This is the year of Transformers – the movie came out out on 4th July 2006 – here’s a short clip from Nike that indulges in the robotic transformation as well. It’d be pretty cool if they really get a billboard or installation that really transforms!
Audi is a brand that I aspire to – I always told friends of how I liked their blend of design and engineering. And this witty ad communicates precisely that – with a great dash of humor and creativity, just like their cars. Man, they just make me love them more.
This is a rather unusual concept that aims to pedal home the point – LED lights use a lot less energy than conventional light sources. For 120 hours, the ad agency had volunteers pedaling around the clock on the bicycle to keep the 1500 LED lights glowing.
A Christmas campaign by BC Hydro – which interestingly, is an power/utility company. Maybe I’d write more on the apparent hypocrisy of companies who advocate the opposite of their products next time (e.g. Big Tobacco funding Quit-Smoking centers) etc.
A Mexican newspaper, Milenio, launched a pretty tongue-in-cheek advertisement with the caption “Un Mondo Tan Complejo Necesita Una Buena Explicación (A complex world requires a good explanation). Quite cute and clever, don’t you think?
An old concept (similar to the million-dollar-homepage) rehashed onto real, physical space – The Sandberg Institute launched a campaign called Artvertising:
It’s a spectacular work of art on the façade of the Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam consisting of more than 300 logos and trademarks of businesses, organizations and people. The façade consists of more than 16,000 tiles [35x29cm], each of which will soon be supplied with its own individual printed plastic plate. The result will be an overwhelming mosaic of colour and information – a project that seeks to push the boundaries between commerce and art, society and the movements of the market, the private sector and public space. The Sandberg Institute is located on the Amsterdam ring road in the Zuidas district, the city’s new economic center.
Perhaps this is simply a massive advertisement for its own art/design programs as well. This reminds me of Andy Warhol of Campbell-Soup-Art fame, just perhaps multiplied a hundred times. Not quite my cup of tea – advertising in itself is an art, but putting together a collage of brand names is just… not quite the epitome of human mind’s exploration.
LEGO strikes again with simplicity – drawing an analogy to the classic photo where (adult) construction workers perched on scaffoldings for lunch. A simple message drawn out with a powerful association.
In the advertising world, the key issue is always to create impressions. Ad campaigns are measured based on impressions – can the user recall it (especially after being exposed to hundreds of advertisements a day), what are their impressions of it (favorable?), etc. And so marketers and advertisers had to stretch their imaginations to create ads that last, that stick. Sometimes it involves shock tactics, like the two above.
Personally I think those have gone too far. While the cause is worthy, and the technical execution great, it just left distaste in my mind. For me, if you want to give people a surprise (especially when you’re on their property – like on their cars), it’d better be a pleasant one. Some time back in Singapore, some creative advertising agencies placed stickers that look like sratches on car doors too – advertising for a car grooming company – as some of the comments reflected: advertising should be creative, but it must also go down well with the potential client.
What do you think?
I’ve always been partial towards Audi cars – for me, they symbolize a fusion of well-thought engineering and refined design. Here’s a print ad campaign for the Audi RS4 – I think the execution for this series of ads simply crystallized that Audi spirit, expressing it in a clear and yet artful manner.
A toast to those who can see the art and beauty of engineering! And here’s the video for the campaign:
