March 2010

When is an ad not an ad? When it’s so ambiguous the viewer doesn’t know what’s being advertised – then it’s just a super expensive exercise in time wasting for everyone – the brand, the agency and more importantly the viewer. I have been pondering this since I saw Microsoft’s TV ads for Bing. The first time I saw the ad I was convinced it was for a different completely unrelated brand – until Bing was mentioned 22 seconds in. I’m thinking of course of Rowntree’s Randoms. Comparing and ad for a search engine with an ad for sweets should be like comparing chalk and cheese – but in this case it’s more like comparing Royal Galas to Pink Ladies. The confectioner has been running a series of highly memorable ads for some months now, using everyday scenarios such as asking… read more →