Monday, September 22, 2008

When good concept meets poor execution.



Don't buy this soap-

It happens more than it should in our industry, a good initial idea that goes completely awry somewhere in the creative process. Who thought it was a good choice to translate a cute cuddly critter into something you would, eat? Seriously, out of all the choices out there...

http://gawker.com/5052544/wash-your-hands-or-eat-this

[via Copyranter at Coilhouse, who has another ad featuring a cat that cat lovers might not enjoy]

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I actually like this Ad, it's gross sure...but I also find it funny. And execution is great I think. You might think about the target as well, is this aimed at conservative mothers? Maybe not. I'd also bet this isn't an American campaign - it seems many other countries are more progressive in their marketing.

Miles said...

Thanks for your thoughts Aaron. You are right in deeming other countries more progressive in their advertising - some of the most inspiring campaigns imo come out of the EU. This campaign was produced and implemented in Indonesia; so a different culture for sure. And the "shock" value does resonate, indeed, it has us discussing the idea right now. My comment on the execution was not aimed at the Photoshop work - which is obviously superb, but rather, the execution of the concept itself. My reaction was that it was morbid, in poor taste and overall purely disgusting; and why choose furry little animals? Maybe "shock" was written into the creative brief... But did it actually boost sales of the soap? I would be curious.

Anonymous said...

I agree, it may be in poor taste - but again I think shock value mixed with morbid humor can be very effective in today's world of overstimulation. There is an interesting thread about this ad versus another similar ad that I read the other day, if you're curious you should check out what other people are saying about it:

http://thedenveregotist.com/article/2748/which-hand-wash-ad-do-you-like-better

Miles said...

Thanks for the link. It is quite interesting to read all of the commentary on the two spots. Maybe what really threw me off was one of the other pieces in this campaign "the cat-croissanwhich". Best go wash my hands...