Posts Tagged ‘TV’

Dead heat. Why The Exclusives is unfair on us all.

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Perhaps we shouldn’t expect anything more from ITV2 – after all, this is the home of Celebrity Juice, Life On Murrs and The Only Way Is Essex.  But while those shows may grate and irritate, they manage to avoid devaluing and trivialising the achievements of others. More than can be said of ‘The Exclusives’, the latest addition to TV’s range of alternative Job Centres.

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Sublime / Ridiculous. How advertising is getting better and worse.

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

When looking for the best and worst in the creative field, at least TV advertising saves time and effort. Simply pick a show, ensure it’s on a commercial channel and wait for the break. In those few, short minutes you’re more or less guaranteed to spot a minimum of one atrocity and hopefully, something quite delightful too.

And so it was last night. At a loss for anything half decent to watch (the channels seem to have abandoned bank holidays to a holding position of sheer mediocrity), I defaulted to ’10 Things I Hate About 1999′ with Robert Webb. It was actually slightly more amusing than it sounds, but what really stood out was the second commercial break. Embedded in the standard mix of forgettable plugs for anti-ageing gloop and heavily discounted couches, were two pieces of work which managed to capture all that is imaginative, crafted and classy as well as everything that is crass, glib and trite in telly advertising.

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Blow your house down – is the new Guardian campaign as clever as it seems?

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

In comparison with the tabloids, The Guardian uses television advertising sparingly. This may be a cost consideration, but actually ensures a rather pleasing impact when a spot does appear.

In the past, the paper’s TV efforts have been intriguing, thought-provoking and intelligent. The messaging always avoids pointing to features, writers or columns in favour of promoting an overall ideology of free-thought, objectivity and integrity. The Guardian knows its target audience well (left-leaning, intellectual, politically engaged and opinionated) and is very adept at reaching out to them.

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Dishing the dirt – what is Cillit Bang doing on facebook?

Thursday, March 15th, 2012

Social media – that’s where it’s at. Who needs those expensive telly spots, press spreads and billboards, when hip digital networks offer untold benefits for your brilliant campaign at a fraction of the cost? In the past, I have written that customer engagement via these sites may well be the only game in town. I’m happy to admit I was probably being a touch bold.  In truth, very few brands are actually taking the plunge and completely eschewing traditional platforms for the brave new world. But, Cillit Bang is the exception, promoting and selling the new ‘All In 1 Dish And Surface’ cleaner on facebook alone.

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A postcard from the desert

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012

Last year I wrote a piece and published it from Egypt while the population was engaged in an, ultimately successful, push to overthrow its president. Now I am back and writing this from Dahab, a town on the eastern coast of the Sinai peninsula where the desert meets the Red Sea.

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Johnnies come lately – the brilliance of the new Durex ad.

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

On the face of it, baked beans and condoms have little in common. Which is handy, because a mix-up plays havoc with your bedsheets, believe me. However, a couple of weeks ago, I expressed my enthusiasm for the Heinz ‘Jack and the Magic Beans TV work, thoroughly expecting to wait years for another ad so alive with creative ideas.

Happily, I was wrong.

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Ursa majors – the ten best known bears in advertising.

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

Jeremy

You know the Honey Monster? Big, funny, cuddly, kooky old rug? Cold-blooded, careerist vampire more like. Because those of us in our forties know he usurped Jeremy Bear, casting him out of his proud role as the face of Sugar Puffs; condemning him to life of miserable obscurity. Apparently, he can now be seen dancing for pennies at Salford Quays tram stop. But, Jeremy, we remember.

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What’s the problem with the Big Fat Gypsy Weddings campaign?

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

This week Channel 4 has attracted considerable attention. Its high-profile, much discussed ‘documentary’ strand Big Fat Gypsy Weddings has returned to a big fat viewing audience and water-cooler debate over the style merits of pineapple themed dresses. But the marketing campaign for the series has also brought the channel to the notice of the Advertising Standards Authority, which has received just under a hundred complaints.

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Where’s the love? Have we had enough of sex in advertising?

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

Valentine’s Day and again I am forced to spend the morning clearing the avalanche of envelopes from my hallway. I had no idea HMRC were so sentimental. However, it does set me pondering the role of romance in advertising.

For decades brand marketeers have worked hard to draw a direct link between a product and the possibility of success with the opposite sex (they’ve rarely been brave enough to suggest a connection with same sex relationships outside specialist publications, despite the acknowledged value of the ‘pink’ pound). It’s a proven strategy and certain goods have decided they must be inextricably linked with romantic relationships and are constantly searching for new ways to push that message.

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Room 101 – ten things to hate about TV advertising

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

If you look to the left, you’ll notice this is the one hundred and first column I’ve written for Creativepool. I must admit I let my century pass by unnoticed, which is rather typical of my lack of attention. But it does allow me the opportunity to pinch an idea from the BBC and consign ten aspects of TV advertising to a virtual dustbin with a yank of a handle and a sickening thud. Should you wish to disagree, I’d heartily encourage you to use the comments facility at the foot of this piece, rather than hunting me down like a frightened hound. Now, if it’s all the same to you, I’ll begin …

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