WWF's endangered emoji

Weiden & Kennedy have created a campaign for WWF titled 'Endangered Emoji'. According to WWF 17 of the emoji animals are endangered.

Using a zeitgeist to communicate a serious issue is an incredible thing for WWF to do. According to a recent study by the BBC the 'emoji' is the fastest growing language in the world. Therefore, WWF are able to communicate this serious issue with the whole world by using these unique characters that virtually everyone can understand.

By signing up to the campaign, you can donate 10 pence to the WWF for every endangered animal you tweet.

This incredibly unique campaign is considered one of the best advertising moves of the year and I can't help but agree. This is a great idea and I hope it proves to be successful for the WWF.

Great Business move spotted locally

I recently walked past a Timpson Dry cleaners and noticed a sign outside. The sign reads: 'If you are unemployed and need an outfit cleaned for an interview, we will clean it for free!'

This is not only a really great gesture by Timpson but also a great bit of advertising for them as a company. If an unemployed person does this, they are likely to return to the company if they are happy with the service. Also, even if people are not unemployed, just by seeing the sign they will appreciate the gesture and recognise the good nature of the company.

A subtle gesture like this one can be great for the reputation for a company.

Vodafone & Terry the Turkey

Vodafone's Christmas advertisement features a family lovingly raising a Turkey which appears that they will eat on Christmas Day. When the time comes however, the Father of the family decides against it and they all have a nut roast instead.

In a time when most companies are attempting to pull on the heart strings of the nation with their Christmas advertising, it is quite refreshing to see Vodafone us a comedic tone of voice whilst still portraying the value of family at Christmas time.

It may not get the recognition of the likes of Sainsbury's and John Lewis, but I think Vodafone have done a great job from standing out from the crowd by using a slightly different tone of voice.

'Robert Dyas' Sexuality advertisement [Ethics]

Robert Dyas is a DIY store based in London. Like most retailers at the moment they have recently released their Christmas advertisement for this year.

Their Christmas advertisement features both members of staff and customers commenting on their sexuality and also information about the store and their products.

The acceptance of sexuality is a zeitgeist at the moment, especially after many recent laws being changed in many different countries allowing same sex marriage. However, this advertisement is somewhat confusing as it seems to have no real proposition or agenda, other than the fact that the company support any sexuality.

The advertisement has certainly got people talking however, many people simply confused by the random nature of the advertisement. Any publicity is good publicity!

Creative local advertising in Stoke-on-Trent

An illustrator who goes by the name 'eight bit' has created some alternative illustrations for A local coffee shop in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent called 'Tsp.' The illustrations depict the latest John Lewis Christmas advertisement 'Man on the moon' but with a unique twist. When the little girl sends the telescope to the old man, as opposed to being happy he is disappointed to not receive cake. The slogan then reads 'Show someone they're loved this Christmas! (With Cake)

Christmas advertisements are a zeitgeist at the moment, the John Lewis advertisement in particular has got people talking more than most. To capture the zeitgeist with such unique illustrations is great for a small business to do!

Domestic abuse interactive billboard

London Agency WCRS have created the worlds first interactive billboard for Women's Aid

The billboard features a woman who has been domestically abused and has bruises on her face. The advertisement uses facial recognition to identify how many people are looking at the advertisement. The more people that are looking at the advertisement, the more that the injuries on her face disappear. The message here is that more people should be paying attention and acknowledging the serious issue of domestic abuse.

This advertisement could be considered a form of 'shockvertising'; which tends to be effective when raising awareness of serious issues, however disturbing or upsetting they may be.

The unique format of this advertisement is another reason for people to pay attention to this issue, which would have been Women's Aids main goal.

Protein World controversial advertisement

Protein World were relatively unknown until recent controversy with a print advertisement for their weight loss protein shakes.

The advertisement features a slender, half naked woman with the caption 'Are you beach body ready?'.

The advertisement featured 378 ASA complaints and there was also a petition to remove the advertisement from London Underground which received over 40,000 signatures. The ads were also defaced and there was even a hashtag #EachBodysReady.

Protein World CEO Arjun Seth was immensely pleased with the advertisement however, even with the negativity surrounding it. He claimed 'sales have tripled' and the 'PR department got their bonus'.

Although the general public are upset with this advertisement, you cannot argue with statistics. If sales are going to triple, I'm sure they would do it again in a heartbeat.