Add life to life
posted by Nic at 12:02 PM
Thursday, November 16, 2006
About Me
- Name: Nic
- Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
This blog is dedicated to the memory of my friend Talal Kateb...he made us think, then he made us think again.
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33 Comments:
is the site still being built?
Why do I feel this ad flies over everyones head but the industry people.
I'm sorry, but the missed the boat on this one.
What's it saying? That communication is like water? Who cares? What is that supposed to mean to me? And they want to take it further? Hmmm.
Obviously it sounded great on paper, but looking at it on the screen is a different story. Very clunky writing, and the titles are nasty too - they could have been treated in a much better way.
Very disappointing. Sorry LB.
hmmm, LB u better watch out u failed in the eyes of the all mighty anonymous...
I here you anyonymous, valid points both of you.
So what telecom brand campaign would you cite as a prime example of something that meant something to you?
At risk of sounding like i'm sitting on the fence here, I have to say I agree with most of the points above.
Except for one - 'concerned but amused'.
Allow me to get off the fence for a minute and say on the contrary - i believe it's a very well executed ad. The production value and art direction is quite strong, even in the print.
The idea is in there, but I have to agree with everyone anonymous and say it's not very relevant to people and how they see communications. At least not from what we've seen so far.
OK. Back up on the fence where it's safe.
so far du sounds more like a dud.
Water? I mean please. Why resort to 1st level thinking with these analogies to make a point? Communication itself is such rich terrain that it's suprising and sad to see LB go to such lengths as 'add life to life' to launch Du.
Wondering whether the starting point for all this was the similarity between 'du' and 'dew'. Wouldn't be surprised if it were.
Speaking of 1st layer, I think 02 UK launched on a similair platform...
I actually liked it...(promise I don't work for Leo) but with all do respect it is a breath of fresh air from the whole Etisalat reach stock imagery thats been splashed all over the UAE.
The launch is about the etablishment itself, it may not explode off the screen, but it can be interpreted on a number of levels. I saw it yesterday at the movies for the first time, the person next to me didn't get it, knowing I was an ad person asked me to elaborate on it...
The metaphor can be interpreted on a number of levels, the literal (or first layer as anon described) ,I saw it as expressing the idea of liberation, water does indeed stand for that...freedom a very valid platorm in the context of a monopoly.
The again, it could also be me indulging in mental masterbation.
Du's launch and O2's launch are ocean's apart (no pun intended). The O2 visual identity relies on the colour blue along with a stream of oxygen bubbles. The platform is 'see what you can do' - a very solid and consumer-centric proposition. 'Add life to life' sounds more like poetic nonsense far removed from the consumer. And to add to what spoon said, while Etisalat certainly smells of gettyimages, Du has a strong whiff as well. Cliched imagery and romanticized poetic VO's. Argh.
consumer-centric proposition?Anonymous, the Saatchi's have moved on- planning is now a discipline in agencys- we now have something called digital...
Before using such outdated jargon disguised as an attempt to make a 'point', please refer to current examples of brand that have slogans with f**k all to do with the consumer...Sony like no other or a more telecom related one 'The future is bright the future is orange?'
Second- I think u need to understand the difference between a selling line and 'proposition' or are u one of those people who have spent a life time working on brands that have no diffence?
Pfft...'Consumercentric', maybe picking up a book that dates past 1985 might be a good idea...
Spoon - you have newfound respect in my books. Brilliant argument.
(as an afterthought) wow that sounded patronising! None intended. :)
This is a typical scenario were the ad people want to play the role of the consumer. Has any of you asked consumers what they felt when they saw this ad?
I think LB did a pretty good job on this; as opposed to the other locally prevalent ads for brand launch campaigns.
This ad has multiple layers and is understood at a different level depending on people's intelligence (no offense to some of you anonymouses out there).
If you still do not understand it I would be glad to explain.
... spoon: thank you for raising the bar on this conversation.
I have actually been asking around to see what people thnik of it. The general feeling is exactly as being said in this room - some get it some don't. Some really like it, some really don't.
One feeling i seem to get from everyone though is that its a great announcement that something bigger and better is coming. it's a breath of fresh air from Etisalat and there are now raised eyebrows as to what du will follow up with.
The other thing i keep hearing is that people much prefer the arabic line (very poetic) to the english 'add life to life'.
I guess we'll have to see what comes next from du and LB.
tsu tsu tsu.
I think the line is 'add life to life'-
'adds life to life'
is the equivilant of taking vodaphones 'Make the most of now' and turning it into 'Makes the most of now', a pretty significant change in syntax and meaning... Jamal from Lebanon, careful with that punctuation and attention to detail...
or
Nike-Just does it
Coca Cola-Enjoys Coca Cola
Mcd-We're lovin it
Propositions and selling lines aren't mutually exclusive: tastes great, less filling (Miller Lite), we try harder (avis), the ultimate driving machine (BMW), a diamond is forever (debeers). In fact some of the best selling lines are propositions. So plz spare us all the lecture on the difference between a selling line and a proposition.
As for the whole 'consumer-centric' thing, you can call that outdated if you like. The only point I wanted to make was that O2 made 'you' the entire focus - unlike Du's water is like communication spiel. i'm left wondering 'whats in it for me?'
PS - the future is bright, the future is orange says a lot to a consumer - it says optimism. and Orange's work carries that forward in a relevant/real way. Can't say the same for 'add life to life'.
Anon asks: What's in it for me?
Agree, but let's keep in mind that du has not officially launched its consumer services yet. This is still a corporate campaign, with an ad that says "hey, we're du, and we're here, and this is what we stand for".
Now let's wait and see what they have to offer :)
Can someone please find out who anonymous is and take 'em out of their misery?
Anonymous your repertoire of stupid posts on this blog is reflecting badly on this blog and myself for engaging this argument (then again im only half perfect)
'The future is bright says a lot to the consumer?' Yeah it says hold up, we can't give u smack today but tomorrow who knows, but we do know that it is bright and thats not all folks, we just might be there as well!!!!...
A perfect opportunity for Vodaphone to slot themselves in with the whole sc**w the future and 'make the most of today or now' or whatever their line is.
And to illustrate just how obtuse your posts are anonymous, have a look at Orange sales figures in relation to other UK operators...
Diablog is there any way we can get this person off the blog, the bar has dropped so low my 5 year old niece went off on a rant.
'Consumer-centric' tsu tsu tsu
Incognito: Thank you, but really the credit on the thrashing goes to anonymous.
so now we're resorting to below the belt tactics. You're free to rant on. I only mentioned Orange because you said 'refer to current examples of brand that have slogans with f**k all to do with the consumer...Sony like no other or a more telecom related one 'The future is bright the future is orange?' I answered that it doesnt say f*&k all to consumers. next thing I know you're asking me to look at sales figures. Chill.
Cheer up spoon. Find yourself a bowl of soup and soak for a while. We can pick this up when you start talking some sense instead of resorting to useless rhetoric...and please leave your 5yr old niece out of this.
If I didn't know any better I'd say you work on Du and you're slightly ticked off the response hasn't been so grand. Tsu tsu du.
“The strength of criticism lies only in the weakness of the thing criticized”
Spoon, though i'm sure many appreciate and are amused by your talent & flair for the art of the insult but do try and tone it down a little will you?
In your near future posts, kindly refrain from dancing around in a cussing frenzy...
Thank you.
Love X (The moderator)
wow this turned sour!
The launch was a breeze of fresh air... more like the winds of change... but all it did is bring another wave of waiting...
Who was it that spoke in the name of the consumer? Anonymous? We're all consumers here so don't point fingers, and we're waiting... That's du's challenge now.
Good job for any LB-du under cover here. Start adding life- quick.
Wow, this conversation seems to have taken a pretty sharp turn. I must say that I totally agree with one of the anonymous people mentioning that the services have not been launched yet.
I also want to praise spoon for the Orange clarification, because promising a better, brighter, or more promising future is a tactic of the week just like Saudi Telecom, Dubai Holding, and Orange.
"add life to life" is a promise/positioning/proposition/selling line that explains the role of du as an entity that will add life to one's communication by making voice calls in video, or internet with high speed, or payments in seconds. What is in it for you is a more lively service than what is prevalent with etisalat, or a more fullfiling experience in marketing terms.
Typically this is something that should be better explained with service ads (so let's wait and see what happens).
“The strength of criticism lies only in the weakness of the thing criticized”
I would bet a fiver that you start and end all your powerpoints with a quote by someone don't you anonymous...you bore me anonymous
X, mate, u have had more posts on this topic than on any other, so please do give me a break on the rules and regulations...
Spoon i think ur taking in a little too much air, now clearly u seem to having issues processing certain elements of peoples posts. Ur inconsistent arguments resemble a drunk suffering from temporary retrograde amnesia. What is even more concerning is that u seem to be incapable of backtracking through ur own posts.
Regardless, there is a reason people here prefer to remain anonymous or create some type of alias, ur name as an example. But what u seem to be neglecting is the moderators ability to track ur post to an IP...which is 3/4 the job of figuring out who are.
Now, spoon be very careful how u tread, despite ur frequent visits and posts (which for some, I am grateful) u seem to be forgeting that u r the guest on this blog...
Love X (Admin)
Ouch...
ish, what bores me is people's inability to discuss the real issues. Instead we get people like you and spoon who call people 'boring' and start questioning whether they use quotes on presentations. You both sound like you've got huge chips on your shoulders and this blog is your way of lashing out at whoever it is in your office that you can't verbalize your frustrations at. And by the sounds of it, you're both hugely frustrated at a whole lot of people.
I'll use whatever I need to make a point. if it's a quote, so be it. There are hundreds of years of wisdom in quotes. It's your loss if you think it's a sin to use them.
and what's with the widespread antagonism all of a sudden? did my -ive opinion of the du campaign hit a raw nerve? I guess I'm not entitled to an opinion without getting my character demonized. oh well.
....the region has spoken, censorship makes me sick
for those of you who have not lost steem over the topic, campaignme's blog offers a place to rant on du's campaign.
I think it is a rather weak concept(if there is one) and badly executed.
The credit of the logo goes to Turquoise, London and had lot of potential I have to say LB screwed up with the implementation.
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Turquoise, London are british garbage disguised as expertese...
du & the lagoons & Al An TV are identical...
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