Ogilvy takes centre stage in Apprentice

by Nikki Sandison, Brand Republic 21-May-08, 15:55

LONDON - Ogilvy Advertising will be appearing on BBC One's smash hit TV series 'The Apprentice' tonight, as the teams face the task of designing and creating an ad campaign for a tissue brand.

The remaining seven contenders will be tasked with designing their own brand of tissues and creating a story-based TV and poster campaign in the space of two days.

The episode falls into two parts: designing the packaging for the tissue brand at Ogilvy's design agency, Coley Porter Bell, based in Victoria; and creating the campaign at Ogilvy's offices in Canary Wharf.

During the design element, the teams are presented with a blank box and have to think of a brand name and a logo and then design the packaging for their tissues.

Their terrible suggestions for brand names include Snot, Cosy Sneeze and Atishu.

The teams then have to film a 30-second TV ad and shoot pictures for a poster ad to sell the product.

The following day the teams pitch to Sir Alan Sugar; Ogilvy chairman Gary Leih; Ogilvy executive creative director Rory Sutherland; and chief executive of Coley Porter Bell Vicky Bullen; alongside an audience of 20 normal consumers.

It is understood that both ads turned out less than impressive, with one of the teams falling into the trap of creating a very arty but entirely irrelevant ad.

The pitching process didn't go much better, with one team putting in a particularly humiliating performance.

There is an advertising task every year on 'The Apprentice'; Ogilvy follows in the footsteps of CHI & Partners, who took part in the last series.

The episode is screening tonight on BBC One at 9pm. Filming took place in October of last year.

Comments

Rob Sellers - 22/05/2008

Just came across as a bit stuffy in the end - bunch of grumpy middle-aged people doing stuff to a formula. None of the excitement/fun of last year. Thoroughly disappointed.