Stranded far from home?
February 1 2011, 12:38 pm | | 27 Comments
A lot of families make the two-hour trek from Perth to Bunbury during the summer holidays, and this billboard from The Brand Agency reminded them that they can rely on the RAC if they break down, no matter how far from home they are.
Credits – ECD: Garry Horner. CD: Craig Buchanan. Art Director: Craig Buchanan, David Donald. Copywriter: James Wills. Account Director: Kerri Hall.
27 Comments
This sticks out like the proverbial when you drive past. Great use of the medium.
back to 1998. Old formula
Clever I must say
1998 was a good year then.
Didn’t Steve Brown win a D&AD for something almost identical some 23 years ago?!
A fellow walks in to a talent agency, fills a large bath with water, stands back and with a wave of his hands the water parts in the middle and stays suspended that way. The agent leans back in his chair and says ” nah, sorry, it’s been done”.
Nice one.
I wasn’t born 23 years ago… this is cool.
Home? No. An idea? Yes
Saw this on the way down south recently. Apart from the raging bushfire spectacular, It was the only outdoor display I can remember during the entire trip, so job well done. 12.28 if what you’re referring to is the flight school one where the plane undercarriage took out part of the billboard then it’s nothing like this. If not then post a link to what you’re referring to so we can make a fair comparison.
hehe the only thing I remember is that the billboards are double-sided and only on the way back to Perth are there billboards for booze (Corona and Strongbow). Does anyone remember that old car that was suspended in the air somewhere on the way to Busselton about driving safe? I miss that car this time down…
I saw this over the holidays too!
Memorable, eye catching, clever.
Great work Craig, Gary and James!
The Brand seems to be the only agency that is doing good work.
What’s happened to 303?
MF seem very quiet without Tinno.
I like it, simple idea with great media placement.
Andrew, I generally agree with you but on this, not so much. If Steve’s ad was the first thing that popped into my head when I saw this, as it was with most other people so it seems, doesn’t that say something? We all looked at it and instantly thought of the same 20 year old ad. Now it may be a coincidence, or maybe Craig is just hoping that us oldies have left the industry or gotten Alzheimers! We will never know…
Sorry but this is BAD BAD BAD. Same old crap from RAC (I think the client is at fault here, not Brand). What ever happened with the great stuff Dale was doing around “happy?” Bring him back onto it I say: oh yeah and a decent marketing director like Hall.
The idea behind the flight school ad was that the pilot was dodgy and clipped the billboard leaving a couple of undercarriage shaped holes in it. He didn’t get stuck there, he presumably made it back to base or crashed in a screaming heap a few hundred meters further down the road. Message, if you want to learn to fly properly, go to flight school. In The RAC one, the poor wee green fella has been on the Jupiter juice and smashed into it leaving him and his craft broken down and stranded miles away from home. Message if you get stuck miles away from home, the RAC can help you. People have been smashing things into and poking things out of billboards for years the same goes for cutting funny shaped holes in them as well. That’s a technique, not an idea. The idea is in the message and while these two use a similar technique, the ideas are miles apart. Anyway, I’m not saying this is brilliant, just not the same in my opinion.
Man, I’ve got too much time on my hands haven’t I!
Anyone need their lawns mowed?
My lawns are fine… but my car needs washing, any chance you could send over that tasty granny to wash it for me?
Trivia time. Some say Stranded, by the The Saints (Chris Bailey), was the first true punk rock release, influencing the Sex Pistols. An earlier recording by the Brisbane quartet was available in England in 1976 before Johnny, Sid and the boys released their first album. Great song.
Videos for i’m stranded the saints
The Saints – (I’m) Stranded (1977)
3 min – 4 Mar 2007
Uploaded by nzoz1977
youtube.com
Tinning is absolutely correct. It’s sad that he should have to explain it to you idiots, but seriously, it’s not even close to being the same idea.
Is “needing your lawn mowed” a euphemism Andrew?
I miss that car hanging from the tree too… I remember it well from when I was little… think it is still there on the old part of the road.
Andrew – you can mow my lawn anytime…..
Loved it!!
This idea would have worked better on a lower special-build site, with the spaceship as a cut-out beneath the sign. You know, like a broken-down car. Stranded far from home.
Bit like this Turkish police ad:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XJseql2u5l0/RcYjQ7jeivI/AAAAAAAAADc/n363379IjSM/s1600-h/billboard_police_car_cutout.jpg
That way no one could reference the Steve Brown ad and AT could spend more time on his Jim’s Mowing franchise and less time on here.
Err, but then, 7:35, all these haters would’ve said THAT was already done…
INteresting that this one poster can arouse such debate, whilst the iinet campaign goes unscathed. For the record , i really like this poster. As for the iinet work, i agree with the other bloggers, the less said the better.
1.36pm
But not in WA. Which is apparently all that matters.