The Best Ad I Have Ever Seen

[Scareb]

This was brilliant. I love single shot scenes, and for this one to be over 6 minutes long.....yeesh. Just goes to show how awesome Robert Carlye is. I mean if he memorized his entire script, that's awesome. Just goes to show that a commercial doesn't have to just plunk a bottle of booze down in front of you, show it pouring into a glass and thats it. It actually educates you about johnnie walker and how it came to be. Much more enjoyable to learn about this way then reading it on wikipedia

And just whiskey? JUST WHISKEY????

You make me sick.....I say good day to you sir....GOOD DAY!

 

[Jayn]

Now I want a Magnum Ice Lolly! :lol
That was VERY well done.. but just made me want to see the movie version of the whiskey maker's life starring Carlyle..

 

[Nwerke]

I'm not getting the scepticism for memorising the script. Stage actors do that for a living. Not *that* difficult (and yes I've done it myself).

Druids had to memorise an entire code of law, now that'd be tough. Long, and boring to boot!

 

[Larry Young]

I agree; memorizing a five minute monologue is the least of that film's sublime achievements.

 

[Colin Droidmilk]

As a piece of film it's full of great technical achievements, sure, but as an ad it sold only Carlyle's delivery skills to me, and even then for only 2 minutes, as the stuff he was saying bored me stiff. Instead I had to go look for some proper Carlyle, a bit of Begbie to refresh my palate after watching the great man mouthing brand propaganda.

As for ads being art: hawking stuff isn't art, lol! Art is expression; selling isn't. Bill
Hicks went further. What was it he said? Something like if you take money to endorse products, you are excommunicated from the artistic world FOREVER - because taking money to spout PR bilge which you can't possibly believe means you can't be trusted. You do an ad for coke, how do we know you don't remain a puppet of coke? How can we trust you? Ads by their very nature are empty vessels, laudable only for their technical execution, which, as we all should know, is not where 'art' resides.

So I prefer ads to accept their hollowness, to accept that their purpose renders them always and forever dishonest cheese, and for artists of note to stay away from them. So I like this ad better: YouTube - ‪Milk Tray‬‏

 

[Larry Young]

As for ads being art: hawking stuff isn't art, lol! Art is expression; selling isn't.

About the last four thousand years of human history puts the lie to your statement.

"Art" is for dipsh!ts and "selling" is for dipsh!ts but using art to elevate commerce and commerce to fund art as this did is sublime.

 

[IndyFanChuck]

That commercial was pure art. If you can't see how artful that was, your blind. Respectfully, there are some wonderfully artful ads out there. This is one of the best ever. Period.

 

[Larry Young]

Steve's not blind; he's just coming from the ivory tower of capital-A artist. Of course he's going to look down on common peddlers. :lol

He's sort of missing the point in that this isn't an advertisement per se; the brief is clearly a corporate history, what with it being so long, as Jay notes upthread.

 

[rodneyfaile]

The funny thing is I don't really like blended whisky.

The only blends I have liked are Johnnie Walker and Dewars. Your average single-malt is most often better than your average blend, but Johnnie Walker Green is surprisingly better than a lot of single malts out there. My favorite is still Laphroaig.

 

[.:MirrorminD:.]

Definitely a cool ad. Reminded me of a few scenes from Children of Men where they did the large scale action scenes all in one take.

 

[Tony]

That was an astoundingly well excecuted ad! Why would anyone want to mimic it? They would all be just poor imitations.

 

[Bobtherocker]

And Star Wars is just a movie.
And the Mona Lisa is just a painting.
And the works of Shakespeare are just plays.

It's all about context and appreciation.

Now, am I comparing this ad to those things? No, not really. However, I can appreciate this commercial as the work of art that it is.

You missed the point a bit.
i can appreciate the ad as a nicely put together piece on the history of a family name and it's chosen trade. As someone else said earlier it's almost like it should be a film about the life and times of The Walker family. Distillers of whiskey. Did it make me want to buy whiskey? No. It made me want to go on holiday to Scotland.
What I was trying to say was that the talent and effort that goes in to producing these ads appears disproportionate to the product it's trying to sell. As if the product is actually beneath the ad itself.
Ridley Scott made his name in ads before he moved on to making movies. Maybe he felt the same as me. "I put all that effort into persuading people to buy a bloody ice lolly and they probably dont appreciate the 'ad' for the work of art it actually is". So he moves on to making movies as works of art that people will enjoy for what they are.

Advertising is clever. An ad can affect me in many ways and I enjoy watching some of them but not for the reason they were intended, which is to make me buy the product. They are almost going beyond their sole purpose and rendering themselves impotent.
The gorilla drummer didnt make me go out and buy whatever it was they were advertising but it did make me go out and buy the best of Phil Collins LOL

 

[Larry Young]

That film's intention wasn't to influence you to go out and buy Johnnie Walker; it's obvious it's a corporate history piece.

 

[Treadwell]

Well, then it isn't a "ad".

 

[Larry Young]

It's a kind of ad. Would everyone have known what a corporate history piece was, if I had written that? Just striving for the LCD.

 

[E-Wan]

In the industry, clients ask for all kinds of things. The line of what's an ad and what isn't has been increasing blurred over the last 5 - 10 years. Was Subservient Chicken an ad? It wasn't a :30 but it was definitely an ad for BK.

 

[CGClone]

Like Mr. Larry Young, being in advertising myself for 20+ years, you guys -regardless of whether you liked it, thought it sold you on Carlyle, Scotland or Johnnie Walker or non of the above - are talking about it.

I agree, it looks like a corporate history piece, a tradeshow or share holder bumper, etc - but in the right settings, it will completely rile the audience with an extreme enthusiasm.

It succeeded on so many levels. Johnnie Walker doesn't care if it makes you like its ad or not, or even buy it product. It's own history has spoken for itself.

 

[E-Wan]

Like Mr. Larry Young, being in advertising myself for 20+ years, you guys -regardless of whether you liked it, thought it sold you on Carlyle, Scotland or Johnnie Walker or non of the above - are talking about it.

I agree, it looks like a corporate history piece, a tradeshow or share holder bumper, etc - but in the right settings, it will completely rile the audience with an extreme enthusiasm.

It succeeded on so many levels. Johnnie Walker doesn't care if it makes you like its ad or not, or even buy it product. It's own history has spoken for itself.

Word.

Also, all you guys in advertising - enterprising LA-based copywriter looking for work! :angel

 

[Kerr Avon]

Very cool short, ad, or whatever. Carlyle was really wasted on Universe.

 

[Star Wars Chick]

Wooooowwwwwwwwwwwww. I agree with firesprite, I could listen to him read a grocery list. Beautiful ad, makes me wish I liked Johnny Walker. Sadly I don't but that ad was absolutely beautiful and makes me really appreciate the history of the company. That was just stunning.