Wednesday, July 27, 2011
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.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
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.
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.
Chivas Regal - Neil French
Neil French has a lot of memorable and unconventional ad campaigns to his credit of which this post has a select few that he made for Chivas Regal with minimalism being the central idea. The execution is dazzlingly intelligent. Each copy is a masterpiece which makes draws heavily from his elitist tendencies.
Neil French's biography "Sorry for the lobsters" is out this week ,with a preface penned by Indra Sinha, voted amongst the top-ten British copywriters of all times with Amnesty International campaigns under his belt.
You can buy his book only through his website for US$40.
Verdict from those who have read the book ..
Most in the industry would associate Neil French with his unsavory sexist comment that he made in 2005 about female creative directors being "crap" , who would eventually "wimp out and go suckle something".
Guess the success got to his head..such comments were completely unwarranted.
Neil French - About Sorry for the Lobsters
"In the opening sentences, Neil French says he is not writing yet another book about How to do advertising. This is ridiculous: everything he writes is a master-class in how to do advertising. He never, ever, ever bores the reader. He might shock you, he might offend you, he might even piss you off royally, but he will never bore you. More likely he'll make you laugh or, on occasion, even get a little misty. Better than any other advertising legend I know, he puts himself, usually quite literally, into everything he writes. He makes every ad... and this book... an adventure."
Mike Hughes. President. The Martin Agency
"Delicious and totally decadent, just like a marathon lunch with Neil... with him firing on all cylinders. Honest, inspiring, entertaining... and necessary. He may well be the most interesting and authentic person in our entire industry."
David Droga. Founder. Droga5
"Here is a book no creative professional or student of advertising should be without. Written by one of the world's leading advertising writers, it skillfully captures the remarkable story of a man who has experienced the rich tapestry of life and all it has to offer. It's a fascinating read, packed with wisdom, insight and highly entertaining anecdotes."
Mark Tutssel. Worldwide Creative Director. Leo Burnett
"A book that needed to happen. Where could you find such a distillation of experience, of contradiction, of craft, of charm, of risk, of wisdom... of a life more lived? He has the ability to melt humor into emotion; you laugh aloud and then find you get goose bumps... like having rain and sunshine together. There are no false notes here. Just join in the richness, and the utter fearlessness of being Neil."
Prasoon Joshi. Copywriter, Poet, Songwriter
"If Neil French didn't exist, we'd have to invent him, if only to remind ourselves how boring our own lives have been! But also to remind us of the power of contrary thinking and the beauty of the art of advertising when practiced at his level. He's a hero to a whole generation of copywriters."
Bob Scarpelli. Chairman. DDB Worldwide
"Neil French is a storyteller. (Charles Dickens meets Ernest Hemingway). It's why you'd like sitting with him and a bottle of wine (or two) and mostly listening. It's why people like reading his ads, the long copy ones and the short copy ones. And it's why you'll like reading this book."
Lee Clow. Chairman. TBWA worldwide
"An engaging romp, as his career spirals from bullfighter to nightclub singer to club bouncer to porn producer, and finally hits rock bottom as an internationally-acclaimed Creative Director."
Jeff Goodby. Co-founder. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
"With twice as many pages as David Ogilvy's classic, these are the confessions of a real advertising man. Packed with hilarious anecdotes, get-rich-quick schemes and sage advice, it's worthy of a Cannes Lion... and knowing Neil he'll probably find a category for it!"
Graham Fink
"An intriguing, engaging, funny, bellissimo book! And no matter what the Buddhist chaps say, Neil French is the living proof that you don't have to die to live so many lives."
Andrea Stillacci. President and Founder. Herezie. Paris
"If you want to know why Neil French is the most compelling advertising guru on the planet, come on a journey. From the earthy bowels of Birmingham to the sunlit uplands of Ogilvy and WPP, only Neil French could have lived it, and only Neil French could have written it. Lessons abound, as do laughs. But read beneath the outrageous yarns and self- deprecating wit, and you'll discover an uncompromising creative passion... and an awesome talent."
Jim Aitchison. Author.'Cutting Edge Advertising'
"Shamelessly honest, sometimes brutally so, in recounting his past and his present, he is the Godfather of Guerrilla advertising, and more relevant than ever! Love him. Hate him. Can't ignore him. Read him. He's the one and only Frenchie."
Piyush Pandey. Chairman. Ogilvy India
"He's the Jack Nicholson, the Keef Richards, and the Genghis Khan of advertising. Except that he can write a bit. (Here's one blurb that won't make it to the book!"
Name subsequently withheld by request
"I know of very few creatives who have managed to write one or two memorable ads during their entire careers. But there is just one who has not only written dozens of them, but who's also lived such a memorable life that it deserves a book. In a world filled with yes-sayers, consensus - seekers and 'team players', it's great to have Neil French."
Marcello Serpa. Almap BBDO. Brazil
"Neil delivers a wicked, hilarious swift-kick-in-the-ass to advertising and life. Then he picks them up, dusts them off, gives them a big bear hug, gets them drunk, and talks. And when he begins to tell you a story, you shut up and listen."
Ted Royer. ECD/Partner. Droga5
Mike Hughes. President. The Martin Agency
"Delicious and totally decadent, just like a marathon lunch with Neil... with him firing on all cylinders. Honest, inspiring, entertaining... and necessary. He may well be the most interesting and authentic person in our entire industry."
David Droga. Founder. Droga5
"Here is a book no creative professional or student of advertising should be without. Written by one of the world's leading advertising writers, it skillfully captures the remarkable story of a man who has experienced the rich tapestry of life and all it has to offer. It's a fascinating read, packed with wisdom, insight and highly entertaining anecdotes."
Mark Tutssel. Worldwide Creative Director. Leo Burnett
"A book that needed to happen. Where could you find such a distillation of experience, of contradiction, of craft, of charm, of risk, of wisdom... of a life more lived? He has the ability to melt humor into emotion; you laugh aloud and then find you get goose bumps... like having rain and sunshine together. There are no false notes here. Just join in the richness, and the utter fearlessness of being Neil."
Prasoon Joshi. Copywriter, Poet, Songwriter
"If Neil French didn't exist, we'd have to invent him, if only to remind ourselves how boring our own lives have been! But also to remind us of the power of contrary thinking and the beauty of the art of advertising when practiced at his level. He's a hero to a whole generation of copywriters."
Bob Scarpelli. Chairman. DDB Worldwide
"Neil French is a storyteller. (Charles Dickens meets Ernest Hemingway). It's why you'd like sitting with him and a bottle of wine (or two) and mostly listening. It's why people like reading his ads, the long copy ones and the short copy ones. And it's why you'll like reading this book."
Lee Clow. Chairman. TBWA worldwide
"An engaging romp, as his career spirals from bullfighter to nightclub singer to club bouncer to porn producer, and finally hits rock bottom as an internationally-acclaimed Creative Director."
Jeff Goodby. Co-founder. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners
"With twice as many pages as David Ogilvy's classic, these are the confessions of a real advertising man. Packed with hilarious anecdotes, get-rich-quick schemes and sage advice, it's worthy of a Cannes Lion... and knowing Neil he'll probably find a category for it!"
Graham Fink
"An intriguing, engaging, funny, bellissimo book! And no matter what the Buddhist chaps say, Neil French is the living proof that you don't have to die to live so many lives."
Andrea Stillacci. President and Founder. Herezie. Paris
"If you want to know why Neil French is the most compelling advertising guru on the planet, come on a journey. From the earthy bowels of Birmingham to the sunlit uplands of Ogilvy and WPP, only Neil French could have lived it, and only Neil French could have written it. Lessons abound, as do laughs. But read beneath the outrageous yarns and self- deprecating wit, and you'll discover an uncompromising creative passion... and an awesome talent."
Jim Aitchison. Author.'Cutting Edge Advertising'
"Shamelessly honest, sometimes brutally so, in recounting his past and his present, he is the Godfather of Guerrilla advertising, and more relevant than ever! Love him. Hate him. Can't ignore him. Read him. He's the one and only Frenchie."
Piyush Pandey. Chairman. Ogilvy India
"He's the Jack Nicholson, the Keef Richards, and the Genghis Khan of advertising. Except that he can write a bit. (Here's one blurb that won't make it to the book!"
Name subsequently withheld by request
"I know of very few creatives who have managed to write one or two memorable ads during their entire careers. But there is just one who has not only written dozens of them, but who's also lived such a memorable life that it deserves a book. In a world filled with yes-sayers, consensus - seekers and 'team players', it's great to have Neil French."
Marcello Serpa. Almap BBDO. Brazil
"Neil delivers a wicked, hilarious swift-kick-in-the-ass to advertising and life. Then he picks them up, dusts them off, gives them a big bear hug, gets them drunk, and talks. And when he begins to tell you a story, you shut up and listen."
Ted Royer. ECD/Partner. Droga5
Monday, July 25, 2011
Ericsson One Black Coffee Please Ad
This ad came out in mid 90's when India's cellphone market was largely niche. By todays standards the phone is a brick but was very small for 90s. An ad that immediately brings a smile to your face.
It was one of the few ads at the time to use the concept of Layering, A feature that comes up repeatedly in Prasoon Pandeys'ads. As the man gets up thinking that the lady is inviting him over to her table, she looks at him and tells him, ‘One black coffee, please?’ Now, while the camera focuses on the man’s crestfallen expression, the sound bite in the background is that of glasses breaking. It was also an ad , that was very different for that time. A time when ads still had a distinct colonial hangover or where the humor was not subtle. This ad however had a distinct humor that people were able to associate immediately and it was no wonder, that the international audienced lapped this ad up. Think, this was the first ever Indian ad to get a Cannes award as well.
It was one of the few ads at the time to use the concept of Layering, A feature that comes up repeatedly in Prasoon Pandeys'ads. As the man gets up thinking that the lady is inviting him over to her table, she looks at him and tells him, ‘One black coffee, please?’ Now, while the camera focuses on the man’s crestfallen expression, the sound bite in the background is that of glasses breaking. It was also an ad , that was very different for that time. A time when ads still had a distinct colonial hangover or where the humor was not subtle. This ad however had a distinct humor that people were able to associate immediately and it was no wonder, that the international audienced lapped this ad up. Think, this was the first ever Indian ad to get a Cannes award as well.
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