Wanted !

Feb 3, 2008

Wanted !

(Click to enlarge pic)

Agency: Horizon.FCB/Kuwait
Client: Horizon.FCB/Kuwait

51 Comments, Comment or Ping

ang

and Art Directors.

Feb 3rd, 2008
just me

AND smart people to comment..I think it’s good

Feb 3rd, 2008
peter

over used idea!

Feb 4th, 2008
Moey

doesn’t interest me neither an arabic copywriter

Joe, you need to learn more about advertising, your target is an arabic copywriter then at least have the ad in arabic :)

Feb 4th, 2008
kre8tive

What’s with the broken pencil? This ad lack some insight but it’s a decent ad.

Feb 4th, 2008
just me

Moey, I think you should learn how an agency works before you jump to suchconclusions. Most of my friends working in the agencies cannot write Arabiccopy. Reasons why: they are either Lebanese who think in English, or Asianexpats who need someone to translate their English copy. So in both cases,the Arabic copywriter needs to be bilingual, otherwise, he would need atranslator. On the other hand Moey, did it occur to you that advertisingbriefs are written in English???!!! I think that writing this ad in English is rather a smart move, and not an oversight.BTW, I understood that part of the pen is for the part-time job (hope this is correct)

Feb 4th, 2008
kre8tive

Just me, you just created a spark right there… I think it would’ve been better if the pencil was sharpened both sides, yeah? Because Joe needs the writer in part-time basis. Can they fix this? lol… (this is fine as it is)

Feb 4th, 2008
just me

Great idea kre8tive, but in this case it works better for a bilingual copywriter no? i think Joe must keep that in mind whenever he has vacancy for that position ;)

Feb 4th, 2008
ang

how many times was a “copywriter” represented by a pencil?

Feb 4th, 2008
kre8tive

Ang, maybe the guys had no time to brainstorm for this one.

Feb 5th, 2008
Impartial

ANG: I think you just don’t like this ad, so better say it out loud rather than throwing comments like these to attract negative comments on a baseless statement. I can also say, how many ads have you seen with shopping bags? But what Pencil did was a new way of using the bag to deliver a redundant message. Same for this ad, yes we’ve seen lots of pencils when addressing copywriters, but I think there is a great twist to it by breaking the pen to say we need part-timers. Chill!!

Feb 5th, 2008
ang

You might be right about my comments attracting more negatives, but that wasn’t my intention. What I see is a self promo/recruitment ad done by FCB, a well known multinational network agency. That’s why they shouldn’t have used the cliched pencil visual.

Feb 5th, 2008
Impartial

But it’s not about the clichet visual, it’s what you do with it and how you can present it in a new way. Can you think of an object that was never been used before? Even the new pencil recruitment ad, how many times have we seen this computer window in ads before?? If you start doing an ad on the basis of not using an object that was used before.. than I guess we won’t be seeing any ad anymore anywhere across the globe.

Feb 5th, 2008
ang

Is this ad for the word “part-time”?! if it is, then ok fine it’s great!

Feb 5th, 2008
Mark

Why do people even try to be creative with recruitment ads? I think thats so old fashioned.

Feb 6th, 2008
NOMAD

MARK, a creative agency who can’t be creative in his own backyard has no right to spread creativity somewhere else. If you quit trying for creativity then you’re killing it..that’s not being old fashioned, that’s pessimistic

Feb 6th, 2008
NOMAD

This broken pencil ad is sending broken messages. Try covering the copy, can you still read the message through the visual? If not, then how can you consider this a great job?

Feb 6th, 2008
Impartial

NOMAD, where did you get this rule from? Some ads can be read by covering the message, some other cannot. Your comments are simply irrelevant in the advertising world. Remove “think different” from the apple campaign and what would you understand? Copy is integral for any piece of communication and it complements the ad.

Feb 6th, 2008
Mark

Nomad if you have time to be creative in your own back yard then you aren’t spending enough time at work.

No creative is going to join or apply at an agency because of the creativity of the ad. If anything they might be put off, like if I saw the ad above I would think the agency is trying too hard (sign of weakness) and they seem lame if they found this ad creative, so I wouldn’t apply.

People respond to recruitment ads because they need the job or are looking for a job in a better place. They might choose to respond to one ad over another based on the agency not creativity of an ad.

For example if a large international agency called John&Smith placed a regular straight forward ad looking for an art director, and another small local agency called Abou Ali Advertising placed a very creative ad also looking for an art director, who do you think would get the most responses? More people would most likely email John&Smith. You will get people emailing Abou Ali but those people are the ones sending emails to all the agencies and are of lesser caliber.

Now on the bright side at least Joe mentions Horizon FCB on the ad and hasn’t placed his personal gmail address.

Feb 6th, 2008
"P"

Thank you MARK for making my point concerning the email addresses on the Pencil Recruitment Ad!!!

Feb 6th, 2008
NOMAD

IMPARTIAL, i got it from apple…by thinking different. Silly!

Yet to your convenience digest this. Apple’s Picasso ad, if you cover the copy “think different” will still associate apple being different because of Picasso. In this ad from horizonfcb’s if you cover the copy, all i see is a crippled agency with lame designers maybe (nothing personal)

I did not suggest to remove the copy, i just showed how weak the visual is in delivering the message. There are creative ways in doing this, creative ways that work.

Lastly, my apologies to apple for comparing their ad with this yucky recruitment ad?

Feb 6th, 2008
Kre8tive

Whoow!! Damn! I missed something out here! Should’ve stayed online, missed the action. Now, wtf is with the email addresses? Mark chill, Nomad you talk too hard, P you got your point… bottom line, these ADS are cheesy, lame and “tryinghardtosqueezemyballstocreateacreativelikead” come on people, stop this bull crap! I don’t like this ad and I don’t like Gilbert’s ad as well, gmail or FCB, they’re the same shit—-email address!!! Now who’s creative? NOBODY… (there’s only one-KRE8TIVE:-P)

Feb 6th, 2008
Mark

Kre8tive I hope you weren’t offended because i mentioned your agency Abou Ali Advertising, it was just an example.

Feb 6th, 2008
Kre8tive

Apologies accepted, Mark.

Feb 6th, 2008
kre8tive

Mark, ‘you aware that Abou Ali Advertising somehow reads like AAA?

Feb 6th, 2008
kre8tive

Just call it, PICASSO Advertising:-P

Feb 6th, 2008
Mark

lol

Feb 6th, 2008
sleepingowl

Everyone needs to chill out! It’s a recruitment advert, put up here as a solution finder. I’m sure FCB did’nt put it up here as a testimonial to their creativity or to prove themselves as an awesome international agency. They are hiring…bottomlime. Why is everyone here always trying to pick wrongs in everything put up here?

Feb 6th, 2008
Mark

sleepingowl everyone is chilled out, we are just discussing the ad. No one is attacking FCB, we all have different opinions on the recruitment ad and we are just sharing them.

Feb 6th, 2008
kelly

Sleepingowl: thanks for observing the “phenomenon”: it’s rare to see some positive comments here

Feb 6th, 2008
kre8tive

POSITIVE. (that’s one)

Feb 6th, 2008
Mark

Kelly it would be unfair to give positive comments to bad work. Positive comments are usually reserved for work that is above average which is rare on this site but it does happen.

Its not the fault of the commenter’s that there isn’t better work displayed here.

Feb 6th, 2008
kelly

Mark: Nobody asked for positive comments on bad work, please!!!!!. Why don’t you define “above average work” for all of us and name some samples so we can understand where your definition comes from and what it is based on. Although to be a little bit more objective would not hurt you. Plus get out of “your” box and see the whole picture of KUWAIT’s advertising “world”…

Feb 6th, 2008
Impartial

Kelly: Most of the people on this blog place average opinions, and if you really trace back their comments, you can quickly realize how biased they are. This is one of the reasons why I am writing under the nickname Impartial, hoping to bring some much needed balance to this blog.

For instance, there’s this guy called Louai whom everybody seems to dislike (including myself), he always gets grilled no matter what he does. Now most of the times his work deserves to be grilled, but the problem is, the moment he places an ad people start to attack him personally forgetting all about the posted work. It is very hard for some people to be rational, you’ll have to live with it.

Feb 6th, 2008
Mark

Kelly for you this ad might be great, for me its not. No one is forcing you to abide by my ranking system and you can’t change mine to match yours. I compare all ads to international ones and not local ones and thats why I am hard on ads including ads produced by myself. I don’t think I have personally produced an ad that would rank higher then a 5 out of 10 on my scale but I will continue to try and achieve something better. I am hoping you also do the same thing.

I post under my real name and not some anonymous alias because I am not afraid to state my opinions and get attacked for them. I also don’t stop people from attacking my work or work produced by my agency because that would make me a hypocrite.

About your last statement of getting out of my box and seeing the whole picture I didn’t understand what you mean by that or how its connected to this discussion.

Impartial, the reason we poke fun out of Louai is because of the way he is full of himself. He doesn’t have any credibility and thats why no matter what he posts over here his work gets attacked. Now sometimes we over do it with the jokes but its just for laughs and poking fun out of him will get old soon and we will stop. We aren’t bankers here, we can joke around you know.

Feb 6th, 2008
Moey

Mark, I agree.. Rec ads should be plain and simple representing the agency’s logo. take example JWT Bahrain or Jordan ads

Feb 7th, 2008
NOMAD

Moey, the rec ads from jwt bahrain are plain, simple & STILL INJECTED WITH CREATIVITY & not straightforward “want ads” as what Mark’s trying to imply! Look at the layout, the concept, the feel, the style..is it somewhere close to those straightforward “want ads” we see on the dailies? What sets them apart? its creativity!

This is what I’m stressing. If you love what you do, you understand your endeavor, never give up on creativity…from minute things to gigantic scales. Rec ads are no exception. In fact I expect more from these ads because these are ADS BY A CREATIVE FOR THE CREATIVES!

Mark, those “John&Smiths” were all “Abou Alis” in the beginning. They became who they are now because of their work and not by name alone. In everything we do, never underestimate the power of Creativity. The Saatchis, Burnetts, McCanns, Walters, Ogilvys etc. they all understand this. Have you seen these giants post zero-creativity recruitment ads bearing their name? Whether visual or copy-based, creativity is always inserted.

And if I had to choose between John&Smith’s zero-creativity recruitment ad and Abou Ali’s Cannes-worthy one, Id rather be with those who fight for creativity! I have seen creativity shaped minds, moved feet, sparked revolution, transformed no one to a ONE SHOW & achieved the impossible..yet here you are yelling “why do people even try to be creative with recruitment ads?” What’s an ad agency who cannot even exemplify her mastery through recruitment solutions?

Feb 7th, 2008
Impartial

Thx Mark for the elaboration. I do respect your opinion.
Cheers!

Feb 7th, 2008
Gilbert Semillano

Undoubtedly true, Nomad. Great read.

Feb 7th, 2008
adchemist

Read this comments about “John&Smiths and Abou Ali One man Show” comments
http://www.adblogarabia.com/knock-out-prices-from-sony/#comments

Feb 7th, 2008
Mark

adchemist you might have as well posted that here instead of your longer post with link asking me to go there lol

Nomad, there are always exceptions. I wasn’t comparing a straight forward recruitment ad from an established agency with a cannes award winning one ad from a local agency. I would apply to the local agency with the cannes award winning recruitment ad also ;)

Feb 7th, 2008
Gilbert Semillano

Lol. Really funny how people think these days. Thanks Adchemist, let’s meet up one fine day, cool?

Feb 7th, 2008
Mark

Gilbert there wasn’t anything funny in what I had stated there. It was a simple straight forward question, is Pencil a one man show? And the answer I got from people was yes. I didn’t say anything was wrong with that, I was just curious.

Feb 7th, 2008
Gilbert Semillano

Mark I was laughing at Adchemist, not you. And Pencil is NOT a ONE MAN SHOW, Just ask me if there’s anything you need to know about Pencil… Not anybody else.

Feb 7th, 2008
man

owned

Feb 7th, 2008
Mark

No problem dude. You weren’t getting online so other people answered back.

Feb 7th, 2008
Louai Alasfahani

Hmmm….Broken Pencil…great idea ;)

Feb 15th, 2008
Moey

JUST ME, is it you Joe?

on any case, I was just reading the comments again and… do you have any problem with lebanese people? is it something about a race now or what? ;) fishing?

Feb 16th, 2008
kre8tive

Dear me… ain’t Picasso’s the most heated or hated man alive? I bumped into these, have a look:

http://www.adblogarabia.com/sale-at-ikea-in-kuwait/#comments

omg. i mean wtff! congrats, maestro!

my cup of coffee.

Feb 16th, 2008
just me

Moey: Joe needs to change his gender, to become me!! I even criticized the work coming out of his agency on more than one occasion.
On the other hand, I don’t understand how you read my comments as being against Lebanese? I am proud to be Lebanese. I was only stating facts. Take a chill pill !

Feb 16th, 2008
Moey

I thought so..

Feb 16th, 2008

Reply to “Wanted !”

3 simple blog comment rules: stay on-topic, no personal attacks/name calling and no direct advertisement for products or websites.(ads2blog.com welcomes debate and does not censor. It does; however, remove or modify comments that are ill-tempered or contain materials deemed inappropriate)

[All comments posted on this site express only the views of the commentators and not necessarily those of ads2blog.com team]

Before you go

Check out these cool links.

Wanted !

51 Comments, Comment or Ping

Reply to “Wanted !”

Categories

Links

Subscribe

Meta

Before you go

Recent Comments