We came across this walk-in fridge spoof and suspect it was made by TBWA\Neboko – the same agency that made the original. Heineken wouldn’t mind of course, if more consumers follow this example, but as building a walk-in fridge is slightly more complicated than, let’s say, making a Coca Cola geyser with Mentos, we doubt if they will. In any case, the viral is great entertainment and will definitely be viewed and passed around. Which confirms once again that advertising is shifting towards branded content and that Heineken understands this dynamic.

When you work in advertising, your worst nightmare is someone asking you to make a commercial for ‘feminine intimate care products’ – that’s correct, vaginal soap. Several male teams at Grey Amsterdam were tormented by Lactacyd to do just that – without any satisfactory results. Then someone had the luminous idea to ask a female team the same question. Elise Beenakker and Dagmare van Willigenburg came up with this brilliant idea for Lactacyd; the vagina-perspective – using the pay-off: “You’re vagina is fulnerable”. The execution could have been done better, we think, but then again, they had to use this tiny camera… In any case, GSK last week announced that the commercial will not be broadcasted anymore “due to internal reasons”. It wouldn’t surprise us if someone high up the GSK tree – maybe from the US head office – found the commercial too confronting. If so, why sell a product that embarrasses you? In any case, GSK also made it clear that the commercial is not to be submitted to any advertising festival. Too bad.

This great ad by TBWA\Neboko – featuring two housewarming hosts doing a tour through their brand new house and showing their favourite rooms - is conceptually strong and smoothly executed. The way we like advertising best! Interesting is that TBWA seeded the commercial through Hyves (the Dutch Facebook) before releasing it on television. The commercial is also a big hit on YouTube. There’s one thing we couldn’t figure out, though; why do the actors speak Dutch, when this ‘viral’ can easily serve the entire planet?

This viral for Greenpeace – made by AKQA Amsterdam and The Ambassadors – hits exactly the right nerve. It not only uses a world famous and charismatic personality, the timing is also perfect, since in most countries the upcoming US elections are being closely followed. What’s more, outside the US Obama is by far the most popular candidate (for example 88% of the Dutch would like to see him become president), which makes a message about change go down very well. And although the pay-off (“Why must we look to the past, for leadership today?”) might not be great, the commercial builds up wonderfully towards a climax. Especially the movie music gives you the feeling that…uhm…Yes We Can!

This beautiful commercial was made by Etcetera for Bol.com. Bol.com is the Dutch Amazon; it sells books, music, games and electronics online. The pay-off is: “Another reason to buy at Bol.com”. Followed by a voice-over saying: “you can choose from over 7.000 games, so there’s always something that does match your taste”. The animation is targeted smartly, very well made and it definitely forced a smile on our face. But we were also wondering what Bol.com is trying to tell us. That its competitors sell strange, mashed-up games? Execution is fantastic, proposition somewhat strange. Another example of a game-inspired commercial that we really like was created by W+K Portland in 2006. It spoofed Grand Theft Auto for Coca Cola. It became very viral and won quite a few awards.

Erik Wünsch, the founding father and Managing Director of S-W-H (Schaeffer-Wünsch-Has), is leaving his agency. Eleven years after having founded S-W-H Wünsch (47) wants to explore “new creative roads”. These roads might go cross-border, since in todays Adformatie Wünsch explains that he wouldn’t want to work for any other agency in the Netherlands; S-W-H is simply the best. Theoretically he’s right since S-W-H is Agency of the year 2007. So the question is, how will they perform without him. Well, we’re not too worried, if they continue to produce creative stuff like this.