LG Print Ad

I have decided to review a recently released add created by Y&R in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The ad is for LG car stereo sound systems. This for me was one of the first print ads that caught my eye due to the art direction that it has and not for the complete ad.  

The visual used in the ad is simple and easy to execute but they did and exceptional job with it. They used a Gorilla as the visual to show off the power that the speakers have. They decided to make the gorilla much bigger just to emphasize the power of the sound. They did not try to stretch the limits with the copy. The Copy clearly states “ LG car audio. The power of sound” I would not go far enough to say that the copy works perfectly for the ad, but it is effective with the execution.

The creative team has worked to find a good insight to the brand and have come up with an effective campaign, but nothing that screams award time. During the assembly of this ad, the creative team could of come up with stronger concepts that more relate to today. Using a Gorilla to show off the power of the sound system just seems old to me and overused. With stronger thinking and a better concept, this ad could have been very different and I feel that either the client chose the final ad, or people were perhaps reasonably sluggish with this ad.

Well done to the ad agency because of the ads success but they could of gone a different way and created something unique and memorable.  

Peddlars on the Bend

After the fire that broke out in the ceiling of Peddlars in 2009, Peddlars has now reopened and is bigger and better than before. Before the fire Peddlars was a common watering hole to the people of the Southern suburbs since it’s opening over 17 years ago.

After the fire, they decided to spruce up the look of the pub/restaurant. They started by increasing the size of the kitchen allowing them to cater for more people. They then extended the size of the restaurant and bar area.

I attended the restaurant over the weekend for the first time since its reopening in 2010 and there wasn’t much noticeable change. The area of the restaurant looks great, you walk in and there is a good amount of space and the atmosphere around peddlers is always fun. The tables are spacious and not too close together. Our waitress was friendly and knowledgeable. The two page menu however left a lot to be desired you had a very limited choice and what there was was rather boring. One of the party remarked that it was a good thing he was not a fussy eater as looking at the menu was looking into a fridge at the end of the month.

Fortunately, the dishes we chose were tasty and well prepared. The steaks were cooked to order but possibly a bit small for some of the diners and those who had the line fish were complimentary. As we had gone for a casual, spur of the moment supper we did not have starters or desserts. Even though the food options were very limited, it was very good. The service was good, waiters knew when they were needed and knew when to leave, and now days that is very rare.

Altogether, I would recommend going to the pub over the restaurant. The pub offers a very rare environment that you will not find anywhere else in Cape Town, and the food that the pub offers is also fantastic.

For fine dining, it is not my restaurant of choice but for a casual supper it hits the spot. Food and wine prices are reasonable.    

  

21 Jump Street

21 Jump Street is the modern day feature-length revival of the 1980’s TV cop show starring Johnny Depp in the role that put him on the map. The movie is about two undercover agents that were enemies at school but to get through their training they needed each other and their friendship grew from then on.

Starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as Jenko and Schmidt, two of the worst police officers to wear the badge, which must now go undercover as school kids to try and bust a drug ring that originates at the school.

The movie had an odd twist to it by changing the usual American High School Stereotype of the cool kids being the sportsmen and the nerds being the artists and academics, they added a modern touch to it and it created a much better story line and made it more believable.

Throughout the film you see the ongoing battle between Tatum and Hill to see whom the cool kid is now compared to when they were at school. And it seems this time that the table’s have turned and Tatum has to fight to be popular in school and all Hill has to do is be himself and he is the popular kid. The film has some real laughs in it and they come when you least expect it. The adventure that the directors (Chris Miller, Phil Lord) take you on with their arrests and when they take the drug HFS for the first time were some of the most humorous scenes from a film that I have seen in months.

The cast was perfect and you can see while watching the film that everyone had a good time during the film and that helps with the final result. The comedic duo of Tatum and Hill was an excellent choice for casting and they brought the movie to life with their overconfidence and humorous anecdotes.

I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end, it was not what I was expecting before I watched the film and I am glad for that. 

    

Joupi Toy Store

There are very few great insights left that haven’t been overused in the ad world, The insight that EuroRSCG, France used to create the print ad campaign fore Joupi Toy Shop was for me a very clever idea and a completely different way of approaching the same insight. They way they went about the ad by just completely flipping the original insight around was a risky idea and has paid off.

The usual direction that creative teams would follow when creating an ad for a Toy Shop is that the shop has the perfects gifts for you and that the store is a very exciting and fun place for you to shop for your presents. What the creative team decided to do was use the perfect gift insight but instead of just that they gave it a little twist. They went with the copy of  “Don’t Fear Finding The Perfect Present” and the visuals that they used along with the copy was a perfect fit.  

The Art Direction in this ad is a very unusual style but ads a very playful feel but also has enough to make an impact. It is for a toy store so they obviously could not make it to dark, so what they did was combine the light and dark side and created a very effective campaign. They kid in print either looks scared because the present is just that awesome or he is in absolute amazement with his gift.

All in all the creative team that worked on this campaign have obviously put in the hours to work out the perfect insight ad idea and in this case they have. They came up with a small idea but made it bigger with great copy and great art direction. Very effective ad and I can imagine Joupi Toy Store was pleased with the result.  

The Avengers

Since before I could remember I have been a huge fan of reading Marvel Comic books, dreaming of the day when I could become a super-hero. Since Marvel decided to reenact the comic books to the big screen I have felt like a little kid on Christmas just staring at all the presents under the tree. Since the releases of The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America and Thor the writers have been teasing us about the possibility that an Avengers movie could be created, and finally it has been.

Expectations for this movie were incredibly high but you can’t blame anyone. With the cast of Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (the Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (THOR), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury) people were expecting true excellence and in my opinion that is exactly what they got. With such huge ego’s and powers in the same room attempting to work together the writer and director had to push the boundaries to make this film work. The writer & Director Joss Whedon had a huge mountain to climb with this task but he created a perfect script and a completely mind blowing experience.

The Acting was superb, with the friendly banter throughout the film between Downey Jr. and the rest of the cast gave it a humorous feel that was executed well. There are more twists and turns than expected and I couldn’t be happier about that.

Now on to the topic of 3D, in my own opinion 3D can completely make or break a movie. Avenger’s in 3D is “mind Blowing” the entire film I was sitting with my mouth open in awe of what they created. During the final fight scene the cinematography that takes place is completely breath taking, with the building collapsing onto the streets and onto your laps with the 3D technology the experience is almost too much.

I recommend this movie to everyone. In my opinion it is a must see and if you have the option, go for 3D, the movie was created for 3D so see it in the way the director intended or you may not get the same experience.     

Esch Cafe

I have decided to go back and Blog about a print ad that I found. I found the ad in ads of the world and I gathered that it’s an advertisement for a smoking café, but it doesn’t seem clear to me.

The ad was created by the ad agency Giovanni + Draftfcb in Rio de Janeiro by the creative director & copywriter Felipe Gomes. He decided to go along the line with famous people that smoked. The copy says, “there’s nothing like a good and long whiff of smoke” but it just seems bland. They leave nothing up to you except confusion. I enjoy ads that leave it up to your imagination, that only take you 50 percent of the way while leaving the rest up to you.

I personally feel that using famous people in smoking ads is over done and out of date. They could of used a more creative route with this ad and tried something different instead of the classic and original style. The copy is also bland and gives you nothing to work with. They might as well say, “Come to our café and smoke”. They should of tried and alternative route and if they did they could of created a decent campaign but in my opinion this is just not enough.  

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

When Guy Ritchie’s witty, enjoyable adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic detective stories busted into the blocks back in 2009, a follow-up movie was inevitable. Cynics would argue that every movie sequel in history bar some were a failure and should not of seen the big screen. After Richie’s first adaptation of crime stories, expectations would be great for him to create another great film.

Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes as a childish, slightly dangerous mischief maker, lets just say if he walked into any investigation, you would more expect him to be some random straggler of the street than one of the lead investigators. At the films opening, Holmes is distraught that his straight arrow sidekick Dr Watson (Jude Law) is marrying his sweetheart Mary (Kelly Reilly) and leaving the detection business for good.

However, on Watson’s stag party, the pair of them discover a plot of war upon Europe that may be the work of professor Moriarty (Jared Harris). Holmes and Watson embark on a screwball chase across the continent to prevent his true nemeses from completing the task. The movie follows a more action packed experience than Canon Doyle’s creation more than following the actual detective work that takes place.

Much of the appeal to the films comes with the cast and the exceptional combination of Downy Jr and Law. Cinema has seen its fair share of Romance and bromance over the years but this is the first that includes both. The duo’s knockabout playground chemistry has improved since the first film. Holmes and Watson are like a pair of 11 year olds, thick as thieves and bickering constantly. Stephen Fry adds more fun to the film as Holmes’s drily buffoonish brother, a British diplomat who enjoys to call his younger sibling “Shirley” throughout the film.   

Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) who makes a guest appearance in the beginning of the feature, was sidelined by Simza (Noomi Repace’s) a gypsy fortuneteller, wo joins them on their escapade to stop Moriarty.

The ensuing fight, along with most of the others in the film, is muddled, but is carried by some witty ideas, many of which involve Holmes’s borderline Super-Human ability to mentally go back and forth in time. The use of which in the film create a twist not yet seen in the first film, the usual Holmes seeing the actions of his opponent before he makes them by besting a soldier by putting a booby trapped lipstick into the ammo belt of the soldier half an hour before is exceptional.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was a very sharp film, consistently enjoyable from the opening to the closing credits. The film draws you in with its action packed scenes and more comedic moments than expected. This film is undoubtedly an improvement from the first film and is a great film. 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Director Franklin J. Schaffner originally created the film “Planet of the Apes” in1968. The prequel to this film directed by Rupert Wyatt is a modern take on the original film. The entire team involved deserves praise for their efforts in creating an astonishing film.

James Franco plays the role of scientist “Will Rodman” who is attempting to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease by testing a new age retrovirus on chimpanzees. The virus mutates the chimps, giving them higher levels of human intelligence. One of the female chimpanzee’s brakes out on a rampage at the test facility while attempting to protect her new secretly born baby from being found. The female monkey gets shot down after braking into a boardroom meeting. The boss eventually orders Will to put down the rest of the chimpanzees. After finding the baby, Will is caught in a moral dilemma, which results in him taking the chimp home. While the chimp is staying with him, he notices that the high intelligence levels that were given to his mother during the tests were passed on to her baby and begins to raise the chimp on his own while continuing to test the retrovirus on “Caesar”.

I had no idea on what to expect before watching the film, all I knew is that after reading through reviews and hearing words through the grapevine I knew I could possibly be watching an epic movie.

The movie grabbed my attention within the opening scene and held me there till the very end. James Franco is up there with my favorite actors and as to my expectations did not disappoint. He presents a character that the audience could humanize with and appreciably moved the movie along at a steady pace without faltering.

Caesar is an outstanding character with expressions and mannerisms that’s are neither human nor simian, but are curiously convincing as a combination of both, comical and dramatic, if not scientific in a way. Caesar should be absurd, but never at any point will you feel the urge to laugh at him, though you may laugh with him, as he grows up to realise his destiny.

John Lithgow plays the role of Will Rodman’s father Charles who suffers from dementia explaining Franco’s obsession with finding a cure for the disease. Charles gets introduced to Caesar in the second scene and immediately develops an infatuation with the Ape. Through unexpected twists and turns throughout the film Caesar finds himself in an enclosure for apes after breaking out and attacking someone during the film.

The third act of the film is when things start to get interesting and the “rise of the apes” begins to unfold. The way Caesar starts to interact with the other apes in the enclosure has an affect over your mind that actually makes you contemplate whether or not this could be possible.

This prequel completely blows the old one out of the water, with the new digital FX technology that has evolved to such an extent that super intelligent apes can be shown convincingly on screen for the first time.

I do not want to give too much away about this film because in my opinion everyone should see it. It is a gripping story that the editors have adapted to fit in modern times; they definitely succeeded. The storyline is more believable and when the film finally finishes, it leaves you sitting there still wanting more. If you are in the mood for 106 minutes of draw dropping astonishment, then I highly recommend this movie to you all. 

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a bizarre film directed by Terry Gilliam. He has directed some of the strangest movies out there such as Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, Monty Python & The Quest For The Holy Grail, 12 Monkeys and the Brothers Grim.

In his final film Heath Ledger played the role of Tony, a lost man with no recollection of who he is or what he does.  Heath died during his last performance in this film before it could be completed. The director decided that it would be a shame to not complete the movie because of all the work that Ledger had done for the movie. Gilliam wanted to finish the film as a tribute to the great Heath Ledger.

The Imaginarium is a film of two halves. The first half contains the scenes that Heath Ledger manages to complete before his passing and the second half was improvised by the talents of Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law to replace the late Heath Ledger. The beginning half of the film is grounded in reality and set amidst the depressing urban grey of London, while the second half is set in bright and colorful worlds where the Imaginarium finally comes to light.

They spend the beginning half of the film introducing us to the characters and the dynamic of their relationships. The story is a familiar one that has been used many times, boy has a crush on the girl who is attracted to the new bad boy who randomly just shows up, the father has made bets and deals with the Devil that promises him the fathers first born child at the age of 16. Luckily the director has a talent when it comes to turning old and used story into something completely different that stretches your imagination to great heights.

The drama comes fairly late into the film. You can see that the director wanted to use as many shots of heath ledger as he could to try and keep his dominance as the lead actor of the film and to leave us with his final performance. I feel he did a great job and tied in the roles of Depp, Farrell and Law perfectly into the film where the actors fitted into their roles perfectly. In my opinion that could of changed the order of the roles in the film. It must have been hard for them all to complete the film but they all pulled through in the end and created an amazing movie.

The film takes many twists and turns and leaves you drawn to the screen because it takes you a while to finally work out the ending, and even then you could still be left stumpt. It’s a pity Ledger didn’t finish the film but the entire crew did a good job to put the movie together in the end.       

Drive Dry Campaign

The campaign created by the ad agency based in Cape Town called Foxp2, is one of the most visually striking ads I have seen in a very long time.

The ad is for the “don’t drink and drive” campaign. The imagery is an image taking from inside a cop car with three of the most bloodcurdling looking gangsters you could ever imagine to be locked up with. The copy clearly states “who’s driving you home tonight” and in my opinion it fits perfectly. They didn’t try to beat around the bush with what they were trying to say, it is straight to the point and creates an amazing campaign.

With the past drive dry campaigns they have mainly concentrated on the death side of it, basically saying that when u drive drunk you may never drive again. They have now moved on to the side that puts the thoughts into your mind about what happens if you live through any situation that may unfold before you. I am sure prison is not a very exciting place and if you end up spending a night there, you can only imagine the Hanes crimes that go on from within those walls. Would you like to be apart of that?

The ad strikes the core of your being and makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on edge. It plays tricks with your mind and makes you imagine what a night with people like that would be like. All in all it is a great ad and a great campaign, its quick simple and gets the right message across.   

Free Diving with a 7 - Gill Cow Shark

With the task of getting out of your comfort zone at hand and the deadline creeping closer and closer, I decided to attempt something that I have wanted to accomplish for a while, free dive with a cow shark.

There is a peculiar feeling that runs through your body the moment you wake up with a cow shark dive lingering over your head. There is a completely different mindset that you have to get into before you attempt a free dive amongst a large number of sharks. With a short car journey before you reach the launch pad there are many different thoughts going through your mind, the most recurring thought is the obvious one, “I really don’t want to get eaten today” and no matter what you do you can’t shake those thoughts.

Once at the launch site there are still many things to do before you can get into the water.  You have to go through a 10-minute battle to get your 10mm wetsuit and then a very formal safety briefing before you can jump in. After an extensive amount of time getting myself into the right mindset for the dive, I jumped in and started the long swim to the dive site.  

I have dived in some of the most exhilarating dive spots in the world over the last 2 years. Crystal blue water, with translucent coral reefs stretching as far as the eye can see. Being able to be in the presence of other creatures in their natural habitat is an experience within itself, but to be in the presence of a shark is another feeling all together. Childhood movies, such as Jaws, always play over in my thoughts. However by accepting the fact that I am but a visitor in their home, respect is paid and all fear subsides whilst tranquility prevails. Every shark I’ve swam by and had the privileged opportunity of observing holds a special place in my memory and heart.

Cape Town waters are a divers nightmare. Unclear waters, spine chilling temperatures and unfamiliar techniques make diving a little bit edgier. There is a spot in False Bay where you can dive with schooling 7 gill Cow sharks, one of the only places in the world where you can see them in such great numbers.

For a long time I have wanted to dive with these sharks but the looming thought of the cold Cape Town water always prevented me. After been given this assignment I decided to finally get in the water with the sharks but with a little twist. Instead of using the conventional scuba equipment, I decided to free dive instead, to take me further out of my comfort zone and stretch my limits. 

Before you can experience the tranquility of the cow shark you have to complete a 100-metre swim to the kelp forest where they dwell. While lingering on the surface attempting to catch your breath before you submerge yourself into the dark waters below, gives you the feeling that you may become an easy snack for any passing great white makes your bones stand on edge.  Presenting yourself on a dinner plate for any passing great white, while floating above the kelp forest, while attempting to catch your breath before you submerge yourself in the gloomy water below makes your bones stand on edge.

Hyperventilating 3 times for your lungs to reach full capacity before you begin your decent into the unknown. Using the kelp as your guideline to the ocean floor pulling yourself slowly down into the murky water below. You get a very eerie feeling while on the seabed with numerous sharks carving their way through liquid skies, until they disappear into the ominous glow of the kelp forest. With a total bottom time of just over a minute, your experience with the prehistoric beast is brief. The sharks have a playful feel to them coming in close and on occasion inviting you stroke them, all this while on a breath hold is an experience unlike no other. It shows you the true personality of sharks and not what Hollywood portrays them to be.

The day spent amongst these majestic creatures was truly an eye opener for me, an experience that I could never really express with words. Seeing a shark that close and that calm completely takes your breath away and will leave you speechless.

The ads that I have previously been writing about, have been very striking and to the point. You could pick up what the creative team wanted to say almost immediately. This ad is completely different.

It is an ad for Eyemo eye drops. The eye drops are a medication of sort dealing with irritation of the eye, but when you look at the ad the message is not clear, the only part of it that is clear would be that its for eye drops. It is a pretty big surprise to me that the company decided to publish this ad, my only explanation for it, is that this was their only idea and the team was lazy. They could have taken the idea in many different directions but in the end decided to go with this ad, very peculiar.    

The ad is not the worst I have seen and in many ways it could be so much better. The idea was good and if they pushed it a little more the ad would of worked. So all in all good effort but not good enough I feel.

Greenpeace

The ad campaign I have chosen was created for Greenpeace by the ad agency from Switzerland called Draftclub/Lowe Group, for Greenpeace. Greenpeace is an independent global orginisation that acts to change the behaviour and the attitude, to protect and conserve the environment and to try and create a world of peace. To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments or corporations but relies on contributions from individual supporters and foundation grants.

The ad has a very striking image that attracts your attention within the first brief moments of seeing it. There is minimal copy in the ad, but in my own opinion it may not necessary, the image is very detailed and you can pick up right away what the creative team is trying to say. The copy on the bottom right states, “become David and fight against Goliath”

  

I like the ad campaign and I am big believer in Greenpeace and what they stand for. People must act to save the few resources the ocean has to offer. If we continue to treat the world’s resources like a giant supermarket, soon the resources will be gone. Don’t let that happen and try to make a difference.

Keep it secret keep it safe

Gimp out 

Welcome all to my first of many blog posts. I have decided to use the ad created by Y&R for the non-profit orginisation “Donate a roof for my country”. The orginisation’s main headquarters is based in Santiago, Chili where they round up college students to sign up and volunteer to build wooden houses throughout the country for the most disadvantaged families around their country. This orginisation is only possible due to donations. Most people like something in return for their donations and that’s where “Donate a roof for my country” fits in perfectly in the aspect that they go around building small but effective houses to improve their standard of living.

This ad has a powerful visual and makes it clear of their point only after a brief time of looking into it. The ad has very minimal copy except the “donate a roof for my country” caption on the bottom right corner.  The ad is showing you that no matter who you are you are always dreaming about something more. In the ad the man at the bottom with nothing is dreaming of having a sense of security with roof over his head while the person that has the essentials like shelter and food is dreaming about traveling the world oblivious to the fact that there are people that have nothing and are dreaming about what he has.

I feel that the visual was more than powerful enough to portray the message without the use of copy. It also made me feel that instead of spending money on a 2-week vacation you can donate money and help someone improve his or her standard of living. Makes you think twice before buying unnecessary goods. Very effective ad

Keep it secret keep it safe

Gimp out