Chick-fil-A storyboard (done by me, not official)

So I thought I'd share this storyboard with you all for kicks. My Marketing Communications class got to enjoy this the other day and I drew it kind of last minute for a presentation haha. My group had to do a brand audit for a company and we chose Chick-fil-A and decided to create a commercial for a new product called a value box! I have no affiliation with Chick-fil-A, one of the group members works at our on campus location so we knew slightly more about it than another chain. Not my best work, but my friends in class quite liked it and I haven't really drawn anything since senior year of high school (aka 4 years ago).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's a post for your turkey day. While prepping for supper with my family, we watch the Macy's parade and the dog show that comes on afterwards every year. This year while watching the dog show, this commercial came on:

This made my sister and I crack up and it also just makes me happy. That cute little puppy dreams of a situation where he can win at fetch and the triumphant music is great. Purina Pro Plan dog food uses the tagline "If your dog can dream it, Purina Pro Plan can help him achieve it". And it is especially fitting to have a dog food commercial during the dog show, because most of the viewers probably have dogs at home.

Hope everyone enjoys their holiday and don't go too nuts during Black Friday because small business saturday and cyber monday are coming up!

Mercedes-Benz Magic Body Control TV Commercial

Even if you have seen this commercial, watch it again, full volume please.
The first time I saw this ad I laughed so hard that I cried. This was created by a German agency, Jung von Matt, and I must commend the person(s) who came up with this idea, because it is absolutely brilliant.

How do we show people that our car has the best ride and great suspension? You could show a car driving down a beautiful mountain road, weaving smoothly and silently. Or, you know what else stays still during a lot of commotion? Chicken heads. Wait what?

I cannot believe someone thought of chickens as the perfect comparison for the new Mercedes-Benz and its' Magic Body Control, but it works. Not only is the idea incredibly surprising and unique, it's a sort of "aha" moment, because it makes sense. It's also a "haha" moment that lasts for a long time, because those chickens are just too dang funny.

Something about the random hands positioning them, the timing and selection of the wonderful Diana Ross song "Upside Down", and the poor chickens just hovering there with no clue about what's going on makes this commercial soar. Now if only the chickens could too...

Oh and in case you were a little lost, yes this is a car commercial, but look, no car! What a crazy concept, that without even showing us the product, they have described exactly what people are hoping to find and buy in their very automobile, without being too obvious.

BMW 3 Series Commercial

While I was home the other weekend, my mom and I saw this commercial on TV for the new BMW 3 Series that reads your email aloud:

The car itself looks nice and the email feature sounds great, but honestly this commercial is just too funny. Almost every man and woman could relate to this situation and it has just enough humor to keep you interested. The lack of noise and emotion on the husband's part, the placement of the car and his wedding band, and the car horn used to censor what we assume to be a curse word are perfectly timed and paint just the right picture without over executing the idea. It also showcases the car and the new feature nicely with a simple commercial focused on maybe 4 things, tops. Your attention is not split in too many directions which helps the comedy aspect. 

However, in order to find the ad, I had to look up the commercial idea, which then led me to the BMW 3 Series. The point is that even if it's a good commercial, I didn't really pay attention to the car. I sometimes wonder if someone a bit older or currently shopping for a car would be more likely to seek out this purchase than I am, because this ad is purely entertainment for me. It is more appealing than a lot of car ads though.

Guinness #madeofmore

Many of you have probably seen this commercial for Guinness about "Wheelchair Basketball" and hopefully it still rouses some emotion for you. Here it is again:

First of all, the music is spot on, it builds and swells with our emotions and the realization that only one of the men actually needs his wheelchair, but his friends alter their game in order to accommodate him. Guinness' slogan is "Made of more" and this ad represents that. These men went out of their way to learn a new method of playing a beloved sport, just so that their friend could still enjoy it and be included.

There isn't much of their product in this ad, but it also doesn't need it. Everyone can relate to a pick-up game with friends or grabbing a cold beer together, but there is a deeper level that brings out our humanity here.

The voice-over for the commercial says "Dedication. Loyalty. Friendship. The choices we make reveal the true nature of our character." This statement is strong and lends just enough to the commercial without overwhelming it. The story line needs very little commentary because it can stand on its own.

Guinness positions itself as an elite beer with character; they go the extra mile to create a great product and this ad is aligned with their brand perfectly.

Honest Slogans

So I actually stumbled across a blog on tumblr today that mentioned the site honestslogans.com. They have a long list of pictures with logos and altered slogans or completely new phrases that are often very accurate and usually what the consumer is thinking. Some of them are a bit random or not very funny, but I laughed out loud at a lot of them! I respect and buy most of these brands, but sometimes we have to poke a little fun at those larger companies.

Here's an example for Nike:

picture from http://honestslogans.com

Ads that Make Me Cringe

Alright guys, today I'm going to address a few tv ads that I cannot stand...

1) Milk vs Omelette OR 1) Milk vs OJ

   

First of all, I love milk, but these ads in no way make me want to drink more milk. The first ad with OJ is uncomfortable and the voices make me cringe. They evoke some weird thoughts that do not make me thirsty and the lips on the bowl are creepy looking. The second ad with an Omelette is just gross. There is absolutely no reason to try and shove an omelette into a small cup and it is extremely unappetizing. Plus, milk and omelettes are not nearly the same type of breakfast or nutrition.

2) Skittles "Smile"

This ad is so messed up. That poor kid probably gets bullied for never smiling and he probably never gets the girl. So of course, Skittles has to have a girl try to tease him and when she sees his Skittle teeth she decides to kiss him. First of all, Skittles teeth? Who thinks of this? Second, why would you steal someone's teeth? Now he has only one tooth! Plus when she crunches down on them I just cringe, something about the noise freaks me out. Not to mention that they came from his mouth...

The old ad about Skittles Pox was bad enough, but this is gross. I'm also kind of curious why they always pick dorky loners as their characters, it feels like they're insulting their consumer base a bit.

3) Starburst Orchard and Dragon

Sometimes I enjoy Starburst ads, but recently they have been really annoying me. The Orchard and the Juicy Dragon are some ridiculous ways to describe how juicy Starburst are, but why must they try so hard? Honestly, just a few images of Starburst being unwrapped and enjoyed would be enough to make me want one. Those commercials don't even feature the product, so all I do is change the channel.

4) Orbit Gum

And last, but not least, almost any orbit gum commercial. Particularly the latest ones that feature people dressed up in disgusting food costumes "lingering" around and driving everyone nuts. These commercials are grating and gross, plus Orbit wouldn't even be able to help you if you actually had food particles and not just the bad breath.

Most of the time I prefer to focus on ads I love, but I thought I'd make a few bad comments in one bigger post so I don't drag it out too much. Thanks for reading!

2014 Kia Soul Commercial

This is the 2014 Kia Soul Hamster Commercial, with the song "Applause" by Lady Gaga. If you haven't seen it before, take a look now.

This is definitely one of my favorite commercials, on tv right now, for multiple reasons. It has catchy music, I'm singing along and usually singing after the ad is done, it's cute, a bunch of hamsters acting like people is adorable, and it's pretty funny, because those hamsters are trying to lose weight and impress girls while wearing comical t-shirts. It is also the perfect way to debut the new, sleeker version of the Kia Soul.

Clips of the hamsters are cut with clips of a designer remodeling and tweaking the Soul's shape and features and then the final product of both are revealed at the end. It makes a statement, this is a new look, and it's funny enough to be memorable, especially when you can associate the hamsters with the car from previous ads and in the future.

Even though I have no desire to buy the Kia Soul, this ad is entertaining and it's the only reason I know about the Soul and what Kia is capable of. Plus, others might like the look of the Soul and this ad could just be the first time they become aware of the option!

What is ADmusing?

What is ADmusing?

It's whatever I find amusing in the advertising world these days! We encounter hundreds of ads every day; tv, radio, print, online, etc. and my advertising class has inspired me to consider what I see or hear and discuss those thoughts in a public forum. I'm also hoping to do some agency research and learn more about the field I'd like to join when I graduate in the spring.

I've already been thinking about a few ads I've seen lately and when I get the chance I hope to make my first real post. Stay tuned!