Tell Em About the Honey

That Mighty Boosh rip off Sugar Puffs ad reminded me of the return of characterisation in ads.

Good brand characters aren't the outdated relics they may seem, but with good writing and insights they can be inspiring and effective. Look at Monkey for PG Tips as a primate example.

But Honey Monster... sigh.
A brilliant John Webster creation dropped into rubbish ads for so many years. There used to be a rule that Sugar Puffs ads would only use "cool" ideas that were several years past their cool date. (I.e.: Expect a Matrix influenced ad next year)

The latest ad is nearer to the mark but still fails. The problem is that Honey Monster ads just try far far too hard to be cool.

Tony the Tiger is cool because as cheesy as he is, he doesn't appear to try and be anything other than himself. He messes up and doesn't care. But HM is so self consiously trying to be cool, it just feels flat and contrived; especially after so many bad ads.

Give him to Mother, then it might just work.