The British simply do some things better than Americans (though soccer is no longer one of them). One of those things is the creation of television commercials — or, as the Brits call them, “adverts.” Proof is abundantly clear when viewing The British Television Advertising Awards (BTAA), a smorgasbord of creative, wit-infused commercials that are more like short films than the crappy, ADD-driven stuff we get in the States. Unlike our more overtly “commercial” approach, the BTAA winners often don't reveal the product/advertiser until the final moments — like an oddly affecting T-Mobile spot that features thousands of Londoners performing karaoke to The Beatles' “Hey Jude” in Trafalgar Square. Sexual innuendo and/or Pop songs are often employed, including a penis-joke-driven Dr. Pepper advert and a wistful, beautifully shot spot set to Bob Dylan’s “Blowin' in the Wind” for an environmentally conscious ethical banking and retail group called The Co-operative. Even the blatant Flight of the Concords rip-off used by a product called Tony's Pot Noodle is amusing. Cincinnati World Cinema screens the BTAA winners (which runs a tad over two hours) at 4 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; and 7:30 p.m. July 21 at The Carnegie in Covington.
Go here to find ticket information.
