today's AMAZING TV AD : honda's "cog" 2 minute tv spot

for more on this, go to this post : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/2008/04/cog-honda-tv-spot-another-amazing-ad.html; april 14 post.
the inspiration is mount pinatubo when some years ago, all of a sudden, after decades of being dormant, it decided to erupt, spewing debris and ash several kilometers high, blowing ashes to float everywhere, far and wide, turning the skies gloomy gray as far away as metro manila, hundreds of kilometers away, covering metro manila streets and rooftops with thick ash. the pinatubo eruption was so powerful that its ashes changed the color of sunsets not only in the philippines but also worldwide.

that's what happens when clients and advertising agencies decide to run ads not worthy to be called advertising. its dark, its huge and very irritating and unfortunately, everywhere!


all they are doing is wawam! what a waste of advertising money!


here is a first row view of Philippine Advertising and Philippine Marketing.

mount pinatubo erupts shooting ashes several kilometers high, then floating to blanket many other towns hundreds of kilometers away

new comments from WAWAM! readers

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Showing posts with label tv ads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tv ads. Show all posts

Friday, June 12, 2009

No To Con-Ass Power – across the board, in lightning speed : Marketing & Advertising 101

the efforts executed by No To Con Ass supporters is an excellent case study for Marketing & Advertising 101.these are the key points:

  • the most impressive was the lightning speed by which the various efforts were launched all within 24 to 48 hours of congress approving HR 1109. within that time frame - blogs, websites and facebook accounts were launched; a logo was created and distributed, small groups organized who did pockets of small protests around the city.
  • a major rally was announced, organized and executed on june 10, less than a week after congress approved HR 1109 and the rally in makati was very well attended.
  • a no to con ass, tv ad, "Hindi Ako Papayag" was written, produced and aired within 3 to 4 days of the congress approving con-ass. this ad had an excellent concept with a strong and memorable strategy visual. copy was sparse and very sharp. there was no mistaking what the message was and delivered in a very compelling way, the visuals as the main driver. we also noticed the production values of the ad, it was well made and well directed.
  • within the same very short time frame various groups who attended the rally executed their own concepts of protest with many of them very creative, persuasive and to the point. it's amazing to see all sorts of unique groups expressing their protest on the issue in their own way.

from a marketing and advertising perspective, these are what happened:

  • on the over-all excellent marketing strategy that covers all components of persuasion
  • communication strategy was brilliant - sharp, insightful and highly creative
  • succeeded in connecting with a very wide target audience through a long list of efforts that appeal to each audience segment
  • succeeded in capturing participants from a very wide demographics and psychographics profile from the rich to the poor
  • excellent use of various media (traditional and non-traditional) and events all executed within the same short time frame for optimum impact and visibility
  • lightning speed and flawless execution

in this marketing and advertising effort the line between marketer/advertiser and target audience is almost invisible with both groups crossing the line in various degrees and efforts. but as in any mass media exposed marketing and advertising activity, the true audience will always be those at home or at the office watching the event unfold who are always large in number.

it is the marketer and adman's dream. it's secret in it's success? those who executed the marketing and advertising activities were highly committed to their cause and believed in it with a passion.

that by itself is another marketing and advertising lesson in Marketing & Advertising 101.




read more here: http://2010presidentiables.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/no-to-con-ass-power-across-the-board-in-lightning-speed/

Thursday, May 7, 2009

vitwater revised pacquiao tv ad

vitwater did revise the pacquiao ad. they edited out the visual showing manny pacquiao laughing at himself that is has no audio-video lock as the voice over of manny was seriously talking about vitwater, saying vitwater is better than water, a key selling point for the brand.

they also took out two other shots of pacquaio talking to camera, in effect also reducing the number of times he said that dreaded phrase, "you know...." which makes pacquiao look like a joke and a caricature of what is wrong in pinoys talking in english. they replaced these visuals with pacquiao doing some boxing moves. they're lucky they have these shots in the can.

the "you know..." line seem to be a copy point for vitwater as the same line is in their billboard (scroll down, view pic of billboard). it does not make sense why they use it as a copy line when it makes pacquiao look bad.

those are really slight improvements, the same comments we gave are still there (scroll down, read post) and does not change this ad being a WAWAM! and has ADS Sindrome and all the other acronyms we are yet to invent in this blog.

we still can't get over the fact that this celebrity endorser ad made out its celebrity endorser intentionally look bad and a joke. it's directly the exact opposite of what companies want their celebrity to look - their best and most admirable persona. in this ad, they presented pacquiao, a world class champion fighter, admired by the world, a fighter with a place in all of boxing history and the hero of every pinoy as a trying hard fool of a pinoy who has the english speaking skills of a 5 year old just learning to speak in english.

----

published: may 16, 2009

the manny pacquiao vitwater tv ad is a 15-second edit down version of the original 30 second tv ad, it's not a revision. comments on the 15-second ad posted here stands.

we think this  pacquiao vitwater ad continue to make pacquaio look bad, although in degrees, it is not as bad as the 30 second version. the ad, however, continue to be  too plain to the point of being boring. the key weakness of the ad is it is too simplistic and starkly one-dimensional and failed to leverage  any of the very rich characteristics and points of admiration of the celebrity they use in this ad. this weakness is much even more obvious in this edit down version.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

did vitwater revise their manny pacquiao tv ad?

someone sent me a text saying the manny pacquiao vitwater tv ad has been revised - they edited out the manny laughing at himself shot and reduced the "you know...." copy line mentions to just two from the previous 4 mentions. the revised ads were shown during the pacquaio-hatton fight.

i watched the fight but i tuned off and did not watch it everytime the vitwater tv ad was shown and that's the reason why i didn't know if they did or did not revise the ad. i just could not stand to watch that ad on tv.

anyone else notice anything new in that ad?

and we are now wondering - did RFM, makers of vitwater and/or Aspac/Law, vitwater's ad agency read this blog?

Friday, May 1, 2009

you know, manny pacquiao is a loser!

i don't get this tv ad of manny pacquiao. i just didn't shake my head when i first saw this ad, i shook it many times and every time i see the ad on tv. i also end up talking to myself, why the hell did they make this ad this way. and at the end of the 30s ad, i get my cellphone out and my ipod touch and key in a to-do note for myself : "DO NOT BUY VITWATER!". i don't use caps even in my cellphone, i use caps on this one. ooops, i had entered that already the last time i saw the ad. geez, i must have tried to key that in to my gadgets a hundred times already, the same number of times i had seen this ad.

yes! this ad is being aired at very heavy weight! the pacquiao - hutton fight is a few days from now, they are making the most of torturing me! this vitwater ad is one more strong reason why i don't watch local shows on tv!

i usually say this at the end of the discussion. but for this one i like to say it on the 3rd paragraph - this manny pacquiao ad of vitwater is a WAWAM! and has ADS Sindrome! and all other acronyms i am yet to invent in this blog!





whew! we will take this slow now...

water with vitamins which is what vitwater is a product for the AB upper C target market. the mass market, broad C and the DE will not bother with this product. the price will keep the mass market away from this product. to expect the mass market even as an intentional occasional user is water under the bridge of marketing possibilities.

the AB and upper C target market know pacquaio, most likely 100% of them. some of them even pay P600.00 for pay per view venues, have cable in their homes and most watches his fights. there is no question that pacquiao has an appeal to the target market.

it is also VERY safe to assume the AB upper C target market is an english speaking target market. here's the part i don't get and the major reason i want to get my cellphone and touch to key in "DO NOT BUY VITWATER" all over again - why in the world did they make pacquiao speak in english?!!!

what the f_ck is that?

pacquiao is obviously not a an english language speaker. let me say it first, i don't take that against him, i take it against vitwater for making pacquaio speak in english! the accent drives me crazy. this ad does not make pacquiao endearing to its target market. it makes pacquiao a joke, a caricature to make fun of. in this ad, vitwater rapes pacquiao of his hero status among filipinos.

what gets me here is that vitwater and the ad agency knew what they were making pacquiao do and what they were turning him in to. everybody knows pacquiao sounds funny when he talks in english. he sounds a little funny when he talks in filipino as he has a mindanao accent but that is not a turn off. in fact his mindanao accent makes it endearing. he is a man from mindanao from humble beginnings doing well for himself and his country, having this mindanao accent to his pilipino is a good thing. but having an accent when he speaks in english in a tv ad makes him a joke. all of that vitwater and the ad agency must have known.

the AB upper C target market do understand pilipino well. there is no reason for vitwater not to make him speak in pilipino. it could have been as understandable as english but with the added benefit of making manny look real and yes endearing.

the copy or script of this ad to me is a mystery. who wrote the script? the copy is so sparse, lacks a sale and sounds very amateurish. how could an ad agency write copy like this and how can they have presented copy like that to the client?

the other half of the mystery - was this a scriptless tv ad? like they just asked manny to say whatever he wanted and they just rolled the camera? manny is a champion fighter, not a copywriter, surely they cannot expect manny to come up with gems in copy?

the copy is just too one-dimensional and too shallow. this vitamins in water product is pioneering. it's a new product concept that has a lot of potential for a compelling story that can be matched with a hero who also has a multi-dimensional persona around him. a new product and pioneering product concept plus pacquiao could have been a match made in heaven, but vitwater did not cease the day. the ad does not at all feel like its introducing a pioneering product.

and we have not yet mentioned the fact that it is really bad english. the english used in this ad, and we assume this was written by the ad agency is english of a 5 year old who is just learning to speak it - stocatto, few words, few thoughts, few vocabulary and bad construction.

there are many other things that went wrong in this ad. but the biggest among the small things is a directorial and editorial snafu. at frame 0:06 as pacquaio on voice over was saying "...but for me, there is something better, you know", the commercial cuts to pacquiao looking at someone off camera then goes into a laugh. the scene before and after the pacquiao on a laugh scene showed pacquiao in a serious mood, not to mention the background music had the same serious atmosphere and tone.

in audio, manny was delivering a key selling point for the product - vitwater is better than just water, a serious thing and yet the visual showed manny laughing like he was laughing at the line, losing all credibility and believability.

that is just the tip of the failure of this ad. the biggest error of this ad is the use of english for manny's speaking lines and the one-dimensional, shallow and zero sale in the copy. the bigger error is that this ad has completely mis-read its target market, the AB upper C. we love manny, but we learned to hate vitwater. (note to self: key in entry into cellphone and touch "DO NOT BUY VITWATER").

i feel bad for pacquiao. i don't think any of this is pacquiao's fault. the ad agency and vitwater made pacquiao, our hero, look really bad.

okay, okay, before we end - i know that you know and that you want to know what i know. i know you have been waiting for me to mention it --- manny said "you know..." a total of 4 times in the 30 second ad. that means there were 4 irritants in that ad, you know?

this is a WAWAM!, has ADS Sindrome and all the other acronyms i am yet to think of in the future.

view the vitwater tv spot here: http://tinyurl.com/c7tzcp or scroll down.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

why put manny pacquiao in a bad light? a caricature of pinoy weakness?



in ads, a lot of effort is put into making the talents, most specially celebrities to look in the best possible light. ad agencies hire professional make up artists, costume designers and the best cameramen to make sure the talents look good on screen. directors are very particular to make sure that aside from making sure the storyboard is delivered, the talent should also look good. some celebrities even make it part of the their contract that their preferred make-up artist are hired for tv ads they appear in.


clients choose talents in their ads, specially celebrities, because they bring something good to the ad and the product. use a well loved celebrity and they expect sales to go up.

so why did vitwater make manny pacquiao look bad in their ad?

Sunday, April 26, 2009

apple releases 4 new "get a mac" tv ads



Apple "Get a Mac" ad: Biohazard Suit

This ad features PC in a Biohazard suit, and he explains that he is wearing it because PC viruses and malware have tippled in the last year, with estimates that 20,000 new ones discovered every day.



Legal Copy

In this ad, PC begins talking about the benefits of using a PC and as he talks the bottom of the (and eventually entire) screen fill up with the traditional small print legal info like what you may be use to seeing on a car or product ad. While the text isn't easy to read on a computer (PC or Mac) MacJournals was able to use a HD TV and has a copy of the entire small print available. It is worth pointing out that several items mentioned in the fine print, also apply to Apple computers.





Time Traveler

The next ad has PC in 2009 stepping into a time machine and headed for the year 2150 to see if the issues with a PC are ever resolved and if it becomes as stable as a Mac. When PC arrives in the future and begins to ask future PC questions, future PC freezes up.






Stacks

The fourth ad has PC going through thousands of photos looking for pictures of a friend and asks "what other way is there to do it". Mac responds talking about the facial recognition features available in iLife (iPhoto) which Mac adds in is included for free on every new Mac.

http://www.neoseeker.com/news/10517-apple-releases-new-get-a-mac-ads/

Sunday, April 12, 2009

whisper sanitary pad's eww image that won't go away


is there a woman out there who would do what kim chiu did to her bf - ride on the shoulder of a man when you have your menstruation and wearing a pad?
this ad says whisper sanitary pad is so good that the bf's shoulders will not have a menstrual stain after moving up and down on his shoulder. and the bf will not smell mesnstrual odor even if his nose is just a few inches away.
really?

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

whisper sanitary pad's ewwww tv ad with kim chiu & gerard anderson

isper is a sanitary napkin that likes to talk superiority on their dryness claim. it was launched in the philippine market on the basis of claiming it's the sanitary pad that offers dryness. to consumers, that means the pad will not fail and will hold all the wetness the woman has even on heavy days when she is having her menstruation.

i bet they used the word "torture test" a lot in describing this ad when they developed it. that means subjecting the product in torture test situations and coming out as the winner, showing the ability to deliver the promise.

in this case, the promise is dryness even in a torture test situation of the woman who has menstruation agrees to saddle back her man, riding on the shoulders of her man, putting that part of her body where she puts the sanitary pad on.

the torture test situation puts that body part of hers where she wears the sanitary pad in actual physical contact on the guy's neck, being pressed and pushed and within a few inches of the man's nose. apparently, that body part of the woman where the sanitary pad is placed not only leaks but also smells.

kim chiu, a teen popular actress is so confident whisper sanitary pad will succeed in this torture test that gerard anderson another popular teen actor will not smell and will not see menstrual blood on his neck.

WTF was that????? its ewww, double ewww and triple ewww!

i don't think there is a filipina alive today who will EVER, EVER agree to do something like that in real life when she has her period. there is no way a woman will ever do that. even if she uses a dozen whisper sanitary pads on that body part of hers.

this whisper ad is over the edge of sanity and stupidity. i think it succeeds on the torture test idea only in the minds of the ad agency that created it. it fails on believability, empathy and definitely wins on the ewww and ewww factor.

this is a WAWAM!

Friday, March 27, 2009

new microsoft tv ads - microsoft concedes it ain't cool but its cheap



can't find the actual ad on youtube yet, but here is the write up on microsoft's new tv ads. based on the article, the new microsoft ad continue to copy the apple/mac ad line and ad campaign of "i'm a pc" which microsoft already used in their 2nd round ad cammpaign after the failed gates/seinfeld ad campaign.

the ad positions the microsoft/windows/pc as a cheap in price brand, a value brand. it's a good message to put across given the recession that's eroding the US economy and as more US consumers get hit by it. it's also a good strategy given the fact that macs continue to be at a premium pricing. the cheap brand positioning separates microsoft/windows/pc from macs.

good value positioning can be relevant in times of economic hardships. we just don't know if good value positioning works well on computers. good value positioning may work well for food products, but it might not work for high priced lifestyle products like computers.

the part that is unusual is that the ad concedes microsoft/windows/pc is not a cool brand/product. the ad is about real people (not talents) who were asked to buy computers (read details on article) and that was the conclusion of the woman in the ad who went into an apple store but was unable to find a mac that fit her budget and her needs. in one of the ads, a woman leaves an apple store unable to buy a mac and says: "I'm just not cool enough to be a Mac person."

a brand not being cool may be the truth for some brands (like microsoft/windows/pc?) but its not necessary to admit that in the advertising. to admit outright a computer brand (or any product) is not cool may mean the death of that brand. people who buy computers will hardly admit they are not cool. in fact people who own computers think they are cool given the fact that they own a computer. being cool is part and parcel of buying a computer, it's a key mindset.

the basic idea behind advertising is you put your best foot forward for consumers to admire and appreciate the brand and from there you get them to buy the brand. positive motivation from the product quality and performance is what works best in advertising. you intentionally leave out the negatives or weaknesses of your brand. weaknesses are exposed by competitors, is what apple did to windows vista in their "i'm a mac" ad campaign. this one does not hide it at all, it declared the brand's weakness.

it's a weird thing to do for an ad.

the other school of thought, which microsoft's ad agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, seem to like to do (this ad agency has done this before for other clients) is to admit the fault or weakness of the brand outright and get the consumers to decide if they can get over the negative and buy the product just the same.

so now we have microsoft/windows/pcs saying they are cheap and they are not cool. it's a brand character that is neither here nor there. in fact, it can be seen as negative or unlikeable brand character.

at minimum, that kind of positioning can be polarizing - some people will love it but some people will hate it. it's always risky to release an ad that has the potential to polarize your target audience. the thinking is you release the best ad you can make and that usually entails you are 100% the ad is perfect and will be loved by your target audieence. the risk you take in releasing polarizing ads is that the negative might eventually overpower the negative and you end up more people disliking the ad and brand being advertised than liking it.

the other weakness of this ad is the continuing use of the "I'm a PC" line microsoft copied from the apple/mac ads. we have not seen the tv ad but it appears that is the case based on this article.

microsoft should have just developed their own, unique advertising line. it does not serve the microsoft brand well if they keep reminding people it is copying something from apple in their own tv ads. those apple ads where microsoft copied were the ads that hurt the windows brand badly and has caused it's deterioration in stature. why remind the people of it further?

what is the point of reminding people tiny apple was able to beat giant microsoft in the advertising war? what? further increase windows users inferiority complex?

----

I'm a PC, and this time Microsoft's buying

By Jessica Mintz, Associated Press


SEATTLE — Apple's Macintosh computers may be cool, but Windows PCs are easier on the wallet.

That's the recession-sensitive message Microsoft is pushing in a new series of commercials that debuted Thursday. The ads also continue Microsoft's work to reclaim the "I'm a PC" catchphrase from Apple Inc. and undo the stodgy image its competitor has bestowed on the Windows operating system.

To shoot the ads, Microsoft's agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky, recruited unwitting subjects by posing as a market research firm studying laptop purchasing decisions.

It picked 10 people who answered a call for volunteers on Craigslist and other websites and sent them out with a camera crew and budgets ranging from $700 to $2,000. If they found a computer that fit their criteria, they could keep it.

In the first 60-second spot, a red-haired recent college grad named Lauren is on the hunt for a speedy laptop with a 17-inch screen and a "comfortable" keyboard, all for less than $1,000. She strides into an Apple store; then, the scene jumps to her walking out empty-handed, telling the camera that the only laptop in her price range has a 13-inch screen.

Back in the car, she sighs and says, "I'm just not cool enough to be a Mac person."

read in full here: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/software/2009-03-26-microsoft-ad_N.htm?csp=usat.me

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

super bowl XLIII (2009) tv ads : e-trade babies

babies usually do it for ads. e-trade has done babies before. while this is cute, kinda, don't know if it really works. it's not like this is the world's cutest baby tv ad. that is what it needs to take to make this baby tv ad work well at the super bowl.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Saturday, January 17, 2009

adidas got the whole world on its shoulders

we are used to nike ads - the macho, superhuman ads done in the most dramatic way. that's nike and this is one is adidas. and it stands on its own merits and has its own charm.

tv ads that work are those that have visuals that work the hardest. this adidas ad is one of those ads. very simple visuals that almost immediately you get what it means. the added bonus on this ad is that its a very interesting visual. part of its appeal is you wonder how they did the ad but it does not take away from understanding it very well.

Monday, January 12, 2009

new apple vs microsoft battle looms - microsoft ceo steve ballmer's promise of "best windows ever" for windows 7

at the CES in las vegas, microsoft ceo streve ballmer made a solemn promise - windows 7 will be microsoft's best ever windows. windows beta is now online for downloading by curious cats to try it out. it's launch to the public was delayed by a day at least when according to microsoft, interest in downloading it was underestimated and the throng overwhelmed the microsoft servers. they had to pull it out of the download site to give them time to fix the problem.

we're hoping the screw up during the day 1 launch of windows 7 beta is not a preview of things to come for the best windows ever. it better not be for microsoft's sake. put plainly, microsoft cannot afford another screw up on this one coming from the total screw up on vista.

vista is possibly the most maligned windows in microsoft's history. and the market share shows it - to this date, windows XP still has 60% market share compared to vista's dismal 20% share. that means consumers would rather stay with the oldie XP than venture into a whole lot of headache and potential failures in using vista.

windows 7 have very difficult challenges ahead of it. vista needs to :

- to be better than XP
- avoid the failures of vista
- be demonstrably better than vista
- match if not be better than the mac OS leopard
- turn around the microsoft's maligned brand image

the screw ups and mud pies thrown at vista is world famous, google it and hundreds of complaints will pop up. and it this kind of screw up that apple exploited with their exacting and biting ads against vista. microsoft marketing executives have admitted as much that the apple ads have hurt window's brand image.

with the announcement that windows 7 will be the best windows ever, it is sure apple is preparing a new set of ads to do battle with windows 7. here is one of the many ads from apple that hurt vista. we can expect more of the same when windows 7 is launched.



Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer touts 'best Windows ever' at International
Consumer Electronics Show

LAS VEGAS - Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer kicked off the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show on Wednesday with an impassioned endorsement of PCs and a sneak peek at the company's future Windows 7 operating system.

As expected, Ballmer announced that Microsoft is releasing a beta version of Windows 7, which will be available for download beginning Friday. The news suggests the world's largest software maker may be giving up efforts to rehabilitate its often-maligned Vista operating system, which was released worldwide in January 2007.

''We are on track to deliver the best version of Windows ever,'' Ballmer told an audience of several thousand tech professionals and journalists inside a cavernous ballroom at the Venetian Hotel. ''We're working hard to get it right and get it ready.''

read in full here : http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/01/08/2009-01-08_microsoft_ceo_steve_ballmer_touts_best_w-4.html

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

san miguel beer christmas ad warms the heart and its not the beer

the APO is one of the country's most enduring singing talent group and one of the most well-loved. they have the good boys image and a true model for the young. it's great to see them in this san miguel beer christmas ad.


Friday, November 21, 2008

seeing things not there - ameriquest's funny tv spot

mortgage at this time in the US is not a happy topic but here's an ad that will put a smile on anyone.

it's a pool-out ad from the same stragtegy that we featured in WAWAM! awhile ago (view it here : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/ameriquest). this is one is more acceptable than the first one we had here.

it's a racy brand character but this is much better than the first. unlike the first one, nothing is polarizing in this ad.


Thursday, October 23, 2008

another english 101 tv spot with ADS Sindrome

here is another tv spot in germany again that sells english lessons. the same mistake is committed in this ad - the ADS Sindrome.

the target market of this ad are non-english speakers to whom they are selling their english lessons to. the humorous part being in english means it will be understood by english speakers, not their target market. given the tagline in the end, "improve your english", granted that their target market are those with some knowledge of english, that does not guarantee their target market with some english knowledge will get the humor. a good grasp of a language is a requirement in appreciating humor.

this ad is a WAWAM! and has ADS Sindrome.




view the other english 101 tv spot here : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/2008/10/english-101-if-you-dont-get-it-it-might.html

view other ads with ADS Sindrome here : http://the-wawam-file.blogspot.com/search/label/ADS%20Sindrome

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Six Flags tv spot - how the power of brand character can make you dance! move over ellen!

we have come to expect to see certain things from ads of certain brands. we expect to see these communicated either as visuals, part of story plots or copy. it's like when we see these elements, we know what kind of product is being sold. these are mostly the obvious ones - refreshment from drinks, clean from detergents, power and ride from cars or beauty from cosmetics.

in advertising terms, we call that generic benefits. these are benefits that all brands that compete in the same category can offer.

caution: positioning your brand on these "generic benefits" is a double edged sword - it can harm your brand or it can benefit your brand.

it can benefit your brand as your target audience will see things that are familiar to them and will readily sympathize with them. but because your competition have the same benefits, it can harm your brand as you are not offering anything different or unique. one of the things an ad is supposed to do is to set your brand apart from competition. that is one of the core reasons you advertise in the first place and also one of the characteristics of a great ad.

aside from product benefit, the other component that makes an ad a great one is brand character. actually i think having a great brand character is a lost art in many ads specially in the philippine market. it's one component that is largely forgotten and ignored and i would say something many creatives in the philippines do not understand at all.

this Six Flags tv spot is one ad that has practically nothing but brand character in it. and it works brilliantly! you have to love Six Flags after seeing this ad. you very quickly and strongly understand what Six Flags stand for and yes the compelling reason why you should visit it the next time you go to an amusement park.

they could have shown the fantastic rides Six Flags has. it is very popular for their rides, they have one of the most exciting rides in the market. but that's not what they talked about in the ad. instead they dramatized the feeling one gets in going to a Six Flags park. you get it. you smile and you may have even danced to it a little bit.

brilliant advertising!




thanks to charlotte from san francisco, california for sending us the link for this Six Flags tv spot.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

oooops........ it's not what you think it is


this is a classic situation where the only thing you can say is - it's not what you think it is.

one of the most revered word in advertising is the word "unexpected". it's a good thing when that word is used to describe an ad. that word is applicable to this ad. i don't think any of us ever imagined a situation like this will be used to sell a sweet-chocolatey product like the mikado.

first of all, targeting adults for this kind of product is a surprise in itself. then, this situation to depict the brand's desirability. if it is adults that they are targeting, then this ad works very well. it's fun. it does not take itself seriously. and after seeing this ad, i don't think we will ever look at mikado the same way again. or even photocopying rooms.

Friday, October 10, 2008

what is this ad selling?

this is one ad that is self explanatory and needs no words.