adoftheweek | Shahini On Advertising

Ad of the Week: Guinness Rugby

Posted on September 30, 2015 by pashini90

I think everyone is aware of the Rugby World Cup in England. The games so far have created emotions of defying expectations for the Japanese, shock for the Springboks, delight for the Maori’s and unbridled disappointment from the English having squandered a 7 point lead to lose by 3 points in the dying minutes of Saturday’s game. The look on my friends face when he realised that both Leicester and England lost their matches made me feel a little sympathetic towards him. Today’s post centres around a set of adverts that many people will have been exposed to, either through social media platforms or right before rugby coverage on ITV. It showcases the importance of brand affinity through its connection to sport and most importantly, sells a product through emotive advertising.

Guinness Rugby: AMV BBDO

A few months ago I wrote a post on the history of Guinness advertising. Going back to the early 20th Century, you could see the transformation of the brand from using the tagline: ‘Guinness is good for you,’ right through to the 1970s-80s adverts which showed an old pub with its old regulars. It was at the time of the new millenium when AMV BBDO in London gave Guinness a completely new makeover in their branding strategy which consisted of what is probably known as one of the best pieces of advertising to ever grace the world: “The Surfer.”

From that moment on, a new audience was targeted. A younger, much vibrant audience to that of the 1970s and 80s who were more aware that Guinness was at the bar. With this foundation set in place, now it was time to expand the brand further. One of the best ways to gather awareness is through sports advertising. Marlboro used it extremely effectively throughout the 1970s, 80s and 90s by linking their brand with the successes of the McClaren and Ferrari teams and by sponsoring a wide variety of sports such as snooker, cricket and of course formula one. The same can be said of a number of brands such as Johnnie Walker, Fosters and even blue chip companies (Deloitte sponsor a number of Cricket venues in the UK for example). The one that Guinness has a closer affinity to with regard to sport is Rugby. Guinness is an Irish brand, Rugby is if I remember one of their national sports in conjunction with hurling and gaelic football, it would be silly not to focus your branding on it. As shown below, this was one of the first Guinness adverts to link Guinness to Rugby, and as you can see, it links well the history of the six nations with medievil connotations of war in a light sided way. By making the flag the embodiment of the rugby ball, you can clearly see how AMV BBDO has tried to unleash the emotive side to what is an effective campaign through the tagline: ‘Made of More.’

Emotive Storytelling

I have stated a number of times that the idea of a ‘Big Idea’ is one that sends an emotion to you that you never felt. For someone who was both a bit useless until year 10 of school and not fully understanding the rules of rugby (albeit I did go to a school where Rugby was a top priority), watching these adverts gave me a feeling that I never had. I wanted to learn more about Rugby, and that information was supplied to by Guinness. From then on I instantly recognised Guinness with Rugby, and this can hark back to last year.

In each of the three cases above, these three films look to the inner qualities like humility, dedication and self-belief. The ad campaign for Guinness celebrates the triumph of these qualities, which have helped each hero leave a lasting mark on the game. The case of the Welsh International Shane Williams it was down to Mind over Matter. Being told that he was too small for Rugby could have led him to give up his dream gives a fitting example of being ‘Made of More.’ The hero of 2003 Jonny Wilkinson focuses on the dedication and relentless resolve to bounce back from a number of injuries leading to him being loved by the English and adored by the French. And finally Bill McClaren, the so called ‘voice of rugby’ shows that it is not the misfortune that we are dealt, but how we face it that really counts. These emotive stories tied in with the Guinness Brand shows the affinity of the brand to the sport in a beautiful way.

As the father of advertising David Ogilvy said: ‘if you create a great idea, keep using it until it stops selling.’ Guinness have continued this formula due to 3 important reasons. Having tweeted a number of times to Dave Trott and watched a videos I can clearly see why. It is down to the Impact, Communication and Persuasion:

It impacts the audience by grabbing their attention. It is able to communicate its message in a way that is understandable to both avid rugby fans and people who aren’t really interested in the sport and is able to persuade its audience. What I mean by persuade is through sub-text; when someone thinks of Guinness, they’d remember the adverts, they remember the emotions behind the heroes.

Which brings me on to my Ad of the Week:

In the case of Gareth Thomas, the former Wales Captain discusses his struggle with regard to hiding his sexuality and how he was able to open up thanks to the help of his team-mates. In the first advert above he says something rather poignant: ‘I went into battle on the pitch every week, but the battle I was going through personally was ten times worse because I was keeping a secret from the team.’ It is understandable having read the tragic story of footballer Justin Fashanu, whereby his conversation with his former manager Brian Clough consisted of the following:

“‘Where do you go if you want a loaf of bread?’ I asked him. ‘A baker’s, I suppose.’ ‘Where do you go if you want a leg of lamb?’ ‘A butcher’s.’ ‘So why do you keep going to that bloody poofs’ club?”

In the case of Gareth Thomas, opening up to his teammates showed a complete opposite of what Fashanu endured. He was supported by his teammates and showed that his sexuality didn’t matter to them at all.

The second advert titled ‘The Right Path’ tells the story of Ashwin Willemse of how he fell in with the wrong crowd and how he was able to turn his life around through the sport of rugby.

Concluding Remarks

These adverts are the reason why they have been chosen as the ad of the week as they show the values of integrity and character that are core to the Guinness brand and to the sport of Rugby. By showing empathy to both these heroes showcases stories that are proud to be celebrated and are truly envisioned within the Guinness Rugby brand of being ‘Made of More.’ As I continue to say, Guinness and AMV BBDO have created a strong formula for future advertising which will continue reap rewards to both the client and the agency. I hope one day I can be able to work on the Guinness account and come up with ideas that can truly ground-breaking and iconic.

Throwback Thursday: Honda ‘Cog’ – Wieden & Kennedy

Posted on September 24, 2015 by pashini90

First of all, a massive round of apologies for not writing a blog post for a while. I can safely say that this was because of a very busy schedule of meeting recruiters, organising internships and also downloading the new Metal Gear Solid game on the PC. Today’s blog post is a throwback to one that changed the tides in car advertising. It was the very epitomy of what is considered as unconventional thought. The very same thought that makes a good idea into a ‘Big Idea.’ The reason why I have chosen this particular advert is not because of the current news stories surrounding Volkswagen and their diesel emissions fail, or Honda’s inability to create a competitive engine for the 2015 season with McClaren. It’s because it was something so eye-opening when I first saw it back in 2003 that if you speak to people about this brand, they will instantly remember this advert. So for todays topic, I will talking about the Honda ‘Cog’ advert of 2003, made by Wieden & Kennedy London.

Background of Honda

In the year 2002, Honda was known as the Number 3 Japanese car manufacturer in the world, behind its competitors Toyota and Nissan. This was disappointing for a company that was founded on the words of their founder Soichiro Honda: ‘Yume No Chikara’ (To See One’s Dreams). The car manufacturer was known for its high performance engines throughout the late 1980s to the early 1990s in Formula One, powering the likes of Nigel Mansell, Nelson Piquet, Alain Prost and the most important of all, Ayrton Senna. They had created the first Humanoid Robot in Asimo in 2000 and have continued developing it since its inception in 1986.

The question that you must be asking me is this: ‘So what was the problem with Honda?’

I will tell you. Whilst their sales in Japan and the United States were strong (In the US they are marketed as Acura), sales in the UK and Europe were weak, and statistics from the year 1998 had shown a decline in the purchase power of Honda cars within the UK and Europe. This could be down to what Wieden & Kennedy addressed:

“Honda make good, reliable and innovative products… But not desirable cars to own or drive.’

So the challenge was to invigorate the Honda brand as one that is desirable for the consumer. For this challenge, Wieden & Kennedy London were chosen for the campaign and focused on the very words that Soichiro Honda had built his company on: “Yume No Chikara,” or for a newer tone: “The Power of Dreams.”

This is not something unique changing the tagline for a brand. As we saw this year, Ogilvy & Mather Amsterdam changed the iconic ‘Drink Happiness’ tagline for Coca Cola to ‘Choose Happiness’ in order to reach a greater audience through its one brand strategy.

What Wieden & Kennedy London did was to utilise this tagline for a wide variety of Above the Line and Below the Line advertisement, through TV, magazines and direct response campaigns and asked the consumers: ‘Do you believe in the power of dreams?’

Honda ‘Cog’- Changing the Ad Landscape

Cog opens with a close-up on 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 mounted on top of an engine crankshaft assembly. The exhaust swings round and knocks into a series of 3 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 brake disc. The disc falls onto a seatbelt which, using a suspension lower arm as a lever, pulls a rear seat back into an upright position. As it does so, the seat disturbs a front windscreen wiper blade attached to a pulley wheel. The wiper blade travels along a bonnet release cable and overturns a tin of engine oil. The tin empties its contents onto a lower shelf, which disturbs the balance of several valve springs against flywheel. The oil alters the balance enough to cause several of the springs to roll. The valve springs are slowed enough by the spilt oil to allow them to drop into a cylinder head assembly mounted on a seesaw constructed of a board placed on a rocker shaft and gear wheel cog. On the other end of the seesaw is a car battery. As the assembly drops, the battery is pushed into a cylinder block wired up to an engine fan. It completes the circuit, and the fan rolls across the open floor into an anti-lock braking system modulator unit. The modulator unit knocks a rear silencer box down a ramp and into a rear suspension link. The link pushes a transmission selector arm into a brake pedal loaded with a rubber brake grommet. The grommet launches into a tyre mounted on a front end assembly, knocking it off and onto a wire suspended between two brake discs. The wire pulls a con rod, rotating it into a cylinder liner. The liner rolls down an incline, slowed by another con rod, the electric window of a front door assembly, and a series of interior grab handles. It falls onto another battery, completing a circuit. The circuit powers a windscreen washer jet pointed at a windscreen. The automated water sensors in the windscreen activate a pair of wiper blades, causing them to crawl across the floor. The wipers release a handbrake lever keeping a quartet of suspended window panels in place. As the windows swing round, the resulting air draft knocks the liner panel of a rear tool tray into a rocker shaft, which rolls across the floor into a suspension coil spring. The collision causes enough of a vibration to knock a second shaft into a battery. This activates the Accord’s CD player (playing Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight”). The vibrations from the car speakers shake a coil spring just enough to set it rolling off a rear tailgate glass panel, and onto a brake pedal. Once pushed, the pedal causes a set of rear shock absorbers to depress, pushing a polenoid onto a button on an ignition key. The button remotely closes the hatchback of an assembled Honda Accord on a brake-disc-mounted trailer. The closing of the door causes the weight of the car to shift enough to start it rolling down the slope to its final position in front of a tonneau cover with “Accord” printed on it, weighted with a wheel hub assembly. The piece closes with a voiceover from writer Garrison Keillor, who asks, “Isn’t it nice when things just work?”. The screen then cuts to a plain white background, where the Honda logo fades into the centre of the screen. The black text “The Power of Dreams” fades in shortly after the Honda logo has completely faded in.

Cog was first aired on British Television on the 6th April 2003. The full 2 minute version was aired only 10 times in all, and only in the 10 days after the initial screening. As is the case with planning its media work, the advert was chosen for maximum impact and in particular sporting events. The very fact that the first adverts aired during the 2003 Brazilian Grand Prix showcase how clever the planning department for both the creative and media agencies were, by showcasing their work during a motorsports event.

As you can see with the reviews, the media reaction to the advert was massive.

People were interested in how this advert came alive and Honda with the assistance of Wieden & Kennedy were able to milk the plaudits extremely well. As I stated a few weeks back, when you create a great idea, keep using it until it stops selling. Shorter versions of the advert were created. Viewers with Sky digital could be able to access the red button to watch the full 2 minute advert or even place an order for a free documentary DVD and brochure for Honda Cars.

The DVD was later inserted into a number of sunday newspapers which contained the ‘making of the advert,’ the original music video to ‘Rapper’s Delight’ and an illustrated guide to all the parts shown in the advert.

Plagiarism?

Shortly after the release of Cog, Wieden & Kennedy received a letter from Peter Fischli and David Weiss, creators of the 1987 art film: ‘Der Lauf der Dinge.’ The art film was well known in the advertising industry and its creators had been approached several times with offers for the right to use the concept. However, they always declined. The problem surrounded the basis of: ‘Commercialisation and simplification of the film’s content and the false impression that they might have endorsed the use.’ Although Fischli and Weiss never filed a lawsuit, their accusations continued to colour perceptions of the work within the advertising community.

Awards and Homages

As you can see, this advert was recognised for pure brilliance. It finally grabbed that attention to the consumer that was desperately needed for Honda. It swept the majority of awards within the Advertising community. It also won the Auto Express award for the best car advert ever made, however one disadvantage for this advert was that it was unable to win the Cannes Lion award due to Dan Wieden, the founder of Wieden & Kennedy was a chairman of the jury and as per the above, the lingering controversy surrounding Fischli and Weiss’ work.

However, this didn’t stop its success. the fact that a number of other brands used the same technique in comical ways shows the power of the ‘Cog’ Advert, as shown by 118 188:

Concluding Remarks

As you can see from this post, Wieden & Kennedy did a fantastic job in promoting and helping Honda’s brand and power. To be known as the 3rd Japanese Car Manufacturer and propel itself to number 1, showcased the utter brilliance of the ‘Cog’ Advert. Its marketing and mediawork and to some extent ‘original’ idea (not fully original as shown above) levitated Honda to a much stronger position. The fact that this advert is regularly in the top 10 best advert list of all time just goes to show how one can use ‘the power of dreams.’

Ad of the Week: ‘Tiny Dancer’ John Lewis by Adam&EveDDB

Posted on September 1, 2015 by pashini90

As I write to you my fellow readers, I am currently holding an icepack on my ankle. Due to one night of absolutely hilarity in the beautiful city of Amsterdam I have been limping around in a pain that I cannot describe for nearly a month. However, the only plus side of this and the fact that I am still continuing my search for a career in Advertising is that I get to see a number of adverts currently being played out on TV and other forms of media. The advert that I have chosen for my ‘Ad of the Week’ is one that showcases the ‘goodness of fit’ between a client and a creative agency.

John Lewis & Adam&EveDDB

Each year, the launch of John Lewis’ Christmas TV ad is almost like a national event. Last year told the story of a boy and Monty the Penguin which gathered 24 million clicks on Youtube, and during last year recorded over 930,000 tweets in relation to #MontyThePenguin. However, John Lewis and their creative agency Adam&EveDDB don’t just save their ad magic for the holiday season. the 2010 ad ‘Woman’ and ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ spots just show how effective their campaign can truly be.

It is also clear that there is a good fit between both the agency and client. Their four steps are truly wonderful. For those who are not aware of the four steps of creating an effective campaign, have a look below:

Creative Brilliance
Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Execution
Performance Evaluation

A number of Ad-men have stated that to fully understand the client, they should buy their products and see what subjective feelings they get. Ogilvy did this during a time he had the Sears account whereby he only shopped at Sears and it is evident that this practice is also in place with regard to these John Lewis adverts. Why you ask? Take for instance the ‘Woman’ advert of 2010, it instilled the products on show by John Lewis, it targeted the right audience- ‘well off middle classes’- and of course, showcased that emotive side to the company. This is a company which instead of using the term employees, embraces the idea of a partnership whereby people who work within the company are also stakeholders. It is evident that Adam&EveDDB have tapped into the vision of what John Lewis want and have created something that isn’t the conventional way of advertising. To use the words of the current chief of TBWA Jean Marie Dru, they are using what is known as ‘Disruption Theory,’ and simply they are reusing the same formula for their adverts. To quote David Ogily: “If you are lucky enough to write a good advertisement, repeat it until it stops pulling.” Simple as that.

The art of Disruption Theory- TBWA

‘Tiny Dancer’

From the positive vibes that have been said with regard to my ‘Ad of the Week,’ it is evident that Advertising has a new star. The amusingly passionate ballerina who careens around her home who puts all her family’s possessions in jeopardy. The hero of the ad, ‘the dancer’ is fantastic, throwing herself into the role with serious facial expressions and ballet moves to the sound of the 1970s hit ‘Tiny Dancer’ by Elton John. The advert showcases the many possibilities of damage possible in a comedic way. Every child has done something that has either damaged something within the house or in my case:

Nearly set the house on fire
dropped a massive tin of paint onto a Persian carpet
or open up an old antique clock and take out all the components just because I wanted to understand how it worked…

well.. you get the jist…

But while the advert is heartwarming and features a great song to go by, it reminds the audience that John Lewis Home Insurance can offer peace of mind. It also showcases the John Lewis brand itself by showcasing to the audience that John Lewis offers home insurance, and so far the exposure shows how successful it is. The fact that people are tweeting, Campaign magazine writing about it and all the clicks that John Lewis are receiving from Youtube just show how successful a campaign it is:

Can this Advert confound the Price-Driven Insurance Market?

Although this advert by Adam&EveDDB is nothing short of good advertising, the question remains… ‘Will it be able to confound the price-driven insurance market?’ Although the advert is entertaining and can work on many emotive levels, did it also make you think: ‘you know what, next time I will go for John Lewis Home Insurance.’

While John Lewis have a distinctive and dominant position in the retail world, they are the ‘go-to’ store for Britain’s upwardly mobile middle to upper classes, the problem consists around the insurance market. Insurance on a whole is an over-supplied and cut-throat market with the majority of the audience/consumer looking for the cheapest price. By going onto Comparethemarket.com or Go compare, will produce a staggering list of cheaper alternatives. My interpretation of the ‘Tiny Dancer’ advert is that it is creating that form of awareness that John Lewis offers insurance. The problem is that it is too brand-centric, there were no forms of information of cheaper quotes in comparison to lets say Endsleigh insurance or other insurance providers. Maybe there is such a thing as a ‘John Lewis Bubble’, much like users of Apple computers, whereby an advert creates happy, loyal customers who will just smile and switch their allegiance to the brand they are in a relationship with… Much like a religious group/cult.

Concluding Remarks

It is safe to say that John Lewis and their creative agency Adam&EveDDB have a fantastic relationship on show. Their adverts since 2010 have shown exemplary work of creative brilliance, great research, fantastic execution and evaluation. The advert on show recently has added to the sheer brilliance of sending a message across to consumers. In my opinion, if this advert can convert the brand appeal, brand strength in to an over-supplied, price-driven market and prosper, then truly they will have created the winning formula in home insurance advertising.