Fallon is one of the strongest and most creative
advertising agencies in the midwest. Based in Minneapolis, Fallon has done
incredible work on campaigns such as Buffalo Wild Wings, Cadillac, United
Airlines and HR Block. Their office in London has produced equally creative
campaigns branching from Cadbury, United Airlines and Sony.
As an advertising buff, I have nothing but respect
for Fallon. Their office produces commercials that are award-winning and
overwhelmingly creative. My critique lies within the brand recognition between
the clients and the work produced by Fallon.
I am able to describe a Fallon commercial perfectly
after viewing, but I struggle to name the brand of the commercial. This
problem does not lie with just my critical eye: after the 2006 production of
their Fallon commercial, United Airlines (their commercial is the third youtube
clip below) ended up dropping Fallon after almost ten years of campaign work
(New York Times, 2007). This clientele loss shows the proof of name-brand loss
within Fallon's work.
Fallon will forever be branded as "unreal
creativity" in my mind, but I still hope to find the link between their
work and their client in the future. Below are three of my most memorable
Fallon commercials-- The Cadbury Gorilla, the Sony Colors, and United Airlines:
Illustrated.
Pro's: The purple background is easily rezognized as "Cadbury" as it
is in every one of their commercials/brand recognition.
Con's: After
watching, I find myself a victim of the dreaded "Huh?". I cannot find
the link between the humorous gorilla and the taste of Cadbury Chocolate.
Pro's: If played as a Superbowl ad, the sound effects would certainly break
through the clutter of spoken-ads.
Con's: Again, the "Huh?"
factor, as well as NO brand recognition. When I first viewed this commercial, I
wrote down "Skittles" and "Sherwin-Williams" as my guesses
for the client. I would have the colors exploding from televisions within the
main building vs. random plants outside in order to tie together the product
and the commercial's creativity.
Pro's: This
United Airlines Commercial is beautifully illustrated. After the commercial is
over, I can draw conclusions about how the story can be tied to the client's
name.
Con's: Uncertainty of the brand while viewing the commercial.
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/business/media/05adde.html
