Our destination this week is Great Britain, but I will primarily focus on England. The country has been around for centuries, yet their advertising has only boomed within the past 50-60 years. Despite this vast difference, London and England have been the front-runners of advertising for a while now; pushing the limits and placing themselves at the top of global advertising.
So, ladies and gentlemen, here are my Top Five ads:
1. This first advertisement was an award-winning commercial at the Cannes-Lions Awards. It is an ad for The Guardian, a British national newspaper, that is also accessible online and on smart phones or tablets. The ad, title The Three Little Pigs, creates a real life reaction to the fable. In a darker version, the three little pigs are put on trial for killing the wolf, which then leads to a whole domino effect of public outcry on what is considered murder, leading into an outpouring of disagreement on financial positions of mortgages, which then led to even more controversy surrounding the judgement of the pigs.
I found this ad to be extremely well done, and a perfect candidate for awards, because it showed just how far stories can be spread in today's world of social media. The varying opinions of the public versus the government are so out in the open, that even a children's fable can be developed into a problem of morale, finance, and integrity. I thought it was very well done and that The Guardian played to its advantages of being such an accessible newspaper no matter where you are, or what you are reading it from.
2. The second advertisement I chose is lighter than the first, but I found it to be just as creative. It is a commercial for the Barclay Card, and there are actually two versions in the campaign. The ad plays to your youthful, more fun side by integrating these giant water slides and roller-coasters to show just how quickly you can make your payments with the Barclaycard. The commercial may not be an award-winner, but it catches your eye and makes you wonder what is being advertised here. It is relatable, every woman or man has, once in his or her life, wished to have a giant slide or roller-coaster run through their house or, in this case, through the entire city of Manhattan. I found it to be a very fun commercial.
3. The third ad I just had to include. It is a commercial for Oreo, and although it is not hard-hitting or serious, the company does a really good job at playing to their strengths and connecting with the viewers. The little girl is simply adorable and teaches her father how to eat the cookie, as titled, The Explanation to Daddy, something any viewer would find entrancing and too cute to stop watching. I think they did a really good job of using their demographic as a strength, as they do in all of their commercials: the child and parent bonding over a delicious snack. The creativity of the commercial is the setting it is a girl in her element, her pink and dainty little fort, showing her father each step to eating an Oreo cookie. It brings me back to my childhood, which shows just how good of a commercial it actually is.
4. I thought the fourth advertisement was good because it grabbed my attention. It began in a jam-packed home, with an adventurous tone to it, and left me wondering what the commercial was for. The couple was making there way through the maze of walls filled with books, shoes, and furniture, trying to find each other, while singing a sort of love song. In the end they break through these walls and all of a sudden everything has an order to it, showing that Ikea can take on any mess, no matter how wide or dense. The title 'Living Together' plays with the notion that when you move in with your partner, you should go to Ikea to find the best way of organizing double the amount of things into half of the space. I thought it was brilliant.
5. The fifth and final advertisement I chose is for the British Heart Foundation. It is more of a public announcement, but it went on air so I consider that valid for this post. The commercial features actor Vinnie Jones and is titled 'Hard and Fast Hands-Only CPR'. They approach the serious topic in a charismatic way, having a well-known "tough guy" show people how to bring someone who is experiencing cardiac arrest, back to life. The way in which they bring a body, that he claims he had taken care of earlier, as the test dummy, along with 'Stayin' Alive' playing in the background, was a light and fun way to approach such a morose topic. I think the BHF does a great job at getting their point across in the most entertaining way. They teach the viewers a lesson, without them even realizing it.
Let me know what you think about these advertisements. Do you think they truly are the best ones the United Kingdom has to offer? Do you have others that you think are more qualified for the rankings? Please give me feedback and share some of your own favorite ads from Great Britain!
Cheerio!
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