Unhate - United Colors of Benetton

Pope & Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb

The most controversial of the lot was that of Pope in lip-lock with the Imam. UCB seems to have out-done itself in its bid to be rife with social/global/political message of universal love has courted controversy ... which has been its USP from the time of its inception. These UCB ads make no bones about bringing forth the bitterness between the parties portrayed and has thereby thrown caution to the wind. It takes Bromance to a whole new level. The content and effort at the art work is commendable but the fact that images of global leaders have been used without consent would obviously not go down well with the primes. 

Bold. Strong. Effective. Polemic.

Barack Obama and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez kissing

China's leader Hu Jintao and Barack Obama

Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel with French president Nicolas Sarkozy

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Lee Myung-bak, President of South Korea

Palestian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Absolut - Amsterdam

Absolut - Athens

What better dedication to Athens than its architecture shaped like Absolut Vodka bottle.

Coco Chanel - Madmoiselle

Title: Coco Mademoiselle
Brand: Chanel
Product: Coco Mademoiselle
Star: Keira Knightley
Background song: "L-O-V-E" by Joss Stone (original sung by Nat King Cole)
Director : Joe Wright


What I love about this ad is the fact that she is more a tease than a Sl*t. 
The imagery of a lithe woman riding a Ducati, accentuates her femininity. She looks leonine and in control of what she wants and chooses to do. In its true essence she symbolizes the breed of women, that the product aims to represent. 
Keira concludes the rendition with signature panache.


It is with the same director, Joe Wright that Keira worked with for Pride and Prejudice.

The Honda Cog Ad

The sequence starts with a transmission bearing rolling down a board into a synchro hub. The hub in turn rolls into a gear wheel cog, which falls off of the board and into a camshaft and pulley wheel. The camshaft swings around into the centre section of an exhaust pipe mounted on top of an engine crankshaft assembly. The exhaust in turn swings round to knock, which in turn swings into the first of a series of valve stems. The valve stems roll down a front bonnet placed on top of an alloy wheel rim, releasing an engine oil dipstick with a throttle actuator shaft on the end. The disptick flicks over an engine cam cover into a radiator. The radiator overturns, falling onto a wheel balanced on top of a water pump housing. This wheel rolls off and knocks into the first of a series of three weighted wheels, which roll up a ramp into a brake disc.

If you still don't know what I am talking about take a look at the video. One of the best ads of all times and one of the most award winning ads. It is the Honda Cog Ad.




It took 606 takes to get the video right but it was worth each try. The final ad that was screened for the first time during an ad break of the Brazilian Grand Prix was such a runaway hit even the rival ad company bosses were indicating that it was one of the best ads that they had seen.

Idea - No Aabaadi No Barbaadi

It is weird that they would have an advertisement centered around the concept that people have sex for the lack of something better to do. And if keeping the men distracted with the phone using immense capability at keeping the couple entertained is for real.. then what would a condom/contraceptive company's response to this be?
It paints a sorry picture with a woman who says (Translation) " I have sacrificed my marital life for the sake of the nation". Agreed that the cities are bursting at their seams but 3G would help control the explosion? Really? That is quite a stretch.. Its entertaining but the ad seems to highlight how populous a nation we have become and marginally talks about the features of 3G. Idea 3G gets drowned in the din.
Ironic that the same land that gave the "Kamasutra" also churns out kitsch like this.

Found it even more amusing that Abhi-Ash's baby is being used to sell products even before it is born, when Abhishek admits that his contribution to the population of India happened before 3G arrived.