The anatomy of an ad: Hotel Hassler Roma

I haven’t critiqued one of these in a while, but as I was flicking through the current edition of Conde Nast Traveller, I saw this advertisement for Hotel Hassler Roma. Apparently, to market a luxury hotel experience these days, all you need is an anonymous rooftop view with what is effectively a fancy sun lounger…

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Just do it in the Metaverse

I consider Nike’s advertising best in class. There are very few brands capable of capturing the public mood in their advertising as successfully as the Nike brand. Tapping into sub-cultures, market-specific zeitgeist and culturally significant moments with authenticity, has allowed the brand to earn its place in the hearts and minds of generations of consumers….

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Does Influencer Marketing Still Matter?

Think about it. Think back to the last substantial purchase you made online. If I was a betting man, I would probably say you read through a handful of reviews, maybe watched an unboxing haul video or two, scoured the net for user-generated content, and most definitely searched for specific hashtags across social. I’m pretty…

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The anatomy of an ad: TV2 Danmark

When Adam Price penned these specific words for Birgitta Nyborg, the fictional Danish prime minister and chief protagonist of his sensational political drama Borgen, he could not have foreseen how quickly they would be claimed as one’s own by many a quick study: ” I believe we’re united by more than what separates us” Everyone…

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The anatomy of an ad: Kiehl’s

More so than any other consumer packaged good, grooming products carry enormous expectations among users. Kiehl’s – a much-loved cosmetics brand for those in the know, understands that the relationship between consumer and the product is personal, and is one that’s inherently related to self-improvement. For many, the journey undertaken to find your version of…

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The anatomy of an ad: Tube Chat

A few days ago on a tightly packed tube I witnessed something I thought never really happened in real life. An American man, perhaps in his mid-40s, struck up a conversation with a stranger. Not just any old stranger, but an attractive, suspicious, no-nonsense Londoner, who I think was too shocked by the random nature…

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The anatomy of an ad: CALM

This ad left a huge impact on me. The trickery of how it initially takes your breath away to make you conclude ‘surely not’…. I was filled with such overwhelming sadness to be complicit in reading the desperate last words of a vulnerable young man. I couldn’t help but feel betrayed on behalf of Jonathan….

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The anatomy of an ad: Jeep

For decades, the automotive industry has delivered some of the most creative, jaw-droppingly amazing, and memorable (sometimes for all the wrong reasons) advertising campaigns of our times. The ingenuity used to sell more hasn’t just been the domain of vehicle manufacturers. The automobile supply chain have also given it a valiant effort. No-one more so…

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The anatomy of an ad: Turkish Airlines

With all the geo-political problems Turkey has encountered in the last year, it doesn’t surprise me in the least that Turkish Airlines would roll-out yet another brand campaign fronted by a superstar celebrity to attempt to pull in the tourist dollars. Case in point, the latest outing with the all too predictable ‘Widen Your World’…

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