DAVID GEORGE-COSH
Globe and Mail Update Published on Thursday, Jul. 05, 2007 7:12PM EDT Last updated on Friday, Apr. 03, 2009 10:00AM EDT
The spot: "Bag," by Bensimon Byrne, Toronto
The product: Putting a new spin on the Loblaw Cos. Ltd.'s President's Choice line.
The creatives: Peter Byrne, Bensimon Byrne
The director: Shin Sugino, Sugino Studios
The brief: Youthful-looking Loblaw executive Galen G. Weston is thrust into the spotlight as the new face of the company's PC brand, taking over where Dave Nichol left off after he put the PC name on the global grocery map two decades ago.
The insight: Instead of just pushing grocery products, Mr. Weston is taking a green approach and extols the virtues of purchasing Loblaw's 99-cent reusable bags, which he says will prevent one billion plastic bags from ending up in landfills.
The tagline: "President's Choice. Worth switching supermarkets for."
Tell us what you think: Comment on the new Loblaw campaign
THE CRITIQUES
Ron Smrczek
Associate Creative Director
Taxi Canada Inc., Toronto
Rating: ***
Assessment: I found this ad confusing. The commitment to reduce the number of bags going into Canada's landfills by one billion is such a strong promise, yet this spot lacked the creativity to make this message more meaningful. Instead, I find myself staring into an unfamiliar face, within an overproduced montage trying to tell me too many messages at once. It lacked charm and didn't break through enough for me. This spot reminded me of how much I miss Dave Nichol.
Christina Yu
Creative Director
Lowe Roche, Toronto
Rating: ****
Assessment: I don't usually appreciate it when company owners star in their own ads. But this one I like. It's a nice message about doing something good for the environment and its even nicer coming from a likeable multibillionaire. It makes me want to make him richer.
Deidre Plotnick
Vice-president creative director
The Collective, Toronto
Rating: **
Assessment: Opportunity knocked here, but nobody answered. This spot had tremendous potential based on the actual message being delivered. But whereas Dave Nichol and Dave Thomas [of the Wendy's fast-food chain] worked as talking heads because they had a bit of a shtick, Galen Weston doesn't. Although likable, he's almost too straight and too good-looking and his important message gets lost in a spot without an idea. Show me what 100 plastic bags look like. Or tell me how high a million bags stacks up to. Then you've caught my attention. Then you've got a great spot.
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