An insight by Andrew Howie

Head – Andy Murray

Each year as Wimbledon comes around, the blow torch gets applied to Andy Murray and the whole of Great Britain pins their hopes on his success. He has managed to get as high in the professional rankings as number 2 in the world, but currently is sitting at 4th. He has twice made the finals of a grand slam at both the Australian Open and the US Open. His best Wimbledon appearances have both ended in the semi finals. So far, the Poms have had to wait for Murray to become the first British men’s champion since Fred Perry in 1936.

In a recent campaign for his major sponsor Head launched to coincide with this year’s Wimbledon tournament, Andy Murray performed some amazing tennis feats on the streets of London. On closer inspection here seems to be a few editing tricks along the way. But overall, it seems that he has done it all himself. Some of the tricks are pretty impressive.

There have been discussions around the authenticity of the footage. I think that given it is a piece of entertainment; it should be viewed as such. It doesn’t matter if it is real or not, but rather that it is engaging and memorable. Two of the most important things in advertising. It has been viewed close to 1 million times on Youtube alone. It was picked up by most sporting blogs around the world and was the subject of plenty of editorial content when it was launched.

It is also a great way to showcase the personality that is Andy Murray. He comes across as laid back and confident. There is no doubting his skill level, no matter the authenticity of the footage.

This is the first time that Head have engaged in a non-traditional form of advertising. The fact it has been so well received may well see them explore something like this again. And what better way to leverage your sponsorship arrangement with a star than to have them doing something they love and are clearly skilled at? It seems like a far more natural fit than many other arrangements around at the moment.

What do I think of it? When it is all done, I want to load it up and watch it again.

Now sit down with a hot cup of English Breakfast, a scone and enjoy this.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYjFoCIfyAU

As the days start getting longer and the temperatures begin to rise, summer begins to signal its intents. And with the arrival of summer comes a new series of beer commercials. Within the Australian domestic market, there are three big players. Carlton, VB and Tooheys New. All three go punch for punch each year trying to out-do each other with campaigns.

The war has seen campaigns such as ‘The Big Ad’, ‘Made From Beer’, ‘The Beer Economy’ and ‘Tall Men’ go to air, many of which have gone on to win awards at various shows around the world.

Carlton lead the charge this year with a great commercial that celebrates life in slow motion. Featuring a series of funny moments, this commercial was shot using the slow motion cameras we have come accustomed to when watching sport. The cameras they use to show cricketers and tennis players hitting the ball and cars going around corners, really really slow. I love the look for approval at the very end.

Here is the commercial:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQsA2eW6-Vo

VB take a different approach to their ads. Traditionally they take the piss out of metrosexuals. Looking back at their campaigns from past years, they take a dig at them at some point. Their commercial for this year take aim directly at fun boys and takes them down. Whether it is a guy who buys fruity cocktails, or over-moisturizes his hands, if you have lost touch of your blokey side, expect to appear in their commercial.

Take a look at the genius here:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i08jbz4wOmY

Both are great campaigns. When you watch them back to back, it’s a bit uncanny how similar they feel.

None the less, still great work. Not sure either top these two all time greats:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml3ybCxxMRk

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94syGYcdGcU