Last but not least: Target narrowly missed
Jung von Matt/Elbe has submitted a Nivea campaign in Cannes. "Probably the stupidest thing I've ever seen in my life," says advertising legend Sir John Hegarty.
That's probably what Jung von Matt/Elbe wanted too. According to Casemovie, the agency developed a remote-controlled seagull for the same client that throws sunscreen at children. They burst into enthusiasm and rub themselves with the supposed bird excrement. Oh yes: before the seagull strikes, the hidden, peeping Tom-like seagull pilots scan the beach with a UV camera to see where sunburn-prone children are.
What looks like an advertising satire (and would then be quite funny) is obviously meant seriously. Adweek.com has published the entry submitted in Cannes. Sir John Hegarty, founder of the London-based creative agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) and this year's jury president of the Titanium and Integrated Lions, aroused the curiosity of the journalists present when he told them about the campaign. "You should have seen it. It's probably the stupidest thing I've seen in my entire life". At first he suspected Monty Python was behind "Care from the Air".
Unlike the robot seagull, however, the campaign has never seen the wild. It is therefore not surprising that Nivea - especially under these circumstances - no longer wants anything to do with the case. The German agency replied to the US advertising portal that the client did not want any major promotion of the campaign, which is why it is no longer involved.
To be fair, however, it has to be admitted that most children would probably really enjoy the seagull and its droppings. How it is supposed to drop its load from the air with such precision that neither hair, eyes nor sand are hit, however, remains the agency's secret. Mockery and derision instead of lions and rosé - the next attempt is sure to work. (hae)
