Oh dear!

Well done guys. Again.

Has he had a coffee or a line of coke? Either way he's so irritating and boring that I just wanted the ad to end.

I like it.

Great job for a dead boring category.

leaves nescafe for dead.

what?
Nice mentions of the coffee though. I love it when client tries their hand at copywriting.

Wow, the crappy instant coffee market is really hotting up (get it - hotting up?). This one's luke warm though.

Monty?

My mother always said 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all'. But what would she know - she's a stupid fat lying whore.

This ad is bad. Like wicked bad.

He's speeding faster than a locomotive. Ok I suppose, he is bloody irritating though and the whole thing seems a bit contrived.

cool spot. Caffeine can do that to you

Je-sus!

Have to agree with 4.46

I want to slag it off badly - but I don't need the bad karma.

"the role that instant coffee plays in their world"

Right.

Good effort in a difficult category. I for one hate instant coffee. At least it's not trying to bullshit me.

real work, nicely done for a big client. great way to follow up Radiohead clip. well done guys.

Now that's what I call a coffee ad...loooooooove the girl climbing out the window!

The girl in the window is hot

How incredibly Irritating

it love it I hate it i love it i hate it i love it

The more you watch it the better it gets. It's cool, especially for coffee.

really nice spot - makes me almost like instant coffee.

good to see crc doing good stuff on big clients. Solid thinking guys and a cool way into a tired brief.

Soooo much better than the boring crap the others are turning out.

top stuff. congrats to the client and agency for producing something interesting.
goodness knows commercial television needs it.

Give it up positive people......this is what happens when a small agency comes up against a client they really, really need to pay the rent.....comprimise. Does anyone really think it will win at Cannes this year? Show your hand.

what I find interesting is that there seems to be one or maybe two people who seem addicted to posting the same negative comments on almost every blog entry on this site.

You know who you are, you're the one who enlightens us each week with such brilliance as...

"Monty?"
"Oh Dear"
"Je-sus"

Here's a tip, you might want to think up some other words to shit on people's work with. You're running the risk of being "irritating".

Nice spot by the way. I "like" it.

Peter H

Good self-hype thus far. Yet, I can't applaud a dick that should mind his own business. Riva drinkers are busy bodies.

Its like Woody Allen. Without the Allen

Coke, indeed. However, other stimulants affect you on a similar way...I saw this on the telly last night and thought, interesting....nice observation, well delivered.

Not bad for a mediocre client. A good thought behind it - better than the usual contemplative cuppa bullshit.

Awful V/O though. cheesy, middle-aus, bland nothing voice. I could almost guarantee the agency wanted a good distinctive voice (the way it's written pretty much demands a hyped-up new york jewish guy with a weedy voice), but I'll bet the client/research demanded Mr. Bland.

People have done worse shit to pay the bills. It doesn't need to be slammed, but it doesn't need to be praised just because it came out of crc either.

Cuppa tea anyone?
Its nicely produced and has a cooler image than others but if thats what that brand of coffee does for me then i'm not touching it. One reason people turn away from coffee is because of its highly stimulating effect and the feeling of being wired. Then you go and put warp speed VO on it. I was expecting him to beat up the traffic warden at the end. He must have mixed up the sugar for his stash of speed. Im sure the coffee isn't that strong.

Normally love your stuff, but this is as weak as instant. But let's be frank... It's not up here because you think it's a cracker - it's here because you want to show us you have a real client. Well hats off to you for that. All the best. Keep the dream alive.

Funny how the groceries are in a paper bag.
This is no reflection on the ad, just an observation that in TV and movie world, groceries have always been carried in brown paper bags, even though they were phased out in the 70's. The film world stuck with them didn't they and it became the visual shorthand for 'person who has just bought food items.'
And now plastic bags are on the way out. I wonder if there is any bitterness in the plastic bag community. I mean, they were the future weren't they? Stronger, lighter, better. They came in and replaced their inferior predessesors, but they never got the artistic respect they felt they deserved.
And now they are being banished. Like Abba in the 80's, we are all so quick to turn our backs on them and say we were never really that into them.
Goodbye plastic shopping bag. You served us well... maybe..., a little too well.

Massive insight here. Caffeine has an accelerant effect.

This will really distinguish Riva from other instant coffee brands.

When boring clients do boring work it doesn't bother me. Big boring clients will always be big boring clients more or less. What cuts me to the bone is when a client is brave (ie Riva who did that bizarre guerilla hostage shit last time round, and this nonsensical shit this time round) and they get dudded and short changed. This ad won't work for them and all of us will suffer. The client will come out of this experience saying "I put my balls on the line and had faith in a creative solution and I was fucking let down." Don't think this doesn't affect you. That client won't work for Riva forever. They will move on. And eventually they will end up in a meeting with you. And they'll knock back your idea. And they will have good reason for doing so. Because they've been fucked in the past by bold, creative ideas.

Know your enemy. It isn't the shit brief. It's the brilliant brief, that gets butchered.

We all have tough clients. The question is were they born tough or are they embittered by bad, irresponisble creative?

My mind switches off when I see another wallpaper ad. But my heart breaks when I see an ad where the client was clearly bold and took a risk but was horribly short-changed. It sets all of us back.

This spot is obviously not good. It's like ‘The Secret Life of Us’ with an annoying VO. And the copywriting isn't pithy interesting or unique. Clearly it's a mediocre ad.

I don't know if the agency is just posting transparent praise of their own spot or if it's their sycophantic mates but it's ridiculous. Sure it's not the worst ad ever but it's making the Heineken stuff look good.

Hey, you’re an urban professional, short on time but high on life. You love your café lifestyle but you don’t always have time. BORING!!!!

Does anyone remember this little gem for Folger's instant coffe from last year?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7_JXCIaKpKM

Now that's a good coffee ad.

it's ok. I don't mind it at least there is no shot of hot black fluid being poured into a big mug and pretending to be real coffee. having worked on this shit I know how hard it can be to get past that one.

I try not to be a violent person, but I really want to punch that VO guy right in the throat.

That part of the ad shits me.

Aside from that, it's shot well, there's nice little details that any great ad should have and the location was cool.

I want to like it. But I can't get round the VO feels a bit hoaky.

Rules of attraction opening scene?

What's the observation? Coffee makes you talk really fast and act like a c*nt?

Does he get his lights punched out in the sequel?

1:45 obviously has it in for CRC. Chill out dude this ad is pretty good.

this is interesting for coffee.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tMdX7Cs0PD0

This ad reminds me of Rene. Good work guys.

What's all the fuss about? it's a good ad. No, it probably won't win gold at Cannes, but I didn't read anywhere that they thought it would. Its likely to get some kind of look-in though because it's actually a really nice idea. And 1.45am what are you talking about. it's kind of narrow minded to think the insight is different to the idea in the first place. clients don't hand out insights you know, agencies search for them. So well done to all involved for turning a compelling insight into an interesting ad. Really watchable. Very different for the category and just fun...feels more like a branded movie snippet.

In a world of "Caramel-mocha frappaccino's with cream", trying to get anyone under 40 to drink instant coffee is a massive job. Will this do it? Probably not, but it's still watchable compared to Riva's other recent work (Rhonda Burchmore...need I say more?).

This is when instand coffee advertising peaked:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kovsZZw0LwU

I thought everyone hated Folgers on this blog? (Oh, sorry. Until it won something.)

What I'm most amazed by is that anyone can actually like this ad. Very below average at best

No mother staring into cup enjoying her active pause!!!!

Having worked on Cerebos for 5 minutes once I think CRC have done a great job.

With a commercial like this, there is no possible way that Riva will ever get market share.

Nobody drinks it, even the people in their commercials.

What does Riva look like, taste like?

Is it going to make me look cool if it is in the cupboard?

Who are Riva in the first place?

Do they know anything about coffee, do they grow it, roast it?

And the pack makes it look cheap, nasty, maybe not even coffee?

Who knows.

Hope the client reads this and asks the Agency a few questions.

I'm with you 11:29 except New Yorkers are not hyped up because they drink cauffee!

i love the fact it's different. i hate the fact it's pointless. but hey, every agency tries to advertise themself before the client. but dont we all know that by now???

After a 2 minute google, found out that Riva is 100% Brazilian coffee ... hence the name I guess. How is it possible not to get a hot, relevant idea on air with that proposition?
It's nice to be different but you gotta also have a point of difference.
Kim from Cerbos, call me.

5:02, if you want to know what Monty thinks, read his regular Wednesday on-line column in the media section of The Australian.

5:28, my recollection of the launch of Riva a handful of years ago, before Rhonda, was a mood piece featuring cliched, swarthy Brazillians doing whatever it is Brazillians do, like dancing and drinking coffee. So they've been there.

Of course for pure memorability and shock value they could have gone for for the cheap sensation of the Brazillian wax entendre in some way.

Thanks Monty

Fuck this whole 'Monty' thing is lame and boring. Can we please move on?

Hey guys really really nice work. Funny reading this blog - i forgot how bitchy it can be.

D.A

Let's take a look at 3.07PM's ad:

We open on a busy street scene where everyone is drinking Riva coffee, in
specially branded mugs - all held with the logo facing camera - savoring
every sip of the rich, smooth flavour - which they comment on regularly so
the audience (or focus group) can be completely sure about what it tastes
like. One young man might say: "Hmmm, this Riva coffee is absolutely
scrumptious. It's rich, smooth and creamy all at the same time. I wonder how
they manage to make instant taste so good?" He turns to the woman standing
next to him, also drinking Riva coffee, who suddenly looks surprised and
says: "Wow! You read my mind." They smile at each other and keep drinking.
Out of no where, another Riva drinker walks past with a steaming cup of
coffee in one hand, and a pack in the other. He holds the pack out to the
original Riva drinker and says with a knowing wink: "And it is going to 'make
you look sooo cool' if you keep one in your cupboard." The guy takes the pack
and looks confidently at the girl next to him, knowing now that by owning a
pack, and thus looking cool, his chances of shagging her have just improved
dramatically. She reaches out and holds his hand to reaffirm this (just
incase the connotated meaning is missed in research). As they begin to walk
down the busy street full of Riva drinkers hand-in-hand, they continue to
flirt with each other, sharing tid-bits of information about 'who Riva is in
the first place'. Really memorable stuff like: "Did you know that Riva is a
richly-flavoured instant coffee that helps you get the most out of every
day?" "Why no I didn't, but I did know that it's a blend that's all about
experiencing life to the full." "Wow, you do know a lot about Riva don't
you? I've always wondered do they grow it? Do they roast it?" "Funny you
should ask, I was reading only the other day that they source the coffee
from the very best growing climates in the world to ensure the best tasting
cup of rich, smooth coffee everyday." "Wow! So it's for people in a hurry
who won't compromise on any ordinary coffee?" "That's right! Yes!" At this
point they embrace, bonded by their knowledge and love of Riva, knowing that
what they share will last forever on the strength of their coffee.

With a commercial like THIS, there is no possible way that ANY coffee brand
in ANY market would EVER get market share because no body would ever be
fucked watching it. That's the difference between crap that does well in focus groups and the entertaining ideas that do well in the real world. You see 1.45/3.07/5.28, in the real world, no one is being paid to watch.

The client is obviously trusting that the audience will react to the spot like normal human beings. Smart client. Nice spot. I'm sure it will do well.

Anonymous on Folgers - before it won awards and sold loads of coffee.

25 Comments

Anonymous said:
"bound for awards glory" - I thought the shithouse category was dropped this year?
September 19, 2006 3:55 PM

Anonymous said:
Erm, take away the fact that it was made by God himself, isn't it another ad from the 'niggling doubt' school of advertising?You can visualise pretty well anything, your inner child, your niggling doubt, your enthusiasm.. mornings. The list really does go on and on.Fucking great direction though. Steve's awesome.
September 19, 2006 4:21 PM

Anonymous said:
Problem is that the ad itself is utterly intolerable. I can't wait until the end, then the pay off is no reward. Have all the yellow bastards been drinking Folgers?
September 19, 2006 4:38 PM

Anonymous said:
Not very good is it? Although i hear that the US marketers are even worse than ours, so they're probably happy just to get something through!
September 19, 2006 5:05 PM

Anonymous said:
Hundreds of thousands of people went to see 'Big Momma's House 2.'Doesn't mean it's 'bound for awards glory.'
September 19, 2006 5:25 PM

Anonymous said:
Somone else had that idea up on the wall at the AWARD school graduation.
September 19, 2006 5:41 PM

Anonymous said:
Same guys 3:41They were in my tutor group - top blokes. Good luck to them I say.
September 19, 2006 5:58 PM

Anonymous said:
Seems a lot like Starbucks Glen to me, but not as funny.Amazing effects though.
September 19, 2006 6:02 PM

Anonymous said:
My Journal, LeoToday I made and ad, not one of my best, not one of my last as I'm only 28.Also, was made ECD of Saatchi's NY, so that's nice.Went to bed and slept very well. September 19, 2006 6:29 PM

Anonymous said:
This ad proves that the big boys in advertising do shit ads too, albeit with a bigger budget then us mortals. September 19, 2006 8:49 PM

Anonymous said:
The ad's great, and it's an excellent insight. How Leo and the Saatchi mob got P&G to agree that their target audience was hungover adolescents is beyond me, but more power to them! September 19, 2006 8:55 PM

Anonymous said:
um, it's fucking awful.not enough funny bits to make the horribly camp yellow fuckers bearable.ahh well, good to know that even the wunderkind uber creator of advertising is human. September 20, 2006 9:25 AM

Anonymous said:
Not as good as the Starbucks Bring on the Day spot
September 20, 2006 10:58 AM

Anonymous said:
I thought the insight was going to be that people who need their morning coffee hate chirpy morning people. I was waiting for a funny twist.
September 20, 2006 11:22 AM

darryl parsons said:
wow. I really liked it. Going by everyone's comments I must be really out of touch or something. September 20, 2006 11:48 AM

Anonymous said:
You fuckers know shit!Can't wait for it to pick up at award shows to prove how wrong you insecure hacks are. Nice insight, great direction and made me laugh.
September 20, 2006 11:50 AM

Anonymous said:
please let me sleep. would drive me effening mad after the second viewing
September 20, 2006 4:00 PM

Anonymous said:
9.21: That is the insight you twat.
September 20, 2006 4:42 PM

Anonymous said:
I love this ad. For real.
September 20, 2006 6:14 PM

Anonymous said:
4:29, Leo doesn't sleep.
September 21, 2006 2:00 AM

Anonymous said:
Another feeble one, I'm afraid boys.They've done some BRILLIANT work but this ain't it by a million miles. They say judge a CD by his worst ad not his best....could be trouble ahead, boys. September 21, 2006 4:06 AM

Anonymous said:
2:06 AM. If we're judging CD's by their worst ad they'd all be totally fucked.
September 21, 2006 11:21 AM

Anonymous said:
"They say judge a CD by his worst ad not his best....could be trouble ahead, boys."Disregarding my doubts about who "they" might be, if this is Leo's worst ad, it's a billion times better than most CD's worst. And I'd include Droga in that assessment.So it looks like Leo's going to do mighty well. Unless of course the quote above is actually a completely false pile of twaddle.
September 21, 2006 12:10 PM

Anonymous said:
btw, is this the reason leo chose 'cougar' as his best ad over the victoria tvc? hello, the latter is WAY better. September 28, 2006 2:15 PM

Anonymous said:
you mean the ball of string ad? Pretty plonky tune over pretty girls roling balls of string is dull as dish water, give me spaced out sun people any day.
October 10, 2006 3:38 AM

Leave a comment.

cool. very cool crc.

LOL 9:21 - finally someone identifies how stupid the comments on this blog can be. They are obviously not written by creatives of any note.

you could publish a book of all the negative comments posted in relation to award winning work. It would make a really interesting read lynchy. Call it "we hate it because we are annonymous".

8.44 gotta agree that approach to Riva wouldn't work.

If I was your creative director I would be very tempted to fire you and suggest that perhaps you could do something else for a living.

Now, go back to your desk and answer the brief.

Riva is 100% Brazilian coffee, that's what makes it different.

7.21
Riva, Brazilian, waxing.
Works for me.

8:44 - the only problem with you being CD is the guys wouldn't know who you are. They would walk into your office and you would be wearing a balaclava. You would hand them a business card and it would read "annonymous executive creative director" and all you would ever say is "That's shit" and "I could do better". What a great experience that would be for any creative. Can I have a job at anonymous and partners? Fuckwit.

10:41 I mean. I actually agree with 8:44

Like, this blog is like so cool, like way better than working on sucker scripts that focus groups might pick.
But it's way nice when they do.
I once threw in a way cool idea where this way cool dude was acting really way speedy and did stuff with people like as he like walked up main street. Way cool. Blew the group apart. I think it was for coffee.
Have I worked on coffee?
Way weird. Can't remember. Cool.

10.41AM

Funny you seem to know what the brief is without any client input. Client's don't like that approach. They prefer to tell you what the brief is, based on their marketshare, competitive environment and brand history. If I was your Creative Director I'd be very tempted to make you work for the client for a year and suggest that perhaps you keep your uneducated comments to yourself, before you get the agency fired.

Now go back to your desk and go back to sleep.

I hate any start-up agency. Therefore I hate the work.

Fuck off as if you'd write an ad based on the beans being brazillian. Big woop. It's instant coffee. That's the problem with those instant coffee ads - they try to convince people that they are drinking proper coffee. This is a good way into the problem.

good stuff. I would never drink instant though. Don't really know why anyone would.

Don't you hate when the agency concerned tries to make "anonymous" comments and don't quiet succeed in hiding tthem!

Brilliant stuff, 8:44. I get an overwhelming sense of deja vu as I read it.

i wish coffee did that to me. I need about 10 in the morning just to function. This is pretty entertaining. I found myself watching it a few times to see all the bits. Well done.

these guys are doing some big stuff. Nice to see another independent agency gaining ground.

This ad is as good as the coffee.

Well done CRC. You guys are doing really well. Creating jealousy on the blog is the first sign of success for any start up. I wish you well. And congrats to your client for choosing such a great bunch of individuals to work with. Ignore the haters. Embrace the lovers. Go forth and conquer. Sell lots of Riva.

p*e*a*c*e
F.O

nice idea for a boring product

2:21 - what's even funnier is that you post the same comment on every thread.

Will it sell lots of Riva? No. There's no emotional connection, no insight. The ad is too focused on execution, clearly copied from somewhere else and made to fit the product category. Expect a price drop at supermarket shelves.

8.44 You're more of moron then the other guy because you probably thought about that for 7 minutes.

YOU'RE COOL BUDDY!

10:41 - I doubt you would ever be a CD of any agency.

How about a shot of Riva spilled on a mirror laying face up on a coffee table. We hear Carnival music and see some out of focus images of a parade playing on a tele in the background. A big super pops onto the screen - ITS JUST AS GOOD BUT CHEAPER- fade to black. 15 seconds.

Well what do ya think?

more bitchy comments please. I have no life and I live for this bitchfest.

12.07PM, why don't you try Marketing 1.02.

Probably time you moved on from the first book. It's completely outdated.

I just slept with three swedish girls and came back to the office. I'm bored now. Might go home.

12:07 masturbates to powerpoint presentations and then licks the screen afterwards.

I have no opinion but I shagged a girl on my CD's desk last night and we had a cup of Riva afterwards.

LOL

I'm jerking off under the table right now and no one can see me. I'm a researcher who spends his days killing creative work and spends his nights writing negative comments about work I wasn't able to get my grubby research fingers on. I am an utter prick who bluffs his way through his job day after day. But guess what? I'm proud of it. So proud of my miserable existence.

My PA takes it up the arse

There should be more shagging in coffee ads.

2.01 Lay off the Riva, it's making you bitter.

Watched it. Thought it was a clever way of going up against the competition. It positions Riva as a cooler brand - which is obviously the intention. Sounds like a few people here need help with their sex lives/relationships/self respect. Adios amigos.

Where's the big wanky endline?

It's got to have a wanky endline. Otherwise its not an ad.