It’s difficult to tell if I’m just hungry, as it’s almost lunchtime, but I love this ad for Schwartz flavour shots by Grey, London…I’m often hungry you see.
…someone who feels bad about being influenced will never make anything that’s truly great.
Nonetheless, I think this ad conveys a simple message in a gorgeous way. The message is boiled down to two words;
“Unleash Flavour”
Summing up the whole product proposition, no voice over required. In fact, I think any more information would kill it. A ‘less is more’ situation perhaps.
It’s also beautifully shot, the vibrancy of the colours combined with the slow-motion and background music make it a coolly gratifying watch.
There’s certainly a nod towards the famous Sony Bravia exploding paint ads;
However, I don’t think that the similarities are an indictment on Grey at all. In ‘Predatory Thinking’ Dave Trott uses Picasso as an example that even the greatest creatives will borrow and refine ideas from others, noting that; “…someone who feels bad about being influenced will never make anything that’s truly great.”
Anyway, the Shwartz ad immediately put me in mind of the lionized ‘Lurpak’ ads by Wieden + Kennedy.
These similarly photograph food in a really filmic way, and use a serene soundtrack to complete the ensemble.
I’ve only recently become aware of the term ‘food porn’.
And thankfully it doesn’t refer to topless models pouring baked beans on themselves, rather “a glamourized spectacular visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements, infomercials, cooking shows or other visual media.” (Source: Wikipedia).
The first example of this that I can think of in advertising are the Marks and Spencer ‘Simply Food’ ads which must surely be the ‘Emmanuelle’ of food porn.
Here’s one featuring a beautiful apple strudel;
Apparently the day after this ad aired, M&S sold out of the Teutonic apple treats in almost every branch, I can see why.
Time for lunch I think.