Clever Creative: Rising Above the Static

Posted Wednesday April 12^th, 2017 by Caitlin Artigliere in Creativity + Art.

When you’re a network that puts out award-winning shows like Veep and Game of Thrones that get tons of free press, why would you even bother advertising? Whatever their reason, HBO has created a new campaign that brings together the characters/actors from their original series and sees if they can carry a tune. Check out today's “Clever Creative” ads from HBO that are rising above the static:

Why our GEMites liked this Clever Creative:

If you’ve never watched an HBO show, you need to fix that, but also this ad might not make much sense to you. However, if you’re a fan of some of the best TV shows in existence, then you know that iconic hum these actors are trying to create. At the beginning of every show, it’s the classic static and hum that lets you know you’re about to be submerged into an hour of some of the best drama, comedy and romance that TV has to offer. HBO’s new campaign is amazing, not only because it’s brought together some of our favorite people (even though that does play a big part), but because of the ad’s playfulness.

In the John Oliver cut, he brings up some pretty valid and funny points about the ad that maybe you were thinking while watching. The ads also have the characters of their critically-acclaimed shows in character, like Daenerys Targaryen who simply has her dragons do all the work for her (as always). Finally, we love the ads because if you’re a fan of HBO programming, you’re going to know which show each character represents, and you’re going to know the little inside jokes attached to them. However, if you don’t, it’ll peak your interest and maybe get you to look up their other, lesser-known shows and watch them as well.

Why our fellow creatives should like this:

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, simplicity is key. This ad doesn’t try to be complicated. It’s literally the actors from the HBO shows humming the recognizable sound that starts off all their programs. We think our fellow creatives should like that simplicity and the fact that in some of the other cuts of the ad, the only thing said, or rather sang, is that one note. That hum and static is synonymous with HBO shows and so are the stars that are in them. They took those two straightforward concepts and made an ad that can be easily associated with their brand, and that’s it.

We believe ads don’t need to be complicated to be creative. That’s not to say that some complex ones aren’t amazing, but through our experience, we’ve found that the simpler, the better. This new campaign from HBO is the epitome of that statement, which is why they are rising above the static of other TV network ads.

Let us know what you think, and be on the lookout for next week’s installment of Clever Creative!

If you’re looking for some clever creative of your own, feel free to contact us.

Clever Creative: Rising Above the Static

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