Kronenbourg 1664: “Le Swim” (Starts at 00:06) – UK
Eric Cantona has been threatening to swim across the English Channel to prove his devotion to the advertised lager and in this advert he finally delivers on his promise … sort of. The former Manchester United footballer is so good at mocking his own sense of self-importance that he’s an absolute natural when it comes to performances like this and here he delivers on every level.
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
Director: Ivan Zacharias
Honda: “Ignition” (Starts at 01:37) – UK
This impressive commercial for Honda doesn’t necessarily communicate its message very clearly but the momentousness of it stays with you. Opening with the Japanese company’s famous ASIMO robot, it goes on to depict a ‘space convoy’: a display of its vehicles in the shape of a rocket suggesting that Honda thinks bigger, further, and more ambitiously than any other car manufacturer.
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy
Director: Aoife McArdle
Levi’s 501s: “Beautiful Morning” (Starts at 03:21) – USA
It’s the morning after the night before in this assured return to form for Levi’s and we are fooled into thinking we’ve sussed out this thoughtless Lothario. As the muscular chords of Hanni El Khatib’s version of You Rascal You kick in, he slips out the door with nary a goodbye for his latest conquest. But do our assumptions take his true character into account?
Agency: FCB West
Director: Sara Dunlop
Old Spice: “And So It Begins” (Starts at 04:26) – USA
War is coming … and it smells like Old Spice. The brand decides to pit two of its most recognisable spokesmen against each other as they promote their favourite fragrances. There’s Isaiah Mustafa’s unflappable smoothie who manages to conjure scenarios out of nowhere for the pleasure of the female audience, and then there’s Terry Crews’ loud, fearless leaps into the absurd and ridiculous.
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy (Portland)
Director: Tom Kuntz
Laphroaig: “Poets” (Starts at 05:15) – UK
How the hell do you sell a whisky with a name like Laphroaig? It’s not something just anyone might drink as the majority of punters would lose their bottle before they even dared to utter its very complicated name. Better then to recognise that the target market for Laphroaig is quite specialised and customise an approach likely to appeal to their sensibilities, even if it might leave everyone else thinking Laphroaig is a bit up itself.
Agency: White Label
Director: Mike Matthews
Jason Stone is the editor of David Reviews
