sickly sweet

Mike has talked about it before, but this week really has got me thinking just how bad the new Orange stuff is. First came the launch of the Mark Beaumont TV ad. Then, as I was dashing through Waterloo Station this morning on my way to a team away-day, I saw a whole load of billboards. I didn't have the time to take a snap but you know what it's about: "I am who I am because of everyone". Might be a worthwhile platform for a mobile brand - but is this tied in any way into any of the tangible benefits associated with Orange products and services? I can't see that it is. It's strange when you think about Fallon's best known work from the past couple of years - they have done great stuff for Cadbury and Sony Bravia. Just goes to show you're not always on fire. From a brand perspective, Orange are still doing some cool stuff - check out the now long-over balloonacy game - but how does this fit into the overarching position? (Or is that just a question being asked by a pernickety creative who likes symmetry and different riffs being played on the same theme?) When you put the Orange work next to Vodafone (which ironically had a billboard next to it), you see that the latter has an emotional territory ("Make the most of now") that is directly linked to its tangible benefits, such as decent internet access on the go. They can keep rolling that stuff out all over the place for that reason. Whereas people like Mike and plenty of others are giving the Orange work a hammering for its syrupy-ness without substance.