The Night of the AdEaters Muscat 2007 Snaps

A couple of snaps from ‘The Night of the AdEaters’ Show on Wednesday, 24 October 2007.

More snaps from the final ’The Night of the AdEaters’ Show on Thursday, 25 October 2007. Enjoy!

Grand finale to The Night of the AdEaters

Muscat became the world’s latest city to join the renowned AdEaters club with the spectacular debut of ‘The Night of the AdEaters’ last week.

Over 2000 AdEaters turned out for the sold-out shows on both 24 & 25 October at the Palm Gardens, Muscat InterContinental Hotel.

The globally acclaimed ‘advertainment’ show, dedicated to showcasing creative advertising from 60 different nations on a giant screen, turned out to be a unique entertainment experience for Muscateers.

The fabulous crowd, including leading members of Oman’s corporate sector, college students – especially from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), and ad aficionados were fulsome in their praise for the event’s novel concept and presentation.

Some corporate leaders shared with us their feedback of the event:

Ross Cormack, CEO of Nawras: “Nawras is delighted to have partnered AdEaters and thanks Applause Events for the opportunity to be part of another exhilarating ‘first’ in the Sultanate of Oman. The innovative evenings were well-organized and a fantastic experience for all those who had the pleasure of attending. Nawras is known for being creative and for setting trends and AdEaters was the perfect entertainment event for this award winning mobile operator to proudly participate in. Both AdEaters and Nawras celebrate the promotion of creativity with the resulting combination considered a huge success by the audience on both evenings.”

Khalfan Al-Taley, Deputy General Manager, Sohar Bank:
“It was an amazing show. It is the first time this event is being conducted in Oman and I thoroughly enjoyed the AdEaters show. The commercials were world-class. The Shock ‘n’ Knock troupe performed extremely well. The Drum Circle, with their rhythmic percussion was a trance. I could see the oneness all over the Palm Gardens. The event was well-organized and I am impressed by the grand show.”

Usama Karim Al-Haremi, Manager – CC&M Dept., Oman Air: “It was a great experience. The show was fabulous. It was great to witness the all-round excitement – from the performance of the Shock ‘n’ Knock troupe to the enthusiastic support of the SQU students and of course, the world-class ad commercials. This is the first time ‘The Night of the AdEaters’ has come to Oman. Showcasing such a world-class event goes to show that the events scene in Oman has come of age.”

Ajay Ganti, General Manager, SARCO LLC: “Overall it was a nice experience. The commercials were excellent. This time around, it was nice to see so many youngsters from SQU participating in big numbers.”

‘The Night of the AdEaters’ in Muscat was presented by Nawras, the Sultanate’s customer-friendly communications provider that offers customers great value, pleasingly different service and excellent quality.

We thank all our partners for their support. A big thank you to all the AdEaters who made this event a huge success! We wouldn’t have made it without you.

Grand debut for The Night of the AdEaters in Muscat

The first ever Night of the AdEaters show in Muscat had a spectacular debut yesterday evening.

Hundreds of AdEaters turned out for the sold-out evening at the Palm Gardens, Muscat InterContinental Hotel.

The globally acclaimed ‘advertainment’ show, dedicated to showcasing creative advertising from 60 different nations on a giant screen, turned out to be a unique entertainment experience for the audience.

The exuberant crowd, comprising college students, leading members of Oman’s corporate sector and ad aficionados soaked in the fun-filled ambience. The spectacular show reel of world’s greatest ad commercials had the audience asking for more.

12 raffle draws were conducted, with fabulous prizes such as a 32” LCD TV, DVD Players, MP3 Players and Camcorders from Samsung, Citizen Eco-Drive watches, gift vouchers from Capital Store LLC and Pizza Hut.

The Shock ‘n’ Knock troupe had the gathering spell-bound with their electrifying break dancing performances.

The rhythmical Drum Circle turned out to be a unique experience for Muscateers. With an assortment of over 60 drums, the Drum Circle turned out to be an interactive magical, musical group experience that people will never forget, and talk about for months to come!

‘The Night of the AdEaters’ will have its final show at the Palm Gardens, Muscat InterContinental Hotel this evening. Gates open at 5.30pm and the show starts at 6.30pm.

Limited tickets are available for today’s AdEaters show. Tickets priced at RO 7 and RO 3 will be sold at the venue on a first come-first serve basis from 5pm onwards. To reserve corporate tables, priced at RO 70, please call Swithun at 92361877.

‘The Night of the AdEaters’ in Muscat is presented by Nawras, the Sultanate’s customer-friendly communications provider that offers customers great value, pleasingly different service and excellent quality.

‘The Night of the AdEaters’ is brought to Oman by Applause Events – The Event Specialists, a division of United Media Services LLC.

We will post more snaps from the event tomorrow. Watch this space!

‘The Night of the AdEaters’ debuts in Muscat today

Yes, today is the big day! The much anticipated ‘The Night of the AdEaters’, the world-renowned international advertising festival makes its spectacular debut in Muscat this evening.

When & where?
‘The Night of the AdEaters’ will have 2 shows to be held at the Palm Gardens, Muscat InterContinental Hotel on Wednesday, 24 October 2007 and Thursday, 25 October 2007. Gates open at 5.30pm and the show starts at 6.30pm.

What is AdEaters all about?
‘The Night of the AdEaters’ is a spectacular worldwide ‘advertainment’ show dedicated to showcasing creative advertising from 60 different nations on a giant screen set in a crazy atmosphere!

Since its origin in France in 1981, ‘The Night of the AdEaters’ has grown into a global phenomenon with shows in more than 160 cities across 47 countries.

Are you an AdEater?
It doesn’t matter if you are a corporate honcho, student, homemaker or a professional. ‘The Night of the AdEaters’ is a great opportunity to loosen up and relax in a fun-filled ambience.

You can soak in the fabulous entertainment – a spectacular showreel of amazing ad commercials that leave you asking for more; try your luck in the raffle draws; tuck into delicious snacks and enjoy the Shock ‘n’ Knock break dancing and Drum Circle performances.

If you are an arts and culture enthusiast, if you love movies or if you are simply crazy about ad commercials, you have all it takes to be an AdEater.

Twos evenings of Advertainment, Drum Circle & Shock ‘n’ Knock
‘The Night of the AdEaters’ will not only feature some of the world’s most creative, humorous and engaging TV commercials but will also offer the audience two evenings of live entertainment and fun.

Attractions such as Shock ‘n’ Knock break dancing and Drum Circle along with raffle draws with fabulous prizes will add to the excitement of this feisty event.

Drum Circle is a unique community drumming experience that helps unify teams, energize groups and bring people together.

With an assortment of over 60 drums, everyone can take part in the Drum Circle and create an interactive, magical, musical, group experience that people will never forget, and talk about for months to come!

Shock ‘n’ Knock is an amazing break dancing troupe that sets the dance floor on fire with their electrifying break dancing performances.

Muscateers can look forward to two spectacular evenings of entertainment with Drum Circle and Shock ‘n’ Knock.

Win fabulous prizes
Exciting prizes await attendees of the first ever ‘The Night of the AdEaters’ show in Muscat. As a grand raffle prize, you can win a 32” Samsung LCD TV from SARCO LLC, at each AdEaters screening. You also get to win Samsung DVD Players, MP3 Players, Camcorders and Citizen Eco-Drive watches from SARCO LLC.

There are also gift vouchers of fabulous luxury and lifestyle brands such as Christian Dior, Guerlain, Mont Blanc and Delsey from Capital Store LLC. Pizza Hut is giving away gift vouchers to ad aficionados. There will be special early bird prizes so make sure that you take your seats before show time.

Limited Tickets Available
All tickets for the AdEaters show on Wednesday, 24 October 2007 are sold out. Limited tickets are available for the AdEaters show on Thursday, 25 October 2007, so hurry and get your tickets at the earliest to avoid disappointment.

Tickets are priced at RO 7 and RO 3. Corporate tables are priced at RO 70. To reserve your corporate tables for the show on 25 October 2007, please call Swithun at 92361877. Other tickets will be sold at the venue, on a first come-first serve basis.

Corporate Oman supports AdEaters
‘The Night of the AdEaters’ in Muscat is presented by Nawras, the Sultanate’s customer-friendly communications provider that offers customers great value, pleasingly different service and excellent quality.

Bank Sohar – The promising new entrant in Oman’s banking sector, Times of Oman and Al Shabiba are associate sponsors.

‘The Night of the AdEaters’ is brought to Oman by Applause Events – The Event Specialists, a division of United Media Services LLC.

ADEATERSPEAK-5: The 10 Best TV Spots Ever

The Nawras ADEATERSPEAK Column in Times of Oman comes to a fitting finish today with Tangerine Toad writing about some of the finest TV commercials ever made.

Tangerine Toad is the “nom-de-blog” of a New York based creative director who’s spent 20 years working at some of the best-known online and offline ad agencies. It’s given him the ability to speak both television and Web 2.0. Often in the same sentence.

My Favorite TV Spots Of All Time: A Decidedly Anglo-Centric List
By Tangerine Toad
Creative Director, New York, USA 

In honor of the AdEaters festival, I thought it fitting that I compile my own list of the best TV commercials of all time. These are spots, that, in my opinion, changed the way we think of advertising or at least the way we thought of the product. They were all groundbreaking in their own way and achieved what TV does best: they made us feel something.

In my opinion, the best television commercials are never a rational argument: they create an emotional reaction to the product that sticks with us much longer than any rational argument ever could. Note how little copy (if any) most of them have: In television, the most effective spots are never copy intense; they let the viewer draw their conclusion from a broader message.

So with that as an intro, here are my Top Ten with YouTube links so you can watch them yourselves:

1. VW – Snowplow (US, 1964)

(In Dutch, original spot was in English.) One of the classic VW spots from Doyle Dane Bernbach, this simple spot, a mini-movie, really, shows how the snowplow driver gets to the snowplow. It’s ever more remarkable given that, at the time, car commercials consisted of 60 seconds of showing the car and touting its fine features – no single-minded thought at all. Even more remarkable: with a slight update of the quality of the film and soundtrack, this spot would seem just as fresh today as it did 40 years ago.

2. Apple – 1984 (US, 1984)

The most famous Super Bowl commercial of them all. “1984” from then-upstart agency Chiat/Day, this spot introduced the idea of the commercial-as-event. A truly cinematic work, which makes people work just enough to get the metaphor, this spot still sets the standard by which all other Super Bowl spots are judged. As an army of drones sits in an auditorium listening to their leader spew forth doublespeak, a young woman runs in and flings a hammer at the screen. A voiceover and super title at the end contain the only line of copy: “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like “1984.” It’s a brand positioning Apple still owns, 23 years later.

3. AlkaSeltzer – “Spicy Meatball”  (US, 1970)

This one afforded me and my childhood friends hours of comic relief. In a commercial-within-a-commercial, an actor keeps having to taste “Magdalini’s Meatballs” and exclaim “Mamma Mia! That’s a spicy meat-a-ball” in an Italian accent. And every time he mucks it up slightly. After multiple takes, he’s ready for some Alka-Seltzer. Great little movie, nice humor. Don’t know if the forces of political correctness would let this one run today, but it definitely sealed the notion that Alka Seltzer = stomach trouble relief in a comical way that did nothing to reduce the notion of the product’s effectiveness.

4. Starbucks – “Glen” (US, 2004)

 
One of the funniest commercials in recent memory, this Fallon spot has 1980s hair band Survivor following young office worker Glen on his way into work, cheering him on with an inspirational song set to the tune of “Eye of the Tiger” (their hit from the movie Rocky.) With brilliantly satirical lyrics like “status call reports have finally met their rival” this spot strikes a chord with the young adult demographic, but the silliness never overwhelms a relevant story about the benefits of Starbucks canned double shot espresso.

5. Wendy’s – “Where’s The Beef” (US, 1984)

Director Joe Sedelmaier set the ad world on its ear with this spot from Dancer, Fitzgerald, Sample, which featured a stereotypical little old lady (brilliantly played by the late Clara Peller) looking at a hamburger from a rival chain and asking “Where’s The Beef?” in a somewhat belligerent tone. The offbeat casting, pacing,  and humor were all revolutionary in their day and the phrase “Where’s The Beef” worked itself into the popular zeitgeist, even making an appearance in the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign when Walter Mondale used it to slam Gary Hart. For Wendy’s however, it effectively got across the notion that Wendy’s hamburgers were bigger than their competitors in a way that made people like the upstart chain.

6. Levi’s – Drugstore (UK, 1994) 

Michel Gondry’s classic Levi’s spot (via BBH) evokes Depression-era America to sell the quintessential American blue jean to the UK market. Beautifully shot in black and white, with no dialog, it’s a wonderful reinterpretation of the oft-told tale of the boy who buys a condom from the drug store, only to find out the girl he’s picking up later is the druggists daughter. The mood and tone evoke the sort of authenticity Levi’s legend is built on, and the one line of copy at the end, “Watch pocket created in1873. Abused ever since” gives it the right ironic touch.

7. Guardian – POV (UK, 1987)

Taking a page from “Roshoman” this classic spot for the Guardian newspaper shows the same scene from three different points of view to illustrate the difference a slant on the news can make. The surprise ending really makes a strong point however, and makes you think: precisely the message the Guardian wants you to take away.

8. Nike – If You Let Me Play Sports (US, 1995)

I know a good half dozen women who cried the first time they watched this commercial, a paean to the benefits of encouraging young women to be athletes. Nike, with their category dominance, is the only brand that could successfully put out this message and the commercial, via Wieden and Kennedy, is a powerful vehicle for it, heartfelt and earnest without ever veering towards hokeyness. The net result is that Nike captured the hearts (and wallets) of thousands of athletically inclined women, while raising the general awareness of the value of women’s sports.

9. Pepsi – Cindy Crawford (US, 1991)

BBDO at their finest. This charming spot, devised solely to introduce a new Pepsi can, uses the classic misdirect, as scantily clad supermodel Cindy Crawford buys a can of Pepsi from a vending machine to the tune of “Just One Look” while two young boys watch on, spellbound. But it’s not Crawford that has the boys’ attention: it’s the new Pepsi can.  Successfully melding America’s obsessions with fame, sex and pop music, the spot managed to make Pepsi seem iconic; its new can even more so.

10. Guinness – Horses (UK, 1999) 

An epic fantasy spot, beautifully shot by Jonathan Glazer, that makes waiting for a Guinness into a feat as heroic as landing on the moon. As the voiceover recites a disjointed poem about waiting and Captain Ahab, we see footage of a group of surfers riding waves that turn into white horses. The spot ends with the surfers congratulating each other on a wave well-ridden as the voiceover intones “Here’s to waiting” and a super over a glass of Guinness reads “Good things come to those who…”  The spot serves to further mythologize Guinness and, rather than dwell of the purity of the hops or excellence of the flavor, it creates a visceral reaction in the viewer that works even more effectively to position the brand.

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Click here to download a pdf.

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NAWRAS ADEATERSPEAK is an exclusive weekly thought leadership column in ‘Times of Oman’ on advertising, marketing, PR and branding by leading experts.

It is presented by Nawras, the customer-friendly communications provider in the Sultanate of Oman, who is also bringing you ‘The Night of the AdEaters Muscat 2007’ for the first time in Oman on 24th and 25th of October.

Prizes galore at Oman’s first ever AdEaters show

Lots of exciting prizes await attendees of the first ever ‘The Night of the AdEaters’ show in Muscat.

As a grand raffle prize, you can win a 32” Samsung LCD TV from SARCO LLC, at each AdEaters screening. You also get to win Samsung DVD Players, MP3 Players, Camcorders and Citizen Eco-Drive watches from SARCO LLC.

There are also gift vouchers of fabulous luxury and lifestyle brands such as Christian Dior, Guerlain, Mont Blanc and Delsey from Capital Store LLC. And gift vouchers from Pizza Hut too. There will be special early bird prizes so make sure that you take your seats before show time.

The first ever AdEaters event in Muscat is just 2 days away, so hurry and get your tickets. Tickets for the AdEaters shows on Wednesday, 24 October 2007 and Thursday, 25 October 2007 at Palm Gardens, Muscat InterContinental Hotel are available at Kargeen Café, Le Mermaid, OUA, Left Bank, Jawaharat Al Shatti and Pizza Hut outlets in Muscat. Tickets are also available for corporate / bulk purchase at these outlets.

Tickets are priced at RO 7 and RO 3. Corporate tables are priced at RO 70. For more information, please call Swithun at 92361877, Hiranya at 99415091 or email adeaters@infoline.co.om

ADEATERSPEAK-4: New Talents in Advertising

For last week’s Nawras ADEATERSPEAK Column in Times of Oman, we had Luc Debaisieux writing on why it is exciting to work with new talents in advertising.

Luc is a consultant in communication, creativity and talent research, currently on mission as Head of TV for JWT Group in Brussels, Belgium. He runs “mindblob”, a blog dedicated to creativity and marketing communication.

Read Luc’s article: DARE! Why be the first to work with a new talent in advertising?
Click here to download a pdf.

DARE! Why be the first to work with a new talent in advertising?
By Luc Debaisieux

Welcome to advertising dreamland. This is a world where budgets are all comfortable, where timings are all cool, where working with confirmed directors is always affordable, where convincing clients is never a problem and where making impactful campaigns is obvious.

AdEaters Hall of Fame: Best Ads of 2006

Enjoy this collection of some of the funniest and most creatively inspiring ads of 2006. Brands featured include: Apple iPod, FedEx, Hummer, Levi’s, Nike, XBox 360, Budweiser and Vonage.

Tickets available for AdEaters Event

The first ever Night of the Adeaters show in Muscat is just 4 days away and we have some great news for all ad aficionados out there. Tickets to show are now available!

You can get tickets for The Night of AdEaters shows on Wednesday, 24 October and Thursday, 25 October 2007 from the following outlets in Muscat:

1. Kargeen Cafe
2. Le Mermaid
3. OUA
4. Left Bank
5. Jawaharat Al Shatti
6. Pizza Hut

Tickets are priced at RO 7 and RO 3. Get your tickets for the event ASAP. We hope to see you at Palm Gardens, Muscat InterContinental Hotel this Wednesday and Thursday. It’s going to be loads of fun!

For more information, please call Swithun at 92361877 or Hiranya at 99415091.
You can fax us at 24446164 or email us at adeaters@infoline.co.om

AdEaters Hall of Fame: Canon PowerShot-Banter

You will love this Canon PowerShot ad starring Maria Sharapova and the very cute ‘Doice’. A great way to get back to blogging for AdEaters, after the luxuriously long Eid Holidays. Enjoy this superb ad named ‘Banter’!