Bestads Top 6 of the Week – reviewed by Cat Botibol, partner pd3 London
Postmodernism it seems, is not dead. There seems to be a fair bit of borrowing and repurposing from Hollywood going on in these six ads this week. As a runner-up, the Vestel F-18 Jetwash spot has got to deserve some credit for the ballsy, if not slightly surreal, mash up of Top Gun and Transformers with a female pilot and a transforming dishwasher. I would have enjoyed witnessing the sell-in for that script. The winner though I think is Sky Movies’ Christmas, for a very clever piece of editing. Dad’s driving home for Christmas, and meets some interesting and famous movie characters en route. The clever editing of filmed footage with movie clips blends seamlessly. If only such journey’s happened in real life.
FT wins for another effortlessly powerful visual. Runner-up for their thinking, is Special Group Auckland’s ‘Post this newspaper…’. The experience of reading a newspaper from home on real news print, can be evocative. So I hope their campaign got some papers in the snail mail to some homesick Kiwis.
It’s a hands down winner for Kenneth. For being so cute and bumbling around the streets of Auckland and doing so many tiresome publicity appearances without a grumble to help raise so much money for the Auckland City Mission. A great example of how a unique and engaging real world experience can be amplified via outdoor, PR and digital to create a truly engaging campaign. Like the TV spots this week, I think there seems to be some creative borrowing from Kacie Kinzer’s great Tweenbot project. But, as it’s for a good cause, and has been activated so well I’ll let them off. Runner-up to Mercedes-Benz for their motion blur parking spots. A simple trompe l’oeil concept, again executed well.
Technology and digital media can often seem to have been used only for the sake of using technology and digital media. The technology seems shoehorned into the idea. Amnesty International’s ‘Slide to Unlock’ is definitely NOT one of those ideas. It’s a masterful idea that perfectly integrates with the user experience of the ipad, and will be sure to create a talking point amongst anyone who sees it when unlocking your ipad. I just got back from holiday, and went to the best Aquarium ever in Monterey, California. For that reason, the British Heart Foundation’s Hope Tank full of Zebrafish pledges is a worthy runner up.