Conversation Starter

Tinder has been a "dating" revelation with staggering growth and popularity.

In February, Tinder were recording 750 million swipes per day (which was a 15,000% increase on December 2013!) and now they are seeing more than a billion swipes - resulting in approximately 12 million 'matches' - every single day.

With owner IAC taking a seemingly natural next step and deciding to monetise the app, a whole new channel for advertisers has been opened up.

Probably the most poignant campaign we've seen is from the Immigration Council of Ireland. They have engaged Dublin-based ad agency Eighty Twenty to create a truly hard-hitting set of ads aimed at reaching the youthful male population in Ireland.

The user will see an image of an attractive young woman. As they then swipe,a series of shocking images follow, which demonstrate the kind of physical abuse trafficking victims are often on the receiving end of. The hope is that reaching this demographic will help crack down on the illegal industry.

This is definitely an important message delivered in an innovative way on a carefully selected medium.

Definitely a #PureAdOfTheWeek

The (Rowan) Atkinson's Diet

In January 1990, ITV introduced Mr Bean, "a child in a grown man's body".  24 years on the character devised by Rowan Atktinson is now the comic face of Snickers' latest phase of the "You're not you when you're hungry" campaign.

That's right, the sequel to 'Joan Collins "zip-it shrimpy" commercial features teddy loving Mr Bean. The most awkward man alive.

The series of ads, made by Daniel Kleinman, who directed six of the last seven James Bond title sequences, show a martial arts gang-member in various scenarios who isn't quite feeling himself due to his troublesome hunger (see video's below).

The ad series created by AMV BBDO marks a fourth year of using this marketing tag-line, following Mr. T's predecessing "get some nuts" promotional thrust.


We think the latest series is hilarious, and not only leaves us craving a Snickers but also a Mr. Bean marathon.

#PureAdOfTheWeek



http://www.yourenotyouwhenyourehungry.com/

The Spread of Zombies

One thing every commuter has in common is the expectation of seeing a few thousand suited zombies in the morning. Let’s face it, between Ate O’clock and 9 O’clock in the morning, the walking dead take over London. Of corpse we all know it’s not the apocalypse, it’s just a bad case of commuter amnesia. As we all board the London underground, groaning, scrambling and staring into space on our usual route to work.

Bored to death we all fall soullessly into routine: checking our phones, flicking through twitter feeds; amusing ourselves watching fellow commuters dive for the train… and sharing that moment when you make eye contact with the complete stranger you've found yourself contorted against (not quite as romantic as match.com makes out).

Yet yesterday morning we found our personal space invaded by Sky’s Walking Dead advert in the Metro. The placement couldn't have been more dead on. With Halloween lurching ever closer, Sky’s timing is exemplary. By taking the first double spread, they've really broken through the usual menagerie of ads that capture and possess the Metro’s early pages. We think Sky’s double page spread truly paid off and are sure many Londoners are going to be feasting on a few Sky Box Sets this Autumn.

#PureAdOfTheWeek

A short of Johnnie Walker Blue Label hits the spot

The iconic scotch producer has charmed us with a stylish, sophisticated and extremely cool short film directed by Jake Scott and starring Jude Law and Giancarlo Giannini.

The Gentleman's Wager ft. Jude Law and Giancarlo Giannini

The suave 6 ½ minute short depicts two evidently wealthy gentlemen in a wager for something money can’t buy. The 30 second teaser has helped to drive more than 3 million views of the full version in just over a week.

With product placement as effortless as the sheer style of the actors, we are truly immersed in the Johnnie Walker lifestyle – prompting frivolous, sun-kissed daydreams of winning a boat in exchange for a dance...

The marketing spiel is that the ad reflects the progressive and developmental nature of the Johnnie Walker brand.

Some have suggested that it’s impressive as a brand piece, but that the lack of ‘depth’ to the story and the frankly rudimentary dance that Law ends up performing (especially when compared to this mesmeric Christopher Walken effort) means the inevitably huge price-tag attached is brought into focus...which in turn might lead to weighing up the cost of a branding piece like this against its true value. 

Undoubtedly, however, their luxury marketing strategy definitely engages gentlemen aspiring to be Jude and the many thousands of women who wish they were dating Mr Law, while also leaving the scenario open to the possibility of a sequel.

Either way, we’ll happily raise a hump day glass to this most enjoyable and classy effort.

#PureAdOfTheWeek

Setting the benchmark

These branded park benches were a part of the Nike's 2012 #makeitcount ethos. 

Though a couple of years old, this is a still a GREAT piece of advertising - definitely setting the benchmark.

Simple. 

Effective. 

#PureAdOfTheWeek

Morrisons' Pun-tastic New Outdoor Cre-eat-tive

The Morrisons (more reasons) pun team have been at it again, this time setting the bar even higher by using iconic pictogram puns as the premise of their latest geo-targeted outdoor campaign ‘Up Your Street’:

…a feast for any pun-lover!

The cre-eat-ive can be spotted on multi OOH ad-formats across London, promoting Morrisons’  dot com su-pun-market delivery service which is now available to customers across London.

Designed by DLKW Lowe, the campaign launched this week and will be out on the streets throughout July/August 2014.

Because we love puns so much, the campaign has been awarded our humble #PureAdOfTheWeek award.

#PureAdOfTheWeek.

Happy Fathers Day

Fitting Tribute to David Abbott in Campaign Magazine this week. A re-crafted version of the beautifully written Chivas Regal Fathers Day Ad .... the words say it all.

#PurePoint #PureAdOfTheWeek

"Unbelievable"

 

Ok, so the Pepsi Max bus T-side creative is a tad basic, and relatively non-distinct given the almost identical look and feel of the ad to the Coke Zero one currently running as commented on last week .... but the use of the 'Unbelievable' proposition really does play out in the 3-d interactive 6 sheet panel they are currently running at a bus stop on Oxford Street.

Rigged up with smart technology and a digital camera facing up the street behind the panel, real-time moving images of tigers prowling the street, stomping robots and curly tentacled squids can be seen along side unknowing pedestrians.

Truly engaging, interactive and impactful .....  'Unbelievable' indeed ... see video below

 

 

#PureAdOfTheWeek

Is sharing really caring?

 #PureXmasAdWatch update


                      

This year, more than ever before, social media is at the vanguard of the Christmas ad battle, where people are sharing their thoughts and interacting as a result of exposure to the traditional advertising. It's not just a battle of the big TV ads, it's more a battle of the #hashtags and ongoing opt-in engagement levels.

There are plenty of numbers that advertisers will use to try and demonstrate their social superiority -from Twitter mentions, Facebook launch post interactions, #hashtags, YouTube views, Google+'s to number of  'Likes' to name but a few, so  we at Pure thought we'd take a look at how the campaigns that launched earlier this month are being run and indeed what results can show to date.

In our view, John Lewis has (again!) come out well on top. The crux of the argument behind this assertion is that as an advertiser we would rather have consumers consuming (i.e. watching) our ad rather than just talking about it.

Numbers such as Twitter mentions, #hashtag shares, Facebook interactions, etc. are useful data and indeed seem to suggest that there's quite a tight race going on with regards to interaction and engagement in this busy market. However, John Lewis launched their ad on YouTube 24 hours before it went 'live' on TV and it's on that platform that they have buried the others under an avalanche of views:

 YouTube views
(as at 20th Nov):

John Lewis - 7.8 million
M&S - 770k
Argos - 630k
Sainsbury's - 355k
Tesco - 320k







What's more, they have predominantly achieved their exposure through organic seeding, unlike M&S who appear to have been forced to try and combat JL's dominance by spending heavily on paid-for search. When looking at the John Lewis social campaign in its entirety, you can see that there is an excellent co-ordination of the composite parts - they all work individually but also support and enhance the others.

For example, the ad launch was coupled with a pre-emptive teaser Twitter #hashtag of #sleepingbear followed by #bearandhare as soon as it went live. On that first weekend, the John Lewis Twitter audience grew by 10% (4,000 new followers).

In contrast, Marks and Spencer have had approx. 4,000 mentions of #magicandsparkle and unforgivably, Tesco launched their ad on Twitter but failed to attach a specific hashtag, thereby surely losing both campaign theme and indeed trackability of popularity.

It's interesting to note that elsewhere, M&S has been quoted as having the most Twitter mentions (c.60million) with Tesco (49 million) and John Lewis lagging behind (45 million).

M&S have also been shown to have the edge on the competition when it comes to Facebook interactions, with 160,000 interactions to their launch post - Asda (87,000), John Lewis (71,000) and Tesco (9,000) are way behind.

Sharing is caring, but in our opinion active engagement and opt-in viewing is a far more effective result.

Love it or Hate it??

We're 50:50 here in the office with regards to the latest Marmite 'neglect / rescue' TV ad ... and it seems we are not the only ones.

The commercial went on air c. 24 hours ago and the ASA has already received over 250 complaints.

The campaign uses the well-known Love/Hate strapline, urging users to "Love it. Hate it. Just don't Forget it."


One thing we can say is the ad is true to it's word, like Marmite, you really will either Love it or Hate it.

 

Contender for #PureAdOfTheWeek ... maybe, but not necessarily for all the right reasons?

A Kick in the Teethgate

As a direct, competitive reaction to Colgate's "brush hour" at Waterloo Station this week which saw thousands of angry commuters causing mayhem with old toothbrushes in hand expecting a direct free swap for a newer model, Philips decided to capitalise on the situation with the following full-page ad in yesterday's Evening Standard:

The idea was generated, the ad produced, media space bought, ad was signed off by the client and supplied to publication in less than 24 hours after inception - not a bad turnaround at all! Especially considering that Philips usually have a long-term brand vision as opposed to the quick-turnaround, tactical approach.

The tagline; "the best things in life aren't free" adds insult to injury and something else for Colgate to worry about after dealing with the dirty-mouthed comments from customers and recovering from the embarrassing  fiasco.

#PureAdOfTheWeek

Wheelie good viral ad!

Red Bull's latest viral film starring Danny MacAskill is an extremely late contender for this week's #PureAdOfTheWeek (albeit tenuous as it's not really an ad ... just 7 minutes of great footage).

The video is executed in such a captivating way that it has accumulated over three million views in less than ten days!

As we say, although it's not an "advertisment" per se, the video has generated such popularity that this week we have selected it as an extremely strong contender  for the title of #PureAdOfTheWeek.

 

#Red Bull

Bus advertising reaches new heights!

Early contender for this weeks #PureAdOfTheWeek ... Pepsi Max, who launched a campaign over the weekend announcing their new brand ambassador - magician 'Dynamo' suspended (quite literally) from a the bus superside ad with the hash tag #LIVEFORNOW

#PureAdOfTheWeek

Cover Up?

Another contender for #PureAdOfTheWeek .... we've just noticed this rather clever press ad for AIG Direct - Female Cancer Cover - in the Classified section of the Daily Mail.

Subtle, sensitive, smart and creative use of press ... without incurring any incremental costs.

Buy a Proper Cola!

Fentiman's cheeky attempt of a #ShareACoke parody has earned a place among the contenders for this week's #PureAdOfTheWeek:

This simple and creatively impactful ad was snapped in today's issue of The Metro and although the ad sits within a modest quarter-page positioning in the middle of the paper, we fully appreciate Fentiman's audacity of attempting to hi-jack a global campaign executed by one of the world's largest brands, Coca-Cola:

Fingers crossed for Fentiman that the ad can spark nationwide curiosity to try out its Cola alternative!

#PureAdOfTheWeek

Big Blue Cactus.

We are wondering how many members of the agency team were holding back giggles in the meeting room after the creative / account director got the go ahead from the client to run the following ad currently running on Bus supersides for Boots 'inhibitif' ... hair removal brand.

The answer? Not nearly as many people as those who have had to double-take at this 'large blue thing' flying around London.

For comedy value and for interesting, phallic use of "shock messaging", we're considering this as a #PureAdOfTheWeek.

#BigBlueCactus.

ARGGHH!! ZOMBIES!! Wait.....What?

During our weekly meeting, we all decided it would be a great idea to get our own Pure Media office zombie.

Yep, you guessed it. But not just any zombie, a giffgaff zombie from its latest ad campaign and this week's #PureAdOfTheWeek.

The Don't Be Scared campaign kick-started on 5th June with a series of short teaser TV ads showing a rotten foot and a chicken with #DontBeScared written beside them. Following the teasers, giffgaff purchased entire commercial breaks on E4 and a number other channels perfect for targeting its younger audiences.

Why is this in contention for our #PureAdOfTheWeek? Well, giffgaff has done a fantastic job of subverting horror to deliver its messaging; "Not everything unusual is scary". Plus, the mobile network has changed our perception of zombies. They only want to help out!

Congratulations giffgaff. #PureAdOfTheWeek ??  #DontBeScared

teletextholidays.co.uk 1 : Wayne Rooney 0

Great tactical topical ad placement by teletextholidays.co.uk last night on the perimeter boards at the Maracana stadium during the England vs Brazil match.

In light of recent stories - teletextholidays.co.uk ran digital activity throughout the match asking the question - "Desperate to get away like Wayne?" with the answer "Escape with teletextholidays.co.uk"

Click below to see the footage - totally brilliant idea!...

Definite initial contender for this weeks #PureAdOfTheWeek

Personal PR ... Profile Management!

Great use of media from Roberto Mancini ... who took a full page ad out in the MEN newspaper thanking his fans for their support over the past 3 years.

So simple... yet so very effective....if you Google it there are posts from all the Nationals as well as Sports channels ... Now that's what we call value for money!

 

 

Last minute contender for #PureAdOfTheWeek !!

Lenticular Brilliance

  

A very powerful outdoor campaign went live recently for Spanish organization the ANAR Foundation (Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk), using what was once a revolutionary creative format in OOH advertising, in the days before the evolution of digital outdoor ....super smart Lenticular printing delivering an even smarter considered creative idea.

When viewed from a normal adult height, the poster reads .....“sometimes, child abuse is only visible to the child suffering it.” But when the poster is viewed from the average height of a 10-year-old (4'5"), the shot of the boy in the image shows a bruised faced and an alternative message reading .... “if somebody hurts you, phone us and we’ll help you” with the foundation’s help line number.

Pure Brilliance #PureAdOfTheWeek