[Weekender] Advertisers think outside the box

More advertisement creators are trying to think outside the box to promote products and services.

Several foreign advertisements in recent years found new and innovative ways to communicate by breaking social expectations and making clever use of their advertising media.

Here are three advertisements that turned heads and at the same time won critical acclaim for their quality and ingenuity.

Geico’s “Unskippable” series became an overnight sensation for grabbing people’s attention within the first five seconds before audiences skip online promo video clips, which are generally considered a nuisance.

While 94 percent of those who saw pre-roll ads skipped them ― according to a study by American marketing company MetrixLab ― the ad “Family,” part of the “Unskippable” series, fixed the problem by provoking and retaining viewers’ curiosity.

The clip shows a family at a dinner which ends in five seconds, as the family stops moving as if they are in a freeze frame. Meanwhile, the family dog jumps up the table and eats their dinner.

Many viewers chose to watch the remainder of the ad to see whether the family can remain still as the dog devours their spaghetti. The clever use of the medium won “Family” the 2015 Cannes Lions Grand Prix award.

Pay TV channel Sky used its content as effective advertising in 2013 with German advertising agency Serviceplan.

Sky, which had exclusive broadcasting rights to all live Champions League matches in Germany, aired the live game between Arsenal and Bayern Munich on Feb. 19, 2013 for free on four major German channels, but only for 40 seconds.

After 40 seconds, the hotline for Sky appeared so that people could watch the rest of the game after signing up. At one point, a goal was scored during the live ad.

The live advertisement proved successful as they got over 5.3 million views and generated a positive reception both online and offline. The ad won a Gold and three Bronze Lions at the Cannes Lions 2013.

Metro Trains Melbourne also gained attention for subverting the expectation that public service announcements should be somber and serious.

Their video “Dumb Ways to Die,” created by advertising agency McCann Melbourne, shows a series of cartoon characters dying in stupid ways while singing a catchy, upbeat song, ending with the last three dying from unsafe behavior around trains.

The ad became a viral hit, reaching 2.5 million views on YouTube within 48 hours and currently over 115 million views. The PSA won seven Webby awards and a slew of awards at the 2013 Cannes Lions, with five Grand Prix, 18 Gold, three Silver and two Bronze Lions awards.

McCann executive creative director John Mescall said in media interviews that the campaign intended to “engage an audience that really doesn’t want to hear any kind of safety message,” and thought a fun video like “Dumb Ways to Die” would get their attention.

By Sang Youn-joo (sangyj@heraldcorp.com)