Consultant
Cadbury (4): Another clichéd ad to add to the spam of insignificant commercials. So Cadbury issued a new product line – ‘Bubbly’. Let’s assume I care about that. Did the commercial manage to explain to me what the difference between the new bar and a regular Cadbury chocolate bar is? No! Being ‘Bubbly’ doesn’t really explain anything. Instead of spending all this money on shooting a TV commercial, I would have rather seen the brand invest in relevant in-store POS material and in digital to drive the message out. Next please.
Centrepoint (5): Please spare me from the requirement to comment on this ad. PLEASE! This ad brings shame to the advertising industry. Where’s the story in this campaign? What’s the call for action? What is expected from the end user?
Vodafone (1): It is obvious from the art direction of the ads that Vodafone is trying to tap into the Qatari consumer (Majlis, accent of actors, wardrobe etc). However, they are missing one important insight. In Qatar – a country with the highest per capita income in the world – would a Qatari really be worried about the cost of a phone call? Is that what will get him to consider Red versus the competition (Qtel)? Of the two TVCs I saw, I preferred the ‘Two worlds’ execution. Clear and direct product benefits that would intrigue a Qatari to get much more than “random talk”. If it were up to me, I would introduce Red with a series of ads like this one that focus on the benefits.
Bario (2): I never get bored of such ads, even though it’s very much a case of déjà vu. I guess the art direction and the youth insights never bore me. But without proper engagement beyond TV commercials, people will fail to remember the product’s name vis-à-vis other products with similar propositions – mainly Fayrouz and Barbican, who have owned this ground throughout the years.
Mukhi Sisters Jewelry (3): Cute app. I wouldn’t have made it only Valentine’s Day focused though. One thing this app fails at delivering is more info about the products, which is what people look for. I hope it is still in beta level, otherwise they lost a big opportunity in showcasing their full product line and, hence, with the abundance of apps out there, it will be one of those apps we download and forget about. Social sharing is missing as well (when proposing a new line). It has potential but is still far away from reaching it.