CCTV: “Believe in the Power of the Brand”

I had meant to get this newest :60 spot (titled “Ink”) up last week when it was breaking news, but a busy schedule (and travel) has kept me from my proper blog curation duties. Thanks to the folks at CCTV for contacting me and sending it my way. Fortunately, several years of Mandarin lessons and regular Chinese practice with family members meant I could almost speak without a noticable accent. Okay, well maybe not.

You might find it surprising the amount of interest (based on searches) there is in the Asia/Australia channel branding market. Just a few years ago, chinese broadcast designers looked to the west/europe for trends and inspiration. Now we’re seeing a much healthier balance of creative exchange between continents.

The latest spot creating a bit of a stir from agency MMIA Beijing (which has a multiyear partnership with CCTV for advertising rights/creative output) is explained, “From invisible to visible, from boundaries to no boundaries. CCTV — Believe in the power of the brand”. The :60 spot brings together traditional elements fused with modern Chinese culture, including brushstroke calligraphy, images of dragons, fish, and bird, fluidic Tai Chi movement and the iconic Great Wall of China.

I will be keeping a close eye on how this campaign develops through the next several months, and of course- sharing it with all of you.

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Modernista! Laughs It Up for Comedy Central

Modernista! grabbed a whole lot of attention last year for their unique social web presence. Well that and doing the unthinkable…  suing a client for $500k for alledgedly not paying for work? You go Modernista! With 2008 behind them, the shop, known for ground breaking work for the likes of Cadillac and GAP have set their creative eyes on Comedy Central.

Modernista! Amsterdam led by CD/Director Nate Taylor have delivered a rather bubbly :60 spot for Comedy Central Netherlands. DP Chris McPherson captures the essence of a good laugh for this light hearted take on the global comedy brand. Post Production was handled by Arcade/Airshop.

ITV Launches Ambitious Brand Campaign

ITV has launched an ambitious new brand campaign tagged “The Brighter Side”. The commercial spots, which launched last week through television, cinema, and online channels got an audience of an opportunity through it’s premiere on “Britain’s Got Talent” (go Susan Boyle, go!). According to ITV, the channel is “the most entertaining, upbeat, optimistic programming in the UK”.

The brand spot from Agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty aims to promote ITV as a destination for optimism, shared experience and entertainment. Director Rupert Sanders, who won this year’s Cannes Lions Grand Prix for his Xbox Halo 3 commercial, created a scene in which we find children exploring a dull, boring Britain until they pierce the clouds above by throwing stones, letting out ray after ray of sunshine. Post production was done by The Mill.

The big budget commercial aims to differentiate ITV1 from its competitors and remind viewers that ITV is one of the UK’s most loved brands. By attempting to produce a bold, filmic, long-length television advert (the 90 second film also exists as a cut-down 60-second and a longer two minute twenty-second version) ITV is trying to showcase how powerful the medium of television remains and why brands should use television to communicate their messages.