Advertisement Review: "The Cog"

Watch the advertisement "The Cog."

Director: Antoine Bardou-Jacquet
Production Company: Partizan Midi Minuit
Agency: Weiden and Kennedy, London
Creative Team (Weiden and Kennedy): Ben Walker and Matt Gooden
Product: Honda Accord
Date Shown: 2003
Duration: 2 minutes

About the Advertisement

"The Cog" is a commercial made for Honda Accord with minimal visual effects. The commercial took about five (5) days to shoot with twenty (20) takes for each day shoot.

Review

The Honda Accord commercial, "The Cog" caught my eye the moment I saw it. What I liked about the commercial is that they used the domino effect principle to communicate accuracy or precision to the public. The point was understood. The idea was simple yet one would know that it was not an easy commercial to produce.

Also, the domino effect principle in the beginning of the commercial created curiosity on what the advertisement was all about. Hence, it will leave people wanting to see the rest of the commercial. This was a good way to introduce the the product, which in this case was, Honda Accord (which was eventually shown at the end of the commercial).

The lights and color scheme in the background helped the foreground stand out as the only items that moved were the items in the foreground.

What is your opinion on the commercial?

Advertisement Review: "Funeral"

Watch the advertisement "Funeral."

Filmmaker: Yasmin Ahmad
Launched by: Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports Ministry to promote family unity and celebrate one's life partners "for their imperfections."
Duration: 3 minutes and 2 seconds
Date Shown: 2009

Background of the Filmmaker

Yasmin Ahmad is a film director and writter. She was born in Malaysia and is presently the Creative Director at Leo Burnett. She has made several TV commercials which gained popularity in Malaysia. She also has made films and gained the respect of the public because of the international awards she has received. Her works include: "Rabun (My Falling Eyesight)," "Sepet (Chinese Eye)," "Gubra (Anxiety)," "Mukhsin," "Muallaf (The Convert)," and "Talemtime."

Background of Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports

Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports is a ministry of Singapore Government which is aimed to promote a over-all well being of individuals and strong family ties.

Review

In this advertisement review, I can honestly say that I watched the advertisement, "Funeral" repeatedly because of the impact it made on me. Most people find funeral scenes disturbing, but this advertisement is not. In fact, the advertisement was moving.

I also enjoyed watching the development of the advertisement. In the beginning of the advertisement, there was no music and was only played when the widower was about to point the highlight of the speech. Good timing of music plus choice of music created great audience impact. I was close to tears after the speech when the widower went to her crying daughter (with a smiling but sad face).

Meanwhile, I could not help but notice the multicultural people in the funeral. One would not be able to guess the nationality of the advertisement. This is good since this commercial can also be shown in other countries (if they decide to do so) and people from all over the world can relate to the commercial.

The gloomy lighting also helped set the mood. Over-all, good actors, lighting, and great words.

I welcome your comments.