First out of the bag is the latest American Airlines spot from the UK.
Dig the Twin Peaks soundtrack from Angelo Badalamenti. And that small
town Americana thing is lovingly shot and nicely strung together (if not
a little familiar). But ... "we've removed seven thousand seats to give
you more room"? As if. Remember, this is an American airline. Promise me
the stewardesses won't all be surly o-ba-chans (grandmothers). Convince
me you'll leave on time or better still, spend less time in the air. But
don't waffle on about the same thing everyone else is. And that end
line: "The American state at 35,000 feet." What the fcuk is that
about?
For that matter, what the FCUK is this about? I'm sorry, but the
commercial is lazy, relying on tricking the audience with lots of
enigmatic word play involving the now infamous four letters. If this was
meant to feed the mind, I'm afraid it's a rather slender meal. And with
all the buzz this brand has generated, I can't help but think it's a
missed opportunity. Is disappearing up one's own arse really the way to
move a brand forward? If there's one consolation, it's this endline:
"f-c-u-kinkybugger."
Fortunately, no such lip-hot-sweaty and pouty-damp-spanky
pretentiousness on the Taubmans spot. If only real life could be as
simple, funny and charming as this little gem from down under. Superbly
cast, confidently handled, with a nice bit of music to play off the gag.
With so much Aussie humour relying on some feat of testicular
humungousness, it's refreshing to see such restraint.
Mind you, the makers of the Motorola spot could have certainly used more
restraint. Like a straight jacket. I don't know quite where to
start.
Perhaps I should be polite and say that four parodies in one spot is
about five too many. If there's a bandwagon these guys haven't jumped
on, it wasn't on Shots in the last four years. You got to hand it to
McCann's though, they are consistent.
Next up is the latest UK offering from Polo featuring the new strawberry
and cream smoothies. As send-ups go, this one works (hole couture)
though I don't think they've captured the magic of some of the classic
Polo efforts from the past. Pour homme, pour femme, pour la gob is a
nice touch.
Finally, a delightful bit of illogic brought to you courtesy of Doc
Martens. Glorious unadorned feet (a podiatrist's wet dream) as far as
the eye can see. As visual feasts go, these feet are infectious. Not to
mention the perfect vehicle for their range of open-toed sandals. See if
you can spot the frolicking lesbian couple in the 'Cinema' spot. Cut
from the cloth of greatness, these spots are destined to foster foot
fetishes everywhere.
1. AMERICAN AIRLINES
Project: Seats
Client: American Airlines
Brief: Promote the fact that the airline's seats have more room than
their rivals
Agency: BMP DDB, London
Art director: Neil Dawson
Writer: Clive Pickering
Production Company: Academy Commercials
2. MOTOROLA
Project: Hands Up Kerville
Client: Motorola
Brief: Increase awareness of the Motorola V Box
Agency: McCann-Erickson, London
Creative director: Luke White
Copy writer: Barney Hobson
Art director: Rick Chant
Production Company: Jack Strong
3. FCUK
Project: Fcukinkybugger
Client: French Connection
Brief: More provocative and controversial ads
Agency: TBWA, London
Creative director: Trevor Beattie
Copy writer: Trevor Beattie
Art director: Bil Bungay
Production Company: Jane Fuller Associates
4. POLO
Project: Hole Couture
Client: Polo
Brief: Promote the brand values of Polo Smoothies
Agency: J.Walter Thompson, London
Creative director: Jasper Shelbourne
Copy writer: Matt Lloyd
Art director: Dave Woodall
Production Company: Tomboy Films
5. DOC MARTENS
Project: Cinema
Client: Doc Martens
Brief: Reinforce core brand values
Agency: Mustoe Merriman, London
Creative directors: Alan Morrice, Paul Diver
Copy writer: Mark Prime
Art director: Lee Hanson
Production Company: Arden Sutherland-Dodd
6. TAUBMANS
Project: Red
Client: Taubmans
Brief: To emphasise how the power of colour can change people's emotions
and behaviour.
Agency: Young & Rubicam, Sydney
Creative director: Shaun Branagan
Copy writer: Shaun Branagan
Art director: Pete Buckley
Production Company: Blue Sky Films
These commercials are taken from Campaign Screen, the video magazine
featuring the top television ads airing worldwide. For subscription or
advertising enquiries, please contact Roz Parr in the United Kingdom on
44 20 8267-4659 or email her at roz.parr@haynet.com.
To submit work to Campaign Screen, email screen@haynet.com for details.
