This week, we met with someone who works at a brand I consider a classic — Faber-Castell. She had casually mentioned an advertisement they created in 1957 that had won an advertising award at Cannes back in 1957. The commercial was entitled “Ballgame” (2:29) and the objective was to introduce a new writing instrument — the ball point pen.
I find that the modern viral videos today are more abstract and flippant than the average broadcast commercial — so when I see these 1950′s spots, I’m reminded of the spirit of creativity that once was — way before it got formulaic. These ads were also created for broadcast TV which would be unheard of today. They almost seem like short films.
The second spot, “Jousting Knights” (2:24) is another animation but with a plot line. The narrative of this commercial is a battle of the old writing instrument (the pencil) going head to head with the new writing instrument. Faber-Castell’s corporate logo is the jousting knights, so here is an example of integrating corporate identity with some “out of box” thinking.
In their own little way, there is a grandeur to these tiny spots… a certain weight, craftsmanship, and attention to detail. We hope to see a return to this way of thinking in terms of online advertising, where the rules are “looser” and not beholden to cookie cutter approaches. Whenever in doubt, just look back. Our grandfathers did it best.
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