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Tube Ad Critic

@tubeadcritic

I give my unwanted opinions on London Underground adverts

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06.02.2025
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Latest posts by Tube Ad Critic @tubeadcritic

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Kudos to @recycleelectric on extracting maximum fun from a creative's worst nightmare.
"Hello we'd like a really cool, eye-catching campaign please."
"Sure, what's the product - fun new app? Cheeky new TV comedy?"
"Er actualโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/05/08/recycle-your-electrical/

08.05.2025 07:45 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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A decent effort from @lebara who are keen to defend their re-use of last year's advert - perhaps they read my report on GandyGateโ„ข? Nope, turns out it's just a clever way of linking back to their USP of zero changes to priโ€ฆ โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/05/02/lebara/

02.05.2025 07:15 ๐Ÿ‘ 2 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Everything about this @citystgeorges ad is awful.



A completely pointless headline that promotes weak wordplay over any sort of meaning.



Beneath that we have 'big news' in tiny print.



And, either side, something inseโ€ฆ โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†โ˜†
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/30/city-st-georges/

30.04.2025 07:45 ๐Ÿ‘ 3 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Please award the keys to the City of London to the author of this pun at @tepe



I mean, there's really no point in continuing your career after an invention such as this, your life's work is essentially done. I can only hoโ€ฆ โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/28/tepe/

28.04.2025 08:15 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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This all feels a bit โ€œwacky by committeeโ€ to be honest, but even if itโ€™s not dazzling me personally, itโ€™s hard to fault as a solid product ad from @monday



Big product screenshot: tick. Clear value and strapline: tโ€ฆ โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/22/monday/

22.04.2025 08:15 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Christ, where's my fucking car?! Don't worry, it's not magic, apparently it's @motorway .



Colourful, eye-catching, perhaps a little baffling. But I admire its single-minded focus on a single value proposition here, whichโ€ฆ โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/18/motorway/

18.04.2025 08:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Ano ito? Interesting idea from @nala to engage with potential customers in their own language, in this case Filipino.



That said, I'm on the fence over exactly whether this makes it stand out more to English speakers or Fiโ€ฆ โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†โ˜†
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/16/nala/

16.04.2025 08:00 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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"Rake me up before you go-go"? who doesnโ€™t love a good pun-down. A new batch of these excellent @taskrabbit ads is welcome news for jaded commuters everywhere. 



I love the full commitment to the joke here, maxing oโ€ฆ โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/14/taskrabbit/

14.04.2025 09:00 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Oh you kerrazy gang @oatly ! But it's a tough sell convincing me that โ€œnormalโ€ people prefer your product when every single one of this line-up screams 'wacky marketing executive'.



From left-to-right: Jason (SEO team)โ€ฆ โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/11/oatly/

11.04.2025 08:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Itโ€™s better suited to Jez isnโ€™t it. Heโ€™d be trying to work up the justification to snatch it out of a childโ€™s hand or something.

10.04.2025 13:50 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Nice relatable ad from @ikea for a place to stash your cycling gear while also saving your marriage. Iโ€™d quite like to see a bunch of alternative versions too: can you sell me a nice bedside Malm to discreetly store mum's โ€ฆ โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/09/ikea/

09.04.2025 11:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Oh please god no, itโ€™s another โ€œdescribe the features not the valueโ€ advert from @square . The target market (restaurant managers) is unlikely to get aroused about things like โ€œsoftwareโ€ and โ€œhardwareโ€.ย  Tell โ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2024/12/20/square/

08.04.2025 14:34 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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YES. One clear, readable message, a call to action and product value at the centre of everything. Plus a bonus orange bangle to counteract โ€˜freaky long armโ€™ syndrome. This is the way @xero





More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/01/09/xero/

08.04.2025 14:34 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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It's crushing to see a joke so nearly done right, then spoiled at the last moment by a mis-ordering of list items. This Panadol ad would work so much better if the โ€œsillyโ€ feature was at the bottom of the list. Headache?โ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/01/16/panadol/

08.04.2025 14:34 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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โ€œConfusingโ€ and โ€œcheapโ€ is what Iโ€™m getting from this advert and I assume thatโ€™s not what @zohocrm intended. Whatโ€™s that woman doing with the massive chess piece? Is she moving it, or leaning on it for support โ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/01/30/zoho-crm/

08.04.2025 14:33 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Well Helloo There Confusing Pun Advert! Did you know that โ€œBusinessโ€ is one of the most misspelled words in the English language? Apparently neither do @ConstantContact. Or maybe they do and they somehow thought that thiโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/03/constant-contact/

08.04.2025 14:33 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Nobody will read the details of this advert. There needs to be a compelling reason written in big letters to read all those things written in tiny letters. And โ€œStarting Lineupโ€ is not doing that job - it's utterly meaniโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/04/myguava-business/

08.04.2025 14:33 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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How dare you make an advert so good that I canโ€™t slag it off in a witty yet insightful way @OctopusEnergy. This clear, effective ad shows that you donโ€™t need to over-think great advertising. In six words, I know what youโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/05/octopus-energy/

08.04.2025 14:33 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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I think this might be the worst advert Iโ€™ve ever seen. Itโ€™s so monstrously bad that it was all I could do to not physically shred it on sight. My working theory is that the lead creative was pissed after the Christmas paโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/05/randox-health/

08.04.2025 14:32 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Laugh? Actually I did! For once. So Iโ€™ll let @FreeAgent do the gags on this one. As we saw previously in Januaryโ€™s great Panadol misfire, itโ€™s tricky to wrangle humour into ads yet stay on-message. This is a great examโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/07/freeagent/

08.04.2025 14:32 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Decent copy. Decent layout. The only problem: itโ€™s 2025 and nobody has a fucking clue who David Gandy is anymore. They've wheeled this advert out every year for two decades and itโ€™s not passing muster anymore.



Cโ€™moโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/10/wellman/

08.04.2025 14:32 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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It doesnโ€™t really matter what @KFC write on this ad does it. It could be thermodynamic equations. If the stupid people donโ€™t get it, everybody still loves looking at the big crispy piece of chicken. Mmm. Big crispy pieceโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/12/kfc/

08.04.2025 14:32 ๐Ÿ‘ 1 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Man these puppets creep me out. @LNER you can make your ad as clever as you like but Iโ€™ll never see past the muppet. The spongy skin, the vacant expression... ..it's the stuff of nightmares. If I fall asleep sitting opposiโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/14/lner/

08.04.2025 14:31 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Huge #facepalm moment on this ad from @LoveFinance The idea is reasonable (if a bit clichรฉd): compare a load of horrible, commuter experiences with the joy of a timely business loan. Unfortunately theyโ€™ve somehow managed โ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/17/love-finance/

08.04.2025 14:31 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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This could be February's best advert. A masterclass in effective, minimalist advertising. Productโ€™s in the picture, visuals are eye catching, fun copy. And by framing their strap line as a mini narrative, the value and sugโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/21/moju/

08.04.2025 14:31 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Now this is just silly @animaljusticeproject . If I was that poor lad tucking into my cheesy garlic bread and then this smug waiter unveiled a live chicken, I wouldnโ€™t be sat back all casual like, there would be proper sceโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/03/04/animal-justice-project/

08.04.2025 14:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Whoa, am I in the tube station or the Tate Modern? Going high concept is always a big risk. Is this an engaging triumphant story that will raise brand awareness? Or a bunch of cryptic shite that people wonโ€™t bother to readโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/03/07/the-ordinary/

08.04.2025 14:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Ominous sense of doom from @boots here. Maybe Iโ€™ve been watching too many horror movies but normally when a character says โ€œanother X wonโ€™t hurtโ€, itโ€™s only a matter of time before X has led to a horrific accident.โ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/02/boots/

08.04.2025 14:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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'Help Hope take Flight'! Whoa, this is confusing. Is 'Hope' the woman in the picture? Is she actually trying to fly a bird? Somebody stop the mad goose before she does herself an injury!



Ambiguity aside, I'm still unconviโ€ฆ
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/03/31/rspb/

08.04.2025 14:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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โ€˜MEDICAL WEIGHT LOSS IS NOT CHEATINGโ€™ blusters this ad from @juniper. This is a little like walking into a pub with a bin bag of Nikes shouting โ€œTHESE ARE NOT DODGYโ€. Sure, maybe theyโ€™re not, but now weโ€™re all thโ€ฆ โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜†
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/07/juniper/

07.04.2025 07:30 ๐Ÿ‘ 0 ๐Ÿ” 0 ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0 ๐Ÿ“Œ 0