02 // be more dog.

When I first saw this ad I thought 'okay, how random'. And then I went to work and people were talking about it. I came home and my boyfriend was talking about it too. It seemed like everyone was talking about that 'random dog ad'.

So job done then, right?

Not really. Talk-ability doesn't necessarily translate in to commercial gain. The questions that seem to get lost are 'what is the desired consumer take-out' and 'what do we want them to do as a result of seeing this ad'? Instead, it seems like the end goal is simply to get people talking (brand awareness and topicality) with the hope that it translates into gains for the brand. Perhaps not, but judging by my personal reaction of 'huh', there's no clear take-out or call to action from what I've experienced.

This new direction that advertising seems to be taking shifts the focus away from simple product, brand or consumer truths and puts it directly on entertainment and viral engagement.

kmart // daring to be brave.

We all wish we could be brave.

But being brave is a pretty daunting task. Being brave requires a belief in your own abilities and point of view, the confidence to believe that your decision is the correct one. It's the outcome of a particular situation and making the decision that the reward is greater than the risk.

Bravery is exactly what kmart have demonstrated in the ad below. It's a bold approach to an otherwise fairly dull category and it's pretty damn clever as well.

Listen closely and enjoy.