How refreshing.

This is bloody genius. 

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Campaign/News/880522/Men-dressed-Tic-Tacs-re-enact-missed-Everton-goal/

Shame it's only a viral, it pisses all over their TV stuff. Love it. 

How does shit like this get made?

I don't care if this improves sales, and you might even laugh at it in a moment of childlike idiocy, but it makes me want to sit in a dark corner and really think about my choices in life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx-bChDLJpE

I'm not sure what depresses me the most; the 'creative' that thought up this drivel and deemed it worthy of showing to the CD, the CD that read the script and thought, 'hmmm they've really cracked it here', or the client who considered this piece of toss a worthy ambassador for their product, brand, and name, or the fact that i'm not hired. Sour grapes? Too fucking right!

Top marks for consistency though. As truly appalling as the last one.

Happy new year?

Back from hibernation i've noticed a shift in the land of tv ads in the early weeks of 2009. In the midst of the credit wank crunch we're suddenly comparing the meerkats with Al, getting our groove on with More Than, exploring clubland with Pablo, and getting Swift Covered with Iggy.

So is all this 'fun' advertising in these dark days all a big coincidence? Apparently not. I caught BBH's Ben Fennell on the Beeb breakfast news on 'Blue Monday', officially the most depressing day of the year, briefly explaining the role of advertising in lifting the spirits of the nation.

It turns out that far from being a force of evil, ads can play their part in filling us with hope when the news fills us with despair. Which we all know is bollocks. The reality is, clients want uplifting ads to make consumers feel an affinity towards their brands and ultimately to consume their products. So all of a sudden creatives are being given new levels of freedom and the results are speaking for themselves.

Which leaves me pondering why this isn't always the way it's done. All the most successful ads are also the most creative, entertaining, and fun ads, no? Many theorists and ad legends agree that the most effective way to reach the consumer is through their heart not their head. Well maybe clients don't see things this way, and will continue to reserve desperate measures for desperate times. In which case creatives should relish this recession and make the most of the year ahead.

And judging by the first batch of new ads 2009 is set to be a very good year for creativity, the award shows are going to rock, ailing agencies are going to pick up, we're all going to get hired, and advertising will save the world.

Happy New Year.

Brilliant spec work.

I'm not sure what to make of companies with 'in-house' creative departments, seems a bit anti-ad agency to me, and if every client followed suit we'd all be in the shit.

Can't fault this little viral from Spec-Savers though...

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1600158118/bctid2225054001

Good send up guys.

RKCR/Y&R+M&SXMAS=A+++

When i read today's news that the new M&S Christmas ad featuring Take That, Twiggy, Erin O'Connor, Lily Cole, Myleene Klass and Noémie Lenoir was about to be released i'm not afraid to admit i shuddered in horror (except for Ms Lenior of course).

But having watched the ad, i'm happy to say i was shocked for all the wrong reasons. Or is that right reasons? Because i bloody liked it. Really liked it. It's genius. Have a look here:

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Campaign/News/861754/join-festivities-M-S-Christmas-ad/

And why is it genius? No dialogue.

Nice one Pip and Chris at Y&R.

How Stella got her groove back

Love the new ad for Stella 4% from Mother, they're so hot right now...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2008/nov/04/advertising

Any thoughts?

Hotel, Motel...

Isn't it weird how sometimes an ad campaign can have it's awful executions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7kQkGDprzw

And it's brilliant ones:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pjbKV8tQLQ

Well done, and not-so-well done Fallon Minneapolis.

WPPeed all over.

Hope none of you are dithering over a job offer from any WPP owned agency:

http://www.brandrepublic.com/Campaign/News/854855/WPP-orders-hiring-freeze-amid-client-spending-cuts/

Wouldn't it be nice if a top agency came out and said "Fuck the credit crunch: we're doing great and we're hiring".

If anyone knows of any behaviour of this kind, please share it. It's good to talk.

Absolute-ly not sure.

When it comes to ads, I'm an opinionated git (although i think that's healthy for someone trying to get into the industry) so there are always ads running on the telly box that i love (Bud Dedication - "Now throw in an Arbitrary Refrain" - genius) and some that i hate (the Trainline.com - don't even get me started).

But every now and then an ad (or campaign) appears that I'm really not sure about- this time it's the Absolute Radio launch campaign:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/video/2008/oct/10/commercialradio-radio

I really wasn't sure whether i thought it as clever usage of actor Jordan Prentice, or whether it's exploitation of a dwarf to represent a crazy security guard.

And then i read this from Absolute Radio brand director, Chris Lawson:

"The idea was to create something that sums up the brand, we are trying for squirm humour like you might see on My Name Is Earl or Curb Your Enthusiasm."

Hmmm, 'squirm humour' it is then. But what exactly are we squirming at? And where is the humour? Are we supposed to laugh at the notion of a dwarf security guard? Or is that the squirm factor?

Like i say, i'm not sure whether i think it's funny and irreverent, or just in poor taste.

I'd love to know what the vast sums of readers of this blog think...

Are you taking the piss, Mr Pringle?

If you read Scamp (and you do) you'll have seen yesterdays post referring (kind of) to an aptitude test that has been designed to identify 'Diagonal Thinkers', which is being run by the IPA. 'Breaking into advertising' was the cover story of the Guardian Work section on Saturday, and if you missed it here's the gist of what a Diagonal Thinker is:

"(Diagonal Thinking) is the ability to switch effortlessly between linear, logical thought processes to lateral creative ones... and it seems to be one of the defining characteristics of people who do well in our industry".

According to the IPA, only 10% of the population can think diagonally. And if you score more than 90% in the test, you can print off an IPA certificate, which, says IPA director general Hamish Pringle, you can then attach to your CV as proof of your talent, which will become your "passport to adland".

So if you really want a job in advertising, chuck out your portfolio, get on www.diagonalthinking.co.uk and show off your shiny certificate around Soho instead.

PS. If you're wondering how i did, my PC crashed half way through the test, and you only get one chance, so i'm buggered.