Arnold on ethical marketing

CHRIS ARNOLD

In Toyota’s latest ads we are told it’s the world’s favourite hybrid. Lots of nice earthy green imagery. It’s a nice ad but these aren’t the Prius ads that are getting talked about. Instead the unofficial ads are. Could we be seeing a new era of user generated ‘mock ads’ having more impact than the real thing?

There’s three mock press ads going around that feature a very alternative image of the Prius drivers. One features a man chatting up a hooker, another the driver is dumping a dead body and in the third the driver is shagging some bloke’s wife. Each carries the line ‘Well, at least he drives a Prius’. A new spin on the benefits of being an eco-warrior.

The ads were created by art director by David Krulik (see the ads at http://www.davidkrulik.com/Print-Prius-1.html ). Krulik actually works at Ogilvy New York, where they don’t have the Prius account.

There all look very professional and unless you knew you’d think Toyota were trying to give the Prius a sexier image and breaking with stereotype car ads. They may not be D&AD but they aren’t bad and actually refreshing. And who knows, could well attract a new audience to the Prius.

Ironically one of the most talked about VW ads of all time was a ‘mock ad’. It featured a terrorist blowing himself up inside a Polo. Despite being in very poor taste it was the one ad everyone wanted to see. Unlike Toyota, VW didn’t see the funny side of the ad and it all got very messy.

Ford got a lot of flack for their sun roof ad where the cat gets decapitated. Despite denials, many suspect those in Canary Wharf were involved.

A number of years ago Renault made a dreadful ad for the Kangol. It was bad. Thankfully the image of the car was saved by a German ad featuring a Rhino bonking the Kangol senseless. It had a higher recall than the UK version.

With YouTube and numerous ad sites, budding creatives (or bored ones in dull agencies) can now post their own ‘mock ads’ up. Gone are the days when we prayed for that golden brief. Stuff it, now you can have an idea and who cares if you don’t have the client. You just turn on the Mac, make the ad and post it up somewhere. And no anal account handler or client to destroy it. Creative heaven! Talent at last can fly.

When once people would try and run it in some obscure magazine or send it into Luerzers Archive or enter it into expensive awards to get noticed, your inspired idea can now be seen all over the world by tomorrow afternoon and you can be in a new job by the weekend.

‘Mock ads’ could change the face of advertising. The upside is at least we might start seeing some braver more imaginative ads about. And who knows, maybe soon a major brand will attribute increased sales to an ad made not by their agency but by some student from an obscure ad agency in Ohio.