Our Olym-picks.

Hello. 

Creative team Chris and Tim here.

 You might not have noticed, but apparently London’s hosting some sort of sporting event thing in a couple of months. Which means that our screens, papers and internets are filled with Olympic-related advertising of wildly differing quality. So we thought we’d take a look at what’s out there and share our thoughts.

Chris: Let’s kick off with Tampax. “Oh no! Mother Nature! And just when I’m about to [CROWBAR ALERT] compete in the Olympic High Jump. Good job I’m wearing Tampax Pearl.” All pretty tenuous stuff. And as for “No Tampax, No Glory”. Well, it’s bloody awful.

   Tim: Badly acted, badly directed, an unintentionally hilarious script, a lame set (it doesn’t look like the London Olympic stadium) and the old bat is better suited to a daytime Spanish soap opera. I think that all involved should undergo a drugs test.

Chris: Still if you’re P&G, you want to get your money’s worth out of your Olympics sponsorship. So start churning out those ads. Talking of which…

Tim: What about “Thankyou, Mum”? Now I could ask, “Where’s Dad?” (He’s probably out working a double shift to put his overachieving spawn through running school.) I could suggest that Mum resents having to get up at sparrow fart to drag aforementioned sprog off to the track when she would much rather be in bed.

But I won’t. Because I really liked this – and because, as this ad shows, mums are brilliant. It’s sweet, it melts my heart and it presses my buttons. Probably because I’m a parent. Sniff.

Chris: Like the Tampax ad, I thought it was a tad tenuous. “Look! By doing the washing-up I’m helping my son become an Olympian!” Nicely put together though. Very emotive. And I’m sure if you’re a softy like Tim you’ll be moved by it. Not me though. I’ve just… I’ve just… got something in my eye. Which leads us to…

 Tim: …Blink and you’ll miss super speedy Usain Bolt’s ad for Visa.

Chris: Ooh, seamless Timmy. Now, I liked this ad a lot. It had charm, it was genuinely funny and Usain really can act (unlike the appallingly stilted Sir Chris Hoy and Tom ‘Wooden’ Daly). Plus, the product benefit is demonstrated nicely. And the line “Flow faster with Visa” is pretty good.

Tim: Bolt can act (up to a point). I like this. It’s fun and gets across the product benefits nicely. The only thing that grates is the beginning – why would he get into a race with that grinning bearded weirdo in the first place? Maybe to get away from him? Anyway. Must dash. Ta ta.