How the movies have inspired creativity in advertising
by Julian Gratton
When I was a kid I had a friend who lived next door whose dad was in the Territorial Army. The best thing, as far as I could see, about having a dad in the Territorial Army was that he would come home on a weekend in an old Army Land Rover… an Army Land Rover that was perfect for firing-up our boyhood imaginations.
You see, this was not just any Land Rover in our eyes… it was a Nazi Land Rover! A Nazi Land Rover carrying the Ark of the Covenant to a secret lair where it would be opened in some bizarre ritual. Cue then lots of walking down the side, sliding underneath and jumping on top of this battered old vehicle as my friend and I took it in turns to be in intrepid archaeologist… Indiana Jones!
That Christmas
Forget about Star Wars toys and Lego… the main thing I wanted for Christmas that year wasn’t something big and expensive. No. It was a chocolate orange. But this was not any ordinary chocolate orange. You see it was now a golden idol of a chocolate orange… a golden idol that an ordinary guy dodged spears and life-threatening traps to secure for himself while his wife was out shopping.
And I too had to have it!
Altering a famous scene to highlight your product
For me the advert above was the first taste of an advertising technique that has been repeated countless times. But it’s a technique that when done well can be used to great effect. Take for example the classic Holsten Pils adverts featuring Griff Rhys Jones.
Unlike the Terry’s chocolate orange advert, which just positioned the chocolate as something so good you’d go to extremes to get your hands on it and hide it. The adverts for Holsten Pils, written by Copywriter Steve Henry, juxtaposed the films’ original lines with new ones spoken by Rhys Jones extolling the taste of Holsten Pils.
The most famous of these adverts is undoubtedly the one that alters a scene from Some Like It Hot. My favourite, though, has to be the one below, which features Rhys Jones clutching a glass and bottle of Holsten Pils in prison. It perfectly adds a different meaning to the look on George Raft’s face as he walks back to his cell… a look that has me smiling to myself every time I see the advert.
Paying lip service to a movie
You don’t have to use expensive effects or completely steal a scene from a film to pay homage to it though. Sometimes just taking the premise of a scene from a movie is just enough to make people associate your product with a film, and in some instances the recreated premise of a certain scene is actually better than the original film itself. Take for example the advert below for Heineken, which cleverly pays lip service to My Fair Lady.
My favourite of these kinds of adverts has to be the one below for PG Tips featuring Johnny Vegas, which cleverly apes (pun intended) a scene from When Harry Met Sally. And unlike the Heineken My Fair Lady Advert, it actually aims to get across a product benefit – that of how a nice cuppa makes you feel.
Back when I was a junior working at the now long-gone agency of Poulters in Leeds, my then Art Director and I created a similar kind of advert for McCain Oven Chips. We are still incredibly proud of this advert simply because it was our first and we learnt a hell of a lot from it. And yes, the idea was nicked from a scene from the animated classic Toy Story. Instead of Toy Soldiers going to see what is going on though… Oven Chips make a perilous dash to see what is happening with a couple that are watching the National Lottery, and who have got their ticket from a bag of oven chips – hence why the chips are so interested.
Using a technique from a movie
With regards the ‘look’ of some adverts it’s fair to say that the sci-fi classic Blade Runner has influenced a fair few. From anti-smoking adverts to spots for Japanese cars, which you can see below, the set designs, effects and cinematography from Blade Runner have had a massive impact on advertising.
Another film that had a similar impact had to be Terminator 2. Simply for one special effect created by Industrial Light and Magic, which saw the main villain of the movie morph into other characters and shapes. Cue then a multitude of adverts where morphing effects were used (I’ve tried to find the Shell advert that was one of the first to use this effect but sadly I can’t). Even today we have effects being copied like the advert for Doritos that you can see below and a wide range of brands rushing to get out a 3D advert, which has been influenced by the sudden rise in movies being shown in 3D.
So why do some advertisers utilise movies for their adverts?
When it comes to a popular or even classic movie you could argue that the familiarity that the consumer has with the movie already creates a peak in interest that stops them from turning over. Couple that with a little bit of creativity and the audience feels rewarded for investing their time in your advert as they appreciate the fun spin you have placed on it… and if the spin is good enough not only will they tell their mates down the pub but when they see the movie again they are liable to relate it to your product.
That effect can even be achieved by just stealing the look or an effect from a film. It’s fair to say that whenever I now watch District 9 I’ll think of Doritos chips, which just happen to be the perfect thing to munch on while watching a movie.
For me, the best advert that takes something from a movie is one that brings something new to the scene or effect that is stolen. The Holy Grail will always be the Holsten Pils adverts for the way they cleverly get across product features and entertain at the same time.
It’s safe to say, though, that as long as there are movies, us Creatives will always be influenced by them in some way for our ideas. Feel free to highlight below any of your own adverts that have been influenced by movies.
If you’d like to have a powerful advert created for you… why not give Red C a call on 0161 872 1361 or click here
Tags: Advertising Creativity, Blade Runner Inspired Adverts, Direct Marketing Agency, District 9 Parody Advert, Holsten Pils TV Adverts, Indiana Jones Inspired Advert, Manchester Advertising Agency, Marketing Agency, McCain Oven Chips Advert, Movie Advertising, Online Marketing Agency, PPC Marketing Agency, SEO Company, TV Advertising, When Harry Met Sally Inspired Advert
