Kia Sportage, Astronomer PR and more: top creative ads of the week

Every week, I attempt to share clutter-breaking creative ads. This week: work from Kia Canada, Astronomer as part of its PR for crisis management and more.

Kia Sportage: tech talk

Any product – be it a consumer durable or automobile has a set of features. Most of the advertising for such simply list such features hoping that consumers would see value. Only a handful go on to create advertising that explains the benefit of these features. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between a feature and a benefit. Toughness is a feature in suitcases. The benefit is being worry-free of potential damage. A creative idea can depict that benefit in many interesting ways (withstanding the pounding from a gorilla for example). We see all of these at play with a set of ads for Kia Sportage in Canada where the benefit of key tech-driven features of the car are highlighted with tongue-in-cheek humour. The protagonist shows of features such as the 360-degree camera and smart cruise control in the context of seemingly silly use cases which drive home the real benefit in any case.

Agency: Innocean

Google: Just Ask Google

Every generation feels out of sync with the next generation. The current generation of dads even more so with Generation Z kids. The latter, with their own language, codes and tastes seem to live in an unfamiliar world. The insight however is that dads try to not just understand but ‘belong’ to that world – and the effort shows. A new ad from Google in Australia uses K-Pop as the anchor around which a dad tries to connect with his daughter – with a little help from the brand, of course. A sweet film, likely to appeal to both the generations.

Agency: 72andSunny

Amazon: bring a book to life

In a new film for Amazon, a literal interpretation of ‘bringing to life‘ works brilliantly in the context of books. A massive production, it keeps you wondering about the context and brings a smile when the penny drops.

Agency: Droga5

Astronomer: crisis management

Much has already been said about the PR crisis faced by Astronomer after what is dubbed as the Coldplay-incident. The company’s ex-CEO and head of HR came under intense scrutiny and trolling. Not many were aware of the company and what it does prior to the incident. Web search about the company and its key executives, traffic to its LinkedIn page and comments – saw a surge. But not all of them were in a positive context (no, ‘any publicity is good publicity‘ is not a maxim which applies to all) – there was a lot of mocking.

I would not go so far as to say the controversy would have imapcted talent attraction severely or made a negative impact on new business. The company’s core business (‘data workflow automation) is so niche that it does not need to address ‘everyone’. Since action was already taken by the Board about the concerened people, many corporate watchers were wondering how the company would handle the situation from a communication POV. Was silence an option? I don’t think so. It would have led to the invariable chatter: ‘why is the company not putting out any official communication?’ If the official communication was about the incident, it would have kept that topic (and the association) alive on media.

On hindsight it feels right to move on from that temporary blip and focus on the business of business. The announcer video, starring Gwenyth Paltrow as ‘temporary spokesperson’ seemingly refers to the incident but cleverly diverts the discussion towards the core business. “We’ve been thrilled that so many people are interested in workforce data automation‘ adding a bit of levity to the whole situation. The question ‘how is your social media team holding up?’ seemingly referring to the severe trolling leads to announcements on job vacancies. In just one minute, they have made light of the situation conveying that it’s business as usual and the company brand is much bigger than any two individuals.

Agency: Maximum Effort

Samsung New Zealand: same phone

In the anti-Apple world (which is pretty much all of Android), Samsung is king. They have consistently taken pot shots at iPhone and its lack of features in comparison. A new film tries to re-position iPhone users on the ‘sea of sameness’ plank in comparison to the Samsung’s flip phone. I feel such strategies appeal to the high-end Android user who anyway is unlikely to opt for an iPhone. In my view, those who are used to either of the operating systems and the corresponding ecosystems will find it hard to make the switch either way.

Agency: DDB

Super Chennai: it’s happening

City branding is a difficult task. It is not achieved just by an ad campaign – as ground realities, people’s percpetions, news media mentions and portrayal in popular culture play a role. A new campaign, with a mix of TV and outdoor aims to change the stereotypical perceptions about Chennai.

Agency: Blue Noodles

DiDi: crazy night out

‘What did I just see?!’ That’s likely to be the common reaction after watching this mind-bender of an ad for DiDi, a taxi hailing service.

At the heart of the ‘Yes, I DiDi’ campaign is Nudgy, a mischievous, flute-playing character who shows up right when you’re about to call it a night.

Directed by acclaimed UK filmmaker Jim Hosking (The Greasy Strangler), the launch film is a surreal trip: a hazy and slightly unhinged memory of a night out, where a group of friends are lured from scene to scene by Nudgy and a string of DiDi rides. Hosking’s absurdist visual style gives the film a tone that’s both unsettling and unforgettable.

Source

Agency: Sunday Gravy

Mini UK: agents of fun

In a sort of meta ad, Mini UK breaks the stereotype of car ads by anchoring the plot on another stereotype: the action hero, his getaway car and the associated stunts.