Favourite Ad Friday! - Bishop's Finger

The ad featured in today's Favourite Ad Friday is a bit of an outsider.  It has felt the wrath of the ASA's banhammer and rather unjustly, if you ask me.  As the weeks go on you'll probably hear me use that argument a lot.

Advertising Agency: JWT London
Media: Print
Sector: Alcoholic beverages
Client: Shepherd Neame (Bishop's Finger)
Year: 2006


According to the ASA, "We considered that the text 'I love a good session on the Bishops Finger' played on the connotations of drinking and sexual activity. We considered that the woman's pose was suggestive and concluded that, in combination with the headline text, it was likely to be seen as linking alcohol with seduction and sexual activity.
On this point, the ad breached CAP Code clause 56.9 (Alcoholic drinks)."

A medieval wench sitting on a stool with the tagline "I love a good session on the Bishop's Finger" along with "At 5.4% it's near the knuckle". Nothing wrong with that!  In this instance it's probably safe to say that the complainees have had a bit of a lapse in humour and had to spoil it for everyone else.  It's one of those occasions where you read into it what you want, and I think whoever was responsible for complaining about it has a bit of a guilty conscience... 

Amazon Kindle - Tush & Fie, Technology! You Ne'er-do-well Bounder!

This piece of copy for the Amazon Kindle brief was based on the notion that if books were seen to be obsolete, then surely there would be some people that wouldn't be too chuffed to see books disappear.  This idea takes this a bit further and suggests that if you don't keep up with the times, you run the risk of getting left behind, being seen to be out of touch and - as you'll go on to see - a little bit mental.

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Client: The Amazon Kindle Digital Book Reader.
Project: Digital/social media campaign.
Video filmed for TV and to be uploaded to YouTube

We open to a black screen with a white caption.

Caption: This is a political party broadcast paid for by the Anti-Kindle Party.

We open to a Victorian era living room with an old man wearing a red smoking jacket, a monocle and a large mustache.  He is sitting in a high back chair in front of a roaring log fire and completely engrossed in a large book spread open on his lap.

Old Man: "Ha ha! Oh, Yossarian... You cad-like bounder!"

The man looks up at the camera as if noticing it for the first time.

Old Man: "Oh! Hello!

He removes his monocle and the camera begins to slowly zoom in on the man.

Old Man: "Glad for you to join me! Today I would like to urge you not to purchase an Amazon Kindle.  The whole thing is a load of bally nonsense!"

The man slams the large book shut which releases a cloud of dust into the air. 

Old Man: "Books have been around for years! Books run in my family! 

 As the man speaks and gets progressively more angry, the camera continues to zoom in on his face.

Old Man: "They were good enough for me! My Father! And his Father! And here comes t-t-t-technology sticking it's big nose in where it doesn't belong! 'Your first paper-cut is a rite of passage for any boy,' my Father used to say!  Tush and fie, I say! Ban the whole bally lot of them!"

Camera stops zooming in on the man's face and pauses there for a few moments.  The camera quickly cuts back to it's original position as the old man re-opens his book and puts his monocle back on.

Old Man: "Cheerio!"

The old man cheerfully continues to read his book, guffawing frequently as if the whole encounter never happened.

Strapline: (... Don't buy an) Amazon Kindle.

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Well, that was that:  the final idea concocted for the Amazon Kindle brief.  But that's okay, the next update will consist of a brand new brief with brand new ideas.  Interesting times indeed!

Amazon Kindle - That Book Makes A Very Fine Hat

Short and sweet introduction this time! This is the second piece of copy I came up with for the Amazon Kindle brief.

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Client: The Amazon Kindle Digital Book Reader.
Project: Digital/social media campaign.
Video filmed for TV and to be uploaded to YouTube

We open to a black screen with a white caption which is also read out in a Voiceover.

Voiceover: "Lets pretend that in 5 years, the Amazon Kindle has rendered all books obsolete. So, what are we going to do with them all?"

We cut to a close-up of a girl standing inside a room holding open a wooden door.  She opens the door full and then lets it begin to swing closed.  The camera cuts to a close up of a book sitting in the door frame as the door closes on the book.

We then cut to a tall girl standing with mistletoe in her hand and pursed lips, expecting a kiss - reminiscent of the Yellow Pages Christmas ad.  The camera slowly pans left to reveal a long queue of boys with varying height and carrying books of varying thickness.

We then cut to a hallway littered with toys.  A young toddler runs clumsily into the corridor and off-camera while wearing books for shoes.

We finally cut to close-up of an older, stern looking man facing the camera.  He slowly places an open book on his head and begins to laugh.

Fade to black.

Strapline: What would you do? Upload your own ideas to YouTube to win a Kindle

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