I read with interest today in Marketing Week that online electrical retailer Dixons.co.uk (part of DSGi) has taken on department store competitors like  John Lewis by running adverts that  mock the department store’s middle-class values.

Dixons.co.uk have launched a series of outdoor adverts on the London Underground using John Lewis’s signature colour and font that state: “Step into middle England’s best loved department store, stroll through haberdashery to the audiovisual department where an awfully well brought up young man will bend over backwards to find the right TV for you.” (See related images to view the campaign.)

It goes on to say: “Then go to Dixons.co.uk – the last place you want to go,” using Dixons’ red and white font.

The campaign which also includes online advertising taps into recent shopping habits that see consumers researching big-ticket purchases in stores before seeking out the best bargains online. The ads were created by M&C Saatchi.

Niall O’Keeffe DSGi UK marketing director says: “There is considerable price competition in our market and before committing to a purchase customers tend to do a lot of research both on and offline. This campaign addresses that head-on and says, feel free to do your research, but make Dixons.co.uk your last port of call as here you will find all your technology needs and at low prices.”

The tag line also recognises Dixons’ poor record for customer service while highlighting its value proposition.

“This is a tongue-in-cheek campaign which essentially says feel free to do your research, but make Dixons.co.uk your last port of call as here you will find all your technology needs and at low prices,” adds a spokesperson.

John Lewis head of brand communication Craig Inglis says: “Our customers value service above anything else, so whilst we wouldn’t normally comment on competitor advertising, we do find it a bit odd that another business would try to make a virtue of the fact that they don’t have anything like a comparable service.”

Dixons also appears to target Selfridges department store in a similar advert.

In September, DSGi reported a 7% decline in sales over the first quarter of its financial year.

Ant & Dec to promote Nintendo

The first round of TV adverts start to air on 16th October and features Ant and Dec challenging members of the public to play Nintendo games. They  will be asking people of all ages who play the mammoth  Brain Training game, what it is about Nintendo they love.

However these are not just random members of the public as Nintendo launched a  national recruitment campaign to find members of the public to star with Ant and Dec in the TV spots.

Apparently Nintendo chose Ant and Dec as the new faces of the brand because they are genuine fans of Nintendo and they appeal to a broad range of people, just as Nintendo aims to.

The TV duo are latest celebs to promote the brand andwill take over from the Redknapps who have been helping to promote the Nintendo for the past few years. Other celebrities to have worked with Nintendo include; Nicole Kidman, Ronan Keating & family, Girls Aloud, Phillip Schofield & Fern  Britton, Beyonce, Vernon Kay & Tess Daly, Zoe & Johnny Ball and Olivia Newton John to name a few.

Here’s some of the past ads………

The game itself is OK if you like that style of music game but enhanced by the Beatles soundtrack and story.

The outro to the game is just as impressive as the intro, take a look for yourself:

Glad to see that the quality of the incidental elements of the game were not scrimped on.

And to think that in my youth I had pictures of this woman on my bedroom wall!!!!

Specsavers are a bit hit and miss with these ads but the Postman Pat one hits the spot.

You know the one where some daft bint rides a camel (wearing trainers) across the desert to an oasis. Up pops a man riding on the back of a giant seahorse.

Dear lord please strike down with bolts of vengeful lightning the ad team that came up with this commercial and may they never work on TV ads again.

There has got be someone with some better ideas than this. Clairol have more money than most and could surely have done something better.

Trainers on a comedy camel……….i ask you

The ad is called Tunnel and has a cartoon-like story of a young and handsome chicken-van driver who progressively improves his lot and ends up with a smart suit and fancy sports car after numerous swaps with another driver as they travel through a series of  tunnels.

There is something very ‘French’ about the ad and like all Stell Artois TV ads it seems to be set in times gone by and this one has a distinct 50s/60s feel. There is an almost slapstick quality to the story which could have come out of an early Pink Panther movie.

Does the ad make me want to go out and get a pint of Stella Artois 4%? Probably not. Does the ad tell a story and entertain me for 40 seconds? Definitely!

This ad works as part of the series of Stella Artois adverts which reinforces the brand with every showing and hardwires into our memories. Keep up the good work.

The real reason is that I am currently sunning myself in Cyprus, eating too much and drinking way too much Keo beer. However, I am back in Blighty from tomorrow with plenty of time on my hands so normal service will resume shortly.

Evian Baby Moonwalk Teaser

Evian Breakdancing Baby Teaser

The teasers build up to the main ad which includes over 90 babies filmed at Pinewood Studios. The ad is set to Rapper’s Delight by Dan The Automator, and shows the babies chilling out on roller boots and performing amazing stunts.

This is one of my favourites at the moment and is a welcome change to some of the bland TV advertising dross that appears on screen. Spending a little bit on your TV ad production can make all the difference. Evian may only pull ads out of the hat every decade but when they do they come up trumps.