The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

I was disappointed when I saw this comparison yesterday… and I won’t lie, I rate Droga5 pretty highly too so I was actually hoping this was part of some bigger “idea”, like it was done or purpose because they seem like the kind of group who think like that… and that’s why I love them. Becuase you never quite know what it’s all about before you’re interacting in interesting ways (their phone in the microwave stuff and website come to mind).

But no, I was wrong. Which is disappointing because it shows that in the end, too often than not we all come back to a 30 second TVC, and even then the mighty Droga5 couldn’t be completely original about it.

🙁

so dodds if you were marketing director of vb would you be happy about this? do you think they showed the original clip to the real marketing director? do you think someone should of figured out an aussie icon with a hot new agency would attract especially high interest and investigation? do you think an ad that makes the masses look bigger wankers than the mouthy bastard is a good idea? the sound mix is not the issue the arrogance of client and agency is but im impressed with your creative director lingo attempt, lol

i like droga but i fucking hate this and it seriously fucks up their cred which is especially dangerous for a new company with a big reputation so unless their mantra is “we steal from less well known places” they better pull their heads out their ass

I don’t know if the sssshhhh is even supposed to be linked to the bottle opening sound and even if it is, it’s abit sad – I mean, all carbonated drinks go sssshhhhh when you open them so its hardly a key motivating reason to buy.

And then – as John say’s – is the ad message of egalitarian elitism. To be fair, we were heading in that kind of area but the difference is we weren’t going to be picking on the ‘mouthy bastard’ within our own social group but the idiots who spend as much money on a car as normal people would on a house etc etc.

I hate how this ad features the usual ‘singlet and shorts’ crowd when that is one of the reasons the brands relevance with the new image concious crowd is dying [hence we were talking about the values of the people, not the dress sense – see Symphony] … but putting that aside, the issue is that such blatant disregard for copyright makes a mockery of the ad industries claim their ideas are worth more money from clients.

Apparently this ad was directed by the same guy who directed the original – as if that makes it all better – so I wonder how Droga would react if another agency ripped off one of their original pieces of work in such a blatant way but said it was OK because it was directed by an ex employee of David’s?

The more I think about it the more pissed off I get …

Are you saying the original director was involved but none of the original writers/creators got paid?

The word is the director was the same guy [but I’m not even sure of that, Billy told me that’s what he’d heard] so whether he was also the writer of the sketch is something I can’t comment on – however it also depends on whether the original piece was sold via a production company because if it was, then the writers may have reliqueshed their rights to ongoing copyright ownership.

Andy said it best… credibility fucked.

Sir John Harvey Jones?

For once I can see the comparisson – he was [is?] a fat, rich loud mouthed bastard too 🙂

wanker

When i press play it says ” We’re sorry, this video is no longer available” – Someone nicked this too ?

i actually think they are funny. And their original press release talks about where it came from and that the same writer/ director worked on it.
Just like the Bud “Wass up” campaign.

Apprentely these ads were written with the Queensland market in mind.

For those who have never been to the ‘Sunshine State’, these ads are a being very kind to the people there [hahaha] however this does bring up an important issue that too many in adland forget …

Advertising audiences [or victims] DON’T GET TO KNOW ALL THE BACKGROUND STUFF TO WHAT YOU’VE COME UP WITH SO WILL JUDGE THINGS ON FACE VALUE

… so whilst I’m a big fan of not falling into lowest-common-denominator crap, if your work can’t be understood by the masses without tons and tons of background information, then it’s more alienating than motivating.

So if this ad was really done with the Queensland market in mind, don’t show it in other bloody states where they regard the average Queenslander to be one degree above Neanderthal man!

Which means this is more a client/media issue than Droga5 – except for the fact they copied someone elses homework to get a good grade 🙂

It would seem Droga 5 have created a new department within advertising, the executional middleman.

I hope their fee justifies this vision.

Droga5! What the fuck are you doing? There is absolutely nothing new, insightful, interesting, inspiring, revolutionary or even desirable about this campaign!! You’ve just done what everyone has ever done with major beer brands in Australia – glossed over the top and reiterating the same old fucking stereotypes. Oh, except you’ve tried to introduce that lackey humour. Ha. Never have thought of that one…

C’mon! I know it takes a lot of small, slow movements to turn a ship around, but this is ridiculous! To be honest, I’d rather see “matter of fact I’ve got it now” than this – at least that has nostalgia attached to it!

Actually, maybe this is part of some crazy reverse psychology strategy: launch the ‘safe’ campaign – the one that the VB Marketing Manager was able to sign off without even thinking about it; have it trashed in the media, so that you can say: “see? the people want something with real insight. real guts” and then get the good campaign signed off – the one that Mr VB Marketing Manager broke out in a sweat over.

Long story short, this ad is SHIT. It does bother me that it’s a rip-off but even putting that aside, for a brand like this, from a company like that, it’s just not fucking good enough.

Bring back Symphony I say.

As an aside, I don’t want VB to move TOO far away from shorts and singlets, but I’m open to broadening my mind, like with Symphony, AND more importantly to shorts and singlets being made more attractive to me – to me remembering the charm of shorts and singlets and the beauty of what VB own.

perhaps they don’t want to inspire Aussie adland, perhaps they want them like lemmings to follow this example,and fall of the egde of the adworld
perhaps they used this spot to break the competitions back’s, by letting them believe they don’t act to differently from the rest..
perhaps they are evil after all and Tap was a clever side step
perhaps this is their way of becoming cynic’s arch enemies and becoming Steve Ballmers best friend

You are the scariest man I know N-to-the-H.

But I mean that in a good way 🙂

Disappointing and cliched.

So many Australian beer ads are like this and I’m sure that schhhh thing has been used by another Australian beer. Harn or Haan?

A small side step, but I just learned that there is a beer called xxxx, and it’s from queensland as well..

Is queensland like vegas or daytona beach spring break, cause judging from the ads and the beer and the comments about it’s people, it looks like a fun place to go..

Is this area worth a stop on a tour of Australia?

I hadn’t realised that the Schweppes work was that recent.

Email sent Rob-ness. Can’t wait to see it. I’m well thank you, hope all is shiny in your world.

OK Rob, after re-reading your energy vampire post again, I’d like to add this to my rant:

Dear VB,

The reason your sales are crap, your image is in the doldrums and you’re having to scrape the barrell of endorsement icons like Shane Warne, Ian Botham and David Boon (not that i don’t love Boonie per se) is because you are a bunch of short-sighted, spineless, complacent, scaredy cats. How do you expect a change of image if you can’t let go of the old one? Are you all drunk all of the time? For fuck’s sake! Pretend just for one minute that you cared about beer. Pretend for just one minute that Australian’s care about beer*. Take this quarter’s divided and go to Germany where there are 300+ breweries and see what it’s like to really have some competition and some craft about the process. Then come back and listen to what your future market has to say to you.

*[there’s a reason that the SABMiller distro has been a success here and has saved CCA’s arse, you idiots – Peroni and Pilsner Urquell. Australians want decent beer!]

hmm… i don’t think VB would really like me to work for them. hell, if they can’t copy with either Rob and the kids from GPY&R, or the guys from Droga5, they’re hardly likely to listen to me now are they?

But they do copy with the guys from Droga5. Boom Tish.

fuck me this post almost stayed on track, what the fuck is going on?

funny how the only people who had the balls to tell it as it is were a couple of chicks and a geeky midget. the rest of you should be afuckingshamed of yourselves, go out and tie some buttercups together you bunch of limp wristed pansies

whats he going to do lauren, bite my fucking ankle?

couple of chicks and a geeky migdet.. that’s sitcom heaven. or adult entertainment heaven

either way, talent wasted in ad land

You soooooooooooo belong on this blog Charlie 🙂

I should point out that I’ve just tested my theory on Eva and she totally disagreed with me. In fact she called me a fuck wit.

Ho Hum.

I’m really disappointed. This is supposed to be the ‘cutting edge’ ground breaking agency shining example of creativity, innovation etc.

So they do a really average TV ad, which got it’s inspiration from somewhere else, is nowhere near as funny as the VB ‘kebab’ spot, even tho the brand wanted to change that, and do a really lame attempt at ‘interactive’ where people post their mates rants.

Maybe I should shhhh but this is complete shit.

Droga 5 sydney sucks balls man. How annoying was the voice over on that virgin piece of post production wank?!

Where’s the big integrated ideas!?

What the fuck’s happened to Nobby? Or was it Saatchi’s that was brilliant, not him?

You can’t handle the truth.

And the best thing about this Clinic for The Opinionated is that people are also unafraid to nominate themselves. Unlike over at Scamp’s where it’s the Clinic for the Anonymously Opinionated.