Tube Ad Critic
@tubeadcritic.bsky.social
I give my unwanted opinions on London Underground adverts
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 actual…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/05/08/recycle-your-electrical/
May 8, 2025 at 7:45 AM
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 actual…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/05/08/recycle-your-electrical/
A decent effort from @lebara who are keen to defend their re-use of last year's advert - perhaps they read my report on GandyGate™? Nope, turns out it's just a clever way of linking back to their USP of zero changes to pri… ★★★☆☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/05/02/lebara/
May 2, 2025 at 7:15 AM
A decent effort from @lebara who are keen to defend their re-use of last year's advert - perhaps they read my report on GandyGate™? Nope, turns out it's just a clever way of linking back to their USP of zero changes to pri… ★★★☆☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/05/02/lebara/
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 inse… ★☆☆☆☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/30/city-st-georges/
April 30, 2025 at 7:45 AM
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 inse… ★☆☆☆☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/30/city-st-georges/
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 ho… ★★★★★
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/28/tepe/
April 28, 2025 at 8:15 AM
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 ho… ★★★★★
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/28/tepe/
This all feels a bit “wacky by committee” to be honest, but even if it’s not dazzling me personally, it’s hard to fault as a solid product ad from @monday
Big product screenshot: tick. Clear value and strapline: t… ★★★★☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/22/monday/
April 22, 2025 at 8:15 AM
This all feels a bit “wacky by committee” to be honest, but even if it’s not dazzling me personally, it’s hard to fault as a solid product ad from @monday
Big product screenshot: tick. Clear value and strapline: t… ★★★★☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/22/monday/
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, which… ★★★☆☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/18/motorway/
April 18, 2025 at 8:30 AM
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, which… ★★★☆☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/18/motorway/
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 Fi… ★★★☆☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/16/nala/
April 16, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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 Fi… ★★★☆☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/16/nala/
"Rake me up before you go-go"? who doesn’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 o… ★★★★★
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/14/taskrabbit/
April 14, 2025 at 9:00 AM
"Rake me up before you go-go"? who doesn’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 o… ★★★★★
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/14/taskrabbit/
Oh you kerrazy gang @oatly ! But it's a tough sell convincing me that “normal” people prefer your product when every single one of this line-up screams 'wacky marketing executive'.
From left-to-right: Jason (SEO team)… ★★★★☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/11/oatly/
April 11, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Oh you kerrazy gang @oatly ! But it's a tough sell convincing me that “normal” people prefer your product when every single one of this line-up screams 'wacky marketing executive'.
From left-to-right: Jason (SEO team)… ★★★★☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/11/oatly/
Nice relatable ad from @ikea for a place to stash your cycling gear while also saving your marriage. I’d quite like to see a bunch of alternative versions too: can you sell me a nice bedside Malm to discreetly store mum's … ★★★★☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/09/ikea/
April 9, 2025 at 11:30 AM
Nice relatable ad from @ikea for a place to stash your cycling gear while also saving your marriage. I’d quite like to see a bunch of alternative versions too: can you sell me a nice bedside Malm to discreetly store mum's … ★★★★☆
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/04/09/ikea/
Oh please god no, it’s another “describe the features not the value” advert from @square . The target market (restaurant managers) is unlikely to get aroused about things like “software” and “hardware”. Tell …
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2024/12/20/square/
April 8, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Oh please god no, it’s another “describe the features not the value” advert from @square . The target market (restaurant managers) is unlikely to get aroused about things like “software” and “hardware”. Tell …
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2024/12/20/square/
YES. One clear, readable message, a call to action and product value at the centre of everything. Plus a bonus orange bangle to counteract ‘freaky long arm’ syndrome. This is the way @xero
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/01/09/xero/
April 8, 2025 at 2:34 PM
YES. One clear, readable message, a call to action and product value at the centre of everything. Plus a bonus orange bangle to counteract ‘freaky long arm’ syndrome. This is the way @xero
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/01/09/xero/
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 “silly” feature was at the bottom of the list. Headache?…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/01/16/panadol/
April 8, 2025 at 2:34 PM
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 “silly” feature was at the bottom of the list. Headache?…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/01/16/panadol/
“Confusing” and “cheap” is what I’m getting from this advert and I assume that’s not what @zohocrm intended. What’s that woman doing with the massive chess piece? Is she moving it, or leaning on it for support …
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/01/30/zoho-crm/
April 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM
“Confusing” and “cheap” is what I’m getting from this advert and I assume that’s not what @zohocrm intended. What’s that woman doing with the massive chess piece? Is she moving it, or leaning on it for support …
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/01/30/zoho-crm/
Well Helloo There Confusing Pun Advert! Did you know that “Business” is one of the most misspelled words in the English language? Apparently neither do @ConstantContact. Or maybe they do and they somehow thought that thi…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/03/constant-contact/
April 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Well Helloo There Confusing Pun Advert! Did you know that “Business” is one of the most misspelled words in the English language? Apparently neither do @ConstantContact. Or maybe they do and they somehow thought that thi…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/03/constant-contact/
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 “Starting Lineup” is not doing that job - it's utterly meani…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/04/myguava-business/
April 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM
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 “Starting Lineup” is not doing that job - it's utterly meani…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/04/myguava-business/
How dare you make an advert so good that I can’t slag it off in a witty yet insightful way @OctopusEnergy. This clear, effective ad shows that you don’t need to over-think great advertising. In six words, I know what you…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/05/octopus-energy/
April 8, 2025 at 2:33 PM
How dare you make an advert so good that I can’t slag it off in a witty yet insightful way @OctopusEnergy. This clear, effective ad shows that you don’t need to over-think great advertising. In six words, I know what you…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/05/octopus-energy/
I think this might be the worst advert I’ve ever seen. It’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 pa…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/05/randox-health/
April 8, 2025 at 2:32 PM
I think this might be the worst advert I’ve ever seen. It’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 pa…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/05/randox-health/
Laugh? Actually I did! For once. So I’ll let @FreeAgent do the gags on this one. As we saw previously in January’s great Panadol misfire, it’s tricky to wrangle humour into ads yet stay on-message. This is a great exam…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/07/freeagent/
April 8, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Laugh? Actually I did! For once. So I’ll let @FreeAgent do the gags on this one. As we saw previously in January’s great Panadol misfire, it’s tricky to wrangle humour into ads yet stay on-message. This is a great exam…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/07/freeagent/
Decent copy. Decent layout. The only problem: it’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 it’s not passing muster anymore.
C’mo…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/10/wellman/
April 8, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Decent copy. Decent layout. The only problem: it’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 it’s not passing muster anymore.
C’mo…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/10/wellman/
It doesn’t really matter what @KFC write on this ad does it. It could be thermodynamic equations. If the stupid people don’t get it, everybody still loves looking at the big crispy piece of chicken. Mmm. Big crispy piece…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/12/kfc/
April 8, 2025 at 2:32 PM
It doesn’t really matter what @KFC write on this ad does it. It could be thermodynamic equations. If the stupid people don’t get it, everybody still loves looking at the big crispy piece of chicken. Mmm. Big crispy piece…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/12/kfc/
Man these puppets creep me out. @LNER you can make your ad as clever as you like but I’ll never see past the muppet. The spongy skin, the vacant expression... ..it's the stuff of nightmares. If I fall asleep sitting opposi…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/14/lner/
April 8, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Man these puppets creep me out. @LNER you can make your ad as clever as you like but I’ll never see past the muppet. The spongy skin, the vacant expression... ..it's the stuff of nightmares. If I fall asleep sitting opposi…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/14/lner/
Huge #facepalm moment on this ad from @LoveFinance The idea is reasonable (if a bit clichéd): compare a load of horrible, commuter experiences with the joy of a timely business loan. Unfortunately they’ve somehow managed …
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/17/love-finance/
April 8, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Huge #facepalm moment on this ad from @LoveFinance The idea is reasonable (if a bit clichéd): compare a load of horrible, commuter experiences with the joy of a timely business loan. Unfortunately they’ve somehow managed …
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/17/love-finance/
This could be February's best advert. A masterclass in effective, minimalist advertising. Product’s in the picture, visuals are eye catching, fun copy. And by framing their strap line as a mini narrative, the value and sug…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/21/moju/
April 8, 2025 at 2:31 PM
This could be February's best advert. A masterclass in effective, minimalist advertising. Product’s in the picture, visuals are eye catching, fun copy. And by framing their strap line as a mini narrative, the value and sug…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/02/21/moju/
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 wouldn’t be sat back all casual like, there would be proper sce…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/03/04/animal-justice-project/
April 8, 2025 at 2:31 PM
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 wouldn’t be sat back all casual like, there would be proper sce…
More: https://tubeadcritic.com/2025/03/04/animal-justice-project/