fer1972:

Avengers Assemble! by Guy Seese 

Love it. Love The Avengers.

Is it sad that when I saw this commercial the first thing I thought was, “Where do I find a party likethis?  I want to go!”

Not in my college or post-college years have I ever been to a party where any one looked so chic. And forget getting people to dance. I love to dance, and will do it here or there. I will do it anywhere. However, most of the people I’ve met need to be well so intoxicated to feel comfortable dancing that their moves are more like swaying and trying not to spill drinks on people. *le sigh* Bacardi, please, pretty please suck me into your chic commercialand.

“Seduction” Indeed

Fiat USA head Tim Kuniskis expected to receive boxes of hate mail from irate U.S. viewers, claiming that the Fiat 500 Abarth (and the unforgettable Ms. Menghia) was responsible for the moral corruption of sons, daughters, pets and farm animals, yet the criticism never arrived. Ms. Menghia, like the Fiat 500 Abarth, is universally beloved.

The Richard’s Group has achieved something that I have long been waiting to see in the realm of “sex sells” advertising - they created a commercial that is truly attractive to both men and women. I’m talking about the Fiat 500 Abarth commercial, “Seduction.”

Too often, when companies or their agencies go into a campaign with the paradigm of “sex sells,” the advertisements end up alienating the opposite sex. For example, I love to pick on the Hardees/Carl’s Jr. commercials for being horrible, anti-feminist pieces of filth that no woman likes to see on her TV. As a woman, I find Paris Hilton washing a car while “eating” a burger rather disgusting. (They never actually eat the burgers if you look closely. It’s more like Cookie Monster, just smashing the cookies into his face. Granted, he’s a muppet, so he has a real reason for not consuming the food, whereas Hilton and the others probably don’t want to ingest the horrid amount of calories in those epic burgers.)

Men may drool over the commercials and make the subconscious connection between Hardees/Carl’s Jr. and over-sexualized women. “These women like these burgers. I like these women. I (should) like these burgers.” However, (straight) women do not watch them and think, “Oh she’s so hot. I should go eat a burger and be hot like her.” In the words of Cher Horowitz, “As if.”

But when I saw the Fiat 500 Abarth “Seduction” commercial, my first reaction was “Damn.” This is the kind of woman men want to be with and women want to be. She isn’t screaming “I’m a nasty skank eating a burger. Let’s go do it.” Instead, her classic beauty and soft whispers do all the sexy heavy lifting for her. Here, we see that the Richards Group has been able to create a sex-based ad that appeals to both men and women, and to that I say, “Congratulations and hallelujah!”

Lowe’s, I love how you make me want to buy a home, just to make it homey.

Creative team - great visual comparison with the “nest.” I loved the animation style because the birds were neither cartoony nor uber-realistic. (It really disturbs me when commercials try to make live animals look like they’re talking, i.e. Pedigree Dentastix, K9 Advantix). The little birds gave me a warm and fuzzy “awww” feeling inside, and the music matched perfectly.

The song lyrics “Don’t stop doin’ whatcha do,” encourage homeowners to keep working on their own “nests” whether they’ve just begun or perhaps have been there for years. In case you missed the lyrics and just bopped along to the cheery tune, the final copy “Never Stop Improving” is a perfect tagline to sum up the visual message.

As a St. Louis girl, the birds being Cardinals doesn’t hurt either :)

In the world of celebrities, Hollywood, and fashion, it’s always been the norm that if someone’s famous enough or good looking enough, they can get away with pretty much anything. You beat up your girlfriend? That’s okay. Come perform at the Grammys!

This really irks me.

I’m not saying that we have to hold grudges forever, but rather I’m asking: Is it really good business, or ethical business, to use people with known criminal charges (or even allegations) as the face of your brand?

This is the question I’ve been asking myself each time I see the new Dior Addict lipstick spot on TV. It was just 2005 when news blew up that Kate Moss was addicted to cocaine, thanks to a photo of her snorting coke on the cover of a British tabloid. She was then dropped by H&M, Chanel, Rimmel, and Burberry.

‘Twas a bummer for her career that she got caught…and I suppose I feel some pity for her having an addiction. I blame shows like Celeb Rehab with Dr. Drew Pinsky for making me feel bad for people who choose to do drugs. There’s usually some sad story behind it, and I tend to be an empathetic person… Anyway! She went to rehab. Good.

So why did Dior choose to use Addict as its product name and pair it with Moss as their cover girl? Is it promoting some kind of drug chic, or trying to be edgy? Why can’t Dior leave Moss’ dirty laundry alone? Yes, Dior has always stood by Moss, even during her cocaine scandal in ‘05. But if they really wanted to leverage her celebrity in their current ad campaign, why not name the product something like “Reborn” or something to do with revitalization? It could have played off of Kate’s new life post-rehab while tying into the benefits of the lipstick…something about lips being reborn with Dior lipstick on them. I don’t know, but you get the point.

Kate’s a big enough fashion icon that they didn’t have to bring up the whole addict thing. In my opinion, it’s a cheap idea. Why not just call the lipstick “Cocaine” for crying out loud? Oh, and I agree with all the other bloggers out there who said the “Be iconic” copy at the end of the ad is designed to make us all do a double take, thinking it says “Be ironic” for just a second. Lame.

danwrites:

My first (creative) partner was a girl in my ad school during my third year doing a Bachelor of Communications at AUT.

She was great, we did a lot of interesting work together.

There was one thing about her that I found odd.

She didn’t watch television.

Her family didn’t have one….

Sweet Smart Car Ad

This was pretty sweet. Whatever pattern you mouse over, it makes the car turn that pattern. It’s cool because it’s very organic. I didn’t know it was going to change until my mouse just happened to cross over the ad. Go interactive team! Their website is pretty freakin’ sweet too. [Yes, I know I just used the word “sweet” a lot, but I haven’t gotten this excited over an interactive ad in a while! Woohoo!]

Piggy Little Liars and Twilight Parody Posters

The Muppets movie is reaching out to a younger audience by leveraging the popularity of shows and movies the pre-teen demographic is already watching. Pretty Little Liars and Twilight are major social currency talking points for pre-teens, and even teens and young adults. By using PLL and Twilight, The Muppets is able to connect with the younger audience, and engage many of them who didn’t grow up with the classic Jim Henson characters.

To see the “Piggy Little Liars” commercials, click here. For more Twilight spoof posters, click here.

Black Friday Bieber