Press F3 for your Smith 'n Wesson Revolver.

You wouldn't think if you saw it, but this outdoor ad wasn't done by a South African agency. It was done by The Jupiter Drawing Room, New Zealand.
It's still based around South Africa, so I'm going to do it anyway.

These 'vending machines' were placed on university campuses and in shopping malls. The money went to the Gun Control Alliance, for a gun-free South Africa.

The headline reads, "This is how easy it is to get hold of a gun in South Africa."
The following copy reads, "Insert coin below. Your donation will go to the Gun Control Alliance, for a gun-free South Africa."

I, being a South African, am still quite offended by their over exaggeration. It's trying to create awareness about the gun problem in South Africa, but it isn't like walking up to a vending machine and buying one. It's solely aimed at an international market.

Even though this ad creates international awareness, it also make foreigners think "Is it that bad in South Africa? I'm no going there on my next holiday." It's driving away tourism, and it's just making us up-standing South Africans look bad.

Guns in South Africa are seen as a big illegal problem. People that have guns without warrants, or people that get guns illegally. In other countries, such as the United States, guns are on a much larger scale, but are sold legally. It seems it's only a problem if people have illegal guns, not the crime that guns create. The ad should have read, "This is how easy it is to get hold of a gun in the United States."

Other than driving away tourism, and giving off a bad taste of South Africa; the ad is very good. It creates awareness of something that many people wouldn't normally be aware of.

If this ad was done by a South African agency, it would've been very different. We wouldn't demean ourselves. But instead we got another country to do it for us.

What smells, hurts, and tastes like cough syrup?

Cough syrup, needles, seafood, and impending bee stings. These are just some of the things our mouths go through.

Wrigleys Orbit chewing gum has taken a new approach to their print advertising. With the release of their new 'fruity flavours', they have decided to veer away from the normal "bacteria eliminating" "fresh breath creating" benefit that their gum offers. Instead they've taken the perspective of our mouths and have tried to show what it has to put up with on a regular basis.

The headline, "Your mouth's been through a lot. Show it a good time.", gives you a taste , excuse the pun, of what Orbits new gum is about.

The 'fruity flavours', supposedly, give your mouth a break. From what it's used too. I can imagine the ideas the creative team would've had, before they got to their final campaign. 'It's like giving your mouth a vacation.' This would've likely ended up with the view of a mouth looking like a beach side resort. Mmm, chewing gum that tastes like sand.

I agree with the angle that they've taken. Instead of showing the effect of what the gum has on your mouth. Which can likely give off a bad view of the gum itself, if it's not executed properly. They decided to show the negatives of what your mouth normally goes through, for most people.

The idea is original and refreshing. Coupled with a brilliant visual execution and a good headline; makes it an all round ad campaign that other chewing gums can be envious of.

Wrigleys Orbit is seen as a global brand, and product; yet this campaign was created in South Africa. Yes that's right. Whoever said South Africans don't make good advertising, was either lying or just ignorant.

I'm quite glad to be part of the advertising industry in South Africa at the moment.
Unlike the UK and the States, where advertising is stagnating, South Africa is going full steam with innovative ideas and prospects. Don't get me wrong, there are very bad ads, like every country, but it's the good ones that are getting noticed and that's what matters.

"Thank God..." "I'll have..." "...the best beer in the world."

Beer. The social lubricant of many occasions. Beer brands are aimed very much at the male gender. Thus their ads revolve around men and their interests. A very large category of that, being women.

These three ads are done by three different beer brands, with the same concept behind it. How can these beer brands relate their product to men and their love of women.

Heineken decided to aim this particular ad at single men who try to buy different women drinks, and how they could accomplish this feat. Their two headlines being, “So, can I buy you a drink?” and, “Okay. I’ll have a beer.” This being the shortened version of a possibly, long conversation. Buying a woman a drink has always been seen as an opening to getting to know her, and in the end, possibly sleeping with her. This diagram, once you’ve looked at it, shows lots of humour into the female and male perspectives.

“So, can I buy you a drink?” – “If I say yes, will you go away?” – “How about this? If you don’t say no, I won’t not promise that I won’t not leave.” – “No means no.” – “So…maybe?” – “I thought they only let good looking people in this place. How did you get past the bouncer?” – “I believe it’s inner beauty night.” – “Okay. I’ll have a beer.”

The headline following the last statement, “One Choice Beer.” Is saying that Heineken is the only option. ‘You’re going to eventually get your girl with a Heineken’, was the reasoning behind it.

Goldstar has done a similar diagram effect but with visuals instead of one-liners. Each diagram, in the Goldstar ad, starts with a man or a woman, and follows with each genders thought pattern. Men are known to only think about the here, and now. Buy a beer. Find a woman. Sleep with her. And that’s it. There’s only one route and one anticipated ending. Men worry about everything else later.

Women on the other hand, can think years ahead. Buy a drink. Find a man. Sleep with him. And try to figure out the numerous possibilities after that.

The headline simply reads, “Thank God you’re a man.” A very simple insight into the thought patterns behind men and women.

Carlsberg has done something slightly different. The copy reads, “Carlsberg don’t do camouflage, but if we did, it would probably be the best camouflage in the world.”

The headline, “Probably the best beer in the world.”

Carlsberg has decided that their insight is that their beer is loved by men worldwide. They have a very loyal following. The ad itself is humorous, but makes you look for it.

You may have noticed the three floating beer bottle, behind the woman bathing. What you may not notice is the very slight off setting of parts of the shelves. This is because there are three men, camouflaged into the background, thus tying in with the copy and headline. The idea is simple, but it doesn’t have a specific point. Carlsberg is simply trying to create awareness about their product. What many alcoholic brands try to do with all their advertising.

These three different brands have all got the same focus point. Men and their interests in women.