5 Things That Caught Our Eye This Week – 28th January 2021
Who would have thought Bernie Sanders sitting in a chair would become such a viral sensation? I suppose it makes a change from getting angry about caged children, rampant misogyny, alternative facts and armed insurrections. The question is what am I going to get furious about now? Oh yeah right…
Speaking of Bernie, Rise At Seven used him as a hilarious example of how easy it can be to make things go viral, and in the process inspired an advert for IKEA.
There is an interesting contrast between the adverts by 10 Days and Uncommon, one provides an infernal image, whilst the other shows a saccharine vision of heaven. I’ll leave it up to you to decide which one is preferable. MuttsandMisfits channel Hunter S Thompson in their advert for mortgages (no seriously). Finally Vivaldi cut to the heart of things in their advert for the Dacia Sandero.
1. Firetree – “The legend of the firetree” by 10 Days
I would love to try some Firetree chocolate but I’m a little bit afraid that it will burn my mouth! The juxtaposition of molten chocolate and lava kind of fuels my fantasies that the world is really made of sweets. By the end of the advert I was ready to exclaim “I knew it!”. The advert is a little like Willie Wonka, but if it was set in a primordial hell and narrated by a Shakespearean brayer. Still, it really makes me want some chocolate.
Client: Firetree chocolate
Agency: 10 days
2. Habito by Uncommon
Uncommon’s advert for Habito isn’t how I’ve traditionally viewed getting a mortgage, but I guess one can view their home as heaven. Well, maybe after I’ve done the dishes, and put the washing away and nagged my other half to paint that wall. I digress, the influences discussed by Nils Leonard are also interesting. I’m not sure I see Hunter S Thompson in there, but it is certainly a fresh approach.
Client: Habito
Agency: Uncommon
3. Stitch – by Mutts&Misfits
I like the geometric approach Mutts&Misfits have taken to their rebrand of Stitch, it reminds of the shirts and ties my dad wore in the 80’s. The whole feel is retro, at once familiar and at the same time fresh and interesting. I’m not sure why it stirs this sort of response, perhaps the mix of familiar and exotic (some the text looks somehow cyrillic) hits the right notes.
Client: Stitch
Agency: Mutts&Missfits
4. Ikea – “Bernie Sanders” by Rise At Seven
I laughed out loud (literally) when I saw Rise At Seven’s viral spoof involving Bernie Sanders. The picture of a chair next to the word BERNIE (I’m not even sure that is a proper Swedish vowel!) and IKEA logo provides a tongue in cheek reminder of Bernie at Biden’s inauguration.
Client: Ikea
Agency: Rise at seven
5. Dacia – “Every other car” by Vivaldi
I like the sardonic tone taken by Vivaldi in their advert for Dacia Sandero. I’m left wondering if Ralph Ineson can affect any other timbre, I like to think of him describing a child’s artwork in a similar tone. The emphasis of the advert is on realism rather than artistry, details rather than esoterism, hence the gritty vox performance. The advert cuts through the fluff and usually associated with car adverts and gives a decisive message; This. Car. Is. Well. Designed,
