Now that all us gweilos have recovered from flying virgin spit and
the horror of having plastic chicken feet waved at us by manic Hong Kong
writers and art directors, it's time to get back to work. So here
goes:
This is a goodlooking, compelling collection of print ads for the Army
Recruitment Centre in Singapore. But I wonder about the premise. Perhaps
I've watched Platoon too many times but I imagine that those considering
joining an armed force, even if it's in the kitchen detail, would want
to view themselves, deep down, as warriors. But this campaign begins to
blur the line between the army and the Red Cross. Doctors and nurses may
tend to the weak, but soldiers protect countries. Two very different
states of mind. So the question is, how will would-be warriors react to
a campaign that appeals to their sensitive, nurturing side? I have my
doubts. On second thoughts, maybe it's not a bad thing for armies to
start recruiting soldiers who don't want to fight wars.
Nice directing. Nice editing. Nice wolf. But as I followed the hero
couple through all the crumbling bits and pieces of Hong Kong's
murderous cityscape, a strange thing happened: I started to feel that
living in a place where buildings shed their unwanted bits on top of
people's heads could actually be darkly exciting. A sort of urban
Russian roulette. Hell, it might be dangerous, but it's a sure-fire way
to get a pretty girl to hold your hand. I enjoyed this commercial for
the Hong Kong Government's Buildings Department. Perhaps I shouldn't
have.
Simplicity is something that's sexy to talk about, tough to do. I give
this Refresh campaign full marks for shedding the unnecessary, and my
gut tells me it'll probably be effective as hell. But how simple should
simple be? Slapstick is fun and it gets your attention, but on its own
it can wear out real fast. When that happens, it's simply annoying. Call
me greedy, but I expected a little surprise at the end of each spot, if
for no other reason than to be rewarded for surviving the manic product
assault. I smiled when I saw these spots for the first time. I wonder if
I'll still smile when I see them for the 20th time.
In one of the TVCs for Prudential Unit Trusts I'm shown a yacht at sea
and I'm asked: "What do you see?" Well, I see a yacht at sea. And maybe
a voyage to exotic places. And a horizon that promises me endless
freedom.
But I'm obviously quite retarded in the "what do I see" department
because, just then, the answer pops up and tells me that maybe what I'm
actually seeing is "a market for solar powered vehicles". Now I'm lost.
I thought they were talking to me. And then at the end, I find out that
while I'm seeing these markets for solar powered vehicles, Prudential is
busy seeing opportunities in the world of unit trusts. I know nothing
about unit trusts.
And now I never will ...
Ah, the trusty "unexpected items wrapped in pages from the client's
newspaper/magazine" idea. Currently or recently used in Asia by a
leading financial magazine, I think. But I'm not putting down this work
for the Print Advertising Organisation of the Philippines (PRADO). I
like this incarnation a lot. It's simple, classic and strong. And it
single-mindedly gets across the idea that newspapers will stimulate my
thinking, my knowledge and, hopefully, my colleagues into thinking I'm a
pretty smart guy. So what if it's not a new idea - if it hasn't been
used in the Philippines before, it'll get noticed. Hey, if every ad had
to be 100 per cent original, there wouldn't be a column like this.
How does one write a hundred words about an idea that says it all
without using a word? Apparently Laforet Harajuku is an edgy collection
of boutiques in Japan, This poster makes me want to check it out. It's
as simple as that.
1. ARMY RECRUITMENT CENTRE
Project: Army Recruitment
Client: Army Recruitment Centre, Singapore Government
Brief: To highlight the fact that the Singapore Army has been actively
involved in overseas humanitarian missions and United Nations
peacekeeping activities.
Agency: Mandate Advertising International
Creative director: Paul Hume
Copywriter: Cecil Hamilton
Art director: Eric Chow
2. BUILDINGS DEPARTMENT
Project: Buildings Department
Client: Hong Kong Government's Buildings Department
Brief: To alert people to the dangers of not maintaining buildings
properly
Agency: PMP
Creative director: David Wong
Copywriter: Vincent Tse
Art director: Iris Sam
Production House: Cinetech
3. REFRESH
Project: Smoking Room, Motorbike, Shoes
Client: Unilever
Brief: For Unilever Indonesia's "Refresh" odour removing product
Agency: BBH
Creative director: Steve Elrick
Copywriter: Todd Waldron
Art director: Kelly Pon
Production House: Renaissance Film Singapore
4. PRUDENTIAL
Project: We See Opportunity
Client: Prudential Unit Trusts
Brief: To launch Prudential Unit Trusts in Singapore
Agency: Leo Burnett, Singapore
Creative directors: Linda Locke, Tay Guan Hin, Alex Shipley
Copywriter: Alex Shipley
Art director: Sachin Ambekar
Production House: Moviola
5. PRADO
Client: PRADO
Agency: DDB Philippines
Brief: To encourage people, especially the younger generation, to read
more
Creative director: Roger Pe
Copywriter: Roger Pe
Art director: Rhio Vargas
Production House: Calypso Makati
6.LAFORET HARAJUKU
Project: Laforet Grand Bazaar Summer Sale
Client: Laforet Harajuku
Brief: To announce the start of a sale on clothes for kids and teenagers
Agency: Dentsu
Creative director: Yuji Tokuda
Art director: Yuji Tokuda
Production House: Taki Corporation
