PRIVATE VIEW: Lo Sheung Yan, head of creative at J. Walter Thompson, Shanghai

<p>Good-looking talent, nice photography and thought-provoking </p><p>headlines make this Wing Tai campaign very eye-catching. The selling </p><p>proposition also appeals to the mentality of Hong Kong people. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>I must admit that although I am also a finished product of the famous </p><p>British colonial education system, I am not very familiar with what's </p><p>typical in England. I am only familiar with the Premier League, </p><p>Manchester United and David Beckham. So I might have missed the English </p><p>humour behind these ads for Soho Soho restaurant. But the idea is dead </p><p>simple and even an innocent Hong Konger like me can understand it. It </p><p>has got a very good platform on which it was built. But I wish the </p><p>execution had incorporated a bit more wit, fun and a twist. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>When I saw this ad, I was reminded of the Hong Kong 4As Creative Awards </p><p>entry kit, which was blasted for being racist and in bad taste. Is the </p><p>Pizza Hut spot discriminating against gays and making fun of them? I </p><p>tend to think deep, much deeper than I used to when looking at ads. My </p><p>conclusion is that the script and the delivery are very suggestive. But </p><p>the directing of the actor is very controlled and careful. To me, it is </p><p>too careful and the storyline is almost lost. But if I have an idea </p><p>which is half-heartedly executed, I would prefer going back to the </p><p>drawing board and starting again. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Raw. Rude. In your face. Something you rarely find in Taiwan </p><p>advertising. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Perhaps that's the reason why the launch of Next was so impactful. The </p><p>ads have stated very clearly what the tone and manner of the magazine </p><p>would be. And in order to make a solid first step in the media </p><p>environment in Taiwan, which is highly competitive, I understand that </p><p>the creative has to be very different. But as a very personal taste, I </p><p>prefer the 'bold' approach to the 'loud' approach. To me, when I compare </p><p>the Taiwan launch with the Hong Kong launch many years ago, I find Next </p><p>has become even more extreme and very desperate. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A salute to the Singapore Airlines' "Singapore Girl". It's every </p><p>creative's dream to come up with a campaign which can live forever. </p><p>Creating a campaign like this is difficult. The dilemma comes from the </p><p>fact that while you have to be loyal to all the existing elements in the </p><p>campaign, you don't want to be limited by them. The use of a movie </p><p>poster to promote an airline's inflight entertainment system is nothing </p><p>special but the twist is that the Singapore Girl snares King Kong and </p><p>not the other way around. But the friendly smile and the subtlety of the </p><p>Singapore Girl has not helped the ad to leap out. I wonder whether, as </p><p>the world is evolving at an ever-faster pace, the Singapore Girl's </p><p>personality should be made more contemporary. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The challenge of this assignment is to revive the image of Yellow Pages, </p><p>making it part of people's lives again. The execution, revealing that </p><p>Yellow Pages is also available online, is new. However, the rest of the </p><p>campaign repeats what the product has been offering since its </p><p>launch. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>What we really need is to find a new angle to re-position the role of </p><p>the product in people's lives. Although the style of animation is quite </p><p>interesting, it cannot save the day. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>1. WING TAI </p><p>Project: The Waterfront "Labels" campaign </p><p>Client: Wing Tai Asia </p><p>Brief: Promote Wing Tai's newest property </p><p>Agency: M&C Saatchi Hong Kong </p><p>Copywriter: Andy Wong </p><p>Art director: Jeanie Tan </p><p>Photographer: Ken Arthur </p><p>Exposure: Newspapers and magazines </p><p>2. SOHO SOHO </p><p>Project: Not Typically British </p><p>Client: Soho Soho </p><p>Brief: Differentiate the brand from other British dining establishments </p><p>Agency: D'Arcy Hong Kong </p><p>Creative director: Marc Lucas </p><p>Copywriter, art director and illustrator: Sam Martin </p><p>Exposure: English newspapers </p><p>3. PIZZA HUT </p><p>Project: Seafood Salad Pizza </p><p>Client: Pizza Hut </p><p>Brief: New product launch </p><p>Agency: WBA Hong Kong </p><p>Creative director: Lee Chun Chung </p><p>Production House: Film Five TV </p><p>Exposure: Television </p><p>4. NEXT </p><p>Project: Taiwan launch campaign </p><p>Client: Next </p><p>Brief: Position Next as a controversial and cutting edge magazine </p><p>Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Taiwan </p><p>Creative directors: Vincent Wu, Nadia Au </p><p>Copywriter: Nadia Au </p><p>Art director: Rene Lo </p><p>Production House: Adu Production </p><p>Exposure: TV, radio, outdoor, and print </p><p>5. SINGAPORE AIRLINES </p><p>Project: Kris World Classic campaign </p><p>Client: Singapore Airlines </p><p>Brief: Build up and reinforce the Kris World brand </p><p>Agency: Batey Ads </p><p>Creative directors: Gary Tranter, Gary Caulfield </p><p>Photography: Carlos Great Ocean </p><p>TV production: Silverscreen Production </p><p>Exposure: TV, cable, press, print and internet </p><p>6. YELLOW PAGES </p><p>Project: The Living Pages </p><p>Client: Yellow Pages </p><p>Brief: Transform brand into a 21st century information provider </p><p>Agency: McCann-Erickson Guangming </p><p>Executive creative director: Geoff Naus </p><p>Creative director: Martin Lever </p><p>Copywriters: William Tsang, James Reeves </p><p>Art director: Andrew Foung </p><p>Exposure: Television, newspapers and outdoor </p><p><BR><BR> </p>