...because old people are asexual, get it?

Are we sick of the grannie clichés yet? This is an ad by Y&R London for Red 5, "the ultimate gadget shop." Does this mean they don't sell dildos? Doesn't sound very ultimate to me!

Here's the rest of the series, via Ads of The World:

Nasty UNICEF campaign trashes "sluts", "dealers" and "drunks"

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this UNICEF campaign by Prolam Y&R, Chile, on Ads of The World. I can see where they came from — children need a good education to get out of poverty and the cycle of crime, sex work and substance abuse — but is this really the best way to show that?

First of all, the ads show a "negative" rather than a "positive" outcome. I guess the message is, "if you don't help these kids, where will their education come from?" 

But it does it in such a way as to assume that people in poverty end up in the underworld simply because of bad influences around them, rather than because their socioeconomic circumstances leave them few options. To blame the "slut" (I assume they mean "prostitute"), the dealer and the substance abuser in this way is not helping. It's shaming.

UNICEF does good work in education. But if they did actually approva this ad (one never knows, these days) they could do a much better job on educating the public about the political, social and economic causes and outcomes of poverty.

UNICEF promotes breastfeeding with minimalist mammaries

I'm not sure these really work. But they won two Bronze Outdoor Lions at Cannes this year for Y&R Beijing. 

Perhaps Chinese mothers will respond to the nutrition-labelling copy. But I still find the geometrical breasts (particularly below) a little bizarre.

Via Ads of The World.

Weather conditions as human stereotypes

From Y&R NZ comes this series of ads for a weather smartphone app that pun away at some really cardboard stereotypes. They are at least not all female ones:

It's pretty funny stuff, as long as you don't think about it too much.

Via Ads of The World

The best sleeping bag ad campaign I've ever seen

I hope they work. The only thing I found a little odd was using such an American cliche in a campaign for the Czech Republic. But I do love the art direction. Perhaps because I have a thing for mid-century kitsch:

One of a dying breed along the Trans-Canada in eastern Quebec

Campaign by Y&R Prague, via Ads of The World.

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

F'd Ad Fridays: Cooking so good, you'll think you're being haunted by your dead grandmother

Well, that's... adorable? At least, until she sucks that little girl into the television.

By Y&R Brazil
Via AOTW

F'd Ad Fridays: Rich people problems

This campaign reminds me of Hunter S. Thompson's rant about the wealthy, when he covered the Pulitzer divorce trial:

If we were "a generation away" from robots in the early 80s, then I guess these ads are just in time. Too bad there are so few rich people left in the world to appreciate them.

Via AoTW

F'd Ad Fridays: Exploiting the death of a rock star's child for fun and profit

click to enlarge and read

"Love All, Serve All, Offend All."

Via Copyranter

F'd Ad Fridays: They actually give prizes for these things

They're called Cannes Lions. Silver. For a campaign abut menstrual relief that not only does not target women, but manages to find a creative way of offending them:

The ad is one of a series of three from Prolam Y&R, Chile.  They all have the same concept: long suffering man as war hero, for having put up with his woman's "lady times" all these years.

Hey, don't blame me. Take it up with the uterus-free creative team of Max, Pablo, Tomas, Francisco and Patricio.

Via Copyranter

Cronenberg is doing Asian skincare advertising now?

I saw David Cronenberg's movie Videodrome on pay TV when I was only 14 or so, and I think it permanently scarred me. In addition to destroying my childhood crush on Debby Harry through weirdness alone, the movie also freaked me out with its gory and surreal 1980s foam rubber special effects:

Maybe I'm the only one who had that particular flashback when I saw this ad from Y&R Bankok, but I can't be the only one who was grossed out by it:

Via I Believe in Advertising

Ew. Who thought that was a positive brand association?

BTW, if I sent you into nostaligialand with my Videodrome talk, here's the TV scene. Note the Atari:

It takes a lot to keep me from wanting to eat pizza...

But Colgate and Y&R Paris have found a sure way to turn me off my hot, greasy mistress of cheesy goodness:

How about "non"?

A pie only a dentist could love. Truly gross. The last thing I want to think about when my pizza arrives is somebody else's saliva. That's why I always tip well.

On the bright side, at least this might help fight rising obesity rates in France.

Link and images via Ads of The World.