Professional & Academic Skills 1 (PAS1)

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Module Code: ARTD6113

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Table of Contents

Part 1: Evaluative Review of Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.................................................3

1. Introduction and Background of Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.......................................3

2. Critical Evaluation of the Creative Work.........................................................................3

2.1 Campaign 1: Snickers: Get Some Nuts Campaign [Year: 2008].................................4

2.2 Campaign 2: Tena: Last Lonely Menopause [Year: 2022]...........................................5

2.3 Campaign 3: Ford: Night Swimming [Year: 2022]......................................................7

2.4 Campaign 4: Sheba: You’ll Do Anything for a Kitten [Year: 2023]............................8

2.5 Campaign 5: Maltesers: Motherlover Campaign [Year: 2023].................................10

Conclusion...........................................................................................................................11

Part 2: Reflective Statement..................................................................................................13

References...............................................................................................................................15

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Part 1: Evaluative Review of Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO

1. Introduction and Background of Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO

Abbott Mead Vickers (AMV) BBDO is the leading UK-based advertising agency established
in 1979 with a focus on creating creative and effective advertisements. The key focus or
mission of the brand is to create adverts that have the capability to move people instead of
just finding a way to sell specific products (Wicks, 2014). Additionally, its values that are
indirectly reflected through its advertisements suggest that the brand is an endorser of content
that is the mixture of entertainment, inspiration, social well-being and educating people.
AMV BBDO is known to be highly reputable in the UK, owing to its strong track record of
success that comprises awards like the IPA Effectiveness Award, Cannes Lions Grand Prix
and the D&AD Yellow Pencil. The company has collaborated/ created advertisements for
more than 80 brands that include charities, businesses, non-profit organisations and
corporations. Moreover, as of 2021, it ranked #1 as the Creative Agency of the UK as per the
Drum World Creative Rankings and has the longest consecutive number of Golds in the
overall history of IPA Effectiveness Awards (Linkedin, 2023). This range of accolades is
adequate enough to point out its reputation and success in the field of creativity.

AMV BBDO’s product portfolio comprises digital, social, experiential, print or broadcast
media-based advertisements that it creates with the collaboration and team efforts of its
people. Its key people include Sam Hawkey (CEO), Carmen Vasile (Managing Director),
Nadja Lossgott and Nicholas Hulley (Chief Creative Officer), Micheal Pring (Chief
Operating Officer), Kelly Knight (Chief Diversity Officer and HR Director), Dawn Coburn
(Chief Financial Officer). Additionally, in the strategy and creativity segment, it has Martin
Weigel (Chief Strategy Officer), David Edwards (Chief Customer Officer), Lola Neves and
Sam Williams (Head of Strategy) and Paul Goodwin (Head of Creative Production) (AMV
BBDO, 2023). With such diverse and differently skilled people, the brand seems to be able to
stand out in terms of creativity and unique advertisement owing to a varied range of ideas and
creative thinking that these people might have contributed to.

2. Critical Evaluation of the Creative Work

According to the Evolutionary Theory by Darwinians, the interactions between factors such
as age, mental illness, contemporary social and cultural conditions, productivity, genetics,
personality and intelligence often converge and lead to the attainment of creativity among
people (Thomson, P. and Jaque, 2016, p. 9). In a similar context, the people of AMV BBDO

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have showcased a wide range of creativity based on varied aspects associated with humans.
Some of the key examples of such advertising campaigns are as follows:

2.1 Campaign 1: Snickers: Get Some Nuts Campaign [Year: 2008]

The TV advertisement for Snickers that was created by AMV BBDO in 2008 was one of a
kind pun intended advert. The focus of this advertisement was to create humour or sarcasm-
based content associated with the key ingredient of Snickers chocolate bar, which is ‘peanuts’
or other nuts. The advertisement is starred by Mr T, a renowned American actor, wherein he
is shown to be crashing through a building in a pickup truck and comes alongside a man that
was wearing tight yellow shorts. Mr T. proceeds with a Gatling gun in his hands as he fires
Snicker bar bullets, yelling, “Speed walking?! I pity you fool. You a disgrace to the man race.
It’s time to run like a real man.” (Sweney, 2008).

Figure 1: A Still from the Snickers ‘Get Some Nuts’ Advertisement

Source: (Sweney, 2008)

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 Figure 2: Poster Advertisement of Snickers Get Some Nuts

Source: (Rudenko, 2010)

The key intention of AMV BBDO and Mars was to promote its product in a fun and sarcastic,
which in itself was a creative take, especially in 2008. However, it did not end well with the
audience and especially the Human Rights Campaign of the UK, as it was found to be
promoting violence and hatred towards gay men, which is a violation of rights for LGBT
groups. Consequently, Snickers had to take down this advert after immense criticism with an
apology statement for hurting the sentiments of the specific group (Sweney, 2008a). Based on
creativity, we can say that AMV BBDO did a successful job in integrating puns, sarcasm and
product jingle into one single advertisement. However, the area where they messed up was
taking into consideration the feelings of a specific group of people. An advertisement cannot
be deemed effective if it hurts the sentiment of the audience for which it was targeted (Singh
and Gupta, 2021). This advertisement seemingly lacked relatability, especially in a society
that is becoming more open towards communities like LGBTQ, which previously used to be
bullied to a greater extent based on their looks, gesture and posture (Formby, 2017). So, to
showcase such a sensitive thing as a joke was indeed not a great idea on AMV BBDO’s part,
which is why it wasn’t able to capture the agreement of a lot of people.

2.2 Campaign 2: Tena: Last Lonely Menopause [Year: 2022]

AMV BBDO has showcased great progress in terms of its advertisements, especially when
we take into consideration its 2008 advertisement for Snickers, which was outright hurtful.
However, in 2022 the brand showcased the side of compassion that people often like through
its Last Loney Menopause, which the brand created for Tena, the Swedish Sanitary brand.
The advertisement was able to showcase a warm and open mother-daughter relationship with
regard to a mother’s emotional, physical and mental struggle at the time of menopause. This
advertisement won the hearts of many people as they claimed that this type of advertisement
was never created or seen on British TV (Diversity in Advertising, 2022).

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 Figure 3: Stills from the ‘Last Lonely Menopause’ Denoting Women’s Struggle

Source: (Diversity in Advertising, 2022)

The figure above reflects some of the stills from the advertisement, and it is indeed
compelling storytelling coming from AMV BBDO. One of the key appreciative qualities of
this advertisement is the showcase of the reality of women when they go through menopause,
which is often ignored or considered an outcome of a hectic life. It can be analysed that the
advertisement is able to deliver a clear message that signs like cramps, bladder weakness,
headache, frustration, and hot flashes are very normal during the phase of menopause and is
something one should not hide or lie about. The advertisement can easily be perceived as
creative in the way that it denotes every little habit or issue that mothers face, and it's more
relatable to daughters who view their mothers as facing this issue. The way this advertisement

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compares the menopause phase with the puberty phase of a girl shown helps in normalising
the said phase like that of puberty or periods. It is effective in way that it successfully depicts
how women tend to feel alone during this phase due to fear of not being understood (Bacon,
2017). The advertisement surely would have hit each and every female audience in the UK
who have gone through this phase or will go through it in the future, hence making them feel
understood and emotionally connected with a brand and its message. This makes this advert
creative, impactful and effective to a greater extent.

2.3 Campaign 3: Ford: Night Swimming [Year: 2022]

Ford, a renowned automobile brand, as a part of its Pan-European campaign, promoted its
Ranger pickup truck through an advertisement created by AMV BBDO. The ad titled “Night
Swimming” showcases a group of friends deep diving underwater with the new pickup truck
in the background submerged in the water. Viewers are able to witness a lot of friends
gliding around while the ethereal lights are shining around them, hence making everything
sparkle like in the water, including the air bubbles and the places they discover underwater.
Figure 4 further demonstrates that when the camera is panned out, the shining light turns out
to be that of several pickup trucks submerged in water, hence promoting its water-adaptive
nature (Houstan, 2021).

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 Figure 4: Stills from Ford’s Night Swimming Advertisement

Source: (Houstan, 2021)

The key aspect in terms of creativity that can be noted through this advertisement of AMV
BBDO is the aesthetically beautiful vibe that is depicted in it, which is quite contrary to the
image of pickup trucks being rough, sturdy and dusty. This advert is creative in a way that it
challenges people’s perception of pickup trucks and the memories associated with them.
Often one would think that rides and memories associated with pickup trucks would be kind
of adventurous in harsh conditions like that of dusty deserts. However, it shows how AMV
BBDO wanted to develop a different perspective of pickup trucks in the mind of their target
audience, and it seems to have succeeded in flipping the stereotypical image through the
depiction of beautiful, peaceful and serene shots that are not rough like the image of usual
pickup trucks. In this manner, it has been able to make the consumers understand that pickup
trucks can also be used to create beautiful memories in lakes instead of just rocky
roads/mountains or deserts. Overall, this advertisement can be deemed as effective in
germinating new ideas and images in the head of its target audience; hence replacing the old
image of a product they had in mind. The way AMV BBDO did this so subtly and
aesthetically is really appreciated.

2.4 Campaign 4: Sheba: You’ll Do Anything for a Kitten [Year: 2023]

AMV BBDO recently created a unique advertisement for Sheba, a famous cat food brand,
and it undoubtedly blew up the internet. Unlike the previous cat advertisements of Sheba,
which promoted its cat food, this advertisement showcased a reality that was up close and
personal with some of the cat owners. The advert introduces people who have specific

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allergies, like shown in Figure 5. It showcases different types of people with allergies like
rashes and swollen skin while at the same time panning the camera at a kitten whom they
supposedly got the allergy. Despite that, it is shown that they are holding the cats with a
tagline' 1 in 4 cat owners are allergic to cats and still can't resist'. Other than that, what is so
captivating about the advertisement is also the song that seems to be specifically composed
for the ad so as to rhythmically align the feelings of cat owners with the message Sheba
wants to convey. The song playing in the background with a slow tune has wordings like
"Love is tender, love is cruel. You're under my skin, baby, all I can think of is you. They call it
'love'" (West, 2023).

Figure 5: Still from the Advertisement for Sheba

Source: (Youtube, 2023)

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 Figure 6: The Cute Cat Shown in the Advert

Source: (Youtube, 2023)

Figure 7: Sheba Advert Poster for Allergic Cat Owners

Source: (AMV BBDO, 2023a)

One of the most creative things about this advertisement is that instead of just promoting the
pet product, it offered insight into the emotional attachment that cat owners have with their
pets. It showcases the extent to which owners love and caress cats despite being aware of the
troubles they are facing, hence symbolising true and sacrificial love that generally can be
seen or demonstrated by humans for their friends, partners or relatives. This advert can be
considered as a creative take with a survey finding that relates to the audience and especially
the cat owners. However, it might cause issues with other cat owners, who might find it

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unfair for the company to be offering discounts only to cat-allergic people, but the chances
are quite less in this regard.

2.5 Campaign 5: Maltesers: Motherlover Campaign [Year: 2023]

The Motherlover Campaign is the one that AMV BBDO has created recently for Maltesers, a
renowned British malt chocolate. This showcases clips of varied people who are willingly
trying to lighten the burden of mothers who have to manage work and home at the same time.
This is supported by data denoting that over 50% of the mothers in the UK expressed the
need for help from their employers in order to become the best version of the working mum
they want to be (Rawling, 2023). Keeping this into consideration, this advertisement by AMV
BBDO encourages employers to help and understand employees who are also working
mothers. It showcases different scenarios or suggestions through which they can help such
mothers instead of giving them a hard time.

Figure 8: Message of Lightening the Working Mums

Source: (Rawling, 2023)

One of the key unique and creative parts that can be noted through this advertisement is not
the issues and challenges faced by the mothers but the types of toxic employers and their
comments that they have to ensure. This advert is also creative with words to grab people’s
attention as it mentions “Motherlover”, which largely resembles a cuss word similar to the
same word. It can be analysed that AMV BBDO was quite creative in telling different stories
of different women employees and, at the same time, promoting a positive work environment

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by encouraging employers to help the working mothers. Other than that, it also seems to be
effective in addressing one of the key societal issues of female working mothers being
misunderstood, exploited and not given a helping hand by their employers (Chandola et al.,
2019). Through this advertisement, AMV BBDO has also showcased its belief and ideology
of increasing the self-confidence among working mothers and promoting a non-toxic culture.

Conclusion

Overall, it was identified through the assessment that AMV BBDO is an agency that
implements or reflects its ideologies through its work effectively. The majority of its
advertising is identified to be social cause-related and touches on those issues that are often
not discussed openly enough among people in the UK or anywhere around the world, like
menopause, emotional attachment with pets, role reversals and LGBTQ rights. By touching
on such an emotional topic, the brand has been able to closely associate itself with its
consumers and their feelings. Despite facing backlash for advertisements like Snicker’s ‘Get
Some Nuts’ the brand has been able to prove how far it has come in terms of progress. The
brand is found to be creative in the sense that it delivers the purpose of its client in a way that
closely touches the specific segment or targets consumers. Its inclusive team with diversely
skilled people is what makes the brand more conscious about the issues and topics that need
the attention of people. Moreover, the fact that it has showcased through its advertisement
that it can offer consumers a deep insight into the purpose or lives of certain people while at
the same time promoting the client’s products is what makes them more creative and effective
in the field of UK advertising. Unspoken voices or messages being voiced in a subtle but
creative way that can make people emotional, relatable, think about a particular subject or
even support something vital is what exactly is being delivered by AMV BBDO effectively.

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Part 2: Reflective Statement

In the future, I aspire to become a Creative Director because this role not only intrigues me to
a greater extent but also requires a certain set of skills that I aspire to strengthen and also
currently have to a certain extent. One of my key strengths is a creative vision of formulating
new but creative ideas when it comes to addressing a problem or developing something. Ever
since I was a child, I used to excel in craft and science project creation owing to the
excitement that I used to carry for creating new and innovative things. It seems like this
liking is what exactly has motivated me to always think something out of the blue and create
something that people have not accomplished. As per the human capital aspect of the
Graduate Capital Model, one needs certain graduate-level skills to become professional and
prepare for the specific labour market (Gallagher, 2022). Similarly, strengthening my creative
vision through the attainment of effective, innovative thinking is what would help in
flourishing in the creative advertising market.

Moreover, concept development is yet another skill that I possess, but I also need to brush up
in order to excel in my desired field. Concept development is about developing certain
processes or ideas associated with addressing certain needs or problems or attaining creative
goals (Christ, 2013). However, what I need to improve in this area is the ability to develop a
concept by integrating the ideas of other team members into one instead of just focusing on
creating ideas based just on my perceptions and knowledge. Additionally, owing to my
introverted nature, I also need to improve my communication with other members, as it will
be vital in creating a collaborative and well-coordinated project. These are what will help me
with gaining social capital or developing good networks, and they will help my future
employer in attaining their intended outcomes effectively.

The advertising or marketing sector is very competitive in nature, and only the best people
get the chance to be able to showcase their talent and ideas (Pinto and Guarda, 2020). For that
reason, I perceive that I would have to start participating in certain projects or internships that
can offer me experience and skills that I can use to further apply for my designated role. I
desire to differentiate myself from others by being up to date in terms of skills, knowledge
and experience, which often employers needing Creative Directors require. In this way, I
would be able to become more flexible and prepared for varied challenges, hence developing
my Psychological Capital. Currently, I might not be the most suitable candidate for a Creative

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Director role, but I firmly believe that my progress and skills attainment would largely help
me in becoming the best version of myself. Overall, fulfilling all the above aims, addressing
my gaps and learning from my experiences will help me in gaining Identity Capital through
which I will become a more capable and more responsible Creative Director in the future.

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References

AMV BBDO. (2023a) Sheba: You’ll do Anything for a Kitten [online] Available from:
https://www.amvbbdo.com/sheba-youll-do-anything-for-a-kitten [15 August 2023].

AMV BBDO. (2023) People [online] Available from: https://www.amvbbdo.com/people-v3

[15 August 2023].

Bacon, J.L., (2017) The menopausal transition. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics, 44(2),
285-296.

Chandola, T., Booker, C.L., Kumari, M. and Benzeval, M., (2019) Are flexible work
arrangements associated with lower levels of chronic stress-related biomarkers? A study of
6025 employees in the UK household longitudinal study. Sociology, 53(4), 779-799.

Christ, W.G. (2013) Assessing communication education: A handbook for media, speech, and
theatre educators. London: Routledge.

Diversity in Advertising. (2022) TENA – The Last Lonely Menopause [online] Available
from: https://www.diversityinadvertising.co.uk/winner/last-lonely-menopause/ [15 August
2023].

Formby, E., (2017) Exploring LGBT spaces and communities: Contrasting identities,
belongings and wellbeing. London: Taylor & Francis.

Gallagher, K., (2022) Essential study and employment skills for business and management
students. London: Oxford University Press.

Houstan, A. (2021) Ad of the Day: Ford goes night swimming in ethereal pickup truck film.
[online] Available from: https://www.thedrum.com/news/2021/12/09/ad-the-day-ford-goes-
night-swimming-ethereal-pickup-truck-film [15 August 2023].

Linkedin. (2023) AMV BBDO [online] Available from:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/amv-bbdo/about/ [15 August 2023].

Pinto, F.M. and Guarda, T. (2020) Digital Marketing Strategies and Models for Competitive
Business. London: IGI Global.

Rawling, C. (2023) Maltesers campaign aims to lighten the load for working mothers.
[online] Available from: https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/maltesers-campaign-aims-
lighten-load-working-mothers/1827589 [15 August 2023].

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Rudenko, A. (2010) Mars Launches Limited «More Nuts» Snickers for UK [online] Available
from: https://popsop.com/mars-launches-limited-%E2%80%98more-nuts%E2%80%99-
snickers-for-uk/ [15 August 2023].

Singh, C.L. and Gupta, M., (2021) Introduction to Corporate Communication: Case Studies
from India. London: Taylor & Francis.

Sweney, M. (2008) Mr T Snickers ad pulled for being offensive to gay people [online]
Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/jul/28/advertising1 [15 August
2023].

Sweney, M. (2008a) Was Mars right to pull Mr T's Snickers TV ad over anti-gay claims?
[online] Available from:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/organgrinder/2008/jul/28/wasmarsrighttopullmrtsaadvert
ising1 [15 August 2023].

Thomson, P. and Jaque, V.S., (2016) Creativity and the performing artist: Behind the mask.
London: Academic Press.

West, T. (2023). Love hurts: Sheba unveils ode to allergic cat owners in latest TV campaign
[online] Available from: https://www.marketing-beat.co.uk/2023/04/19/sheba-amv-bbdo-tv-
campaign/ [15 August 2023].

Wicks, N. (2014) Peter Mead and the power of nice [online] Available from:
https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/peter-mead-power-nice/1320753 [15 August 2023].

Youtube. (2023) You'll do Anything for a Kitten (SHEBA®) [online] Available from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwb3kZst4Ng [15 August 2023].

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