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My favourite ads from Austria – By @elisaczerwenka

My favourite ads from Austria 

I have been fascinated with advertising since my early teens. 

And the longer I study this field, the more I have noticed how many times I wanna tell my partner Ellie “Oh this reminds me of this ad…” just to realise that she probably has never seen it. 

How would she? If it ran in Austria, there is no way she came across it. But these are the ads I grew up with. They have jingles I will probably never forget in my life. 

Our ads usually don’t leave the borders of our own country; some may make it to Germany. But even our award shows are mainly locally based. One of the reasons is obviously the language – all of our ads are in German – but some of my favourite ads probably make a lot of sense, even without it. So here is a little collection of ads that I want to share and hope to inspire you with. 

HUMANIC – Franz TVC

This one is interesting because I did not know it until a week ago, nor did I grew up with it. But when I sat for dinner with my parents and uncle and asked them for their favourite ad ever, this is what they said: The early HUMANIC TVCs, one in particular. Franz. 

There is not much to translate here other than HUMANIC being a shoe brand, and the whole ad just using one word: Franz. What it means? Nothing really, it is just a name. Completely random, it seems. But it is actually the genius of a art collector who ran the marketing department of the shoe brand in the 70s. He brought Avantgarde to TV and oh dear, did it upset people. Yet this ad has not only stayed in memory for almost 50 years, but it also makes my family smile still. And I find it fascinating too. The absurdity  of this piece made it so revolutionary and memorable at the time. 

More about this legendary campaign here: https://kurier.at/kultur/humanic-spots-als-kunst-in-die-werbung-ausfranzte/79.062.037

SCHMETTERLINGSKINDER Campaign by DEBRA

This is a charity campaign that I won’t ever forget. Its striking visuals have imprinted in my memory forever. They talk about the disease of Butterfly children or Epidermolysis bullosa (EB). All the ads say is “This is what the world feels like to butterfly children”. And I love how good these ads communicate. They make me feel someone else’s pain.  

Alles ist Möglich for Lotto Österreich. By GGK MullenLowe

This campaign is one of the longest-running in the country. The strap says “Everything is possible” referring to the changes you could make to your life when you win the lottery and become a millionaire. 

One of my favourite TVCs for this campaign

VIENNA Tourism

Now, this ad is indeed Austrian but is the most successful outside of it. It is a tourism ad and needs no translation. I just really love how simple the thought is and how well it communicates what Vienna is actually about:  

BILD zu OTS – Kampagnen-Motiv in London

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