More weird skin whitening ads from Asia

While the Western world tries desperately to convince its pale citizens to keep out of the sun and tanning booths, the East continues to baffle us with its obsession with skin whitening products.

In this case, a hand cream promises to make your skin so blindingly pallid, it will cast a white shadow. (Hmmm... that reminds me of a TV show I used to watch.)

The exaggeration is too obvious to accuse TBWA Hong Kong of false advertising in the concept itself, but these products can run the gamut from useless to downright dangerous. It's a shame people can't learn to love diverse beauty ideas, rather than being preyed on by snake oil ads.

Via I Believe in Advertising

Breasts exploited in the name of cancer (again) #FdAdFriday

The technology is interesting, if it actually works as intended.

Poster before thermoactivation.

"Breast lumps are often discovered by womens partners. As a part of communication launching Breast Unit Prague (clinique for preventing and curing breast cancer) we produced this poster targeting men in male areas. When they placed their hands on the poster a pair of breasts would appear. Headline: ‘Touch them to ensure that they don’t disappear.’"

Poster thermoactivated.

While cause marketers like "Coppafeel,"  "Feel Your Boobies" and "Self Chec" promote self-screening for lumps in humorous and playfully sexy ways, this one seems more lecherous and objectifying. (Even though the creative team of Tereza Sverakova, Lauren van Aswegen and Igor Paleta seems to include at least one women.) And I don't know what it's like on the streets of Prague, but I wouldn't want to be seen feeling up a poster in public. Especially not a cancer campaign.

Ummm... what "thermoactivated" that line below the hands?

Let's hope this ad wasn't literally "F'd"...

Campaign by Leagas Delaney Prague, Czech Republic
Via I Believe in Advertising

John Lennon murdered again, this time by Brazil's Fischer & Fischer

Via I Believe in Advertising

Dear non-English ad agencies of the world:

We, the English-speaking world, acknowledge that not everyone speaks the same language as we do. If we are to be totally honest, most of you speak our language while a shameful few of us speak yours.

That said, nobody is forcing you to translate your ads into English just to get the attention of international ad bloggers and awards jury members who are too lazy to figure them out.

But if you do choose to go to the bother and expense of translating and redesigning your ads for international and anglo viewing, FOR GOD'S SAKE SPEND THE $100 BUCKS TO HAVE A NATIVE ENGLISH PROOFREADER LOOK AT THEM FIRST!!!

Especially when your client is Rolling Stone.

All the best,

- Tom

UPDATE: They fixed it.

Another creepy campaign against sexual abuse of children

I saw this ad on I Believe in Advertising. A little Googling got me two more, in original Portuguese, from Creative Society:

They are all very upsetting as they should be, given the subject matter. But somehow I often find the effort to find creative ways to express the issue just end up creeping me out without adding to my awareness of, or concern for, the issue. It's as if the agency is exploiting tragedy for PR.

Is that too harsh?

History repeats itself. History repeats itself. History...

Mexico City's Museo Memoria y Tolerancia is an interesting idea. In a place founded on genocide and the clash of ancient empires, the museum stands "to warn about the dangers of indifference, discrimination and violence for generating, instead, responsibility, respect and awareness in each individual."

These ads, by Mexico's Made agency, paraphrase the George Santayana  quote "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" and matches it with iconic images of war and violence to amplify the message.

The effect is not subtle, and you could accuse the campaign of relying too much on borrowing interest from some of the world's great tragedies. But the message is, at least, clear. and as important now as it was over 100 years ago.

Via I Believe in Advertising 

The kettle for people who hate their coworkers

Don't you hate that awkward moment when you find yourself stuck in the office kitchen, having to listen to a colleague dare to speak to you, while you're waiting for the kettle to boil?

Well, fear not. This ultrafast kettle will cut the awkwardness short in faux Dilbert style.

What a relief.

Ad by BBR Saatchi & Saatchi, Tel Aviv, Israel
Via I Believe in Advertising

F'd Ad Fridays: Condom wrappers everywhere

Maybe it's just me, but I hate finding other people's condom packages lying around the streets or on other public places. Mostly because it's a reminder that there may be a discarded "white balloon" nearby, and also because it's litter. I'm happy people use them. I just don't want to be reminded that people are picking up street prostitutes so close to my home and work.

That said, I get the humour in this playful ad from K Swamy BBDO, India.  But why would an old married couple use one?



I do, however, love the brand name: Hindustan Lifecare Limited Moods Condoms

For all your limited moods?

Via IBiA

F'd Ad Fridays: Not as sweet as you think

This Australian cider ad by BMF reminds me of the photoshop gags a fellow Creative Director keeps making as his Facebook avatar. I had to check the credits to confirm that Clare was not, in fact, behind this creative.



Via IBiA

Healthy bread makes you... brain dead?

It must be something unique to Brazilian culture that associates the line "Break free from guilt" with a slice of bread killing your mind like an old-school villain. Or perhaps that's the evil bread (although its brown colour looks pretty good to me) that the hero bread is about to free your mind from?

I am so confused. But at least the illustrator got paid.

Via IBiA

F'd Ad Fridays: Amnesty International tries a classic Bugs Bunny trick

Via IBiA

In this case, let's hope it works.