This was a fun execution by Agency.com. For some reason, there is nothing more fun than making fun of Americans in England. I've been there a few times and as hard as I may try, I end up doing something that the English look shocked about.
I found myself going through several of the tips multiple times. They just seemed to ring true with people that I know or have seen while at a baseball game, and I can just imagine them at Wimbledon doing the same thing. I liked that the ads moved quickly, and I never had any technical difficulties with sound synchronization or lag times. Overall a very nice execution and effective in driving me to at least check out the website and see what the options were. Agency.com didn't update the site for use with Internet Explorer and Flash since the Microsoft lawsuit loss that now causes Flash embed problems, so I had to do an extra click to work in any of their Flash elements on the landing page. Once I got through that, everything was easy to use and I didn't have any problems with the microsite. Great work guys.
-- Keith D. Pape, senior partner/VP, FrontGate Creative
Instant Karma's gonna get you, British Airways!
During a recent trip to Cannes to see the very best work in advertising, I connected in London and flew BA in and out of Cannes. They lost my luggage both times. Then, as if by fate, I was given the opportunity to review some of their work. Revenge is mine.
Well, unfortunately for me, this new work for British Airways is very polite and fairly harmless and actually rather hard to take out my anger on. The idea of BA being an expert on British culture and offering advice for Wimbledon attendees is a nice and simple premise. Many of the examples were a little obvious, and other than the "Debenture" ticket ad, I didn't learn too much about the way of British sport enthusiasts. (I already knew they ate Strawberries and Cream and were more restrained.)
The illustrations, which at first struck me as a little too simple, actually grew on me over time-- the cheeky simplicity becoming a subtle bit of understated English humor, perhaps? The voice-over, however, won me over immediately with its somewhat patronizing and gentle mockery. I did appreciate the earnest "Won't you watch another tip?" request that egged me on, as did the roulette style random tip generating banner ad.
"The Wave" tip was by far my favorite, announcing the rich history of Wimbledon being obliterated in seconds by the appearance of "the Wave." (Which by the way, I saw plenty of during the World Cup-- so it isn't just us Yanks.)
Overall, this is a friendly and unassuming bit of funny advice done well enough that I must redirect my lost luggage angst elsewhere.
-- David Jones, SVP, executive creative director, emerging platforms, FCB
