Creative ads: Using humor

Before the re-start early this year, Creative Advertisements was one of the subjects of the blog. I will continue to feature them, in a mix of old and new, grouping them around themes. Today's theme is humorous advertisements. The image above was made with Photofunia. 

Volkswagen

Using animals in advertising is a well-established way of doing things, but I have seldom seen such an original and creative version. Fun image, and spot on to convey the message. Excellent work by advertising agency DDB Tribal Berlin, Germany.

BOC90 Oven

This highly original advertisement plays with the big size of the oven they want to sell in a brilliantly creative and ultimately funny way.

Heinz hot ketchup

What a funny creative idea and excellent execution: promoting Heinz hot ketchup by imagining it as a preferred way to feed baby dragons... It does remind me how much I miss Game of Thrones.

IKEA Assembly Service

A perfect advertisement in many ways. It is simple, even minimalist. It uses optical illusions (one of my favourite subjects). It hammers home the message - better let the IKEA experts assemble the furniture. Last but not least, it shows a considerable degree of self mockery about the legendary difficulty to put IKEA furniture together right. Excellent work by German advertising agency DDB Tribal.

Volvo for Life

This creative ad for the Swedish car company Volvo is both hilarious in its concept and brilliant in its execution. Two thumbs up.

Weightwatchers

Simple, funny, and effective. Nice advertisement by Advertising Agency DraftFCB, German.

Kayaking Jumbo Peanuts

In itself, the idea is dubious - focusing on the possibility that the product can make one choke. But the absurd scene of an elephant performing the Heimlich maneuver on another elephant is done so well that you can't help but smile.

Utopolis

The "Reality sucks" campaign by the Utopolis group of cinemas is both creative and funny. Their realistic versions of iconic scenes from popular movies remind us why these  movies are not realistic, but a perfect escape from reality.

McDonalds Milkshake

McDonalds's advertisements are among the most inventive. Here they manage to bring a smile on your face, because you can vividly imagine this turning into a video.

Bose Headphones

In spite of the impending disaster, this is still funny - the noise cancelling headphones may work a bit too well....

Reporters without borders

An advertisement campaign that is both funny and creative. Agency Ogilvy & Mather created a series of shots for Reporters without borders to illustrate the theme "censorship tells the wrong story" by taking well-known political figures and pixelating out part of the shot to create the impression that things are going on which should not be seen.

Pedigree

Saving one of the best for last: a terrific idea to promote that Pedigree makes your dog stronger.

Copyright statement: images of advertisements are considered fair use.

Vintage Dog Posters

Vintage advertisement posters are much sought after, and have been recognized for their artistic merit as well giving us a chance to look at days gone by. There have even been dedicated exhibitions of such posters in art museums. I like these nostalgic images and will post a few grouped per theme. Today's theme is dogs - it does not matter for what reason they are included. The image above is created via Photofunia and is free from copyright issues.

 

 

Pears Soap (1900)

 

Pears is a British brand of soap first produced and sold in 1807, and still on the market (owned by Unilever). The dog is of course just for decoration purposes, but it is a cute image.

Clinique Chéron (1905)

This poster for a French vetenarian in Paris was produced by Theophile Alexandre Steinlen. It is actually in the collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.

 

 

Kennel Club Show, London (1913)

 

Not surprisingly, a google search on vintage dog posters yields lots of these type of dog exhibition posters. This one is for a show in Crystal Palace, London. Six dogs, an attractive and well-dressed girl and a vintage automobile - what's not to love?

 

 

International Dog Show Monte Carlo (1925)

 

I picked this one as an another example of a dog exhibition poster This one is for a show in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Interesting how the designer showed one of the dogs being overexcited - which I think is not the behaviour expected at such a show. 

Spratt's Patent (ca 1920)

A French poster for the English/American company Spratt's, the world's first large-scale manufacturer of dog biscuits. 

 

 

International Dog Show Basel (1925)

 

Three times lucky - just one more dog exhibition poster - because of the interesting choice for grey tones with just a bit of colour. This one is for a show in Basel, Switzerland.

 Wulco dogfood (1926)

A German poster for the Wulco dogfood company, by designer Ludwig Hohlwein, which I find rather curious. The whole poster looks a bit drab, and the dog does not look too happy either...

Suchard Chocolate (ca 1930)

Now this one is a bit strange. I get it, the Bernese Mountain dog is one of the most common symbols for Switzerland, the country where this chocolate manufacturer is located. But... did they not realize that chocolate is actually a poison for dogs?

Martell's Brandy (ca 1930)

Another Bernese Mountain dog, but this one is used far more appropriately: carrying a bottle of French cognac around its neck.

 

 

Beagles Soap (1959)

 

A fun poster advertising Beagles & Co, Bath soap. Gotta love that catch phrase (Wash Your Paws), as well as the detail of the little rubber ducks.

 
 

Dachshund Bath Soap (ca 1960)

 

An advertisement poster where the dog makes sense in two ways: the company's product is bath soap for dogs, and the company's name is reflected in the dog breed used. Naughty slogan as well.

Boxer Coffee (ca 1972)

 

Of course, there is not much connection between dogs and coffee, but given the company's name, it was a slam dunk to use a cute boxer for their advertisement campaign.

Copyright statement: posting lower quality vintage advertisement posters is deemed fair use.

Album Covers 1981-1982

 

Over the past 5-6 decades, album covers have become more and more artistic, to the point where the best of them deserve a place in this blog. They featured prominently in the past, and of course they will be present in the new set-up. I have gone for a grouping per years of release (covering 2-3 years per post). I will try not to include the most famous album covers (like Sergeant Pepper, Dark Side of the Moon, Nevermind), but focus on more obscure but very good examples. Also the aim is no duplication of acts within one post. These posts are meant to be illustrative only, not necessarily my personal top twelve for the time period. The image above is created via Photofunia and is free from copyright issues.

 

 

Moving Pictures by Rush (1981)

 Moving Pictures is the eighth studio album by Canadian progressive rock band Rush. The album title is a pun, which inspired the cover as well. From the Wiki entry: "The cover was designed by Hugh Syme who estimated the artwork cost $9,500 to produce. Anthem Records refused to cover the entire bill, leaving the band to pay for the rest. It is a triple entendre; the front depicts movers who are carrying pictures. On the side, people are shown crying because the pictures passing by are emotionally "moving". Finally, the back cover has a film crew making a motion picture of the whole scene. It was photographed outside the Ontario Legislative Building at Queen's Park, Toronto. The pictures that are being moved are the band's Starman logo featured on the reverse cover of 2112 (1976), one of the Dogs Playing Poker paintings entitled A Friend in Need, and a painting that shows Joan of Arc being burned at the stake. 

Red Mecca by Cabaret Voltaire (1981)

Red Mecca is the third studio album by English post-punk band Cabaret Voltaire, generally seen as their best effort. The stunning abstract cover is credited to British designer Neville Brody.

 

Heaven Up Here by Echo And The Bunnymen (1981)

Heaven Up Here is the second album by the English New Wave band Echo And The Bunnymen. From the Wikipedia page: The original album's atmospheric cover art was designed by Martyn Atkins. The photograph used on the front and back cover of the album was taken by photographer Brian Griffin. The picture shows the band on a wet beach in the south Wales seaside town of Porthcawl; there are dark clouds in the sky and the sun is low on the horizon causing the band to be silhouetted. According to Griffin, they used buckets of fish offal to entice the gulls to fly into shot. 

Nude by Camel (1981)

Nude is the eighth studio album released by the English progressive rock band Camel. The album is based on a true story of a Japanese soldier marooned on an island in World War II who doesn't know that the war is over. The somewhat surreal cover design is credited to Mayblin/Shaw/Munday.

Tin Drum by Japan (1981)

Tin Drum is the fifth and final studio album by English new wave band Japan. As usual, front man David Sylvian was selected for the album cover, in a setting reflecting the general Asian influence on the album. The cover concept is by Sylvian himself, the photography is credited to Fin Costello.

Red Skies over Paradise by Fischer-Z (1981)

Red Skies over Paradise is the third studio album by British New Wave group Fischer-Z. The album featured many songs about politics and several references to the Cold War, the album title and cover in particular. The art work is credited to Philip Dunn.

Avalon by Roxy Music (1982)

Avalon is the eighth and final studio album by the English art rock band Roxy Music. From Wikipedia: "The artwork for the album was designed by Peter Saville.Although less visually obvious than it had been with past releases, Avalon continued the tradition for Roxy Music albums to feature images of women on the cover artwork. Bryan Ferry's girlfriend (and soon to be wife) Lucy Helmore appeared on the album cover wearing a medieval helmet with a falcon perched on her gloved hand, evoking King Arthur's last journey to the mysterious land of Avalon."

Night and Day by Joe Jackson (1982)

Night and Day is the fifth studio album by English New Wave musician Joe Jackson. The album pays tribute to the wit and style of Cole Porter (and indirectly to New York City). The art work for the cover is credited to Philip Burke.

The Dreaming by Kate Bush (1982)

The Dreaming is the fourth studio album by English art rock singer Kate Bush. It is often characterised as her most uncommercial and experimental release. From Wikipedia: "The album cover depicts a scene described in the lyrics to the song "Houdini". In the picture shown, Bush is acting as Harry Houdini's wife Bess, holding a key in her mouth, which she is about to pass on to him. The photograph is rendered in sepia, with just the gold key and Bush's eye make-up showing any colour. The man with her on the cover photograph was her bass player, engineer and then-partner Del Palmer." The photography is credited to Kindlight.

In Blau by Anyone's Daughter (1982)

In Blau is the fourth studio album by German progressive rock band Anyone's Daughter. The fairytale-like art work on the cover is by Eva Miller.

Rio by Duran Duran (1982)

Rio is the second studio album by English New Wave band Duran Duran, a world wide success. From Wikipedia: "The iconic cover illustration is by Patrick Nagel, showing a striking woman in his trademark style—"elegant and sophisticated, alluring but cool, stark but sensual, mysterious, contradictory, and utterly contemporary"—the quintessential 1980s woman. The band, not the label, had creative control over their brand identity and worked with independent collaborators rather than the EMI label art department to create the distinctive visual style of Rio.

Eye In The Sky by Alan Parsons Project (1982)

Eye in the Sky is the sixth studio album by English art rock band the Alan Parsons Project. I have always liked this cover, ever since I bought the LP record upon its release. It was designed by Hipgnosis.

Copyright statement: posting lower quality album covers is deemed fair use. 

21st Century Concertos

Too many people think that classical music is a thing of the past, whereas excellent classical music is still being composed today. For this blog post, I have selected a dozen concertos composed in the 21st century, by twelve different composers (and for ten different instruments). These are all works I love listening to, and all the depicted CD's are in my collection. The picture above depicts a sheng, one of the concertante instruments featured in today's post. The image is in the public domain.

Clarinet Concerto by Magnus Lindberg  (2002)

 

This Clarinet Concerto is a composition by the Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. It was written for the Finnish clarinetist Kari Kriikku.  The concerto is composed in a single movement divided into five sections. One critic called it "shiny, sophisticated, nostalgic cultural artefact, indubitably contemporary in language yet sensuously easy (tuneful, even) on the ear." The recording shown above is by Kari Kriikku and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Sakari Oramo, on an Ondine CD.

Electric Violin Concerto "The Dharma at Big Sur" by John Coolidge Adams (2003)

The Dharma at Big Sur is a composition for solo electric violin and orchestra by the American composer John Adams. The piece was composed for the opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and was conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. The electric violin solo was written for violinist Tracy Silverman. The piece is divided into two movements, titled A New Day and Sri Moonshine, which are intended as homages to Lou Harrison and Terry Riley, respectively (from Wikipedia). The recording shown above is by Tracy Silverman and the BBC Symphony Orchestra under John Adams, on a Nonesuch CD.

Percussion Concerto "Conjurer" by John Corigliano (2007)

Conjurer is a concerto for percussionist and string orchestra with optional brass by American composer John Corigliano. The work was jointly commissioned for the percussionist Evelyn Glennie by a number of orchestras.  It is in three movements titled Wood, Metal, Skin - the titles correspond to the type of percussion instruments used in it, such as marimba and wood block for the first movement, vibraphone and chimes for the second, and timpani and bass drum for the third. The recording shown above is by Evelyn Glennie with the AlbanySymphony under David Allan Miller, on a Naxos CD. 

 

 

Violin Concerto "1001 Nights in the Harem" by Fazil Say (2007)

 

1001 Nights in the Harem is a Violin Concerto by Turkish composer Fazil Say. It was commissioned by the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, and written for Patricia Kopatchinskaja. The title recalls the famous collection of fairytales The Thousand and One Nights, and the solo violinist takes on the role of `principal storyteller'. Addition of Turkish percussion enhances the atmosphere of the piece. The recording shown above (of the  world premiere performance) is by Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the Luzerner Symphony Orchestra under John Axelrod, on a Naive Classique CD.

Cello Concerto by Dobrinka Tabakova  (2008)

 

This Concerto for Cello and Strings in three movements is by British/Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova. It is a good example of her style that has been characterized as "richly melodic, texturally sensuous, often emotionally radiant". The recording shown above is by Kristina Blaumane and the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra under Maxim Rysanov, on an ECM New Series CD.

Violin Concerto by Jennifer Higdon (2008)

 

The violin concerto by American composer Jennifer Higdon. The work was jointly commissioned by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the Curtis Institute of Music.It was composed for the violinist Hilary Hahn. The piece was later awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music. The recording shown above is by Hilary Hahn and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Vasily Petrenko, on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.

Sheng concerto "Šu" by Unsuk Chin (2009)

Šu by South Korean composer Unsuk Chin is a concerto for Sheng and orchestra, the only one I know for that Chinese mouth-blown free reed instrument consisting of vertical pipes. The work goes far beyond novelty value, and is to my taste one of the best concertos of the century so far. The title of Su comes from an ancient Egyptian symbol for air. The recording shown above is by Wei Wu and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra under Myung-Whun Chung, on a Deutsche Grammophon CD.

Oboe Family Concerto "Oborama" by David Stock (2010)

Oborama by American composer David Stock is a unique concerto, not just for this century, but for all time. It is a beautiful neo-romantic concerto in five movements, and in each movement the soloist gets to play a different member of the oboe family: the English horn, musette, oboe d'amore, bass oboe, and regular oboe. The recording shown above is by Alex Klein and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project under Gil Rose, on a BMOP CD.

Saariaho - Clarinet Concerto 'D'Om le Vrai Sens' (2010)

D'Om le Vrai Sens (Man's True Sense) is a clarinet concerto by the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. The work was jointly commissioned by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the BBC, the Fundação Casa da Musica, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Radio France. The concerto is dedicated to Kari Kriikku. The concerto was inspired by a series of Mediæval tapestries depicting the five senses, plus the mysterious 'sixth sense'. The recording shown above is by Kari Kriikku and the  Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Sakari Oramo, on an Ondine CD.

Flute Concerto "Trail of Tears" by Michael Daugherty  (2010)

Trail of Tears is a Concerto for Flute and Orchestra by American composer Michael Daugherty. The title refers to a series of forced relocations of Native American nations from their ancestral homelands in the Southeastern United States. The concerto ends with a beautiful Sun Dance, showing the tribe’s eventual triumph over oppression. The recording shown above is by Amy Porter with the Albany Symphony under David Alan Miller, on a Naxos CD.

Theremin Concerto "Eight Seasons" by Kalevi Aho (2011)

Eight Seasons is a Concerto for Theremin and Chamber Orchestra by the Finnish composer Kalevi Aho. Concertos play a prominent role in his output (the number is already at almost two dozen), but even so, a concerto for the electronic beast the theremin is pretty rare. And pretty attractive. The recording shown above is by Carolina Eyck with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra under John Storgårds, on a BIS CD. 

Cello Concerto "DANCE" by Anna Clyne (2019)

DANCE is a composition for solo cello and orchestra by the English composer Anna Clyne. Alternatively described as a concerto or a suite, it consists of five movements. It is a stunning lyrical work, one that I regard very highly. The recording shown above is by Inbal Segev with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Marin Alsop, on an Avie Records CD. 

Copyright statement: posting lower quality album covers is deemed fair use.