I have a big appreciation for “ethereal” advertising, or any ads that, instead of hone the fine craft of shilling me things that come in those impossible blister packs, show me the humanity and playfulness of a brand, product or company. Sony UK first started maximizing this trend with their Paint ads and the Clay campaign in NYC from Sony USA.
Recently Sony put out their newest Ethereal ad in the UK that has all those qualities above and more.
This doesn’t really help me want an oddly expensive and tiny digital camera any more, but the next time I look at something Sony I will be reminded of exactly wants Sony for me to believe and not what they don’t: that they are a giant conglomeration who enjoys making products that are mostly incompatible with even other Sony products.
Schweppes released the same type of ad earlier this year which doesn’t really promote any products at all:
Old branding techniques have still managed to cling to us for the last 15 years, well evidenced in the rather horrible media advertising done by the Telecom industries. Its sad to see us stagnate when other countries have evolved. Hell, we are just starting to figure out QR codes, which are now more like a quaint notion than something that could be actually utilized. The saturation of technology compared to other nations has a lot to do with this. We used to be able to pride ourself on innovation…
We could blame all of this on evolution and the weak dollar but all my arguments for those leave me feeling empty.
Excuse me while I go fill myself up with a Schweppes Ginger Ale.*
*Don’t you hate it when blog posts go nowhere?
Update: Link for full song used in Schweppes ad: Cinematic Orchestra (feat Patrick Watson) – To Build a Home http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjjc59FgUpg
