High Five: Unforgettable Picks from the UK
After a while of being a CD, I realised had stopped taking notes in creative reviews. How rude! Well, no. I stopped taking them because there was no point in writing down what was already stuck in my head. If the idea was good, or there was something in it, I remembered it and what I wanted to do with it. So, when LBB asked me to choose five recent ideas from across the industry, I’ve applied the same principle...
Paddy Power - ‘MAN UTD AREN'T VERY GOOD ANYMORE’
Manchester United are not the great team they were, though some of their fans find that hard to acknowledge. Thankfully, Paddy Power’s marketing team are still sitting pretty at the top. It’s because they consistently do things other brands wouldn’t dare - like tease the largest footballing fan base in the world on their delusions of grandeur. And they do it with such class that those fans can’t help but laugh along with everyone else.
B&Q - 'Flip'
Agency: Uncommon Creative Studio
B&Q, a client going against the grain with a budget to match their ambition. This stupidly simple idea has been given the time - and importantly, money - to craft it into a masterpiece. For all our sakes, let’s hope this idea really works for them.
HSBC - 'Vicious Circle'
Agency: Wunderman Thompson UK
People who find themselves homeless get stuck in a viscous circle. Having no home means it’s impossible to open a bank account, which means it’s hard to get a job, which means it’s hard to get off the street. And the cycle continues. The ad tells that story, simply yet dramatically. A wonderful insight. A powerful execution. A brilliant product that will hopefully make a big difference to lots of lives.
'Putin Is a D***head'
In adland, we talk about bravery a lot. It makes you feel a little silly when you think of the Ukranians who have put down their pens and picked up a weapon. Even those still at their desks are going to war - like the people who hacked Russian car charging points to display the indisputable truth of ‘Putin Is a Dickhead’. I’m scared just referencing it.
Kiyan Prince Foundation - 'Long Live the Prince'
Agency: Engine
Finally, one not as recent as the rest, but it’s so good that it’s taking up so much room in my head. I can’t forget the name Kiyan Prince and a life lost by a knife. Massive respect to Dr Mark Prince OBE for all his work in educating the youth about knife crime. The advertising agency and the brands they’ve worked with in making this have done you proud. Long live the Prince.
