Christmas is here!! Let's start shopping at Argos!

Bugsy
1 Comment »


The Christmas Ads have started, and it is only the end of November. 


Perhaps a little early, but reasonable in terms of securing the market of 'planners' - those rare breeds that shop early, make their lists in July, and do all the wrapping by November. If you know someone that is a planner, the chances are that your gift from them will be fairly boring. 

Nonetheless, these planners do exist, and its important to snap them up before any one else does, which is exactly what Argos has tried to do with its latest TV spot. 

You can watch the 30 second spot here:

Now, I appreciate their efforts to get in their early, but the creative department behind this must surely have realised the obvious connections between their shiny advert and a celebrated scene from 'Love Actually' in which Rowan Atkinson overkills the gift-wrapping process, must to the chagrin of a hurried Alan Rickman character. 

You can see that wonderful scene here, pure physical comedy:

The similarity is there for all to see, but somehow, outright plagiarism is there for all to see, and the creators of the new Argos advert don't seem to mind. 

There is just no excuse for this form of blatant copying. In my mind certainly, the commanding thought that arises from this advert is one of disappointment that the agency, CHI, have refused to come up with any original content. I am left with a negative opinion of sham brand Argos, cheap imitators. 

Is this just me though? Will the normal consumer be affected by the same moral pangs? I don't think so. They will just see this ad, perhaps think about the scene from Love Actually, be amused by the connection, and then go and buy Love Actually, probably from Argos. 

Well done to CHI and Argos for being the first off the Christmas mark, but in a season which repeats itself every year, with the same mince pies and the same predictable presents, someone needs to stand out.

Bad Ad: Argos Christmas 

Depressing BT Bad Ad

Bugsy
1 Comment »

It seems a little negative to start this blog out with Bad Ads only, but perhaps it will prove a good indicator test for you, the reader, to know what sort of Adverts I appreciate, and which I criticise heavily.

This advert for BT Broadband is the worst example of a TV spot as you are ever likely to see:


The Ad involves a married couple, characters who have been featuring in BT adverts for over a 12 months and have therefore established a familiarity with their audiences. As a young, attractive couple, with two children (a boy and a girl), they represent middle britain, the young and professionals, a typical median family - the sort that can afford to wirelessly project internet throughout their comfortable, 4 bedroom home.

All of this sounds very pleasant. And whether or not your demographic matches exactly with this TV family's doesn't matter - the point is you've become accustomed to their appearance, and perhaps you rather like them.

This is all about to change. The husband has now moved to Cornwall to pursue his dream job. The Wife is left at home to tend to the children. They are discussing the future of their marriage over a casual online chat, when, oh dear god, he loses his internet connection because of his unreliable third party internet provider. Where does this leave their marriage? Will he return? Do they still love each other? Are they still enjoying wireless connectivity?

Scrap the last question because it really doesn't matter. This advert is terribly sad. And its not sad because he loses his connection, it's sad because a couple is in the process of splitting up, and that is always a terribly sad, raw and emotional thing to bring to the screen. Watching it, I couldn't care less about wireless internet.

Some adverts, in an effort to tell a story, forget that some stories are meant for greater things than adverts. BT crushes my soul every time I watch this advert. The average television viewer gets an ample dosage of emotional turmoil from british television programmes, they certainly don't need it from adverts.


Levi's 'Unbuttoned'

Bugsy
0 Comments »


One cannot be blamed for a feeling of utter confusion at the new Levi's 'Unbuttoned' TV spots: four adverts designed to forge a link between the famous denim brand and the causal, unrestrained freedom of youth. 

The first is amusing, showing two youths as they make out en route to their apartment, revealing the truth behind the lies which got them a one-way ticket to hanky-pankyville (the very fact that I call it 'hanky-pankyville' should give you a rough idea that I don't travel there that often, or that I'm not ever on the casting couch for a Levi's jeans advert). 

You can see the advert here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=S83u8eQ6acA

I like this advert, it's a bit cheeky and raw, as if it were shot by torchlight. There are no men with ridiculously fake torsos, showing us how their jeans fall just below their boxer shorts, and that this is a sign of a good waistline.  Just a couple of attractive people, having a jostle, showing how good it is to be young with unbuttoned jeans. 

The next advert is rather more baffling: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk5sBagFzB4&NR=1

Two teenagers share a moment of unbuttoning each other and then jumping off a pier into the ocean below. Once again, there's no sugar coating on this advert. The lighting is dull and the weather seems more Blackpool than Orange County. But still, the complete randomness of this act of joint plunging should not be applauded and touted as an example of youthful foolishness.

The girl in the advert, cute thought she may be, says that this is her 34th time jumping!! A veritable plunging tramp then, and certainly not one which our fresh-faced virginal 501 wearing boy should be hanging around with.  

I can see the idea behind the second advert, and appreciate its uniqueness, but sometimes, it becomes counter-productive to stretch an advert to the limits of originality and quirkiness. The first advert proves that simplicity, strong design and a half-amusing idea can go a long way.