Yaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnn…
Here’s Juan Cabral’s new ad for Eurostar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMiRJq_v1WU
In case you’re wondering, it’s shit.
But this blog does not deal in such besmirchificationary assertions without a bit of justification to back them up.
My biggest problem with it is: what the fuck has an idiot girl running around looking for talking animals got to do with taking a train from London to some city in Europe? Seriously, I like a slightly indulgent/nebulous ad as much as the next wanker but this is just crazy. It’s like advertising a bar of chocolate with a drumming…oh, wait….
Anyway, this is not Gorilla because it’s not interesting or memorable. It’s like watching someone smearing vanilla blancmange and skimmed milk over the screen while beaming Amanda Seyfried romance movies into your eyeballs, then getting a labrador puppy, covering it in Cecilia Aherne novels and getting it to lick you softly and non-committally until you weep with boredom. THEN putting a Norah Jones album on a loop and painting the planet a particularly neutral shade of beige while dressing you in Next clothes and shoving a rolled-up copy of the Mail on Sunday up your starfish.
Really, is anyone going to watch this (billed, incidentally, as ‘Eurostar’s first TV ad in three years’, like anyone gives a fuck) and think of taking a train to Europe? ‘Exploring is beautiful’ ought to be a line for selling LSD, not a boring journey to a boring place on a boring vehicle (although at least the ad accurately reflects the experience).
I fully believe that no one has led the creativity of advertising further in the last ten years, but compared to the rampant spanking that was ‘Gorilla’ and the lush, heartfelt snog that was ‘Balls’, this is like getting to a party and discovering that someone you don’t really fancy had to go home early with a mild cold.
Or something.
Agree with all that.
i love you Ben.
wow that yawn was so long it hit your blogroll.
Harsh. Why go to all that effort to lambast something that you think is boring? If Juan Cabral had not have worked on it would you still have written a post on it? Give the guy a break. He’s only trying to earn a living and do the best he can on whatever brief he’s asked to work on. He’s not like some sort of super human being who can turn everything he touches to gold.
It really wasn’t much effort.
I write about Juan’s ads because I find it interesting (and I think others do too) to see how a creative genius can or can’t maintain his very high standards.
Is that the best he can do?
I now agree fully with your last sentence.
That shit soundville thing…
That’s two stinkers
I thought it was a little harsh too.
Everyone has off days – if you had anywhere near as many great ads on your reel this rant might be justified – but it seems like you have an axe to grind here.
Spot on Ben. Couldn’t agree more.
i know for a fact it cost twice what sommers town cost.
which is a bit of a fluff really
It’s a load of cobblers. The one single thing that advertising in any medium must never be is dull. And this is 100% dull. Mr Cabral is a very talented fellow and nobody hits a home run every time… but really. This is not good work.
What IS ‘yawwwnnnn’ are the comments that start comparing it to gorilla. As a fucking train ad its ok. But I do disagree with it having nothing to do with travelling on the Eurostar Ben. Its reminding us, as adults, what it was like as a kid to explore. That we should do it again as grown ups, only by travelling round Europe. Think its quite sweet and watchable and reckon GBP will like it. But really who cares?
The folk on creative review are wanking over it.
I find it interesting how you’ve only attacked the individual, and not even mentioned the agency. Who was it?
He did deserve it though. SO boring.
the execution is cute. there’s craft in it. it’s not shit. but the idea of selling a mode of transport by highlighting the destination always bemuses me. shit strategy.
juan has done far more average work than he has brilliant. as have we all. but there’s always a level of quality in the way it’s put together, which is hard.
I wonder, was this the first ad he showed the client? Or was there something much better done earlier on that client researched to death.
What round of creative was this? Does he think it’s any good?
Or, perhaps it just shows he’s human after all. If you’ve got a shit client it doesn’t matter if you get Walt and Glazer to shoot it – it won’t result in a good ad.
Actually, I’ve attacked the ad. I only said mice things about Juan.
And what’s this axe I have to grind? Nobody has a reel as good as Juan’s. Does that mean no one can criticise one if his ads?
This is boring. It would be equally boring if a junior team from Grey had done it. But then having a look at why it’s bad wouldn’t have been as interesting because we’d have none of the ‘great creative makes shit ad’ context.
9.13am – Ben isn’t the only one who didn’t understand how the picture tied in with Eurostar. Given your explanation, I think that it’s a bit convoluted.
Juan may be a great creative, but why does he keep trying to direct?
Anyone could have directed the monkey. Trucks was a shambles. Soundville and this are riotously boring. Stop directing!
I didn’t like “balls.” I thought it was just a lot of coloured balls rolling down a hill. I did however, like “paint explosions in a council estate!”
Imagine how wrong I am to have that opinion.
It does seem to bear out the old saying “It takes all sorts, doesn’t it?”
I’m with whatshername – Angela Lansbury.
Step away from the camera, Juan. AWAY FROM THE CAMERA! Come on son.
Weirdly I’ve never seen balls all rolling down a hill and not smashing stuff.
Although, growing up on a council estate seeing paint thrown everywhere was pretty normal.
Maybe there should be a ball covered in paint thrown through unsuspecting peoples windows.
Now that was fun.
Colour everyfuckingwhere.
Then loads of flashing blue. But we had them.
I actually liked it.
found it watchable and sweet.
i know it makes us all feel better about ourselves to piss on someone’s chips, especially after they’ve done work better than any of us will ever do [gorilla, balls, blah blah] but you lot need to stop being so bitter.
I don’t think that disliking this ad is about bitterness. It’s just boring.
Boring, boring, boring, boring, boring.
I think it perfectly dramatises the problem we Brits have of, when wandering around Paris, trying to find one fucker who will speak to us in English
By way of contrast to the Eurostar ad, have you lot seen the latest W&K Levi’s campaign? It’s absolutely stunning. Massive, inspiring idea and beautifully executed. Best thing I’ve seen all year.
Ad here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1YaHm3Ob1g
There’s more details and a longer ‘documentary’ here. Basically, Levi’s have worked with the town of Braddock, Pennsylvania to help rebuild it – investing in the community centre, public library and urban farm and basing this campaign on the story of the town and its people.
http://www.contagiousmagazine.com/2010/07/levis_5.php
Eurostar is quick, a lot less hassle than fannying around at the airport and actually a bit romantic. you could be in St Pancras and turn to your wife/gf/bf and say let’s go now.
The idea of ‘exploring’ seems so insipid and broad, it’s no wonder Juan threw it out and decided to make a film about a neglected girl who’s so desperate to talk to anyone she starts haressing the animals at the zoo.
Also I wonder just how many skinny jeans the Levi campaign will sell to skinny people. Does anyone else think it’s a bit rich a company who makes all their product outside the US to start banging on about it was the workers that made the US the place it was? You want to help Braddock PA – build a frigging factory there.
Just saw the Levi’s work.
Really great.
And it sort of ends the debate about the Eurostar ad.
‘Eurostar is quick, a lot less hassle than fannying around at the airport and actually a bit romantic. you could be in St Pancras and turn to your wife/gf/bf and say let‚Äôs go now.’
Then he/she turns back and says, ‘Where’s your passport, luv?’
then you say, ‘here it is, surprise’
@AntMelder
I thought the Levis ad was a bit dull. I couldn’t be arsed to look at the docu. Sorry. Short attention span as a result of too much internets.
I thought the Eurostar one is OK actually. Quite charming and holds your attention. Think it’s getting far too rough a ‘ride’ on here. Ah, sweet wordplay…
Hi t.
I reckon the Levi’s stuff works brilliantly because the ‘work‚Äô thing is authentic to the brand. And they‚Äôre genuinely doing something inspiring in that town, Braddock. OK, it‚Äôs changing one town ‚Äì in a modest way – not the world, but I think it will really resonate with people.
Hi Phil.
I can kind of see why you could think it’s dull. I personally think it’s really beautiful. Getting the bloke who directed The Proposition and The Road (John Hillcoat) to direct it has worked a treat. The beauty of the execution is ultra powerful because it’s in service of a great idea.
Liked the spooky dead child VO on the Levis. Felt a bit like Mr. Spock needed to appear and do a “Human beings are remarkable in their capacity for redemption, Jim” speech at the end. Or something.
Er, what’s the idea in the Levi’s ad?
it’s great!
http://vimeo.com/11499616
I wouldn’t like to buy a car off the individual who sold this to the client.
*points up*
Not only NSFW but it fucks your browsing.
The Levis ad doesn’t make any sense without also watching the doco, which doesn’t make for a good TV ad now does it.
Ben
Re axe to grind comment.
You’re normally pretty measured in your comments on average work but you really went to town on this ad.
Which kinda makes it look like it’s more about who did it, than the ad.
Regardless of what we’ve done ourselves, anyone can have a view on someone else’s work, but when you’ve done as much nice stuff as this bloke, when he makes something like this he deserves a little more leeway than you gave him – just my opinion, it’s your bat and ball so you can say what you want.
And while I don’t love this, it’s better than 92.675% of the shite that pollutes my eyeballs.
I don’t think it’s average work. I think it’s fucking boring work. I tend not to put average ads up because there’s nothing to write about.
I (and many others) think this is fucking boring. No agenda. Very happy and prepared to like Juan’s next ad so long as it’s good.
And not fucking boring like this one.
And I’m sorry but no one ‘deserves a little more leeway’. Shit ad= shit ad, whoever did it. By your suggestion I should give less leeway to worse teams, which is patently a daft idea.
Levis… Big idea, good. TV ad, unintelligible. Spooky child voice over, just fucking horrible.
HATE HATE HATE that fucking levis voice over. ANd found it more boring to watch than te Eurostar ad, which I actually found quite endearing in a strange gay way.
I’d say it was on track.