Posted on by Mark Tungate
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Inspiration from outer space
05 Oct
By Mark Tungate
With the world’s richest people planning to send us to Mars and NASA rebooting its moon missions, the final frontier has been getting a lot of attention lately. Advertising creatives are far from immune to the allure of outer space, and the results are often spectacular.
Let’s start by turning the latest news on its head and imagining what would happen if the moon…came to us! Apparently it wouldn’t be too impressed by what it saw.
Looking at our own planet from the perspective of another is an effective way of highlighting trouble at home. The twist at the end of this spot from Fred & Farid Los Angeles makes a vital point.
On a lighter note, what would happen if a Mars Rover could share its memories with us via Google? Bonus points here to the agency – Arts & Letters Creative Co. – for great use of music.
Did you ever see the film “The Martian”, with Matt Damon? If you did, you might suspect that this recent campaign from the agency Africa – actually based in Brazil – was somewhat inspired by it. Either way, it’s a bold, witty and effective idea.
You might have thought the link between snacks and space was tenuous. But no – here’s a recent outdoor and social campaign that may make you hungry next time you look at the moon. In certain circumstances, at least. The case film from Deutsch in Los Angeles is pretty tasty too.
Say the word “space” and the word “aliens” may come to mind. Here’s how IKEA and Ogilvy UAE responded to the release of a report from the US military about the existence of UFOs.
Staying in the UAE for a moment, you may remember the Emirates Mars Mission, which sent the Hope probe into orbit around Mars in February last year. To raise awareness of it, Mullen Lowe Dubai and the UAE Government created a spectacular outdoor effect that flooded social media. (It also won a Clio earlier this year.)
A more classic take on the dream of going to Mars is offered by this film for Lenovo, which blends special effects and emotion for a highly cinematic ride.
Will space always provoke awe and wonder? Mullen Lowe New York posed the question in a topical ad that appeared this summer.
Finally, let’s go to New Zealand – and a soft drink that takes a little wink at a certain stunt orchestrated by Red Bull almost ten years ago now (on October 14 2012 to be exact).
The APPIES is an annual event that presents a rare opportunity for creative, media, digital and marketing agencies or brands to present their best campaigns to the industry.
This is the only event where Live Presentations meets Live Judging.
Similar to TED Talks, The APPIES is the chance for great presenters with outstanding work to show it off to some of the industry’s most important industry leaders.
This year’s winners will receive Gold, Silver or Bronze trophies for 21 categories, and 6 special Best of Best categories (red trophies) that require no submissions!
Campaign entries must have run between June 2024 to May 2025
