High Five: Adland's Surprises
I think one of the biggest pitfalls in advertising is cliché. Every time we put something out into the world, we’re trying to get the attention of people who, if we’re honest, don’t really want to hear from us. One of the quickest ways to lose their interest and disappear into the background is to give them exactly what they expect and just play back well-worn tropes: venturing nothing, and therefore also gaining nothing.
And yet, there are so many ways to surprise people in advertising: exploring with formats, flipping messages on their heads, experimenting with craft, responding to popular culture. I think we’re at our best as an industry when we’re prepared to be playful, and when we remember the power of going off the beaten track.
These are a handful of adverts that I think really do that marvellously...
OkCupid - 'DTF'
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
I wish I could have been a fly on the wall the day this was presented to the clients. Really I do. I have probably seen a thousand ads for dating apps in my life, but this is the only one I remember… and it didn’t even run in the UK. The messaging is cheeky, but it’s also absolutely on the nose. But what really makes it sing is the visual world that W+K created: the heightened colour palette, the slightly spaced-out models, the use of big text and blank spaces. We all know OOH campaigns don’t work for every brand, but this is truly a triumph.
Metro Los Angeles - 'Super Kind'
Production: Lord Danger
Is it strange that some of the best ads of all time are ads encouraging people to behave themselves on public transport? Maybe. But it also speaks to the fact that, if you want people to do something differently in a public space, you really have to put some effort into persuading them. This, from LA Metro, is a particular favourite of mine: a J-Pop inspired content series where a pastel-clad superhero tackles anti-social behaviour through the medium of catchy music videos.
CALM - 'Missed Birthdays'
Agency: adam&eve
adam&eve has done a lot of brilliant and powerful work for CALM, but this is the campaign that really sticks in my mind. The contrast between the visual spectacle of the installation and the statistic that it represents makes the impact all the greater. Generally, if you saw nearly seven thousand helium foil balloons floating in a shopping centre, you’d assume it was something joyful and celebratory: the shock of realising that each of those balloons symbolises a young life lost to suicide is profound.
Palace x Wedgewood - 'Antiques Roadshow'
As a woman in her late thirties with no interest in skateboards or streetwear, it’s surprising that I have heard of Palace. I have heard of Palace because of this completely off the wall collaboration with Wedgewood. The centrepiece of the campaign: a ninety second, deadpan 'Antiques Roadshow' skit. It’s funny, it’s knowing, it’s a wonderful homage to a classic TV treasure -- and it almost (almost) made me want to buy a plate.
RSPB - 'We Campaign Because They Can’t'
Agency: Good Agency x Blue Zoo
We all know that there’s a climate crisis, and that the natural world is under threat. We have all seen very distressing photos of devastated wildlife habitats, and dying animals. The threat is huge and it’s serious, and the obvious place to take an advert for a charity which is trying to tackle that threat is: sombre, depressing, photos. This ad took the opposite route, and I really think it’s paid off. These animations are charming, nostalgic, funny and heartfelt, striking a balance between a lightness of tone, without ever trivialising the work that the RSPB does.
