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Post by banana » Wed, 02 Jul 2008 1:47 pm

ksl wrote:
banana wrote:
ksl wrote:your statements are obviously a shot in the dark
I concede to your superior expertise in this particular field :lol:
Time Out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQDjynOzgCk&NR=1
good call. Guinness has always been a champion of good advertising. Check out this one as well. The only one that left me scratching my noggin was the one where they had acrobats launching themselves out of cannons, at drums.
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Post by Addadude » Wed, 02 Jul 2008 3:57 pm

banana wrote:
good call. Guinness has always been a champion of good advertising.
Unfortunately that ad was a blatant rip off of a video posted on YouTube some time ago, "Daft Hands":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2cYWfq--Nw

As you can see, the original is FAR better!

Here's my favourite Guinness commercial (apologies for the low resolution):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9Y9D0af ... re=related

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Post by banana » Wed, 02 Jul 2008 4:41 pm

Addadude wrote: Unfortunately that ad was a blatant rip off of a video posted on YouTube some time ago, "Daft Hands":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2cYWfq--Nw

As you can see, the original is FAR better!

Here's my favourite Guinness commercial (apologies for the low resolution):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9Y9D0af ... re=related
You're quite hip with it for a self professed old man Addadude ;)

'Daft Hands' is one of the most popular internet memes of 2007. Although to call the Guinness spot a blatant rip off might be a little too harsh. After all, they did use significantly different music AND combined another pop culture technique (stop motion). To wit, one might even say the reason why that particular ad was so good was precisely because the creative team knew what was hot at that time.

Funny you should bring up that other Guinness ad. The one with the recursive sequence. A few years ago, I had pitched a similar concept internally but the accounts people didn't get it and the art team didn't have the capacity to produce it.

Anyway, that's also something of a "rip off". See http://www.zoomquilt.org Not quite sure if this was the first time it entered the mainstream psyche but it certainly took off from there.
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Post by Addadude » Wed, 02 Jul 2008 6:43 pm

My problem with the Guinness "Hands" ad was there was no real idea. it was the creative team saying, "let's see what's hot, rip it off and stick our packshot and logo at the end!" Whereas the Daft Hnads video was stunning not only in idea but also in the way it was executed - WITHOUT stop motion. (The soundtrack was better too!)

The Flythrough Guinness TVC that I posted was not so impressive because of the recursive storyline but rather the very idea of gazing into a pint of Guinness and finding whole galaxies, solar systems and worlds inside. Even the little touches like the TV that was on in the living room featuring a Rutger Haur TVC for Guinness. This commercial rewards you everytime you look at it. The "Hands" commercial just annoyed me. (Funnily enough, when I first saw the Daft Hands YouTube I thought it would make a nice concept for a commercial too - to win awards anyway...)

Even as a 'self-professed old fart' I always make it a point to try and keep up to date with what's happening out there. The Internet is a wonderful tool for doing so. The day I stop learning (and wanting to learn) new things is the day I stop being creative.

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Post by Addadude » Wed, 02 Jul 2008 6:47 pm

BTW, the ZoomOrg link is cool. Thanks for showing me it.

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Post by banana » Wed, 02 Jul 2008 7:32 pm

Addadude wrote:My problem with the Guinness "Hands" ad was there was no real idea. it was the creative team saying, "let's see what's hot, rip it off and stick our packshot and logo at the end!" Whereas the Daft Hnads video was stunning not only in idea but also in the way it was executed - WITHOUT stop motion. (The soundtrack was better too!)

The Flythrough Guinness TVC that I posted was not so impressive because of the recursive storyline but rather the very idea of gazing into a pint of Guinness and finding whole galaxies, solar systems and worlds inside. Even the little touches like the TV that was on in the living room featuring a Rutger Haur TVC for Guinness. This commercial rewards you everytime you look at it. The "Hands" commercial just annoyed me. (Funnily enough, when I first saw the Daft Hands YouTube I thought it would make a nice concept for a commercial too - to win awards anyway...)

Even as a 'self-professed old fart' I always make it a point to try and keep up to date with what's happening out there. The Internet is a wonderful tool for doing so. The day I stop learning (and wanting to learn) new things is the day I stop being creative.
Well said! About 'Hands'/'Daft Hands', looks like we'll have to agree to disagree again. It is a matter of opinion no? But do a search for 'Groovy Girl' on Youtube. You'll find what sparked off the whole Daft Punk inspired User Generated Content in the last few years.

Regarding Flythrough though, if you understood the concept thoroughly, you'll know that the recursive sequencing is as crucial as the planetary visuals. The whole premise of that ad is based on ancient spiritual beliefs of reality being contained in itself.

You see it in Mayan, Incan and Mesapotamian stonework, implied in Buddhist teachings, in Hindu mythology, so on and so forth. It is even being investigated in the more esoteric sciences like Quantum Physics and Superstring Theory. The latest Nikon interactive effort, Universcale, tried to touch on this as well. It is the Orobourous, the Cosmic Snake swallowing it's own tail, the Son who is also his own Father.

Even the scene with Rutger Hauer was no coincidence. He known for favouring roles in films delving into these sci-fi/creation myth blends (Bladerunner, Omega Doom, Crossworlds). Hell, that particular scene on the TV was the 'Tower of Babel' sequence from Bladerunner (the part where Jacob and Deckard exchange profundities)!

You probably know the biblical story and its many manifestations (M.C. Escher's woodcut, etc). Could there be a more appropriate scene? So yes, excellent choice of Guinness ad. Everything, including the recursive sequence, was exactly as it should have been.
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Post by Addadude » Thu, 03 Jul 2008 8:43 am

I somehow doubt that the creative team really thought deeply into the recursive aspect of concept. it might have come about as a happy byproduct of discussion with the director and production house on how the concept would be further enhanced. (This, to me is part of the 'magic' I referred to much earlier on in this thread where I asked if advertising could be magical...)

For me this commercial demonstrated an nice insight into the way Guinness drinkers often stare contemplatively into their pint while they wait for it to settle to absolute perfection. In Ireland, it is almost a ritual and something that is passed on from father to son as dad introduces his son to the (sometimes dubious) delights of alcohol. There have been many times where I've stared into the swirling dark nectar and imagined that these tiny bubbles could indeed be stars and worlds. (Usually after consuming several pints of the stuff...)

Rutger Hauer was actually the star of a whole series of Guinness commercials that ran for quite a few years before the arrival of this commercial. (George Lam did his own version of these commercials for Asia.) So I'm pretty sure that his appearance in this ad has little to do with Blade Runner and is more about a subtle tribute to his contribution to the brand.

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Post by banana » Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:34 am

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" ~ Arthur C Clarke
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Post by Addadude » Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:04 am

banana wrote:"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" ~ Arthur C Clarke
One of my favourite writers. Stephen Baxter is his worthy successor and routinely deals with mind blowing concepts that have a solid scientific basis.

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Post by banana » Fri, 04 Jul 2008 3:17 pm

Addadude wrote:
banana wrote:"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" ~ Arthur C Clarke
One of my favourite writers. Stephen Baxter is his worthy successor and routinely deals with mind blowing concepts that have a solid scientific basis.
Wicked. Haven't read any Baxter, thanks for that referral. More of a Gibson fan where sci-fi is concerned, with his pacey and intense descriptions. But before I get carried away and turn this into a book/author thread...

Going backwards a little, what are some trends in Print advertising that you fine folks, within the industry and out, have observed recently? For me, it's the rise of 'designer' artwork - squiggly hand-drawn visuals that could be described as low-tech. Personally I don't like it. It strikes me as lazy and selling the designer's personality rather than anything else. It's really cool if a proper artist from some obscure niche got roped in to blend his artform with advertising. Examples of this include Image for Tiger Beer or Image for Nike. But the stickman type sketches like Image...I'm not so sure.
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Post by Addadude » Tue, 14 Apr 2009 10:50 pm

Pardon me for resurrecting this very old thread but in the past few weeks i've been reading a fascinating blog on advertising by one of my heroes in the idustry, Mr. Dave Trott.

If you are at all interested in advertising - from a creative, account handler, planner, media or client perspective, it really is well worth cheacking out. he updates it about 3 times a week. Visit it here:

http://cstadvertising.com/blog/
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Post by ksl » Sun, 19 Apr 2009 6:08 pm

Addadude wrote:Pardon me for resurrecting this very old thread but in the past few weeks i've been reading a fascinating blog on advertising by one of my heroes in the idustry, Mr. Dave Trott.

If you are at all interested in advertising - from a creative, account handler, planner, media or client perspective, it really is well worth cheacking out. he updates it about 3 times a week. Visit it here:

http://cstadvertising.com/blog/
The blog is brilliant, it's like reading about myself :lol: and I do exactly the same when i get on the plane too :roll: it's called survival training :lol: He's a character!

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Post by Addadude » Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:36 pm

[quote="ksl"] The blog is brilliant, it's like reading about myself :lol: /quote]

Me too... :wink:
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