Old Spice Is Funny Again
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XS1dM6kmCx4
Three cheers for postmodernism.
And funny songs.
UPDATE: and another one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfiiWGWhB9g&hd=1
‘It’s a really weird commercial for soap’ must be one of the best lines of the year.
the other execution is also hilarious http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfiiWGWhB9g&hd=1
I bet that sells soap.
Where’s the ‘like’ button?
Sell Sell and Anonymouse. What should I think about this ad. I’d like to know before I go and think the wrong thing.
Smiley face made out of a colon.
Yes, it’s good, but it confuses me a bit.
The joke of ads like this (Skittles also comes to mind) is that the product is portrayed as undesirable. It’s a pastiche of an advert, but it is also supposed to function as an actual advert (because, well, that’s what it is).
I have a suspicion that for it to make you buy the product, you have to be the kind of person who buys their shower gel on the basis of whether the ads make you laugh or not, rather than whether you think it’s a good shower gel. You think — well the guys at Old Spice are funny, I’ll associate with them buy buying their shower gel, and that seems a bit forlorn.
But on the other hand, (1) it does actually convey a product benefit, (2) maybe buying shower gel on the basis of fructopeptides is a bit sad, too, and (3) I probably don’t know what I’m talking about.
Shit. That’s great.
>sigh<
Rob: it’s soap. Like chocolate and beer it’s going to be very similar to its competitors so it just needs standout. And that’s what this ad gives it.
Very good McGill. For the sake of clarity, I heartily encourage you to form and hold your own opinion on this, and any other ad for that matter.
Just between you and me though, the phrase “Where’s the idea?” – even if this is not the case for you – that phrase has long been the hackneyed put-down of many an embittered, below-average creative who can’t conjure their own opinion on whether something works or not. File it with “It’s a bit [brand name]-y”, or “Bin done”. You’re clearly better than that.
I’m resisting the temptation to write “bless”.
Damn.
CC
Think what you like pal. There is no right and wrong. But our opinions are always up for criticism too. I’ve found these comments have often changed my mind on work. Other times, they haven’t. But the debate is pretty good for anyone with an open mind.
love these. clearly actual fun was had in the production of them too.
The watermelon shits all over the other one. Properly original that.
These are very good ads that I believe will sell the product.
Off topic, but I love a playground fight.
The whole ‘where’s the idea’ handbags that’s going on should be discussed.
For me, those ad ‘with no idea’ should be cherished because you have to be really creative to run with them. Far more creative than me.
I’d shit myself making something like Gorilla simply because there is ‘no idea’.
You’ve nothing to fall back on. It’s either brilliant and we all stand and admire or you look like a tit.
There’s absolutely no middle ground. And that’s a real sign of strong creativity because you have the confidence of your own conviction.
Mick G
I don’t think it’s a strong sign of creativity. It’s a strong sign of what Edward de Bono would call styling and most others call execution. This isn’t a criticism (although de Bono used it as such) because advertising is all about execution – good things come to those who wait already existed as an idea long before Guinness executed it. Basically what I’m saying is that even great advertising isn’t particularly creative when it comes to ideas, it’s mostly about execution. Which is why it doesn’t matter when something doesn’t have an idea.
@ Mick G
It’s not handbags. We’re only messin’
I hope (gulp).
CC
We’re in the world of selling through entertainment.
Get me to like you and the jobs done.
The idea here is about sharing the same psyche, the same sense of humour, the ‘you get me’ -ness.
It’s not bogged down in over complicated strategic thinking that the modern marketing world inflicts on so many confused brands.
I loves them!
It does appear to me to be a bit weird that grown creatives, some of them in charge, seem to have decided that ideas aren’t important. Surely an excellently executed ad with an idea in, is better than an excellently executed one without. Or am I a cunt?
Wow all those ex ex’s made me feel sick.
Shit that Watermelon one’s good.
Even down to the soap at the end being the wrong way up.
I’m now equally motivated and depressed.
Why does an ad need an idea?
And beyond that, aren’t you persuaded by the many great ads that have no conventional ‘idea’?
There are many good ads that don’t have ideas in. Ads don’t ‘need’ an idea. But as I keep saying, a brilliantly executed ad with an idea is preferable to a brilliantly executed ad without. Therefore it behoves us creatives to attempt to come up with adverts with ideas in.
I’ll buy that car because it’s safe.
I’ll buy that butter because … errmm … it’s a lovely looking ad (which it is).
Anyhoo as we all know by now, that is just my opinion. Others don’t agree. Fuck ’em. And I shall go fuck myself, never to mention it again.
I forgot to laugh. Reminds me of a poor relation of Real Men of Genius in the daft song genre
‘I’ll buy that car because it’s safe’ is neither an idea nor (necessarily) a response to an idea.
‘I’ll buy that beer because it looks like cool people drink it and have fun while they’re doing so’ (no idea) is more valid and persuasive than ‘I’ll buy that beer because it’s made with Polish hops.’
A 10/10 ad with an idea might be better than a 10/10 idea without, but at that stage no one gives a fuck, and a 8.00000001/10 ad with no idea is better than an 8/10 with.
Hold on a minute. Who said “Ideas aren’t important”?
I think the point being made was that it is actually possible for advertising to be good even if it doesn’t have an ‘idea’ as defined by the Tony Cullingham definition of idea. Or am I mistaken?
Is there only one way that an ad can be good? I don’t think so. One of the best things about advertising is that it can being absolutely fucking anything. Anything. There are no rules (apart from the ASA’s obv.) as to what form or style or approach advertising should take. It’s as broad as your imagination.
That’s one of the reasons I have a bit of problem sometimes with the way that advertising is taught on ad courses. I see a lot of people come out of them with only one approach to advertising. They have only one formula of deciding whether something is good or not. And unfortunately, one narrow formula for creating it.
Take this US work above, personally I think it fucking rocks. Does it contain the classic Cullingham ‘creative idea’? I don’t think so, I’d say not. It’s more like beer advertising – where people ‘drink the brand’. Old Spice didn’t have a problem with people not understanding the science or ingredients or properties of Old Spice – what was holding them back was that this generation thought of it as monumentally naff. The advertising completely works against this, hence why the beer approach was probably right for them. But, it might not be right for the next thing, or the thing after that.
The classic English ad-school approach to making ads is to come up with an ‘idea’ – then execute that idea. This can result in some cracking work. But, to be honest, it can also go horribly wrong, like when people try to get too clever with the idea, or the idea fails to connect properly to the product – you end up with ‘clever’ advertising disconnected from the product.
The classic VW advertising is widely regarded as some of the best advertising ever done. But does that have a central, unifying idea in the English ad-school sense? No. What it has is a tonal approach, a look, and attitude, a voice. They link together a wide-ranging series of executions from Lemon to Snowplough to Funeral to The Jingle Writers, through to all the others, executions that each take different, simple product points or observations.
But then again, take another of DDB’s classic brilliant campaigns – Avis – that does come from one central unifying idea, and everything cascades out from that. Two very different approaches from the same agency, that both end in great advertising.
Anyway, I know I’m rambling on (sorry Ben) so I’ll just end by saying that there is more than one way to skin the advertising pussycat. Sometimes something brilliant executed that comes straight from an observation can be the best thing to do, sometimes a brand or product needs the clever thought (idea) to reposition it in people’s minds.
As you were.
Am I the only one feeling “meh..” about these two ads?
The over-explaining through “Mattel” style songs is what destroys these ads for me. A little less “american super ad” style in shooting would’ve made those good (with different music, of course), but this is just trying to be weird. As if explaining the joke.
Anyone?
@ Ben. I don’t think either of us will budge on this one. That’s the beauty of opinions. They’re neither right nor wrong (in my opinion) nor (mostly) do they matter much.
@ Sell Sell
The first ad here does have an idea. “The freshness will follow you right through the day.” It’s in the song. It’s the point of the ad.
I’ll buy that soap because I’ll stay fresh all day and what do you know they’ve told me in a funny, hyperbollickal way that makes me LOL.” How many briefs for soap or shower gel have there been that say “Keeps you fresh right through the day?” The creative team have put an idea in. It’s like being permanently in a shower all day. The other one has no idea in but it’s funnier. Two ways to skin this identical advertising cat as you say and as I have agreed with – (from my last post) “There are many good ads that don’t have ideas in. Ads don’t ‘need’ an idea. But as I keep saying, a brilliantly executed ad with an idea is preferable to a brilliantly executed ad without.”
And with that – I’m off to try to write ads with ideas in and occasionally ads without and occasionally ads written is gaseous form _ Anything is possible.
I think if we’ve learned anything from this exchange it’s that people will rarely budge from their entrenched opinion unless threatened with shit being poured into their ears.
I like the aesthetic school that argues that an idea will give something a eternal aspect.
Form can be just as brilliant as an idea, but it lacks the test of time.
An idea is inscrutable. It’s transparent and muscular and can hold its own in any era in any place. That’s why Bernbach’s stuff still works so well today – the idea is right in front of, bold as brass.
Whereas form is of the moment. It will fade and die and become irrelevant as trends change. This won’t matter if the idea is strong, but if it is not, the work becomes subject to changes in taste over time.
The challenge here is that is advertising not of the moment? Is that not its only function? To be relevant NOW, rather than 50 years from now?
Perhaps. Not much fun, though.
The question, I suppose, is whether we want to judge our ads on their artistic merits or not? If so, the idea is imperative. If not, craft alone can be just as worthy.
Lurpak, for instance, will sell butter, therefore good ads. But their artistic merit, in the truest sense, is quite low. Simply as a result of them having no strong idea to be judged by.
I think also, for this reason, that Gorilla might not pass the pass the test of time and cannot be seen as truly great. A gorilla playing the drums, isn’t that good an artistic idea, if we’re honest. But it was perfect for the time – Phil Collins was just about as uncool as was possible, internet ‘virals’ were the big thing. etc etc.
The only thing that I don’t agree with is that a bad idea is better than no idea. It’s like saying it’s better to listen to a bad song than listen to silence. It’s not.
I’d have the hierarchy as follows:
1- great idea, great craft
2- great idea, shite craft
3- no idea, great graft
4- no idea, shite craft
5- bad idea, great craft
6- bad idea, shite craft
Also, proofreading your own posts is for pansies.
McGill, of course you’re right about the first ad, it does have that idea in it. I’m not sure the reason blokes will buy it is because “The freshness will follow you right through the day.” though. Probably more likely because they liked the way it was said. What they said isn’t differentiating or interesting, the way they said it, is.
Do people really believe that all opinions are equal and they don’t really matter? Or do they just say that so people will shut up?
I hear that sort of rhetoric a lot today. “I don’t believe in anything”..”never hold a belief” etc “It doesn’t really matter does it”
Hardly conducive to debate is it?
People do change their minds in fact, albeit slowly sometimes but not to someone who lacks conviction.
I have read a lot of Montaigne and Marcus Aurelius over the years (but I’m not Trotty) and (although I can’t speak for everyone) what I have got out of it is that opinions are all equal and they don’t matter. It’s when people become certain that their opinion is “correct” that the trouble starts.
I’ve been in meetings where one person says an idea is not “right.” What they mean is “in my opinion the idea is not right.” Another person(sometimes me) pipes up saying that in MY opinion the idea IS right.
The first person the says why they think the idea is not right.
I then say why I think the idea IS right.
The fist person then says why they think the idea is NOT right (usually the same reason but louder).
I then say the reason why I think the idea IS right (usually the same reason but adding “bless”).
If I am so moved and am not too busy I then simply don’t give up. If the other person is so moved they might not give up either. Sweat then starts to run down the walls. As we repeat our reasons over and over again.
Now which of us is right?
I’ll tell you. One of these.
a) The one who keeps going longest.
b) The one who talks over the other one.
c) The seniorest one.
d) The one paying the money.
I’m all for people telling someone their opinions but in my opinion, they don’t matter.
It’s when opinions become certainties that I have a probem.
How I think of opinions is how I think about life and I couldn’t put it better than Arthur Balfour who coined the phrase “Nothing matters very much and few things matter at all”
Don’t worry mate, I don’t think anyone thought you were Trotty.
@Some Old Guy
Thank goodness for that. I’m sure Trotty would be much wiser and more erudite than me.