Marks and Spencer Christmas Advert 2009

M&S Christmas Advert 2009 M&S Christmas advert starring Wallace and Gromit, Stephen Fry, Philip Glenister, Noemie Lenoir, Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley and James Nesbitt alongside Myleene Klass and Twiggy. I've heard that the advert has attracted some contoversy because it ends with the lingerie model, Noemie Lenoir, dancing around in M & S underwear. Is it sexist? Of course it is, but that's how they sell more underwear! Am I offended by the advert? Not really. I suppose it would be better (or at least less sexist) if they showed a male model posing in underwear too but to be honest I don't think too many women will be thinking about underwear as gifts for their husband or boyfriend, whereas, there are plenty of men who will purchase sexy underwear to give to their wives or girlfriends for Christmas. What do you think of the advert? Are you offended by the way it ends?

Specsavers Postman Pat Advertisement

Have you seen the new advert for Specsavers using the cartoon characters from Postman Pat, the British animated children's television series? When my sons were little, they loved the programme and the books, and I enjoyed them too so I adore the advert:

Robinson's Be Natural 'Bird House' Advert

I love this advert! It's full of so many amusing details such as bird-feet shaped wellies, a human cuckoo clock, and worms in the fridge. Robinsons Bird House Advert

T-Mobile Sing-along: new advert filmed at Trafalgar Square, London

This new advert for T mobile is very cool: T-Mobile Trafalgar Square New Singing Advert 30/4/2009 On 30th April 2009 as a follow-up to their successful Liverpool Street Flash-Mob Dance Advert; T-mobile arranged a large karaoke at Trafalgar Square, London. T-Mobile provided the crowd with microphones and then got them to sing along to a number of tunes; including Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time"; The Foundations' "Build Me Up Buttercup" and as shown here; "Hey Jude". We saw the advert tonight for the first time during the "Britain's Got Talent" show. It would have been so cool to be in Trafalgar Square at the time! What do you think of the advert?

Creepy Cadbury advert: eyebrow dance

Personally, I think the current Cadbury advert on TV with the dancing eyebrows is very creepy but the advert has become very popular via the internet: How TV ads are taking the net by storm The latest TV commercial from chocolate maker Cadbury, in which two schoolchildren's eyebrows "dance" along to a funky soundtrack, has been hailed as proof that - for advertisers - the internet, not television, is now king. (link via guardian.co.uk) Watch the advert: What are your thoughts about the advert? Do you like it?

Adverts in cinema

Kylie Minogue's Agent Provocateur commercial voted best cinema ad ever The raunchy 2001 short called Proof, which features the singer riding the machine in Agent Provocateur underwear, was crowned the best cinema advertisement in a public vote. The controversial commercial, created specifically for cinema and banned from being shown on television, shows Kylie riding a red velvet rodeo bull to show that Agent Provocateur is "the most erotic lingerie in the world". At the end of the short film she challenges the men in the audience to "stand up and be counted". (link via telegraph.co.uk) Oh please. I've seen the advert in the cinema (you can watch it via the article I've linked to) but I wouldn't consider it the best cinema ad ever. Yes, it's raunchy (very) and I can see why most red-blooded men would enjoy watching the advert but I can't believe it's been voted the best cinema ad ever. There are other ads that are better because they are amusing or stylish but I actually despise all cinema adverts. Why should we have to sit through a stream of adverts after we have already paid (an exorbitant) amount (£7.50) to watch the movie? It would be like having to watch adverts on the BBC even though we have already paid the tv licence. What do you think of the Agent Provocateur advert? And what do you think about advertising in cinemas?

Australian advert for 'best job in the world'

It's not surprising really that after all the publicity surrounding the clever Australian advert for the position with Tourism Queensland for the "best job in the world" drew so many applications from around the world - a quarter of them British - that the website crashed. The job as Island Caretaker is a newly created position located on the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia. The Best Job In The World Edited to update: Four Brits in shortlist for 'best job in the world' Tuesday, March 3, 2009 Four lucky Britons have made it past 34,000 applicants to get onto the 50-strong shortlist for "the best job in the world". (link via metro.co.uk)

British TV advert for the 25th anniversary of Virgin Atlantic

I love watching this very classy, retro style, advert that celebrates the 1984 launch of Richard Branson's airline ahead of its official 25th birthday on 22 June. Virgin Atlantic's 'Still red hot' ad: The crew, who walk past various 1980s icons (the Asteroids arcade game, a Rubik's Cube, a yuppie banker with a huge mobile and a Sun headline about the miner's strike) represent the first Virgin Atlantic crew on the virgin flight to New York in 1984.

Change 4 Life anti-obesity advert

The Department of Health has launched a new advertising campaign that aims to help families eat well and live longer. If you haven't seen the advert yet, you can watch it via this YouTube link: Change 4 Life anti-obesity advert via YouTube: Change4Life TV commercial (embedding link is disabled so you need to click on the link to watch it) It will be interesting to see if the campaign will work. It would be great if it did encourage viewers to lose weight, eat healthily and take more exercise but I don't think it will really have much impact on the people it's aimed at. It seems to me that the money spent on the advert could be put to better use, such as providing more swimming pools and (free) after school activities. Change4Life What are your thoughts about the advert and the campaign?

Controversial TV advert: Heinz Deli Mayo shows men kissing

There has been a lot of discussion in the UK media and in the blogosphere lately about the controversy following a TV ad showing two men kissing, that was pulled because it attracted more than 200 complaints. In a counter response, there is a petition to reinstate the ad and today, I noticed a BBC News report about how MPs are calling for the advert to be reinstated. I think it's incredible that MPs (Members of Parliament) are getting involved now. I tend to try and avoid watching TV adverts and always mute them. I don't even recall seeing this particular advert but after watching the video, I really can't understand why there is so much fuss. First of all, it's meant as a joke, with the British "mum" transformed into a man with a New York accent making sandwiches as if he is at a deli counter, so the children and the husband don't really 'see' the man - it's the TV audience that do. The kiss between the two men is really supposed to be the husband kissing his wife. Saying that, even if some viewers didn't get the joke and they think it's meant to be two gay men raising kids, why is it deemed to be so offensive to cause more than 200 complaints? The advert wasn't even shown during children's programmes (because the product is high in fat, salt and sugar), if that's what they were so worried about! In my opinion, I think Heinz made a big mistake pulling the ad because the fall-out from all the publicity has been mostly negative. In my view, the advert is quite clever and funny - certainly more entertaining than most adverts! What are your thoughts about the advert? Do you find it offensive? Do you think Heinz should have pulled the ad or do you think Heinz should reinstate it?

Is this homemade commercial for Doritos the cheapest TV ad ever?

This commercial isn't just made cheaply, it's very clever and funny: Cheap as chips: Doritos makes TV ad for under £10 A homemade commercial for Doritos created by two 25-year-olds for the princely sum of £6.50 will make history as perhaps the cheapest TV ad ever when it airs during ITV's Euro 2008 coverage of the Czech Republic v Turkey on Sunday night. Watch the £6.50 Doritos ad Low-budget Doritos ad made by Matt Bowron and John Addis for just £6.50 (links via guardian.co.uk)