Honest Aldi

McCann Erikson is doing some great ads for Aldi right now to showcase the strength of their own label range. I particularly like this one not only because it's hilarious, but also because it's bravely honest and edgy. Aldi has let McCann poke fun at one of their key shopping demographics. She's the perfect character to sell mayonnaise. Everything is so well chosen: from her accent, to her hair, to the stack of gossip mags on the couch, they've painted a brilliant picture that will give an instant character read to the general UK audience, and hopefully sell more Aldi mayonnaise in the process...

Get on board!

This is a Sony Playstation ad from 2004 which I recently discovered. I absolutely love the idea to physically represent what it's like to play video games online. Never before had such a large percentage of the global population be able to compete and connect with each other so easily. If you think about it, it's really like a global mountain of people duking it out for a chance to momentarily be the best in the world. The internet is mind boggling when you think about it... Plus, the song is just right.

ENOUGH with the insurance mascots

I'm about to throw my computer at the television as I've just seen another horrendously unimaginative insurance website commercial that has just jumped on the compare-the-meerkat-success-bandwagon. I mean at this point it's honestly getting ridiculous. Between the meerkat, the singing Italian with the unfortunate mustache, Omid Djalili, the Confused people with the crazy hair, and the scooting phone and mouse is there really space in Adland for another freaking mascot selling insurance? Seems like the company Green Flag thinks so with their silly green ant who claims "we might not be the biggest, but by jingo, we're determined to be the best" while marching in a green ant parade - horrendous. The complete lack of creativity and obvious idea-stealing is really what frustrates me. That and the fact that these companies seem to have bought an aggressive amount of air time; they're always on. Frankly, I think all of them, including the original meerkat which has been very successful, are stolen from Geico, the American insurance company who used a geko to sell insurance for years. The geko asked you to stop confusing him with Geico as he was just a simple reptile, not an insurer. Sounds suspiciously like the meerkat ad, right? I'll stop ranting now. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

An original Geico car insurance commercial from 1999.

Cheeky Radox Shower Smoothies

I love smoothies and I have to say I was pulled into this ad when I first saw it. A very creative product name and a cheeky ad (they mention bum cheeks!) to go with it.

Cheeky Smoothies
Watch the ad...

Heineken walk-in closet

I had forgotten about this commercial and they have relaunched it on TV recently. Hysterical.

I know you, Heinz Tomato Ketchup

Ah, Heinz Ketchup, people of all ages love the stuff and it is so woven into the fabric of our lives, into our collective psyche, that it doesn't even need to be shown - at least that's AMV's idea. Plus, I'm a sucker for a good song in a commerical. This one stuck in my head and I downloaded it from iTunes. It adds that nostalgic element to the ad - all those meals you've had that just wouldn't be the same without Heinz Ketchup.

Can't find a video to embed so follow this link to AMV's website

Ring My Bell!

It's Eazy Beanzy with Heinz baked beans in a snap pack snack pack. I think this ad is actually two years old plus, but they've relaunched it on TV and it's the first time I've seen it. Positioned to appeal to every bean lover: the stay at home mom, the money-saving student, the working professional and the retired pensioner, this catchy jingle makes me want to get up and shake my booty! I love the detail in the creative for each of the four audiences from the decor of their kitchen, the make of their microwave, the way they make their tea and most importantly the way they eat their beans of toast. Yum yum, get me a snack pack.

There's always Schweppes

Clever and funny this ad by Mother is positioned at your standard over-worked, middle class suburban parents and aims to resonate with the typical (over-the-top in this case) ordeals they face daily while raising a family. It's simple, to the point and memorable - very well done.

Train like a famous athlete - with adidas

This campaign makes me want to download the adidas miCoach and get exercising right away. Then again, it's directed at someone just like me who takes their exercise seriously and can't afford to have a personal trainer they work with multiple times a week... Plus, putting celebrity athletes in the commercial always adds that aspirational element.

Mars' Singing for England

A bit of a delayed post but here's Mars' World Cup ad which uses famed Jamaican-born English footballer widely considered one of the country's all-time best wingers. He reprises his role in New Order's 1990 single World in Motion (see minute 2.30). It's a catchy, patriotic and nostalgic song that associates Mars with England's World Cup aspirations.

Kit Kat, in a World Cup of trouble

When I first saw Nestle's Kit Kat ad which allied itself with English football fans across the country in support of England in the 2010 World Cup, I immediately added it to my list to update on brandopoly. However, I wrote my whole blurb and never posted it because I just found the 'Cross Your Fingers' ad rather uninspiring. Also, their microsite wasn't loading and I just decided the whole thing was a flop.

However, in last week's issue of Marketing, the front page article was about how Mars and The FA are considering legal action against Nestle for what they consider to be a breach on sponsorship rules.  Basically, they claim Nestle is guilty of 'passing off' an association with the England team despite not actually being an official sponsor.

But there's more. Marketing says that Mars undertook similar 'ambush marketing' tactics in the 2006 World Cup in Germany... despite not being an official sponsor of Team England at the time. Woops...

Nestle of course maintains they have not breached any third-party rights and although I certainly can't claim to have read The FA sponsorship contract, I would have to say that Nestle does a pretty good job of avoiding the World Cup altogether. Never is the World Cup or South Africa mentioned and all football shots centre on the Premier League.  Let's see what happens...

Kit Kat ad below. Mars ad to follow.

Nike, write the future

This is a fantastic ad and the perfect way to kick off my series on World Cup advertising. With appearances by Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba, Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fabregas, Ronaldinho, Kobe Bryant, and even Homer Simpson, Nike proves they've got a huge budget - and know how to use it.

Their call to action pushes viewers to NikeFootball.com where you will hopefully spend some cash on Nike products or enter in their 'The Chance' competition, hosted on Facebook.

Even if you're not a football fan, there's no way you can't get even mildly excited about the impending 2010 World Cup after seeing this ad - the passion, the determination, the excitement, the celebration, it's all there. Can't wait.

Smirnoff - It's quitessentially English cool

This ad by Smirnoff is almost too cool for school. Oh hey, let's all go out into the forest with chandeliers, antique chairs and totally eccentric 'nymph-like' costumes and have a fabulously cool party. We're soo quirky and arty and creative! As an American I can tell you that this ad would certainly not resonate with the 18-30 year old crowd its positioned at if it was shown in the states... it's way too eccentric. However, I bet their English counterparts think it's just 'brilliant'! But this is why I love this ad. I like the fact that I can recognize why it's quintessentially Enlish by nature and how it would resonate with the middle class English youth it's targeted at. I have to say as well, after living here for over 18 months now, it's starting to resonate with me too, despite my hard-bent American ways. So while this commercial is a bit silly and a bit OTT, I think it does a great job at positioning itself to a very influential audience. It's ads like these that help me to better understand the culture I live in.