ICHITAN DOUBLE DRINK | KILLER BEES | 2011

The Radio Ad About Getting Stung by a Bee / ICHITAN DOUBLE DRINK "KILLER BEES"

A radio commercial for a Thai drink brand won gold at Cannes Lions.

The insight

Around the same time, Y&R Thailand's campaign for Ichitan was aimed at health-conscious female office workers in Thailand. Using humor to depict anxiety about diet and eating habits seems to have been the tone running through the whole brand.

What happened

It won gold in the Radio Lions, Non-Alcoholic Drinks category at Cannes Lions 2011. Along with other ads in the same series, "Pet," "Bully," and "Asteroid," it also won silver at the Clio Awards 2012.

Afterthought

With radio ads, sound is all you have to go on, and there's not much material left to revisit them by now. Honestly, I still don't fully understand what made this one win. I'd love to learn more about the craft of making people laugh with nothing but sound.

Awards

Cannes Lions Gold 2011

Three more the bear picked for you

The Man Who Boosted Sales 90% by Kicking a Bear in the Groin / John West Red Salmon "Bear"

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RED SALMON | Bear | 2001

The Man Who Boosted Sales 90% by Kicking a Bear in the Groin / John West Red Salmon "Bear"

In footage styled like a nature documentary, a fisherman kicks a grizzly bear right in the groin. That's the whole premise—and somehow it drove a 90% jump in sales.

Every Last Drop, Right Down to the Bottle / Pepsi-Cola "INNER-TUBE"

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PEPSI-COLA | INNER-TUBE | 1995

Every Last Drop, Right Down to the Bottle / Pepsi-Cola "INNER-TUBE"

A boy wearing an inner tube at the beach is drinking a Pepsi through a straw. He sucks and sucks, trying to get every last drop — and ends up getting pulled into the bottle himself, tube and all. His little sister turns and says, "Mom, he did it again." This 60-second spot aired during the Super Bowl in 1995, and it hits you with a "wait, what?" before you're already laughing.

The Paradox of Making a Movie About Advertising—With Advertising / HYATT "THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD"

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HYATT HOTELS | THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD | 2012

The Paradox of Making a Movie About Advertising—With Advertising / HYATT "THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD"

A movie that criticizes product placement, made possible by product placement. This is that provocative, mischievous humor from Morgan Spurlock, who turns the contradiction itself into the whole point of the project.