Side-stepping the bull
I bought a large bag of Fritos(R) chips last night and this is what the back of the packet said: 13 May 2004
Baker's Man / Harry Potter?
The Baker's Man commercial, which is running on TV at the moment, is without a doubt the most unoriginal piece of rubbish on TV at present. 28 Apr 2004
Usage of local talent
Well done for VW using the new Arno Carstens soundtrack and for Citroen for using the real thing. Thanks for the local eye candy. It is about time that the local ad industry supported the local music and model talent. 1 Apr 2004
New MTN ''Chicken Messenger'' TV Ad
When I first saw this ad on TV, I thought this was a preview of the sequel of the movie "Speed 2" until MTN's logo appeared at the end. It was only when I had seen it for the third time that I understood fully what it was all about. 25 Mar 2004
Election debate
Oh dear, just when you thought it was PC to ignore or ridicule all printed party propaganda, Patricia de Lille and the Independant Democrats go and produce an ad and poster campaign that is not only beautifully art directed but displays some seriously stylish fonts and relevant graphics as well [although I would have given the lady herself just a tad more retouching]. 24 Mar 2004
And the worst advertising campaign goes to...
There are some damn good adverts out there, hence Awards galore, But some campaigns really miss the mark. 21 Mar 2004
Comparative Advertising - is it okay in election ads?
In a recent radio spot the DA openly tell people not to vote ID, because it's a waste of a vote. Surely election advertising is subject to the same rules and regulations as the rest? Imagine Volkswagen saying don't buy Toyota because it's a waste of money! (or vice versa) 18 Mar 2004
Are the Sasol ads getting worse?
First it was the so called intelligent milk bottle, and now an intelligent plate. Both good ideas certainly, but a plate can't count calories because it would have no idea how the food placed on it was cooked in the first place. Boiled potatoes and fried potatoes will have completely different amounts of calories even if they weigh the same. 18 Mar 2004
Is the exclamation mark the most hated thing in advertising?
Is it possible that because of the sheer amount of ads yelling at them, that people will or have already stopped listening? 16 Mar 2004
The Shame of Fools
Whoever did the “Quad Squad” campaign; you deserve to be in a wheelchair. Who in their right mind takes a project like National Disabled Day and turns it into something resembling a lucky packet competition? 10 Mar 2004
Patronising Holcim Ad
A real squirming-with-shame ad in which the sum total of a young man's ambition seems to be laying bricks with Holcim cement. 4 Mar 2004
Sasol Milk Bottles
Highly watchable and entertaining ad but does it sell fictitious milk bottles or does it build the brand? 3 Mar 2004
Oscar Blunder...Who's to blame?
So, watching the four-hour long Oscar last night was great. It all ended in a glorious Charlize winning, and also Peter Jackson winning best director, making it a first for a Fantasy Film. 1 Mar 2004
The Tastic ad with the Daschund
Can the ASA really take complaints about this one seriously? 2 Feb 2004
Fast foods and obesity
Fast food consumption went up in the nineties in line with the increase in obesity and diabetes. 1 Feb 2004
Healthcare Advertising - you should be paying attention
As a highly-specialised form of advertising, why does healthcare advertising and the important role it plays in educating and influencing remain the poor cousin of mainstream advertising? 20 Jan 2004
Open markets in SA
Are you happy with this monopoly system driving the country's economy, or do we need open markets? We should vote for politicians who will give competition a run in this country. 15 Jan 2004
Bank on South Africa
FNB have a new campaign promoting South Africa with reasons to bank on our country. 13 Jan 2004
Do these 'feel-good' ads really inspire goodwill?
The latest Shell ad lauds Shell's Public Affairs manager for his involvement in developmental and educational projects in Southern Africa. 8 Jan 2004
TV slots and dodgy advertising
What must be arguably THE WORST ad on TV at the moment!! There is an ad that I have seen a few times now on the telly. It is for some funny sweet manufacturer and involves two minutes or so of a kid dressed up as a ringmaster droning on about various examples of sweets. 4 Jan 2004
The new Cell-C campaign
Am I the only one out there who thinks that NO-ONE talks like they do in these ads? Not even the age group projected in the campaign knows what's going on! 16 Dec 2003
What's up with retail ads in general?
Sure, you get some good ads - retail - but why are most so crap, that they totally put you off a product. 18 Nov 2003
Original ideas
Is it really true that great minds think alike or is it just that great ideas are adopted over and over again. 10 Nov 2003
New DROS commercial - completely inappropriate voice-over
Has anybody seen the new Dros Restaurants commercial in which the people (and the restaurant chain) are portrayed as fiercely patriotic South Africans? 6 Nov 2003
Holding advertising accountable
If advertising is to be seen as an investment and not an expense, surely agencies should do more to show evidence of the link between their work and their client's business imperatives. 16 Oct 2003
Is advertising becoming more of a science than an art?
With more and more people from a non-art and -design background such as social and cultural sciences being employed in the advertising industry, has advertising become more of a science using experiments and cultural/social research to observe and scrutinise a target audience's interests, as opposed to witty, snappy, memorable copylines and imagery? 6 Oct 2003
Shouldn't the Loeries be a non-profit organization?
Where does all the money go? Should it be used for development projects or helping deserving winners with entry fees for international awards instead of going into the MFSA's coffers? 3 Oct 2003
Agency pitches
As a smaller agency, how does one get to hear of work out for pitch, or indeed new clients looking for world class agency's to handle their accounts. 26 Sep 2003
Bad Planning
"Why, am I as an avid English Football fan who is, let's face it, in all likelihood English speaking, subjected to ads at half-time promoting sokkie treffers and Bok jol? What are these idiots thinking?" 22 Sep 2003
