Ad Nauseam: Just Do It

Okay, so I’ve been a bit of a grouch over the past few weeks, railing against ads for biscuits and telephone companies and the like, so this week I want to dust off all that negativity and start off with an ad that is so brilliant it quite literally gave me goosebumps. Yes dear readers this week we shall be mostly looking at ads for sports brands. Of course it’s no wonder that these companies can produce amazing ads; they have deep pockets from which to stump up for hotshot directors, music rights and celebrity endorsements. Pity the poor local advertiser who has their meagrely-financed ad placed beside the celeb-packed roller-coaster ride that is this Adidas commercial. I saw it in the cinema last week in its full two-minute-long glory and it was a spine tingling experience alone worth the movie entrance fee (though I recommend the film I saw … There’s more

Ad Nauseam: World Cup ads 2010

If you’re involved in the production of beer, fast food or computer games it’s seriously important to your business. It makes the whole world jolt to stop, and head for the pub. And it only comes around once every four years. Yes, it’s the World Cup. Probably the only global sporting event to encourage behaviour so diametrically opposed to the fitness and skill played out on the pitch. It’s a truth universally acknowledged that where there is a large sporting event, there are advertisers. And the World Cup is perhaps the biggest of them all. Now I’m not dissing the Olympics - I could watch the Olympics all year long if you provided enough tea, biscuits and bed sore cushions. Everyone loves the Olympics. Go on, admit it; it brought a tear to your eye to see Michelle de Bruin (that’s de Bruin now, de Bruin, not Smith) bring home … There’s more