Tony Peck, creative director, Memac Ogilvy Bahrain
What a shame that my first review of Middle Eastern work is what has been supplied to me. I have seen much better work since arriving, so please don't take my opinions as a reflection of the huge potential I'm seeing every day. Having said that, let's go...
LG Prada: I know it's about fashion because all the fashion elements have been stuffed in there - two good looking models (please note: one to appeal to men and one for women), black and white photography and five Prada logos (count them). So why is it so the opposite of fashion? Where's the appeal? Where's the idea?
IFA Hotels & Resorts: I don't even know if this is the name of the product, but it's the best I could make out of the logo. Funny thing about when I'm choosing accommodation, I like to know what it looks like. So this is a brave move. Too brave for a brand that isn't established. Corny macro shots, more superlative adjectives in one sentence than you'll find in a thesaurus, plus the old art school trick of dictionary definitions as a so-called concept. If I'm meant to be seduced by a mood, you'll find pictures are more arousing.
IFA Yacht Ownership Club: This reminds me of a childhood dream and assuring me that I can now fulfill it is a pretty powerful way of getting me to part with my money. Pity the execution lets it down. With so much type in so many different places and sizes and all those teeny weeny pictures along the bottom
I just don't know where to look. The paper boat may have captured my heart if I'd really noticed it, but it was too late, adrift on a sea of mandatories...
Imperial College London Diabetes Centre: What do you want me to do, or think, or empathise with? I'm totally lost on these, which is a shame, because diabetes is a bigger issue than most realise and deserves to be properly communicated.
Overall rating
LG Prada: 1
IFA Hotels & Resorts: 1
IFA Yacht Ownership Club: 2
Imperial College London Diabetes Centre: 1
Atiq Khan, creative director, Team Y&R, Jeddah
LG Prada: I will give five out of five for this marvellous image-based campaign, up-market and very relevant to the teens and hip party lovers. I appreciate the brilliant use of black and white. Both male and female model shots are awesome and truly reflect product personality. I really feel a strong aura of conviction and passion around me whenever I see it. Hats off to all creative for their great effort in bringing to life really out-of-the-box execution for a cell phone (though common for cologne and perfumes).
Could have improved image cropping, but overall it is good.
IFA: I personally feel a copy-based and literary series of ad with lots of metaphors and imagery (strong copy) but visual support, is quite generic and less creative. If they had replaced existing images with larger-than-life more lively ones, the copy would have given lustrous effect. The use of white in the background creates less emotional effect and perhaps less interest from the target audience. The use of fonts and placement of text creates luxury impact.
IFA Yacht Ownership Club: The visual does not support grand idea behind chartering yacht sales and I think creativity automatically comes in when there is equal balance between copy and visual. No doubt the caption is strong - 'childhood dream come true' - but using a visual based on a caption is not a good idea. Just for reference, who will be fascinated with paper-boat circa 1940s/50s when he/she can buy a yacht and cruise around the world?
Imperial College London Diabetes Centre: I presume this campaign stands high execution-wise for social advertising and gives it a lifestyle feel: good effort at a glance. Hammering effect is interesting with first person pronoun 'I walk' and 'I cook', which shows personal determination to fight against the deadly disease, which is enough for behaviour-change communication and enough to recall the key factors 'walk'. However, it maybe should have been 'eat healthy', rather than 'cook healthy' (if the brief is not specifically to address cooks). This campaign serves the purpose for introductory-phase diabetes prevention and care.
Use of larger than life good quality images and a vertical grid layout give an overall impressive and contemporary feel. Fonts and the placement of images and text is good.
The use of blue colour enhances a soft and soothing effect.
'I wonder' is a bit confusing with male and female visuals (probably focusing on marital life after diabetes or anything else) and apparently 'I cook' phenomenon does not do anything until someone is ready to eat healthily. Personally I feel that BCC informative campaigns should include detailed copy so that target audience gets maximum information regardless of demographics and financial scale.
Overall rating
LG Prada: 5
IFA Hotels & Resorts: 2
IFA Yacht Ownership Club: 2
Imperial College London Diabetes Centre: 3
Client: Imperial College London Diabetes Centre
Agency: Strategic Solutions
Client: IFA Yacht Ownership Club
Agency: AGA
Client: IFA
Agency: AGA
© Gulf Marketing Review 2007
