Tag Archives: TV

Confused.com Gets A Rebrand

ImageWell, this feels like it’s long overdue. Every time I saw one of Confused.com’s frequent TV ads, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “Why are a company with such a huge marketing budget still using a badly-drawn, goggle-eyed, chronic alopecia sufferer as their mascot?”
Anyway, confused Cara (yes, they actually bothered naming her) has now been retired and they’ve replaced her with a cuddly robot. I guess he is kind of like Wall-E for travel insurance, or something. His name is BRIAN and he was created by Publicis. This is Brian, gazing adoringly at some engineers:Brian The RobotYeah, he is really sweet, actually…robots are kind of adorable when they want to be. But can he rival Zingy, the darling of TV’s current crop of mascots? Confused.com seem to hope so – as BRIAN has his own website and they’re trying  to make #BRIANTheRobot happen on Twitter.

Style Over Substance

Falling womanImageStyle or substance? Audi and BBH believe you can have both in their new TV ad…

Unless you’re a woman! Hahaha, let’s all sneer at the silly vain tart who’s fallen down in the rain! She can’t have style and substance – she chose style, the moron.

Creepy Panda Hotel Is Creepy.

Panda Hotel PianoPanda Hotel BedroomThere is something quite uncanny about these photos of a panda-themed hotel that opened in 2011 in Hong Kong. The way that these panda mascots are just casually inserted into the hotel’s plush interior gives a chilling, eerie feel to these otherwise dull press shots. These characters could be a sinister mix of the Scream killer, that rabbit from Donnie Darko and Pedobear! The idea of this hotel definitely doesn’t appeal to me, although it is probably more targeted towards families with children.
Also, my thoughts on these images might have been significantly influenced by this hilarious Egyptian campaign for Panda cheese…

Have A Fling…

Creme Egg FlingI really enjoy silly humour within TV adverts, so this series of ads created for Cadbury’s Creme Egg by Fallon have obviously tickled me. This one, in particular, is my favourite.

I’ve seen three so far. I hope that there are more variations, because they crack me up (excuse the pun).

Digital & Media Predictions 2013

Research agency, Millward Brown, have released their end of year report on digital and media predictions for the coming year. It’s quite a lengthy read, but I have selected the key learnings from the report to make for some lighter reading.

2013 Digital TrendsSee my summary here, on the Absorb Digital blog.
Read or download the full report here – Digital & Media Predictions 2013.

Cartoon Network Turns 20!

Cartoon Network always felt like such a treat for me as a kid. We didn’t have a Sky subscription back then, so I’d never tire of watching endless cartoons whenever I got the chance. London design agency, I Love Dust, created this two minute video for Cartoon Network’s twentieth anniversary and – although I don’t recognise many of the characters now – it still makes me feel all happy and fuzzy inside.

John Lewis: Two Worlds Collided

The new John Lewis TV advert is really beautifully shot and skillfully edited. It shows how the basic elements of romance and relationships transcend time – progress makes our methods of entertainment and communication more sophisticated, but the fundamentals haven’t changed that much. I especially love the girl’s 1920s wardrobe. I doubt I’m alone, and I think that if John Lewis brought out a twenties style heritage collection, it would probably fly off the shelves! The song used is originally by INXS, but the version in the advert is by Paloma Faith.

Dancing Robots

T4 dancing robots by Double G Studios.

Metamorphosis of Motel 6

I’ve never stayed in a Motel 6 motel before, so I have no idea what they’re like as a company. However, I love this ad by The Richards Group that shows how a traditional American family have changed while Motel 6 have been in business. It’s very conventional, and the family remains nuclear (no single parent scenarios or same sex couples – this is designed to appeal to your average middle American, after all) but I quite like that about it. It gives it a nostalgic feel throughout, even when the family progress to the contemporary stage, with their modern day car and iPad.

Lana Del Rey & H&M

Lana Del Rey’s looking all pretty in peach in these press shots for the new H&M collection. But she is not collaborating with the high street brand on its upcoming A/W collection, which is a relief, as in my experience previous H&M collaborations have always been a little overpriced and a lot overhyped – remember Madonna’s H&M collection? Bleurrrgh.

I can’t wait to see the campaign video, it sounds very ‘Lana Del Rey’, all sad and weird with those poor little rich girl vibes, like if David Lynch was directing a film adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel. This is what Donald Schneider, Creative Director at H&M, had to say about it:

“The mood is very L.A. noir and is inspired by our Fall collection, which also fits with Lana’s own personal style. The commercial that accompanies the campaign is like a mini-film, with a fantastic plot and Lana performing a cover of “Blue Velvet”. There’s never been a TV commercial that’s looked anything like this.”