A really, really depressing bicycle safety campaign

The concept works, I think, in conveying the idea of "distance". But at first I wasn't sure who it was talking to, cyclists (keep your distance from cars) or car drivers (keep your distance from cyclists). I was also unsure whether the 1.5 m was supposed to give me a mental image of a car tailgating a bike, or vice versa, or whether it was how much clearance drivers need to give a bike while driving past one. But at least it got me thinking about the issue, I guess.

What the campaign succeeds at is conveying the emotions of sadness and regret. It is quite honestly the most depressing ad campaign I have seen in quite some time.

And that too can be a problem. Many ad consumers simply can't cope with negative emotions. They protect themselves and their consciences by mentally separating themselves from the ad. ("That's not me!") This is called defensive processing, and it is the sworn enemy of hard-hitting social marketing.

That said, I was still moved by this campaign. When I am behind the wheel, I try to be as respectful and cautious as possible of both cyclists and pedestrians. 

And as a cyclist? Let's just say that this campaign just confirms my fears about riding a bike in traffic.

Campaign by Y&R South Africa
Spotted on Ads of The World

Ass kebabs #FdAdFriday

What is it with the obsession with asses in Brazil? They have somehow merged it with their love of barbecue in a bizarre pastiche of animal snuff and food porn.

Personally, I would rather not thing about an animal with an arrow up its bum when considering where to get some meat on a stick. But maybe that's just me.

Via Ads of The World

Playboy celebrates getting caught looking at porn

Because, hey! Who wouldn't rather look at heavily photoshopped wannabe actresses' naked bodies rather than spending time with loved ones...

Or working...

Or doing nothing at all?

Clever idea, but it makes me kind of sad for the target audience.

For Playboy's Spanish "TV" web site, by Y&R Argentina. (You wonder if they ever get any work done down there.)

Note that, once again, all creative teams assume everyone owns a Mac.

Via Ads of the World

Playboy readers care about the big issues #FdAdFridays

I am also concerned about the obsessive removal of public hair and surgical augmentation of breasts, although I think that Playboy is one of the main parties to blame in these unfortunate intimate fashion trends.

"Deforestation"

"Silicon Valley"

Consensual anal sex, however, no matter how often, is an issue every couple needs to decide on for themselves.

"Crack addiction"

This campaign by Y&R, South Africa, tries to mash up Playboy's old-school "class" as a serious men's lifestyle mag with its cheesy locker-room humour. I think it achieves much more of the latter.

Via Ads of The World

Selling temporary tatts with sexy balloons

These ads by Y&R Beijing use improbably-anatomical balloon shapes to promote the painlessness of applying Ed Hardy stick-on tattoos.

I'm glad they made the "balloon knot" PG...

Oddly, the while the product category exists at the Ed Hardy shop, there don't appear to be any for sale.

Pity, since a temporary tramp stamp today could save a lot of young women expensive laser treatments in later life.

Cool ads though. Both visually interesting and bang-on with the product benefit.

Via Ads of The World.

Much ado about highlighters

These two ads from Prolam Y&R, Santiago, Chile, go to a great amount of effort to show the product benefit in a highly-literate way. 

In the first instance, the artist Salamanca paints an execution scene from the French Revolution (A Tale of Two Cities?) where Marie Antoinette's name has been highlighted in the text.

The next shows the effect in Don Quixote, when Dulcinea's name is highlighted.

Beautiful work.

Via Ads of The World

F'd Ad Fridays: Bizarre, racialized photoshop disaster coffee shop ad

Via Ads of The World