Gnomes & Magic

It really is saying something when the most memorial part of a film is the advert before it starts. Sad but true is this fact with Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince. Cinematography and direction is sublime with vistas of dark and wondereous lands and double entendre's falling like wild fire in this coming of age of our hero. Unfortunately it's about 1 hour 20 minutes too long, for all the story line that's covered. I have been told by those who have read all the books, that this sets up the story for the next installment...an extra 25 minutes at the start of the next film would have been more than sufficient.



The traveling gnome advert for Days Out Guide however was fantastic. Yes, yes, I remember the gnome that caught the traveling bug in Amelie. May be not a solely original idea, but most definitely perfectly executed. Which is half the struggle. My suggestion, save the cinema ticket for the next installment and watch the ad online now.

Britain's Obsession

I have noticed a bizarre trend or may be I should call it concern in British advertising since my return to the island. The explosion in deodorant or more specific antiperspirant products. Now England is hardly a nation known for it's sweltering temperatures and mass invasion of holiday goer's, however It is an island of some years and aging architecture before the invention of modern air conditioning. In this as in numerous ad campaigns, our hero is converntionally good looking and attractive to the opposite sex, but he has one problem that is keeping him at a distance from the object of his desire...he sweats profusely. Now I find the ad's (another example) quite amusing and this one in particular hysterical, however I'm concerned with what they are actually teraching in these comical 2 minute gems. Perspiration is a natural but socially unfortunate bodily function and although we would all like to be dry and smell a little sweeter, it can be a sign of something internally awry. More worrying in my opinion is what people are willing to apply to their body with complete oblivion of what damage it could be causing. Recent studies in breast cancer have shown an increase in the areas closest to the underarm which could be related to the heavy metals in conventional deodorants which help block pores and keep you dry. I appreciate these ad's for their wildly farcical humour and understand the nature of the beast to to sell a product. We all need to earn a buck, but what is the point if we are blindly accelerating the advancement of our demise.

Plasticine Bunnies

With over 500,000 youtube viewings in its first week of being posted and new news features in countries that aren't airing the advert in a commercial break, it's time to talk about the gold tooth snarling drum playing Gorilla. Another gem out of Fallon's box, this time for Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate, they have managed to yet again grab an unbelievable amount of attention with a unique idea. They did it a couple of years back with 250,000 brightly coloured balls cascading down a hill in San Francisco for Sony's Bravia colour TV. An ad that seemed to have little association with it's product. Again with the Gorilla ad there is no product placement or hint except for the title. So, how is this going to sell the product. This new brand of advertising has people talking about what was originally a one-way selling tactic in an inventive way. Instead of simpling viewing and hopefully buying, it has people excited about adervts to the extent that they're googling, emailing, posting and even reinventing them. What technology and the internet has given us is the availability to communicate more freely with a more diverse group...sharing thoughts and ideas, enabling us to be more creative and to feel part of something bigger without boundaries. This is nothing new, but it definately gives advertising and creativity and a whole world beyond an exciting future. How does this sell a product...it got a lot of people talking.


This is the latest ad for Bravia.

Seeing Red

Wow! After 7 years in America I forgot how polished and sharp British advertising can be. And I'm not just talking about the high end cosmetic ad's on TV. Billboard posters which always welcome me back to Chicago seem to be reserved for casinos and health insurance. In London they cover a broader spectrum from the cost of a pint of milk to more international current affairs. The Economist has a great ad campaign running at present. Creativeky taking a new twist on an iconic image, incorporating the publications brillant red...the original political message disapaits leaving the new message of innovative forethinkers, in touch with the world and ahead of their time.


this is not the ad.