Bridgestone ~ For drivers who want their cars to get washed up and stuck on the beach

The reflection concept in this ad is kind of interesting, but it leaves you scratching your head when you think about why you would want a nice Mercedes looking like it washed up on the beach without its tires.  If it’s either Bridgestone or nothing, don’t show a car with nothing.
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Volvic ~ what exactly is this ‘Volcanicity’?

In early March, AdForum had a Focus section on "Birds."  That’s a prime topic in which to find a paradise-inspired landscape.  I found one in this featured Volvic ad from 2007:

There are so many weird cross-cultural and trans-landscape things happening in this video.  Whether you’re talking about "your birds" (which are actually dinosaurs, but still [...]

Neuf Box uses an out-of-place beautiful blond on a horse on the beach ~ for laughs

This week, AdForum’s Top 5 ads of the week features two French commercials in a series of beach houses (available here dubbed in English for a limited time without a subscription).  The ads mock the beautiful, the blond(e), and the beach in an attempt to shutter away the cliche.  Here’s one with subtitles:

 
The ads make [...]

workopolis vs. Phase 2 International ~ or ordinary job beach vs. sassy entrepreneurship bikini

Yahoo occasionally has really weird paradise ads.  Here’s a new one from workopoplis and Yahoo Canada:

Can you think of a blander way to market your career site?  Surely you’re something more than just a simple resume database?  You seem to be marketing to women, so are you sure the things you show are what they’re [...]

Harvard Business School 2 + 2 ~ Summer = Beach

The Harvard Business School has launched a new program called “HBS 2+2″ in which undergraduates in their third year apply for admission into the two-year MBA program. The students must first work for two years prior to making their way to the Boston campus.
You may have already seen this ad with the repetitive Crimson [...]

If you had to choose between eye sight and islands

Here’s a special new ad from CareCredit (click to enlarge):

What makes this one interesting is that they’re not trying to equate LASIK with a tropical island, just telling you that you can have both good eye sight and a tropical vacation.  CareCredit offers financing for healthcare procedures that insurance doesn’t necessarily cover.  It is a [...]

CMC Markets ~ Put on your suit and surf that online trading market

"Woo hoo!" that’s what your trader says just before he reaches the top of this chart from an animated ad for CMC Markets:

Online trading is just like surfing the North Shore in a suit.  And to "ride the market without the risk" that’s, well, probably a humongous stretch of an ad.
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Imperial Junkie ~ jeans for urban paradise?

Nothing says "urban street wear" like a bunch of cliche exotic animals in an ad:

I’m in the bayou.  Oh wait, maybe it’s the jungle.  Or am I in a meadow with my butterfly net?  I’m floating like an imperial junkie.
Ouch!!  The monkey bit me.  Am I wearing women’s jeans?  Oh, look, a pretty Bird of [...]

Are Havaianas flip flops on their way up?

In my rage against sports Crocs in August of last year, I predicted that Havaianas Zori-style sandals would likely to become the summer footwear of choice this year.  The company is certainly slowly pushing their way into the market.  This ad is from the March 2008 issue of Complex:

They’ve got the palm trees, flowers, [...]

Find the treasure ~ lower my bills

LowerMyBills.com has this animated Flash auto insurance ad floating out there (found on CNN.com):

Those look like pirate ships to me.  Do you really want to represent your company as a couple of pirate ships on a treasure hunt?  And those creatures jumping out of the water could be sharks.  Even the best case scenario is [...]

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