Ad Watch Web Watch - MMHK Mar

Connie Lo, executive creative director

Leo Burnett Hong Kong

HOT Wellcome Supermarket 3 out of 5

I salute the agency for the passion and perseverance in raising the creativity bar of Wellcome Supermarket. For years, famous show host Carol "DoDo" Cheng would appear every once in a while to present their products and weekend specials. How things have changed. Their new work has caught me by surprise with spots like the "never neglect the value of a dollar" TVC that taps into genuine human insights with decent story telling to top it off. The personification of the one dollar coin is fun, though a bit expected and can be better executed. Instead of just doing another discount product classified ad, it manifests into an engaging big idea campaign of "the value of one dollar", it's no doubt a success on the strategy input of both the agency and the client.

NOT Federal Restaurant 1 out of 5

As a parody of the government's anti-smoking campaign, this TVC tried to be funny, but hasn't met with much success. It has fulfilled the task of advertising the wedding banquet services of the restaurant, I do get it, and I do remember it. But is it selling emotional appeal, or is it a slapstick comedy ad?  To build up suspense, the TVC showed a newlywed couple repeatedly saying, with teary eyes, "I really want to thank... I really want to thank..." and approaching the end it gets bizarre, even ridiculous, when it's revealed that they actually want to thank the restaurant. The restaurant? Really? Instead of being grateful to their friends and family? Am I getting too old for this joke?

WEB WATCH

Jayne Leung, regional director Asia DoubleClick

HOT OCBC Bank - Ask OCBC campaign 4 out of 5

Banking campaigns have always been thought to be on the dry side, lacking much creativity and interactivity. They're either offering you a free gift (which you don't need) for credit card sign up, or lower interest rates for loan or so.  The OCBC Bank's latest "You Ask Why. We Ask Why Not" campaign was a nice surprise. Their online ad campaign starts off with wishes from the consumers, and from there induces people to click through to the mini site to see how their wishes could be fulfilled.  I am hooked quite naturally as I have asked those questions too...why can't banks be opened on Sundays? Why can't we take the bank wherever we go? The ad was not particularly complicated, but hit right into the consumers' mind. The mini site is fun too - not the traditional - banking products on the menu bar - type of approach. Again, following on the theme of the ad, the way the info is laid out is from a need perspective and upon the consumer interacting with the site, they then unfold how their offerings fulfill each need. There is also a mini real-time poll asking in some ways silly questions like "What would you like to do this Sunday" or "What do you have in your pocket today", which encourages further consumer engagement. It was weird for me, as I actually spent over 1 minute playing around with the mini-site, including the little polls...despite the fact that I can't really use OCBC Banks, as I don't live in Singapore!

NOT: CableTV - www.cabletv.com.hk 2 out of 5

I am not a Cable TV subscriber, and so don't really go to the Cable TV main site at all. Just this other day, I was discussing with my friend where to go for dinner, and she remembered a place recommended by a Cable TV program. As I was online, so off I typed, www.cabletv.com.hk, and aimed to look for the program review for the restaurant address...And I was shocked. The main page was filled with four, five flashy floating ads, flying around, some even covering the content. The blocks of buttons on the left, showcasing the different channels, were all so cluttered and flashing at the same time. I frowned...reminding myself, my objective was to search for the restaurant address. So I continued, navigating through site, only to find more inconsistency in terms of page layout and site structure. I guess it must be me as I'm quite sure my friend did manage to find the info previously. Anyways, after 10 minutes, I gave up. What happened to all the do's and dont's of website design 101?