These Are Not The Looniest Tea Ads I've Ever Seen.

But they're damn close (free post).

Good weekend to discuss tea ads, yes, what with that King Thing going down.

It’s a newish campaign via Australia for Tetley: “Spill The Tea”. And, amazingly (to me) I kind of like it. I love the layouts. I like the concept. The lines are OK, would have liked to have seen them “pushed” more, more “dirty” spills. I bet the creatives have better executions that were killed internally or by Tetley.

Who is that anonymous young reconstructed man? Stock model? Agency junior account exec? He looks like someone famous, can’t put my finger on it.

“Fakon hit the fan”—nice. I love the Liar Pig. From the press release:

“The fact is, unlike alcohol which comes with a spectrum of consequences increasingly shunned by younger Australians, or coffee which is used more as an accelerant while on the go, tea has the unique power to make people pause, be more present and let the conversation start flowing. This is something we identified in the strategy development as a growing need among a generation that’s ironically feeling more disconnected than ever, and knew it would form an important consideration in the creative”.

(sigh) That’s not irony. Non-creatives should just never talk about the Creative. Ever. Ad agency: 303 MullenLowe.

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But—this is still the all-time worldwide champion of insane tea ads. The product is Suntory Goma-Muga cha, tea for high blood pressure. It’s an ol reverse sell: showing one of the few times when having high blood pressure is a good thing (maybe the only time).

So uh, while trying to put out a fire, man is struck in the forehead by a sharp piece of wood He’s then able to put out the blaze with the resultant spurting head blood, thanks to his high blood pressure.

Yes it is a real ad, from 2007. Ad agency: Hakuhodo, Japan.

And, just for the fuck of it, here’s two tea ads featuring Hitler as the linchpin.

LEFT—Via Thailand, an ad for herbal laxative tea. The "demon" being, I guess, Shit(ler). Thailand has a “thing” for Hitler. RIGHT—Via Turkey, for Rasayana anti-stress tea. COPY: “Make Peace With The World”. Digging that shirt, even though it's a Photoshopped Iron Cross. Ad agency: Art Grup, Istanbul.

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