I'm a fan of advertising. I pore through annuals and chew through
books on the topic at a rate of knots. I get a thrill from seeing great
work, regardless of where it's from or what it's for. Recently I hosted
a judging for an advertising festival during my vacation because I
wanted to see the ads (to my wife's ire). So when media magazine asked
me to be a guest reviewer, I was stoked. If nothing else, it would be an
opportunity to restore the karmic balance of some gruelling focus groups
I had just attended. When I got my allocation of ads, I was looking for
work to like, work that made me jealous, work that made me grin in
appreciation. With one exception, I was disappointed.
Compaq: It's easy to criticise work. Many clients make it a rule to
identify three positive elements in a piece of work before pointing out
its shortfalls. In a similar spirit, I will say the headline gave me
hope as the file opened on my desktop. The product shots are clean and
the layout is sparse, but that's about the best I can say. If I saw this
ad in the paper, I'd be hard pressed to remember I'd even seen it, let
alone remember what it's saying or what it's for. Sorry.
Swiss Army: Swiss Army watch is a product that has inspired some
excellent ads from agencies all over the world. These posters, while
timely and topical, are tenuous at best. Quotes about war, coupled with
military stock shots, do not an ad make.
Virgin Mobile: The trouble with being asked to review work from other
markets is that you can never be sure if it's better in context than
sitting on your desk. These mobile phone ads might be better if you know
who you're looking at and what they've been doing recently, but as a
lapsed Australian who's spent the last 12 years living away from home,
they leave me a bit baffled. The sad thing is, I'm not sure they'd be
any better if I did recognise the talent. Shame, really. I expected more
from Virgin.
Double A Paper: There are product categories where it's a struggle to
find something to say, let alone saying it in a way that's memorable and
engaging. I would put copy paper at the top of that list. "No jam" is a
simple message and this campaign renders it in an intrusive manner.
The print is elegant, the outdoor cuts through and the TV is zen in its
simplicity. I suspect people don't give much thought to their copy paper
until they run out, but when they do they'll probably remember that
Double A Paper doesn't jam. Nice work.
Fight Crime: I suspect that I'm losing something in the translation with
this one. While showing a teenager at the end of marionette strings, the
audio gives us snippets of voices from his life - the drug dealer, the
teacher, the gangster. The announcer tells us "with the right support,
young people will not become puppets of crime" as giant scissors cuts
the strings. All very admirable, but what would you like us to do?
Teenagers know more than this spot gives them credit for. The
simplistic, over-wrought, hand wringing tone undermines the credibility
of this and efforts like it.
1010 CSL: This commercial opens with a quote from Chopin, "I wish never
even to have a taste of mediocrity." It's a bit late for that, I'm
afraid.
Featuring Li Yundi, the Gold Medal winner of the Chopin International
piano competition, this was obviously a big investment; big cast, great
locations, 'name' talent and slick production values - the only thing
missing is an idea. The trite vignettes (particularly the construction
workers) didn't help much, either. The few times I've seen this on TV,
I've been left wondering 'why?' The blurb that media sent over says they
want to "build their brand by associating with quality". Flawed logic
that led to deeply flawed advertising.
1. Compaq
Project: Evo launch
Client: Compaq Asia-Pacific
Brief: Launch a new business offering in a highly competitive category
Agency: Draft Singapore
Creative directors: Graham Fordyce, Anthony Peplow
Copywriter: Graham Fordyce
Art directors: Lim Chye Ling, Anthony Peplow
Media used: Regional and local print, email and events
2. Swiss Army
Projec: The Peace Movement
Client: Jay Gee Enterprise
Brief: Position Swiss Military Watch as a brand that is different from
all the other watch brands selling on adventure or lifestyle factors
Agency: Gosh! Advertising, Singapore
Creative director: Lim Soon Huat
Copywriter: Noel Yeo
Art director: Jonathan Nah
Media used: print, in-store posters and Zo-cards
3. Virgin Mobile
Project: Virgin Mobile
Client: Virgin Mobile Australia
Brief: Communicate to existing mobile phone users the benefits of
changing carriers
Agency: George Patterson Bates, Australia
Creative director: The Glue Society
4. Double A Paper
Project: Double A Paper
Client: Agro Advance
Brief: Deliver a simple, single-minded message that says that Double A
paper does not jam.
Agency: JWT, Singapore
Creative director: Norman Tan
Copywriter: Joji Jacob
Art director: Benson Toh
5. Fight Crime
Project: Fight Crime Publicity Campaign 2001/2002
Client: Hong Kong Government
Brief: Prevention of juvenile crime in Hong Kong
Agency: PMP Advertising, Hong Kong
Creative director: David Wong
Copywriter: Vincent Tse
6. 1010 CSL
Project: Pianist
Client: Hong Kong CSL
Brief: Focus on CSL's vision to "create a simple life" for its
customers by creating a world of perfect communication
Agency: Euro RSCG, Hong Kong
Creative directors: Rachel Chau, Angela Pong, Almon Lam
Copywriter: Yvonne Fok
Art directors: Billy Tang, May Wong
Media used: TVC, print, direct mail
Interested in having your campaigns reviewed? Send submissions to
Alfred Hille in the form of trims, transparencies or video printouts
for TVCs plus the TVC itself, and proofs for print ads and posters.
Please send all material to media, 28/F, Dorset House, 979 King's Road,
Quarry Bay, Hong Kong.
