McDonald's: Being an art director, I can say the layout is terrible.
The ad is stating the brief, which is to show McDonald's to be a good corporate citizen. So the ad is a chest-beating, feel-good exercise. What about playing with the McDonald's logo? Use it to form a 'W' or an 'M', or use it to form linked hands around the world. As a corporate ad, we are already flaunting our logos. So why hide it in a corner. Have different children around the world thanking the Golden Arches. This is a corporate ad but that doesn't mean it does not need a strong idea.
Meat & Livestock Australia: We all have our fair share of patriotic ads. I remember doing them myself. It was tough. So what would the Australians do differently? Like all such ads, the country comes first and the company plays second fiddle. Nice idea, slight smile on the face. But memorable?
Maybe. Impactful? Not really. Hard to do well in this category? Definitely.
But well executed and shot.
Samsung: Many years ago, the Indians who worked with me were writers.
And they were good. There were few art directors. Indian TVCs are excellent - humorous with a tinge of Bollywood. But when it comes to their print, most are disappointing although the tools and technology are there. This ad is like all mobile phone ads - show us the phone and show us what it can do and tell them this is the future. How exciting. Let's put everything in one page. Great. But if that is what it's all about, then put more.
Fill the whole page with pictures. If you talk about the future, and you want people to buy it, then floor them with what the phone can really do. And get an Indian writer to work on that headline.
Soo Kee: A thoroughly enjoyable TVC. Warm, whimsical, great cinematography, nice idea. You can almost imagine the casting done by the director and art director checking out the models in town - "Right, can you kiss?" - and having a ball of a time. Hard to fault, so here's my two cents worth: the type was hard to read, maybe it could be the different handwriting as different girls were saying it. The statements could be really whimsical right from the start, rather then making it seem almost like somebody would actually say it. Romance every day is a strong positioning and the execution is spot on.
PCA Life: Prudential's brand platform is 'Always listening. Always understanding.' This has been around a while. Across the region, that is consistent. So what about Korea? To launch Prudential, we have a Guardsman saluting the reader. First off, there is no idea. Whatever happened to listening? Probably in the text next to his ears. British heritage is important but there must be more compelling visuals or concepts. How about a Briton listening to an Asian for a change? And the technique of colour in a black and white picture? If highlighting a contrast is critical to the idea, then alright.
If not, don't do it because it looks dated.
1. DOUBLE A
Project name: No Jam
Client: Double A paper
Brief: Show how paper jams can drive office workers crazy.
Agency: J. Walter Thompson Singapore
Creative director: Norman Tan
Copywriter: Joji Jacob
Art directors: Elvis Chau and Andrew Tan
2. MCDONALD'S
Project name: World Children's Day
Client: McDonald's
Brief: Highlight donations by McDonald's to orphanages, hospitals and
other children's health organisations.
Agency: DDB Philippines
Creative director: Roger Pe
Copywriters: Nadia Camit, Roger Pe
Art director: Manny de Paz
3. MEAT & LIVESTOCK AUSTRALIA
Project name: Australia Day Lamb
Client: Meat & Livestock Australia
Brief: Reinforce the position of lamb as a treasured Australian icon.
Agency: Brown Melhuish Fishlock
Creative director: Warren Brown
Copywriter: Kristine Toms
Art director: Dejan Rasic
4. SAMSUNG CDMA
Project name: Are You There?
Client: Samsung
Brief: Promote Samsung's CDMA products.
Agency: Mudra Communications
Creative director: Ullas Chopra
Copywriter: Ullas Chopra
5. SOO KEE JEWELLERY
PROJECT name: Just Because
Client: Soo Kee Jewellery
Brief: Build the brand on the romance and spontaneity of giving
jewellery to a loved one.
Agency: Lowe Singapore
Executive creative director: Jason Schragger
Creative director: Andrew Reznik
Copywriter: Christy Chan
Art director: Claire Chen
6. PCA LIFE
Project name: Launch Ad
Client: PCA Life
Brief: Launch the PCA brand in Korea with a unique brand identity.
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, Korea
Creative director: Sangsoo Chong
Copywriter: SeungYoun Oh
Art director: David Ko
Production house: Ogilvy & Mather Korea