// INCYMI

May 2021

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes! Turn and face the strange this month, as lots of changes are on the horizon, and others are desperately needed.

  • Pepsi
  • Guinness
  • Covid
  • SponCon
  • Veet
  • Lost Tapes

Both Pepsi and Guinness have released ads this month fantasising about what life post-covid will be like. You know the past year was weird when the thought of an overcrowded bar table has started getting us all choked up and emotional.

Speaking of Covid, The ABC’s producer and broadcaster, Dr Norman Swan has compared Australia’s vaccination ads to something produced by a “communist government committee,” so…. not a glowing review.

The Australian Government has had a rough track record lately. Their recent “milkshake ads” about consent were so awful, they seem to have been made with the sole purpose of providing a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 style mockery platform for those you show it to. Described as “disappointing, confusing and cringe-worthy,” the ads were quietly pulled following intense backlash. If you want to wash the taste of milkshake out of your mouth with some actual information about consent, Clementine Ford and independent agency The Royals have released a response video, featuring a mature and useful conversation about consent.

The Feed made a fake influencer account to expose the rise of sponsored content on social media. When “25 per cent of Australian influencers are involved in fraudulent activity,” are advertising regulators going to be able to update their guidelines to deal with our new media platforms?

Veet has gotten a makeover, with their new approach highlighting that body hair (or the removal thereof) is an individual choice to make. A welcome change from the old “burn it all and salt the earth” approach to hairy legs.

Following in the footsteps of companies like Cheer Cheese, Nestle and even The Washington Football team, Ben’s Original has started rolling out the packaging for their new name, made to distance themselves from the racist connotations of their old brand. Any step in the right direction is always a good thing.

Over Mother’s Day, A director put together a tribute to both his commercial actress mother and cheesy 80s and ’90s ads with a series called Mom’s Spots, a compilation of all of the retro advertisements his mother starred in during his youth. A reminder that they just don’t make sweaters that garish anymore.

Over The Bridge, a non-profit mental health group, has released an album called the Lost Tapes of the 27 Club, using AI to create songs from famous musicians like Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix, whose lives were all lost at 27 years old. The organisation is aiming to change the narrative away from the romanticisation of these early deaths by imagining what these artists might have created, were they still with us.

Five industry professionals have gotten together to list The 50 Movie Posters That Changed Entertainment Marketing. From Saul Bass’s paper cut outs for Anatomy of A Murder to Silence of The Lambs’ oft-imitated surrealism, check out just how much posters have evolved over the years.

Extra, extra!

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