A few of my favourite things

Peek Freans Cake Up

Category: TV

It doesn’t happen every day that a video of more than two-minute duration strikes the right chords and captures your attention. A well-woven story that keeps one hooked until the end and a perfect product, one didn’t notice it was about a cupcake. In addition to an overarching emotional ad, there were a series of product-oriented ads. A smart move.
Agency: Ogilvy India & Ogilvy Pakistan

McDonald’s Women’s Day

Category: OOH

This had mixed reactions. When traditional and social media were bombarded with clichéd messages aimed at saluting and celebrating women, a simple act of swapping the Golden Arches took the media world by storm. Only McDonald’s could have come up with such a plain and powerful idea. And I’m lovin it!
Agency: We Are Unlimited, Chicago, Illinois

Osaka Battery

Category: TV

An excellent example of effective advertising that breaks the clutter, with a beautifully captured insight and a simple execution. Absolutely relatable.
Agency: Arey Wah, Pakistan

Kenwood DC Inverter AC

Category: TV

When a brilliant concept and wonderful talent come together, ads like these are born. Picking up on a typical husband-wife moment, shot in a single setting and well-scripted, this series of ads is a creative treat.
Agency: Arey Wah, Pakistan

FedEx

Category: Print

The age-old practice of giving or exchanging stuff through the window or the door is brought to life in a very effective and simple manner. The ad not only portrays the culture of this practice, but also the ease and speed with which goods can be delivered.
Agency: DDB, London – Spain

McDonald’s Mother’s Day

Category: TV

No one can do it better than McDonald’s when it comes to winning hearts. Celebrating Mother’s Day, McDonald’s nailed it with their commercial, which portrays a deaf and mute employee thanking his mom for not treating him as a special person, all with a powerful and heart-warming script.
Agency: Manhattan Communications, Pakistan

Nescafé

Category: Print

How simple can you get? One of the best examples of why they say ‘Keep It Simple Stupid’. The message is communicated in a brilliant yet simple way. Alphabet ‘Z’ that depicts sleep is changed into the ‘N’ of Nescafé, which is synonymous to waking up. A little change… but it surely does the magic.
Agency: McCann Erickson, Chile

Candi

Category: TV

One of my all-time favourite brands, Candi has never failed to cater to my creative taste buds. The ad has a very nostalgic feel to it and connects with the heart, filling it with the sweetness that no other biscuit brand can.
Agency: Spectrum Y&R, Pakistan

Sumaira Mirza is Creative Director, Spectrum Y&R Pakistan. sumaira@spectrumyr.com