The tangential new campaign of The Economist – “Interpret the World “ - plastered on bill-boards across the city leaves me flummoxed. I don’t know what it’s doing for you. I simply don’t get it. I think the ads defy “interpretation”. May be I am not the typical Economist reader and, hence, missing the point.. That’s why, despite “e-mailer-a-day” reminders, I haven’t renewed my subscription.
In the past – Ogilvy has done some legendary campaigns (mostly outdoors and also TV) for the magazine especially in the Far East (Singapore and Hong Kong), which won them a large number of lions at Cannes (probably, the highest for any print publication ever).
The vintage Economist series and the ‘GOD’ campaign of Singapore (click here to check and also on this for some more pics) are two classic examples of great 360degree advertising from Ogilvy.
While I can understand the need to be original and different – why re-invent the wheel ? Doubt if 'GOD' too will be able to "interpret" the present 'over the top' campaign.
Here are some of my all-time favourites from the archives– tell me what do you think of them ?
In the past – Ogilvy has done some legendary campaigns (mostly outdoors and also TV) for the magazine especially in the Far East (Singapore and Hong Kong), which won them a large number of lions at Cannes (probably, the highest for any print publication ever).
The vintage Economist series and the ‘GOD’ campaign of Singapore (click here to check and also on this for some more pics) are two classic examples of great 360degree advertising from Ogilvy.
While I can understand the need to be original and different – why re-invent the wheel ? Doubt if 'GOD' too will be able to "interpret" the present 'over the top' campaign.
Here are some of my all-time favourites from the archives– tell me what do you think of them ?
Father & Son
6 comments:
good to know that im not alone in not being able to comprehend these ads! Anyway thats y you have sites like afaqs which religiously publish the thought process/interpret new campaigns from a creative agency perspective. As if ppl have no job other than figure out what all those new campaigns mean - at best creative guys in a rival agency / handling similar category will be interested. but must say they (both afaqs & agencies) take themselves very seriously !!!
Mr Ghosh--don't shoot the messenger and lose the message. Or in this case, not renewing the world's best written news magazine ("newspaper") because of truly terrible ads, will only deprive you of a great weekly read. I, for one, can't give up on it. How can one not read a magazine that, since 1843, has existed "to take part in a 'severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.'"
dear RR,
to be honest i haven't stopped 'reading' The Economist tho' I may not have 'renewed' the subscription (for purely technical reasons - they were not able to process my credit card and i have been too lazy to go thru' the process all over again).
i haven't been able to give it up precisely for the same reasons you cite ( the MINT Lounge - tho' good as a weekend read, is still a few miles short of the big E !!). i read it - if for nothing else the 'obit' article at the end. each one's a gem and i have to make sure every week that mine hasn't appeared there as the most terrible blogger on web world :-)
Dear Mr.Ghose,
Contrary to what you have written, I think the ads have managed to do what the newspaper makes its readers do - read and think. As you would agree, the articles in the newspaper are best in class and often provide the reader with a very different yet accurate perspective. No doubt their ads in Hong Kong and Singapore are very good but the campaign in India has also managed to break the clutter.
Dear Mr.Ghose,
The visuals want to create a conflicting impact maybe to keep in line with the " thought leader" stance that The Economist is known for. The tenor I feel is more political. But if we notice one signioficant point- some of the visuals shift away from the "I AM.." stance and are more of the "concerned observer" type. Maybe this has been dictated by some changes in the editorial stance that the publication has undergone. Since you have been a regular reader- maybe you can comment on that. If the intention has been just to look and sound different and not backed by a deeper goal then I am reminded partially of the "spectra wide" campaign of Dunlop ( pretty ancinet campaign by Trikaya) that would have been " creative" but maybe not productive by accepted parameters.
Naty
A TEST
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