Okay, every time I fly home to Atlanta, I see these really pretty AT&T ads by the security checkpoint. I was looking to find them to post in my blog as an example, but when I searched for it, I found TONS of other ads using this so-called "hand art". Some of the earlier campaigns go as far back as the eighties!
Lintas
New York City, New York
1986
What the heck! Look...I found some other "hand art" ads that are almost identical to this one...
Saatchi and Saatchi
Switzerland
2008
I found this one from 2004...
Holy cow...these all look so unbelievably similar. I am sure BBDO and Saatchi and Saatchi got the idea from these earlier campaigns. I know it's the real world, but it is so disappointing to me that such renowned agencies would be such copycats (get it?).
When I saw this ad, I thought about something Kirk Cameron said. He does a lot of religious specials and on one, he was talking about how the banana is a basic piece of evidence to support intelligent design. It contours perfectly to our hands, it has a protective cover, and the way it arches makes it really easy for us to eat....and it is brilliant to use in advertisements, apparently! I just can't believe how well this works for a teeth whitening service!
Sparkfury Creative Consultants
Singapore
I would have liked this campaign a lot more if the clearer version of the picture was something ridiculous like a really hairy guy that is in the woods camping...or maybe Nessie could be the tail end of a sinking gondola or something (not that there is a surplus of gondolas in Scotland). I don't know, these are just off of the top of my head, but I think you get what I'm sayin'!
Hakuhodo
Japan
This is really a cool way to show the dwindling numbers of gorillas. A lot of time, when we hear that there are 300 monkeys in captivity, we think they are safe...that's a pretty big number. But this campaign is a good reminder that yeah, that's a decent number, but not when it's referring to the population of an entire species.
Ogilvy
New Zealand
I think that whole 3-D sidewalk art trend is really neat. It is so interesting to me when it isn't even advertising or promoting anything, but since this art is actually relevant to a cause, it caught my eye. Way to use an appropriate medium!
1. CareerBuilder.com by Weiden and Kennedy in Portland, Oregon
Repetition will make you remember something, alright. I loved this spot..every little montage keeps getting more and more ridiculous. I think my favorite is the woman riding the dolphin. Even though the scenarios are absurd, they are pretty true. Not that my hatred of my first job compares to the woes of true professionals, I always wished I were somewhere else or doing something else (riding dolphins and punching koalas, included). This ad is effective because it really speaks to everyone.
2. NBC: LMAO by The NBC Agency in Burbank, California
This is so light-hearted and funny! I usually think plugs for tv shows are lame, but I really like that NBC isn't selling 30 Rock, The Office, yadayada...they are selling Thursday night.
3. Coca Cola: Heist by Weiden and Kennedy in Portland, Oregon
Everything by Coke seems really whimsical. The animation in this is really beautiful and I think it works because it plays off of the whole 'ants at the picnic' idea. Really cool!
The Losers:
1. GoDaddy.com by an in house agency
Ugh. Gag me with a spoon. This is so gross, demeaning and I just don't even know what godaddy.com is. And don't get me started on that brat, Danica Patrick! I hate celebrity endorsements in the first place, but I really hate when the endorser is her!
2. Pepsi: Pepsuber by TBWA/Chiat/Day in Los Angeles, California
I watch SNL a lot, so I got the reference to McGruber, which is a reference to McGuyver. However, it isn't a skit that is played that often, so I thought they were really taking a risk when they chose to spoof it. I just think it was trying too hard to be funny.
3. Cheetos: Spoiled Girl by Goodby, Silverstein and Partners in San Francisco, California
Hmmm.....does this remind anyone of a particular Starburst campaign? I thought it was too similar to the ads where the Starburst tempts his owner to ditch his friends so they won't want to share. I am pretty much 'over' the whole 'food tempting you to be mischevious' idea. I think it's been done. Sorry, Cheetos. I'll still eat you, though.
The Winner:
Weiden and Kennedy (Portland) take the cake for ads this year! What a great job! They submitted a wide variety of ads that displayed a lot of different personalities.
Goodby, Silverstein and Partners (SanFran) had some great work, even though I didn't particularly care for their Cheetos stuff. I loved their Dennys serious breakfast spots! Those were really funny!
The Loser:
TBWA/Chiat/Day (LA) really disappointed me. Their Pepsi work was really dull and I don't think they flexed their creative muscle to the utmost. It's hard to believe the guys who brought us those great Mac ads also gave us that Pepsi junk...pee-ew!!
The InBetweener:
Grey (NYC) Even though they only did E*Trade stuff, I just don't know how I feel about them. Every new talking baby commercial is really funny, yet I feel like the concept is a little tired.
It seems like Coke aimed towards an Americana image with their earlier advertising. D'Arcy and McCann Erickson made Coke seem like the American thing to drink...creating and using the Santa imagery was a perfect way to do so. I think using such symbols helped establish Coke as a brand that can branch off and do the more creative work that we see today.
D'Arcy
1931
1956
Weiden and Kennedy
2007
2009
Volkswagen
I really like that VW has always been weird (for its time, that is). I always look forward to seeing any kind of work for the company because it is so weird, yet makes so much sense. Other car companies take themselves too seriously, which is fine. I prefer the lighthearted nature of some of the more recent VW spots. While the CP+B people love to work outside of the box, they still come up with some really powerful spots. They are all about creating balance in their advertising, which is great considering the type of car they are selling. VW is a really safe brand, but it is also for people who are fun and carefree. Putting forth work like the "Vdub" commercials and the "safe happens" commercials really helps paint a picture of what the VW brand stands for...smart engineering for people who like to have a good time.
DDB
1963
1967
1968
1994
Crispin Porter + Bogusky
2006
2008
2007
DeBeers
Jewelry ads are pretty cheesy, as you can see by some of the earlier DeBeers work. I know the "diamond is forever" slogan is one of the most popular in the history of advertising, but I get tired of seeing it in traditional media. To me, nontraditional is the way to go for jewelry advertising. DeBeer's slogan is so versatile and has such potential, it is almost a shame to use it for print ads and lump it together with all that Kay Jewelers nonsense. The campaign below the 'frog and prince' one is so cool to me. The folks at JWT decided to set up a 360 degree kiss. They had couples kiss on a podium and they filmed the kiss from all different angles so they could capture the emotion. I like the idea that they are selling a connection and not a 50% off Mothers' Day necklace. DeBeers has been coming out with more and more nontraditional stuff as of late...think back to the "diamond is forever" flower exhibit in Grand Central station. Exhibitions like that are what will set DeBeers apart from other jewelers.
Okay, every time I fly home to Atlanta, I see these really pretty AT&T ads by the security checkpoint. I was looking to find them to post in my blog as an example, but when I searched for it, I found TONS of other ads using this so-called "hand art". Some of the earlier campaigns go as far back as the eighties! 
What the heck! Look...I found some other "hand art" ads that are almost identical to this one...
