Off for a while...

Advert-Eyes blog will not be posting for the following few days.
Please keep on checking regularly, as I will be back with you soon.
Many thanks for understanding. Meanwhile... stay creative :-)

Needles and Pins...

A Campaign done for an after-shave product, specialized in dark-skinned people in South Africa. One for women and one for men. The ads compare the after shaving effect with insect bites and feeling on your skin, showing a spider under a woman's armpit and ants on a man's face, both meant to be the "hairy" part on the skin... something you don't feel when you use this product ;-) The copy on the pack shot reads: "After shave care for waxed and shaved skin. Fino Soothe". I'd say it's good!

Client: Fino
Agency: TBWA / Hunt / Lascaris, Johanesburg
Copywriter: Jonathan Smith
Art Director: Lapeace Kakaza
Illustrator: Rob Frew
Photographer: Jason Robinson

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Psycho killer, Qu'est que c'est...

This really made me laugh, and I'm telling you it's not so easy... And when I say Oceania has humor, I really mean it! This billboard ad was made in New Zealand to promote the TV premiere of the "American Psycho" thriller, on TV2 channel. We have seen this face in many ads lately and they had just began to become boring I guess, but in this case I will simply call it a "Great use of President" :-)

Client: TVNZ / TV2
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Auckland
Creative Director: Mike O' Sullivan
Copywriter: Bex Radford
Art Director: Tim Howman

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Faking it...

Nova is a pay TV provider via satellite, in Greece. This campaign here was launched to promote the covering of the Oscar awards. I believe it's successful because not only it shows directly what it should be using a good sense of humor, but also uses 3 different themes of what customers are really interested in seeing and paying for... politics, sex and sports. The copy written here and translated reads: "A lot of people act. Only one will be awarded. Oscars only on NOVA." I admit I'm not impressed from the art direction, but as I said, the idea shown here is not bad at all.

Client: Multichoice Hellas S.A. / Nova
Agency: Spot JWT, Athens
Creative Director: Lazaros Evmorfias
Copywriter: Aliki Hiladaki
Art Director: Giannis Hatzihristou

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Work to live or Live to work?

Well you know what they say... If you don't admit you're alcoholic, then you probably are! This campaign was done in UK for recoverworkaholics.com, which is pretty clear what they do ;-) This issue I believe concerns most of us in the field, as we all know (but hardly admit) working in advertising takes most of your life away! I also know that we all like to call this a "thrilling" job, a work that we mostly enjoy treating it as a "hobby" and I also am sure that most chief creatives won't like what I am talking about here (including mine) ;-) The truth is that important things in our lives just pass away, since we still live in the world of make believe, trying to make others to believe too :-) I know I shouldn't be saying these stuff, but I just can't help it... Our job IS really great (and so is everybody's else no matter what) we all participate in making the world turn, in a very important way I must say, but think a bit after seeing this "copy based" campaign and think twice after seeing the last one! Don't need to say more do I?

If you're among those people that are thinking "what the heck" I'm talking about... seek some help immediately... *What the heck am I really talking about?!*

Client: Recovering Workaholics
Agency: The Gate, London
Copywriter: Paul Alderman
Art Director: Paul Alderman / Paul Anderson
Typographer: Paul Alderman / Jonathan Madden

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Danger... "Wet" Floor ;-)

A "made in Greece" print ad for World Aids Day. The idea is very good... Get rid of the grim reaper by using protection and save your life. I like very much the "underground" scenery and the whole visual structure (nice illustration also). A small touch of black humor that makes you smile and think at the same time.

Client: World AIDS Day
Agency: Cream, Athens
Creative Director: Fotis Georgiou
Copywriter: Alex Esslin
Art Director: Filimonas Triantafyllou
Illustrator: Fivebluewishes

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The good "Virus"

ebb&flow™ in London helps Alicia Keys release a so called "virus" for ground breaking charity "Keep A Child Alive". A charity providing urgent response to the Aids pandemic ravaging Africa. The charity's work will offer people in the UK the opportunity to provide lifesaving antiretroviral (ARV) medicine and support services directly to children and families living with HIV & AIDS. The campaign posters were launched on February 28th 2008, at Alicia Keys concert in Birmingham and will be followed by the 02 Arena in London. Using the slogan: "Let's start a virus to end a virus". It prompts people to donate by sending a text message "Alive" to 82540 and also forward the message to others as if it was a "Virus". These posters will be deployed at all venues on Alicia’s UK tour. The whole campaign is also supported by the micro-website: www.keepachildalive.org/uk, with vital information and plenty of downloads to pass on via bluetooth. This viral marketing Idea of engagement through Bluetooth Activism seems pretty cool, making young people mostly, instantly react and spread the word around. Looks like it's gonna work well, as long as there will be a big audience in these concerts ;-)

Client: Keep A Child Alive
Agency: ebb&flow™, London
Creative Director: Jon Daniel
Photographer: Thierry Le Goues

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Planet of the Apes 2008

This ad was made for a local business newspaper in Thailand that launched a website "bangkokbiznews.com". The copy claims here: "Keep up or get left behind". Although the concept looks maybe like a first idea and done for different products in the past (The "ape-man" scenario, that doesn't understand much about new technology and life style), I still think it is well made having a nice sense of humor, worth sharing it :-). A similar concept was running also on TV here, for a new broadband service just a while ago.

Client: bangkokbiznews.com
Agency: Ongoing, Bangkok
Creative Director: Pijarinee Kamolyabutr / Theerapol Koomsorn
Art Director: Pakkapong Veerapattananirund
Copywriter: Nattavut Leekulpitak / Winai Kitcharoen

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The fugitive!

I like the idea in this ad. What it claims is that Gas Station attendants welcome the smart fortwo cdi car, but what it really means is that they will hate you for having one and wait for you right behind the corner ;-) The direction of this ad is nicely made showing the angry gas station guys ready to get you, for not pumping enough gas in your smart car! I guess it must really be a very economic one... but again in this case, it should be the owners of the station getting mad and not the attendants ;-) If you are a smart owner, just send your friend once in a while to fill up a few containers for you... they should be enough to tour Europe ;-)

Client: Smart
Agency: BBDO Duesseldorf
Creative Director: Ton Hollander
Copywriter: Christian Ole Puls / Markus Steinkemper
Art Director: Kai Gerken / Nicole Höfer
Photographer: Klaus Merz
Typographer: Dominic Speck

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