Bob Garfield Hates New BMW Campaign, We Have to Like It

bmw_ideas.jpg

Bob Garfield hates the new BMW campaign from GSD&M which, of course, means we have to like it. Bob thinks GSD&M's use of the bureaucracy-kills-ideas concept with images of old, retro boardroom dudes portrayed as pompous fools without a good idea left in their bones reflected against BMW's refreshingly idea-centric, independent approach is really, really bad. He goes on to explain how that concept is old are tired and how it mirrors a creative process he claims had something to do with killing what could have been a good concept. All potentially true.

more »

by Steve Hall    Jun- 6-06    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Creative Commentary, Good, Opinion, Television



Country Folk Need Stuff Too

tsc_country.jpg

Contrary to popular belief in the ad industry, everyone does not live in the city. In fact, there's a lot more people living in the flyover states than on the coasts. All those people need stuff and they need a place to buy it. OK, they do have a few stores on the coasts but you get the point. Anyway, Tractor Supply Company is the place to get all your country needs and, while we think we've seen these before, Carmichael Lynch along with Bent Image Lab have created a new campaign to let people now about it. The spots are great. See one of them here. See the rest here.

by Steve Hall    Jun- 5-06    
Topic: Campaigns, Good, Television



Animation Smokes, Cabs Get Ads, Feminine Wash Ingeniously Gross

summers_eve_between.jpg

- For the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, Maris, West & Baker has created a new commercial called Candy Factory that teaches children about the harmful effects of smoking.

- Here's a pretty cool promo for MTV2's Sic'Emation animated programming block. The promotions was created by AMP.

- The Chicago City Council has approved taxi cab advertising and 2,175 of the city's 6,900 cabs have asked to carry ads which will be sold by two companies.

- Pittsburgh's Iron City Beer gets Presidential mention.

- Students at the University of Pittsburgh have won the Hinda Fit Marketing Challenge besting 17 other schools. The winning entry may be used in an upcoming campaign.

- We wouldn't know anything about feminine wash products but this ad for Summer's Eve is ingeniously gross.

- Sometimes even the best efforts at removing graffiti are completely pointless.

by Steve Hall    Jun- 4-06    
Topic: Campaigns, Commercials, Online, Television



Not Everyone Loves World Cup Football

ka2_WKvibrator_285x206en.jpg

While it seems the entire world is caught up in one gigantic World Cup Football frenzy, not everyone is a fan of the sport. In light of that fact, Belgium's Channel Two promises to provide some alternative entertainment and this ad gets that point across very clearly. Duval Guillaume created the campaign.

by Steve Hall    Jun- 2-06    
Topic: Campaigns, Good, Magazine



Baygon Bug Spray Slaps Home Its Message

baygonface3.jpg

In advertising, most always, a well chosen visual always beats well written copy. This is evidenced in a print campaign for Baygon bug spray in which the results of reacting to a bug bite are displayed. The campiagn was created by FCB Wlka, Delhi.

by Steve Hall    May-31-06    
Topic: Campaigns, Good, Magazine



Campaign Fights Prejudice in Portugal

portugal_amnesty.jpg

It's unfortunate this industry has to waste its time creating campaigns for insensitive idiots but, apparently, there are enough people in Portugal who are prejudice against the country's immigrants that this commercial for Amnesty International was necessary. It was vreated by McCann Erikson Portugal.

by Steve Hall    May-31-06    
Topic: Campaigns, Commercials, Good



Global Security Mag Campaign Eases Fear of Nuclear War

BulletinNightlightFpg72.jpg

Today, in the category of business to business advertising, we have this campaign from Chicago-based Hadrian's Wall for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Yes, we said, "Huh?" as well. The bulletin, which has been around since just after that lovely time when we figured it would be OK to bomb the crap out a county to end a world war, is affiliated with the University of Chicago and focuses on global security issues and the assessment of nuclear danger. The campaign is intended to lessen the intimidating factors of nuclear danger and broaden the publication's circulation. This, and we're serious here, is done through the concept of showing a child's night light and the security that imagery connotes. Click the image to see a bigger version of the ad.

by Steve Hall    May-31-06    
Topic: Campaigns, Magazine



'Truth' Campaign Gets Ridiculous

mattress_smoking.jpg

Normally, we'd never be one to side with a tobacco company on anything, but this new spot from the American Legacy Foundation's Truth campaign is giving us cause. In this second spot in the campaign, a dude walks into a store to buy a mattress and strikes up a conversation with the sales person. He tells the guy that back in 1985, a tobacco company VP wondered if sleep should be banned because the majority of people die in their sleep. So the basis of this spot come from a comment that was likely a joke and is trying to twist it into some sort of "Oh my God, can you believe a cancer stick maker would actually suggest sleep be banned to fend off accusations smoking kills" thing. It's ridiculous.

more »

by Steve Hall    May-26-06    
Topic: Campaigns, Commercials, Strange, Worst



'Truth' Campaign Asks 'WhatDaFxup With Zephr?'

whudafxup_zephyr.jpg

While referring to tobacco companies' use of the code word "Zephyr" in the fifties to refer to cancer might not be the strongest argument, the American Legacy Foundation's "Truth" campaign has launched a new campaign that includes a spot featuring a guy who goes into an oncologist's office to see if he has Zephyr/cancer. The campaign hopes to call attention to what it calls "absurdities" it sees in tobacco company marketing. A second spot will follow in a day or two.

by Steve Hall    May-23-06    
Topic: Campaigns, Good, Poster, Television



HP Gets Personal In New Campaign

hp_personal.jpg

Speaking about the computer as if it were an extension of one's self, HP has launched a new ad campaign that celebrates (over analyzes?) the relationship between computer and human and how it is "one of the most personal things you own," " your own broadcast network," "your private media empire" and "it's your life." There are tinges of past Apple campaigns the the recent HP images campaign embedded in this campaign. One spot, hosted online, ends with a virtual desktop which you can drill into as if it were your own. Unfortunately, one of the spots ends with that nasty, consistency-ruining Intel ending. But, with all the monet Intel throws at computer makers just to show that logo and sound bite, we're stuck with that for a long time.

by Steve Hall    May-23-06    
Topic: Brands, Campaigns, Good, Magazine, Online, Television