Mercenaries 2 TV Advertisement

I love this advertisement. It manages to explain the basic concept of the game (you completed a job and weren't paid for it and now its pay-back) through the ironic use of the American phrase "Oh no you di'n't". It shows the level of indignity, a sort of righteous anger this character is possessed of, that leads him to wreak vengeance. The quickly cut clips of explosions, helicopters guns etc. entices the blood lust of the target market, while revealing the nature of the game. However the sweetly indignant song and high note of the ending reminds us that it is a game, not to be taken too seriously, which is important as the market is undoubtedly children and there must be a reference to parents that this is not too violent or vicious.

If you really like this advertisement check out the making of on youtube its really quite impressive.

Cadbury advertisement

Cadbury has not been doing well in the confectionery market recently. It has had to separate its Cadbury and Schweppes sections of the company into too separate branches because, as I understand the company was not doing well. The two companies have de-merged into Cadbury and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. This was done in a hope to increase the companies value, and allowed for the ability to focus on their own sections of the market, in Cadbury's case the confectionery market.

When ever a company undergoes restructuring in the hope to boost profits or company value, very often the advertising budget is cut in a hope to scale back costs. However, time and time again this has proved to be drastically detrimental. Cadbury have not taken this route. Instead tonight I witnessed two of their televisions advertisements.

The first, a very realistic Gorilla (one hopes not a real one) playing a drum kit to 80's rock... the second was of different airport machinery, drag racing down a runway again to 80's rock. The tag line 'A glass and a half full of joy'. Maybe I'm missing the bigger picture here? This advertisment did not leave me yearning for chocolate or leave me feeling even a little joy, mainly just confusion. I have not been in the country for a year so at first I did not realise that, even worse, this Gorilla advertisment was first brought out in August 2007. Why are they still running it? Has it had some monumental cult following?



This advertisement to Queen's "Don't stop me now' is a minute and a half long, a lot of time when considering a television advert, and the reason behind the length? Inexplicable!



My biggest problem is that Cadbury's chocolate is so strongly branded that to try to get away from that at this crucial period seems ludicrous. Especially when they have so dramatically departed with the visuals and content of the advertisements, but to keep the old slogan of 'glass and a half'.

I would love to hear your opinions on this one!

(I have just been on the Creative Review Website while researching the Mighty Boosh Book, and there's a post about the Cadbury's advertisement. Both advertisment's have been overseen by the creative director of Fallon! Although it does say something about an inside joke from Big Brother, which I don't watch. So maybe I'm not getting it at all, but I couldn't believe it when they wrote 'they do smack slightly of Cadbury trying to ‘milk’ the success of the original spots'. The originals were a success? )

Try Life in Another Language.com

This is a website designed by channel four to get people involved in foreign cultures and show the value of being able to understand another language in order to broadern our culture awarness. It shows us the value and excitement in finding out about new things abroad. I think what they are trying to is really socially important in Britain that can sometimes be a little ethnocentric and narrow minded. But what I really want to discuss is the cleverness opf the TV advertisement. There are currently 5 tv ads, that are all different. They give an interesting glimpse into foreign life, atmosphere attitude, that nmaintains a funky, upbeat attitude that excites. They are not spoon feeding us an idea instead allowing us to see the excitment of another culture, and then leaving with the website name that also is the tag line.


The Shadow girl advertisement feature Spanish singer Nubla. Beautiful, quiet reflective, it draws us in without an obvious hint to where the advertisement is going. Key foreign words are projected onto her face tantilisingly as she sings them, intriguing us. The typeface and imagery are in an exotic twirling style that works well in the foreign context. Ultimately mysterious, excitingly exotic and leaves wanting to know more.


I love this advertisement by Disiz la Peste, the french hip-hop artist. I love the upbeat quick moving, animation mixed in wioth the real video, it has a real anarchic, revolutionary, rebellious feel, echoing his style of music, that ultimately connects with a youth vibe.

I think this aswell as the Football advertisment are great as they really connect with young men, who are perhaps harder to inspire to learn another language if not already intersted, (I know cliche comment, I do realise all girls are not neccessarily romantics!)

Great ads, check out the website to see more: www.trylifeinanotherlanguage.com

Trident Gum

I find this print advertisement very interesting. I' am not sure how this advert really relates to chewing gum, or why exactly the designers decided that a 1940's pin-up style illustration conveyed the right feeling for Trident. The advert bares no correlation to the style or even mode of the gum packaging. Indeed I feel the whole advertisment goes against the brand identity that Trident has built up for itself.

However, perhaps this in itself is the very essence of the advert? The copy claims that the gum will 'mess with your head'. The advert certainly disturbs me from the aspect that it departs from my expectations. This may be because I analyse such texts more than the average person... but it is important to remember that everyone sees the world with sets of preconceived notions and perhaps showing the unexpected gathers more notice than the obvious. Of course the licking mouth that has been placed instead of a right eye also utilises the fact that we are experiencing an oddity. An open mouth , especially this one, which features a tongue running across the teeth, creates an oral fixation in the human psyche, and a solution to this fixation is offered by the gum. The background is in a mint green colour alluding to the flavour, which is chocolate and mint, a perfectly acceptible combination of flavours but not usually associated with chewing gum. This is where the whole advert comes together in the fact that the flavour will 'mess with your head' but is ultimately incredibly tempting. Sex appeal is used to stress the fact that the flavour is so tempting.

A very interesting advertisement, well thought out despite its unusual take on selling Trident. Personally though I couldn't think of anything worse than mint and chocolate flavoured gum!

Inspired by Russian Women

This is a great bit of hard hitting design by a woman called Charlotte Fracke, looking into the treatment of women in Russia!