Finnish Federation of the Brewing Industry - 'Guzzling'
Due to the fact that beer drinkers are turning to wine in their droves, the Finnish Federation of the Brewing Industry felt compelled to run its first ever TV ad campaign. It's an unusual approach. Instead of simply extolling the virtues of beer, the ad suggests that wine is a pretentious folly, indulged in only by the smug middle class. There are some fine performances, particularly from the wine-swilling gent.
Volkswagen - 'Lorry' and 'Digger'
BMP DDB's new VW campaign is unusual, even by the standards of this adventurous brand. The four ads celebrate the cars' durability and their owners' loyalty. "Lorry" depicts a VW owner whose car appears to be losing vital components as he drives, the twist being that he has been following a badly-laden truck dropping spare parts. "Digger" was inspired by French comic actor Jacques Tati and plays with sound effects and our assumptions of what lies behind them. "BBQ" was written, approved and shot spontaneously on the final afternoon of the shoot.
Miller Lite - 'Smooth Move'
Comedy is very much a staple technique within the beer advertising category, as we see in our feature this month. It is also demonstrated here in Ogilvy's Miller Lite work where the product is touted as a beer that "gets you noticed" but evidently not in a way the protagonists had intended. In a futile attempt to impress a girl, one of our hapless heroes slides a lit cigarette lighter over the bar, inadvertently setting fire to his dream girl's handbag. The best cure for embarrassment? A Miller Lite beer of course.
Egg - 'Party'
The old saying "he couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery" is humorously brought to life in this ad by HHCL. Directed by Ian Sciacaluga, who was also responsible for Pampers' hilarious farting baby ad (北京赛车pk10 Screen issue 12), the ad shows the problems a beer worker has when he tries to organise a party. Fortunately, he can arrange his finances thanks to Egg, which once again demonstrates a creative and brave approach to its communications.
Sundown - 'Tomorrow is just a day away'
Vitamin supplement commercials usually stress the "after" side of the picture. "Tomorrow is just a day away" resolutely explores the "before" with a split-screen day in the life of a man and a woman told in terms of banal or distressing images. Broken umbrellas, spilt coffee, basins of washing up; you feel run down watching it all, which is presumably the point. Director Werner Damen uses low-grade film stock and even out-of-focus shots to convey exhaustion and stress.