders scratching their boards, in this activation they scratch the board to reveal special hidden prizes.

This new Snickers ad made me laugh, a very awaked moment brought to life very well. A moment that I hope you never experience.

The classic Jeep grill. Using airplane windows this time, even though it's showing travel via planes, the scenes it shows makes you want to drive a Jeep on the other end of your flight. Clever, well done Jeep.

Walking your dog at night can be dangerous for both owner and drivers crossing the roads. I love these high vis fashion outfits for your dog to stand out and be saved.

A clever use of the McDonalds 'M'. this time promoting putting litter in the right place. Macca's bags are always on the streets, so it's great to see them putting a message out there like this.

Thanks for reading, see you soon.

JAN/FEB AD PICKS

Hello 2022.

I'm a big fan of Bluey, having watched multiple kids cartoons with my son. It's one of the funniest and most engaging for kids and adults. Air bnb have created the actually house as a listing to stay in, It's more than just advertising, love it.

Sadly it booked up very fast, but it's fun reading the listing check it out here.

Jon Hamm not being on Apple TV and persuading him to be in an ad promoting it and telling you who is on it, well done. It's engaging and putting the product first and foremost throughout the whole ad without feeling forced.

This is going to hurt, is a book you must read. It's the stories of a junior doctor in the UK working 97 hour weeks, from gory to hilarious stories, you won't put it down. 

The BBC in the UK have just put it on our screens, to promote it they have created this billboard with Doctors pagers (I hope not real active ones though).

My favourite Super Bowl ad this year goes to GM Motors bringing back Dr Evil. I love Austin Powers and to bring back the key cast in this way was great to see. 

Sometimes when ads bring back actors replaying previous roles it can feel a bit forced and they've aged a bit too much for it, but this was fun.

I hope you enjoyed it and checked out some ads you may have not seen yet.

NEW WORK - SUNSMART

Taking a completely fresh approach to skin cancer prevention, this campaign is based on the theme ‘Two sides of the Sun’. It leverages the insight that the sun has a positive and nurturing side when the UV is below 3, but when it’s 3 or above, its damaging and destructive side takes over.

Credits

Client: SunSmart

Agency: Gatecrasher Advertising, Perth 

Creative Directors: Adam Barker, Lori Canalini

Senior Art Director: Henry Billington

Copywriter: Adam Barker

Production company: Stir Fry Content Kitchen

Producer: Anouk Ratnawibhushana

Director: Matt Pitcher

DOP: Ross Metcalf