Good Ads Made Great By Wildly Imaginative Illustrations
These ad illustrators are some of the best I've seen in the industry.
I am, generally speaking, not a fan of illustration or animation in ads. I prefer camera work. But: sometimes, the work is so damn good I put away my flamethrower and fire retardant jumpsuit and my permanent grumpy bitch face and smile, laugh even. Hard to believe, I know.
Sour Marbels (India)
So the selling point of this candy is: SOUR. Fucking nailed it. So sour, a dinosaur spits out a lion it has eaten, who spits out a caveman it has eaten, who spits out the Sour Marbel he ate.
Below, the sequence is: whale-shark(?)-diver. The third ad is: snake-alligator-tourist. This is what a good concept/campaign looks like. It could go on and on, for-fucking-ever. Ad agency: Ogilvy, Mumbai. Illustrator: Deelip Khomane. See more of their work here.
Hubba Bubba (Israel)
Now these illustrations are rich. Take a close look at all the humorous details. The benefit here: Bigger bubbles. The concept: a narrative being blown out of proportion. Above, a small fish becomes the Loch Ness Monster. Below, a small wooden horse hiding one Greek soldier becomes the Trojan Horse. Pretty sophisticated for selling bubble gum. But, I always remember and appreciate the Tom McElligott quote: “I’d much rather overestimate the consumer’s intelligence than underestimate it”. Today brands take note.
Olla Condoms (Brazil)
Olla condoms “with climax delay”. This is hilarious. Sperms, whiling the time away. Playing chess. Playing a guitar. Sleeping in a hammock (LOL). Playing computer solitaire. I love this ad. Ad agency: Age. Comunicações, São Paulo (No illustrator listed in credits).
Huggies Goodnites (South Korea)
Yep. Bedwetting ads. Not targeting young kids (duh), but parents. Goodnites underpants offer "the softest nighttime protection for your child", according to their website. Pissing oneself in one's sleep is pure trauma for a kid. But instead of focusing on the negative, Seoul ad agency Diamond Ogilvy created ads with fun illustrations featuring a naked boy enjoying urine dreams—helping to put out an angry fire and mimicking a spouting whale. Wee, pee! Illustrator: Ilsung Na.
Sci-Fi Channel (Italy)
It’s a turn-the-tables campaign. The Creature From The Black Lagoon is terrorized by one of his victims. Aliens run for their lives as they are buzzed by a jetliner. The third ad in the campaign features a resting zombie being frightened by the hand of a businessman. Ad agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Milan. Illustrator: Mike Koelsch.