Creative TV adverts return to "basics"

Posted Tuesday, 20 May 2008 | Category: Branding and marketing ideas | Comments |

bravia clay bunnies advert

While watching the soccer this evening we were blown away by the latest Bravia Ad – a massive stop motion featuring 189 bunnies and 2.5 tons of play-doh. This got us thinking – there seems to be a movement in advertising towards a more "bootcamp" or "hand-made" approach. Consumers are so jaded by big-studio computer-polished SFX ads that they are looking for something more sincere and 'human'.

traditional vs now advertising paradigm

Here is an overview of various approaches.

1. Claymation

This massive claymation was shot over a period of three weeks – using 40 animators and tons of plasticine. You can watch the making of here.

2. Light Graffiti

This Sprint Ahead ad uses "light graffiti" – each shot is photographed one by one and compiled in post production. The effects are created by animators holding flash lights in the dark:

3. Group Effort

Another approach is to combine unusual perspectives with a massive group effort. Case in point - Vaseline’s "your skin is amazing" campaign:

This Talk Talk ad uses a similar approach on a smaller scale.

4. Chain Reactions

Contrary to popular belief, this Honda ad uses very little CGI and no trick photography. The ad consists of two dolly shots (combined in edit) and took no less than 600 takes to complete (making of here). CGI was only used to adjust lighting and reflections.

5. Combination

The MTN "Stickies" ad uses a combination of stop motion and live action. It doesn’t have much to do with cell phone communications but capitalizes on the initial ‘wow’ factor:

6. Performance Art

Lastly, this music video – incidentally also featured in an MTN ad – became famous due to its hyper-creative treadmill choreography. To this day, it’s still one of the most watched videos on YouTube.

Moral of the story? You don't need massive special effects budgets to produce a compelling advert or music video – just tons of creativity and fresh ideas!