Not bad eh? Click here to see the no smoking sign that I had spotted at Pizza hut.

Ever since Vodafone has taken over Hutch for $19.3 Billion (only), they’ve been plastering the country with TV Commercials, Hoardings and even Bumper Stickers.

I for one am going to miss Hutch. Not too much for their service they provided (because I’ve heard it sucked), but for their brilliant advertising. Who can forget their terrific teaser launch. It was the first time I’ve seen Hoardings taken all over the country with a common face and a big bold “Hi”. This was done when Airtel where wooing Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar to pose for their ads. What Hutch saved from royalty fees to these stars, they splurged in volume by covering as many locations as possible. This was followed by the even more successful TV Spot of a cute dog following a boy in all unlikely locations, ending with the tagline “Where ever you go, the Hutch network follows.”

The first prize however goes to the Hutch sponsored sign up at my local mosque that says, “God may speak to you here, but He’s unlikely to use your mobile. Please switch it off before entering the mosque.” Now, that’s class.

There’s something mysterious about the effect of creative advert. It makes you smile, think over the message, ponder it’s flawless execution, you may not buy the product on offer but you nevertheless whisper, “Damn, that’s a good ad.”

I have seen a fair share of creative adverts when growing-up in Dubai. It was love at first sight. Hence my excitement when I came across Ad Blog Arabia, a blog which posts and archives the most creative ads released in the Gulf. Now mind you, these may not be the most effective selling ads, but in their own way are little pieces of art.

Definitely an addition to my Netvibes page. By the way, do you know of any Blog/website that showcases great ads?

The below ad, very aptly reflects the attitude of Dubai. With projects such as the Palm Trilogy, Burj Dubai and now Floating Towers the Rotating City, truly the sky is begining to seem to small a limit for Sheikh Mohammed. Have a look at the other ads in the series.

I spotted this in one of the RFL runs around Ulsoor Lake. Nice one, eh? :-)

They even made pc (the guy in the suit) looks like Bill Gates in these really cool imac ads.  Hilarious!
Keep smiling :-)

Arif

Ps. The Virus ad and the Restarting ad are my favourite!

I don’t know about you guys, but I seriously think that the guys behind the Got Milk campaign have been watching a wee too much of X-Files reruns. I mean just have a look at this & this.

Below is a creative from, Amnesty International’s letter-writing program — “in which regular citizens are encouraged to write letters to presidents, dictators and prime ministers of countries whose actions are in question, asking for change and letting them know they are being watched,” explains Joel Clement, regional head of art at Saatchi & Saatchi Southeast Asia.
Good one Amnesty International!