Copycatting? Questions raised over Kancil-winning work for Chinese liniment brand
An award-winning poster campaign that helped an ad agency win top honours at Malaysia’s premier creative show has raised eyebrows because of the similarity in idea and execution to a design project for a Chinese skateboard decoration firm.
Dentsu Utama’s ‘Skateboard poster’ idea for Yu Lin Zheng Gu Shui topical liniment brand (pictured on the left) claimed more than a quarter of the agency’s total medal tally at the Kancil Awards, including eight silvers and 12 bronzes, pushing the agency to top of the medal tally. Dentsu Utama was named agency of the year at the ceremony in Kuala Lumpur on Friday last week.
However, the campaign bears some striking similarities to a series of Chinese medicine-themed designs by Challenge Skateboard, a company that produces designs for skateboards.
A link to a post on creative showcase website Behance, shared with Mumbrella, shows the same idea and similar execution used in a project called ‘What Chinese medicine’ for Challenge Skateboard’s Black Knight brand from three years ago.
Dentsu Utama’s designs for Yu Lin Zheng Gu Shui were, like the Black Knight work, used as both skateboard decoration and as posters. The designs both feature a bottle in the centre of the image and Chinese graphics.
The Yu Lin Zheng Gu Shui ads differ in that they feature images of skateboarders and body parts the product is intended to relieve pain for.
In response to Mumbrella’s query, Dentsu Utama’s ECD Chow Kok Keong said that his agency had not seen the ‘What Chinese medicine’ project before.
The organisers of the Kancils, the Malaysian 4As told Mumbrella: “The 4A’s is looking into the matter and seeking clarification from the Agency concerned. Once, we have the response, the Creative Council will make a decision.”
The campaign was intended to restore a 70 year-old brand’s lustre with younger consumers through the skateboard connection. The idea was also packaged in a case study video.
The agency claimed in its awards submission that the campaign spread in social media, “resulting in discussions among digital natives that helped extend the brand’s reach even further.”
Questions were raised about a big winner at the Kancil Awards last year too, when BBDO Malaysia’s Grand Kancil-winning ad for KFC was called out for copycatting.
Not surprised that it’s copied. The idea on such a brand and product feels forced anyway. A lot of the Asian industry aren’t known for innovations and originalities. Shameless. China is the champion of all when it comes to this.
ReplyWhat about the Grand Kancil winning ad – Kuching Happy? Similar to Old Spice “Meet Mr Wolfdog”, isn’t it?
Kuching Happy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jAVlXI4MSg
Meet Mr Wolfdog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rok5csgGv2E
http://i.imgur.com/eehqOOw.jpg
ReplyA lame poster that spouts generic product crap is nothing new….but to do a lame youtube case study of it…wow…..now Ive seen it all.
ReplyThere are some mistakes in the couplets shown. For instance, 徵服 should be 征服. People nowadays rely on the computer to convert Simplified Chinese into Complex Chinese characters without knowing that there are always mistakes. 征 by itself is also a Complex Chinese. For people who really understand Chinese, we never use 徵服 to mean 征服. It’s wrong!
ReplyWell.. I agree that “Kuching Happy” and “Meet Mr Wolfdog” are pretty similar in idea, and extremely similar in execution. Do not tell me to simply change a cat from a dog, and you call it a fresh idea?!
Replyhttp://www.kancilawards.com/2015/craft-for-press-outdoor-direct-a-design/42-craft-for-press-outdoor-direct-a-design-photography-bronze-professional-man-dentsu-utama
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2975957/Mind-boggling-optical-illusions-questioning-reality.html
Replyhttp://www.kancilawards.com/2015/craft-for-press-outdoor-direct-a-design/42-craft-for-press-outdoor-direct-a-design-photography-bronze-professional-man-dentsu-utama
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2975957/Mind-boggling-optical-illusions-questioning-reality.html
Reply@anonymous – wow, that is not even close to be ‘enhancing’ or ‘appropriating’. That is outright IP theft. I hope someone contacts the photographer and he sues.
Worse thing is, none of this is surprising for the Kancils. Similar problems every year. Didn’t some agencies boycott a few years back?
ReplyThis designer has a case too it seems!
http://www.kancilawards.com/2015/outdoor-advertising/22-outdoor-advertising-posters-silver-cross-river-gorilla-dentsu-utama
http://ibrandstudio.com/inspiration/circle-animal-logos-with-tom-anders-watkins
ReplyWhat about this?
Hide & Eek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPqcimmmEnQ
Done in 2013. Pick up a Yellow Pencil at D&AD.
They need to investigate this as well.
Replyhttp://www.kancilawards.com/2015/craft-for-press-outdoor-direct-a-design/47-craft-for-press-outdoor-direct-a-design-bm-copy-single-gold-eveready-book-of-play-tbwa-kuala-lumpur
What about BBDO’s winning entry last year? Come on. Awards are a bunch of BS and so is originality in this industry.
ReplyWow Jack the Ripper… you do realize that shadowplay books is a genre right?
Here’s an example of a big publisher for that genre (has around 20+ books published)
http://www.amazon.com/Away-Bedtime-Shadow-Activity-Books/dp/1441306331
Oh and look, their book were first published in 2011, so now your going to say that the yellow pencil case copied these books as well. *rolls eyes*
Perhaps you need to spend some time browsing a real bookstore; books as you know, are a wonderful source of knowledge.
ReplyAgain, the usual bullshit response: “I haven’t seen it before”. Kancil is a scam factory.
ReplyInvestigate this as well, please.
D&AD Pencil:
http://creativity-online.com/work/berlitz-international-dad-2005-winners-showcase/8802
Kancil Bronze:
Replyhttp://kancilawards.com/2015/outdoor-advertising/22-outdoor-advertising-posters-merit-hong-kong-mac-saatchi-m-sdn-bhd
If the scammers need to chase silly awards to validate their ‘value’ and relevance, no amount of comments on the sidelines are gonna change a thing.
ReplyLet these glory chasing network shops play ‘king of the mountain’ in make-believe land.
One day you’re on top. the next day you’re out -flogging your book of scams around the region.
Remember, Milli Vanilli won awards too.
What about the obvious scams in the Kancil Awards?
Like http://youtu.be/yR-youtD33U McSelfie and
ReplyMcKurma http://youtu.be/oBHQ2PMXy-8
Copy a wolf. Win a gold. http://theskunkpot.com/index.php/amazing-optical-illusions-posters-by-noma-bar/
ReplyNot surprise someday if big agency attempt to copy cat innocent creative people artwork for their own profit …
ReplyHave your say