creative: portfolio

HERBERT CANDIES It's reassuring to see people must be prodded into self-indulgence. In fact, marketers of products like champagne and chocolates toil to break our habit of confining such treats to "special occasions." This ad does so explicitly. "At what point did we begin believing that one needs an excuse to enjoy a fine piece of chocolate? Why must we have a reason to indulge our love for this exquisite food? To put it simply, we don't." Still, people can't be trusted to please themselves, so the ad eggs them on to outrage the "self-appointed indulgence police" by eating the candy "in full view of any passers-by." In other words, self-indulgence is recast as civic obligation. The ad also tells of the founding Hebert's years of work to create his wares. What's that to us? Given the family's "uncompromising" labors, abstention on our part would be more churlish than virtuous. Agency Mullen, Wenham, Mass. Client Hebert Candies, Worcester, Mass. Creative Director Edward Boches Art Director/Illustrator Rich Wallace Copywriter John Simpson Photography Dan Nourie DIADORA RUNNING SHOES An ad that dismembers the client's product, pages Charles Darwin, concocts faux-Latin terminology and presents medical-text diagrams of the foot? This may be too much of a good thing--or of something, anyway. The unlikely headline: "Somebody get Darwin on the phone. He's gonna want to see this." Why? Because this new sneaker represents "The most significant genetic leap in running since the foot." Clever though it may be, the Darwin reference is an awfully roundabout way of getting runners excited about a new shoe. (Anyway, wasn't Darwin's version of evolution more a matter of orderly steps than of sudden leaps?) Bilingual tags describe parts of the shoe--for instance, "Flexoft Blown Runner (Likus a. featherus)" and "EVA Midsole (Bounci Bounci)." These attempts at linguistic humor are not a great success, and one comes away feeling dead languages are best left dead. As for the visual, it will cut through the category's usual clutter. Still, more than a few readers will feel slightly squeamish at the sight of this clinical equipment, which suggests a dismembered frog might be lurking beneath the sneaker. Agency Hammerquist & Halverson, Seattle Client Diadora America, Kent, Wash. Creative Director Fred Hammerquist Art Director Paul Stechschulte Copywriter Cal McAllister Photography Hunter Freeman ELLIOTT & PAGE MUTUAL FUNDS Gratification deferred is gratification denied. At least, one can attribute that opinion to today's consumers. So while some ads entreat us to save money for retirement instead of squandering it, this campaign tacitly admits the futility of that request. As another ad in the series says, "Never put off until tomorrow what you can enjoy today. Especially when it comes to things like sports cars, exotic holidays and vacation homes." Here, the "young and blonde" and "old and gray" versions of yourself come across as two distinct people with competing interests. Your duties to the latter don't efface your duties to the former. Since that's what people want to hear, they'll be open to the notion that these funds can help them live a "whole life." Agency Ogilvy & Mather, Toronto Client Elliott & Page Mutual Funds, Toronto Creative Directors Janet Kestin, Nancy Vonk Art Director Michael Kirkland Copywriter Bill Parker Photography from family albums THIRDAGE.COM In a classic incident of the '60s, Old Leftist Irving Howe silenced a New Left heckler with the put-down, "You will become a dentist." This spot evokes that transition from young radical to grown-up bourgeois, but it tries to do so in a flattering way. Backed by The Who's "My Generation," the screen shows clips from the '60s: a peace rally, the moon landing, a VW bus, etc. Intercut with these images are onscreen supers. First, "we were the eyes of the world." Next, "we were the voice of change." Must our generational nostalgia be given this self-congratulatory edge? In any event, the spot brings us up to date with a super asking, "what's next?" as it shows today's incarnations of those '60s youths--a silver-haired woman, a man in a canoe, a guy with a dog, etc. This is also the point at which the song reaches the line, "I hope I die before I get old." As viewers digest that juxtaposition, the ThirdAge.com name appears above a menu of choices: Health. Money. Romance. Travel. Will memories of younger days lure aging boomers to the Web site? My hunch is that the '60s allusion doesn't help. Target viewers' interest in what's next is an entity unto itself, with little connection to the events of 30 years ago. It's hard to see how harping on the past positions ThirdAge.com as a font of wisdom for this cohort's future. Agency Citron Haligman Bedecarrƒ, San Francisco Client ThirdAge.com, San Francisco Creative Directors Matt Haligman, Kirk Citron Art Director DeeAnn Budney Copywriter Kelly Sopp Producer Julian Katz Production Company Roaring Tiger Films, San Francisco Director Scott Buttfield

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