The beauty of animation // Carlos Lascano.

Imaginatively capturing work I'd love to share with you.

I recently came across the work of Carlos Lascano, an Argentine writer and director, best-known for his work in animation and illustration. His work is beautiful and covers some advertising projects, but also most-impressive are his short story animations.

The clip below was created to advertise Coca-Cola's sponsorship of the Euro Cup 2012. A breakdown of the illustration and animation process is also included on Carlos' website and provides a great insight into the precision and creativity required for this work.

There are also a number of elegant and inspiring short stories Carlos has created, which can be viewed on his website here. My favourite teaser clip 'A Shadow of Blue' is featured below. The full clip is currently taking part in various Festivals and will likely win Carlos more storytelling, creative and animation excellence Awards.

It is also worthwhile to read the full inspiring story behind this short clip, which can be found here.

Just gorgeous, I love it.

Ambient Creative // WWF & The Big Melt.

A very clever idea from iris Amsterdam, marrying new media technology with natural forces. 

This creative involved spray painting a QR code onto hardened ice, which was revealed to its audience as the ice melted. People could then scan the QR code now visible on the icy canal from the nearby road.

The code contained a link to the WWF website, specifically to a page on climate change and the melting icecaps.

A clever, simple and cost-effective placement. Well done, iris.

Source: Best Ads On TV

QR codes have become one of the most popular new media ways of engaging viewers. By holding your iPhone over the barcode, and with the free to download app, advertisers can quickly and easily transport their potential consumers to a website landing page, product-based app or more. All thanks to mobile technology.

There is a sense of intrigue in the code and the destination to which it may take us, and this presents a great opportunity to effectively engage media-savvy and interested potential consumers. 

What we find at the other end has added value if there is some sort of pay-off or reward, an interactive game app or something more for us to engage with. My only concern is if the destination is less than exciting and new, in which case viewers are likely to drop-off much the same as they might do when surfing a standard web page on their computer.

While the QR code is still relatively new, we expect the destination to be much the same.

Keeping it sweet // John Lewis Christmas Ads.

Continuing the theme of Christmas advertising I wanted to share these John Lewis advertisements, which take a slightly more traditional, but effective, approach to Christmas than the Harvey Nichols advertisements featured on this Blog.

In this article on The Drum website, the effectiveness of emotive advertising is highlighted and identified as a continuing and growing trend in U.K. advertising.

Written by Patrick Danaher, Marketing Director of gyro, the article identifies recent successful campaigns that have "used emotional engagement and entered the public subconscious as a result."

It is important to remember here that the goals of advertising are not simply to be noticed, entertain or amuse, but also to influence and even alter behaviour and/or attitudes. Emotive advertising it appears is still the most popular means by which this is achieved.

This takes me now to the past John Lewis Christmas adverts, where a nice emotive theme has been strung throughout these over the years.

TED // Ads Worth Spreading Winners.

TED is a nonprofit all about bringing together knowledge and ideas, uncovering 'ideas worth spreading' and acting as a channel for these. So it's no surprise that when it came to showcasing some of the best ads in their 'Ads Worth Spreading' initiative, these would not only be thoughtful in design, but thought-provoking for their audiences as well.


The ten selected winners challenge us not only to watch, listen and learn, but also to share. Below is a short summary of each of the winners. More information on the initiative is also available from the TED website.

MAZDA; Defy Convention
MAZDA Executive Officer, Masahiro Moro, speaks directly to the viewer about the Hiroshima spirit and the MAZDA attitude of defying convention. Creating a historical context to the MAZDA attitude, to be an industry leader always taking the "less-trodden path", means that the ad has a resonance that goes beyond the product. The MAZDA story becomes much more believable and the product itself more valuable; creating a movement you want to be a part of. Visuals depict children on a path of discovery about MAZDA, as we take this journey with them, looking through fresh and youthful eyes.
  

NTT DOCOMO; Xylophone
I can't help but enjoy such a clever creative execution as this one. The sheer intelligence and creativity behind the idea demonstrates a thoughtfulness, accuracy and precision which, if reflected in the product, I would certainly have confidence in. The connection for me between creative and product is not as strong, although I believe it builds some great brand awareness and identity. Would I necessarily go out and buy the product? Not so sure, but I definitely did find pleasure in watching the Ad.



Sharpie; Start with Sharpie
A personal story by Boey the artist captures an intrinsic human spirit for creativity and exploration. An inspiring story from the artist about his unique passion for drawing on disposable cups, he encourages the viewer; "the difference between a dream and reality is just doing it." Sharpie successfully associates itself with new ideas and expression; a desirable tool for a new exploration of our own. Well done, Sharpie.



CANAL+; The Bear
Who doesn't love a clever ending? This CANAL+ ad is just a little bit unusual and offbeat as it captures the passion of film director, the bear (or technically, a bear skin rug). The reality of these witty quirks does not seem to matter though, only adding charm to the message and end line of the ad; "The more you watch CANAL+ the more you love cinema".




Engagement Citoyen; The Return of Ben Ali
A provocative and powerful clip capturing Tunisian citizen reactions to a large erected poster of ex-dictator Ben Ali. Fear and confusion is rallied into an act of defiance and empowerment when citizens come together to tear the poster down. The message revealed behind: "Beware dictatorship can return. On Oct 23, VOTE." A highly effective CTA and deeply resonating message I'm sure for its Tunisian audience.




Rethink; Your Man Reminder
The notion that sex sells certainly isn't one ever likely to get outdated, but in this case it's selling awareness for breast cancer. Consumer insight coupled with a fun and witty execution means that this ad truly speaks to its audience in a way that their ears (and eyes) are wide open. In this case of selling sex I like it, it's not cheap or a quick-grab, but rather an entertaining promotion of a positive health awareness issue for society. It's a double-score for me, gaining viewer-driven repetition as well.

  

L'Oreal Paris; Aimee Mullins
As a fellow-female you can't help but be pulled into and inspired by Aimee Mullins' story as she talks openly to the camera about her views on beauty and life. A particularly inspirational spokeswoman with two prosthetic legs, this ad truly shows the importance of choosing the right spokesperson for your brand and the resonance this carries beyond simply your brand/product. The tagline continues to resonate and ring true, "Because you're worth is", just saying the words makes you think "Why?" or just simply, "Yes".

  

Xbox; The Kinect Effect
A sweet celebration of the possibilities of technology, Microsoft embraces a collaborative spirit asking its users "what's next?" A nice step into the hearts and minds of consumers, particularly those with a passion for technology. Well-designed and captured, a very pleasant and thoughtful viewing experience. I'm not the ad's target audience, so does it do anything for me? Not really, but then again I've never played an Xbox. Perhaps I will (and perhaps it does).

  

Chipotle; Back to the Start
A beautiful animation and demonstration of visual-storytelling at its best. The soundtrack itself is deeply resonating, while the wonderfully animated sequence shows a farmer who realises that rather than commercialisation, honesty and sustainability are best. The end line "Cultivate a better World" is a big idea in itself. I get the sense that Chipotle stands for something more, and I like it.

   

Prudential; Day One: Linda
Insightful and personal are my first impressions to this piece of the documentary-style series by Prudential. A nice way to start a conversation around their services without falling into the lure of a direct sell. Nicely told and a story I'm sure many recent retirees could identify with.

  

About the initiative

How we choose the winners
We use a few different methods to help us find the most interesting work from around the globe. Six teams of two - made up of one renowned TED speaker and one rising star from the advertising industry - work together to nominate incredible work across specific categories. Twenty-five leading voices in the ad industry act as Advocates and also make nominations. An Ads Worth Spreading channel on YouTube provides an open entry system for agencies, producers and brands to nominate their work.

Source: TED. (2012). TED Initiatives >> Ads Worth Spreading. http://ted.com/aws

Welcome. This is my Wonderland.

"As the warm fur of the rug tickles my cheek, I feel the comfort of the burning log fire against my back. I inhale deep into my stomach and feel my body fill up with this warm memory."

I love the story-telling nature of some of the ads being produced. Such an internal and external exploration can be triggered from storytelling in the most subtle of ways; the ability to transport and transform what we know into a new destination.

A delicate art I believe. Ultimately we want to associate the brand with a bigger idea, cause or movement to build a brand awareness, an identity. If association is lost for the sake of storytelling or the connection is not strong, we are no longer selling the brand effectively. The very basis of the industry.

I may be a romantic, but I prefer to work with the attitude that brands can act as a positive catalyst for change; to have a positive value in society. With the tech- and media-savvy audiences of today, we need to go further, to encourage interaction and to be experiential; to add real value to the consumer.

Ultimately, audiences will decide whether a brand is of value and is relevant to their lives. Knowing your audience means you can decide where you need to be and when, what messages will resonate with your audience and become something more than just another advertisement.