Hula Hoops - DJ

The winner of the Thinkboxes award for July/August will have moved even the most cynical of TV viewers to mirth.

The brief was to remind people that Hula Hoops are fun to eat, so the ad showcases how the unique shape of the snack can inject playfulness into even the most mundane occasion.

The winning ad features a DJ hand character, complete with Hula Hoop decks and sunglasses. The camera pans back to reveal that the hand belongs to a man on a train, who receives a bemused look from the ticket collector.

The spot is part of a £1.5m integrated campaign from brand owner United Biscuits to promote its Golden Hoops Film Awards, which invites the public to submit films of their own Hula Hoop finger puppets. The campaign strapline is ‘In a hole world of their own’.

‘Hula Hoops is a much-loved, iconic brand, which appeals to a wide range of consumers,’ says Helen Warren-Piper, marketing director of bagged snacks at United Biscuits UK. ‘This memorable campaign captures the imagination of consumers and encourages them to get involved.’

In a closely fought vote, Hula Hoops beat Budweiser’s ‘Lyrics’, which took second place, while Virgin Media’s ‘Backlot’ came third.

Stephen Davies, chief executive of the Advertising Producers Association and an Academy judge, says of the shortlist: ‘They are bloody good this month. The business is showing how it is creating brilliant work for advertisers and that not even the recession can hold it back.’

‘This memorable campaign captures the imagination of consumers and encourages them to get involved’

Helen Warren-Piper
Marketing Director of Bagged Snacks
United Biscuits UK

• Client Helen Warren-Piper,marketing director, bagged snacks, United Biscuits
• Brief To remind people that Hula Hoops are fun to eat
• Ad agency Publicis
• Creative team Gary Turner, Jamie Marshall
• Production COY
• Director Mark Denton
• Media agency Mediaedge:cia

Other ads on the podium

Budweiser - Lyrics

This film seamlessly weaves together a mosaic of tracking shots from an elevated train passing through a stylised American cityscape – and it adds up to a playful take on the counting game that is the Beatles song Altogether Now, rendered in a cover version by The Hours. The game here is to spot the numbers (and words and letters) as they flash by on the buildings and in the street below – there are some nice visual puns and cute ideas (like the fleeting appearance of a tiny model biplane towing a streamer message) used to illustrate the lyrics of the song, ending in a shot of a building-sized mural of the Budweiser label. The brief was to show that great things happen when we get together, whether it’s over a pint with mates or, as this spot exemplifies, on a much grander scale, embodying Budweiser’s renewed sense of hope and optimism.Hawken.

Virgin Media - Backlot

This film is a dream-like wondrous trip (and the chorus of the backing track, “I could be the Alice to your Wonderland”, courtesy of Slow Moving Millie, underscores this theme) through the backlot of a Hollywood studio. Special effects abound as our movie-loving Alice begins her exploration – for instance, the giant ogre that peers through the gap in hangar-like soundstage doors as she passes. Having been enthralled by the sumptuous treat that is the costume and wardrobe storehouse, she is startled yet intrigued when she runs into a huge orang-utan on a chatshow set. Following it as it races off, she witnesses a police car chase and a cavalry march past before finally being party to a close encounter of the third-ish kind. The brief was to bring to life the Virgin promise of always providing more. As the pay-off line has it: ”Discover a world of entertainment with Virgin TV.”

Also shortlisted for July / August 2009

Orange RockCorps - Stand Up And Be Counted

This campaign aims to celebrate the collective achievement of the 2009 Orange RockCorps volunteers, each of whom gave up four hours of their time to help at local community projects, transforming them for the better. The creative is set against a gradually regenerating urban backdrop. A diverse cast of 16- to 24-year-olds were arranged to create an effect similar to a flick-book. Using a manual morphing technique, the sequence shows one person morphing into another through gradual, incremental changes in their appearance. The hard work of these volunteers is reflected by surroundings shown in a constant state of transformation. Each participant was given a ticket to a spectacular gig (one in London, another in Manchester) in exchange for their time. The Orange RockCorps scheme is one of the centrepiece activities demonstrating the “Together we can do more” Orange brand vision.

Samsung Jet - Impatience Is A Virtue

The brief here was to showcase how Samsung’s new touchscreen phone, the Jet, is ideally suited to impatient young people and their fast-paced lifestyles. The spot opens with a montage of people playing out time dismally – for instance, at an airport or a bus stop or nodding off in a dull office environment – while a fast-paced voiceover, threatening any minute to cut to the chase, acknowledges the boredom of waiting. The action then explodes as we follow a group of people living for the moment, running through fields, ransacking a supermarket, storming a hotel and ripping each other’s clothes off, to promote the notion that impatience is a virtue. Shot by the director behind the promos for Channel 4’s Skins, this campaign aims to break the mould of traditional advertising in this category as the company looks to drive a step-change in consumer perceptions of the brand.