[TrendTalk] Great ads in play

There's clearly a lot of fun and innovation to be had by all. And one of the weirdest ads was shot in sunny SA!

An interesting trend is how social media types are now being used to create new media - such as this aptly named "Zitcom" from Benzac Acne Solutions. Fast Company reports that this "Instagram video teen dramedy" follows four friends as they deal with their lack of popularity due to their skin problems, versus the perfect teens who use Benzac. It's actually a 22-minisode series of 15-second Instagram video clips that are being posted to the Benzac Instagram account over the current three-week period, including extra footage from the actors (in character) to their own Instagram accounts.

This is a cool way for brands to sample fans - Coke Zero and Ogilvy & Mather came up with a billboard construction that shoots the soda into a public drinking fountain. The billboard was erected in Indianapolis, US, where the national athletics championships took place.

AdWeek reports that the Coke Zero "flows through 4,500 feet of a straw to spell out 'Taste It'. Then the liquid travels from the bottom of the billboard to a sampling area with six fountain spouts where people can taste the soda."

Volkswagen France has created a used car commercial showing up all the little white lies parents tell their children to get them to do things - question is, would you trust those same parents to sell you a used car? Which is why of course, you need to go to trusted Volkswagen second-hand car dealerships, yada yada. But hey, if you're a parent, you've done it! I've told my toddler that potato mash comes in different colours so I can hide veggies in it. It works. I have no shame.

But that's all part of the inexact science of parenting humans. Here's what your children "really" think of you in this ad from Minute Maid that went viral last week. The ad plays on Minute Maid's brand slogan; 'Put good in. Get good out' - and tugs on your heartstrings - in the brand's new 'Doin' Good' campaign, which broke on 27 April.

From AdWeek's AdFreak, this is so beautiful - miniature ice cube carvings from TBWA for Japan's Suntory Whisky. The campaign was actually launched last year, but went viral in the last month after it started winning craft awards and industry media picked up on it.

Definitely the weirdest ad out there is the Smart eBike TVC shot in Cape Town, nogal, on the Sea Point Prom at the famous outdoor free gym. It's hard to look away.

And finally - this is the product that won the internet in April, in my opinion: Hipster soap, which promises the authentic smell of your beard: coffee, bacon and craft beer. The packaging says it all.