For all the MadMen still working today, longing for Christmas, and needing some distraction badly; here you go! We aim to serve. There’s so much to say about these ads. And then again, there’s so much not to say about them, since they pretty much speak for them selves. One thing is sure, though; the terms ‘impact’, ‘free publicity’, and ‘word of mouth’ were probably used by SSSS & Orchestra when presenting their concept. And indeed, just like the Suit Supply campaign, this one might also be able to cause a bit of a stir. In fact, if Hunkemöller is lucky enough, some women might even feel compelled to submit a complaint at the Dutch Advertising Standards Authority. After all, most women don’t look this foxy in Hunkemöller’s underwear. So first of all the ads are misleading. But more importantly, presenting women obsessed by phalli is an oversimplification of the female mind – women are far more complex. How disrespectful! Or something… Anyway, Marcel van der Vlugt was the lucky photographer who shot this divine creature for magazines and outdoor, to be used in Holland, Belgium, Germany, and Spain. Merry Christmas!

We’ve been seeing a lot lately from Stamenkovits Stibbe Stalenhoef Schreuder & Orchestra. Not your regular advertising though, but in the form of a self promotional print campaign in trade magazine Adformatie. We’re featuring it, because it doesn’t look like your typcial agency advertising. Most agencies that advertise in Adformatie not very originally create a collage with screenshots of their work and a header that reads more or less: “we kick ass”. Instead, in print SSSS & Orchestra created 6 spreads or so with a bit of long copy on the site. The spreads are about clients that don’t want to broadcast the director’s cut, which is to say that clients are part of the creative process at SSSS. On the most striking photo everyone is wearing pink. Although the copy in the image reads “pink is the new black” – to say that opportunities are everywhere – it feels somewhat desperate.

There’s one with the header “About pitching”, in which Bela Stamenkovits disappointedly says “They judged us too small”. But through the body copy we find out that SSSS likes pitching and that it’s not about how big you are. There’s one about “old and new media” in which Mischa Schreuder shows Ed Stibbe what augmented reality is. In other words: at SSSS you get two generations of experience. In the most recent one, the agency is waiting in a hotel lobby, while the receptionist mispronounces their name – understandable when your name is a tongue twister. It is about investing in your brand. SSSS teaches us that an ad needs to be exposed 9 times before the target group picks it up. And, they add, “on top of it they need to like it”. So advertising is a bit of a risk. And like a salesman saying “I also bought them myself” SSSS shows they also dare to take a risk. Though we are in favour of brands that dare to stick their neck out, we’re not sure if this self-reflective, almost vulnerable tone of voice will do SSSS any good. Originalilty is one thing, but in advertising self confidence makes the money.

O.k., guys – an we really mean ‘guys’ – since we had such a great, uncomplicated weekend, we’ll start with some advertising that is really easy to digest. And we’re not going to be smart about it. We’re not going to talk about double layers. Or make critical remarks about the key message or the brand positioning. No subtle notes about the execution. Nope. We’ll just give you some advertising that feels completely like advertising. Maybe not really our style, but this did kind of make our day. Created by SSSS & Orchestra.

A new print and outdoor campaign by Suit Supply. We’ve pretty much said all there is to say about these campaigns in one of our previous posts; created to stand out, provoke and thus cause rumour around the brand. And shot by house photographer Carli Hermès. What’s different about this series, is that the men in suit not only pose with naked (ethnic) women, but also with animals. All to support the message that the suits will fit you like (a second) skin. Here (bums), here (snake), here (titties) some more. Enjoy.

The compact team of SSSS & Orchestra – a name that always makes us trip between the third and fourth ‘S’ – thanks its clients with a very sympathetic Christmas present this year; a CD (read: compact disc) in black tie with the agency’s favourite Christmas classics. Since we don’t own any Christmas compilations and – more importantly – always appreciate a gift, we’ve already played the album quite a few times, reminding ourselves that it is Christmas soon. We have to admit that every now and then we skip a song, since the different music styles are as diverse as the people on the album cover. As you can imagine Bela Stamenkovits (glasses, showing his watch) and Ed Stibbe (grey hair, tilted bow tie) have a more – let’s say – mature taste with Otis Redding and Chris Rea, while the pretty girls prefer Beyonce, Lady GaGa, and Destiny’s Child. In the CD booklet the S’s and their orchestra explain what kind of Christmas mood belongs to their favourite songs, which gives the album an extra personal touch. Thanks, 4xS&O for getting us in the Christmas mood!

In September we wrote about the ‘Shameless’ Suit Supply campaign that we love so much. But unfortunately – or fortunately, if you will – we are not the average Dutchmen. Many people were offended by the beautiful pictures by Carli Hermès and issued a complaint at the Reclame Code Commissie (Dutch Advertising Standards Authority). The complaints judged the posters tasteless and disrespectful towards women. Earlier the photos had to be removed from Facebook because they were ‘deemed offensive’. And in London’s Westfield shopping centre, the print ads also raised some prude eyebrows – but the British Standards Authority couldn’t do anything about it, because the ads were shown inside Suit Supply. On Monday the RCC ruled that the sexual innuendo’s are not crossing any borders of good taste, decency, or morality. The RCC also couldn’t see why the ads lack respect for women. How can you not agree; there’s no doubt whatsoever that the lady in this picture loves to show her underwear. In fact, it even seems to make her horny! Rrrrr…. We look forward to Suit Supply’s next campaign.

Sources: RCC, Adformatie, Z24