adam&eveDDB Celebrates Holiday Materialism for Mulberry

In adam&eveDDB’s Christmas spot for Mulberry, a grandmother “wins Christmas’ with a Mulberry bag, trumping some pretty stiff competition in the process.

The ad follows a young woman as she opens a series of presents, beginning with a pointillist portrait of her painted by her sister. Each gift gets more over the top and ridiculous, verging into the absurd, until the girl’s reaction to the Mulberry bag from her grandmother reveals it to be the best gift of all. It’s an interesting approach, forgoing the typical sentimentality of holiday advertising for a tongue-in-cheek celebration of materialism. adam&eveDDB pulls it off well, slowly ramping up the absurdity and not taking itself too seriously while still effectively promoting the brand. That the agency was able to produce both the heartwarming “Monty The Penguin” ad for John Lewis and this, pretty much its polar opposite, shows impressive range. (more…)

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Paddy Power Favors Fools on the Pitch with ‘Fat Watch’

The image of fat, overpaid athletes who don’t care about what they do as much as they should is an easy shot for fans to take. It’s occasionally true. But this angle almost never comes from the house, since gambling companies don’t need to take a stance one way or the other to make money. But in the UK, bookmaker Paddy Power has teamed with CP+B for “Fat Watch” a contest to the bottom that rewards soccer players who take the least shots or spend the most time on the bench. Fans who support the clubs of the laziest players (Fernando Torres) will win some undisclosed prize, which seems more like compensation for rooting for FC Shame.

The 30-second spot is pretty funny and plays more like a comedy sketch than a commercial. I don’t think this idea could play in America, but for the stodgy fans across the Atlantic, the campaign’s sneering tone feels like a great fit. Credits after the jump.

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