So idk if this is gonna be a long term thing, but I wanted to try something a bit new and review some audio dramas. I'm listening to a lotta them at work, so I thought I'd give it a go. First one up is:
Mina and Lucys Guide to Slaying Dracula
Basically what it says on the tin: two girls, Mina and Lucy, hunting down and slaying Dracula, and based (very loosely) on the novel by Bram Stoker. It's definitely a horror based Audio Drama, but it's very tame. This is aimed for a younger audience and it definitely leans more into the comedic side of the horror comedy genre. Not a knock on the series at all, however, as it holds up fairly well. The two main characters of Mina and Lucy are excellent and they have really good chemistry with one another, the story line is easy to follow but entertaining and all the the side characters are pretty cool.
My favorite bit is a side character named Principal Quincy, who is very determined to get over the nickname "Quinc-ipal". It's silly, it's goofy but damn it I love it.
It's also a nice and manageable length, of 4 and a half Hours, broken into 20 episodes. It's fairly easy to digest, as every episode is under 30 minutes.
I will say in conclusion, Mina and Lucys Guide to Slaying Dracula is a perfectly fine Audio Drama. You know exactly what you're getting from the title, the storyline is fun as you see the girls try and figure out how to take on Dracula. And it's fun to see their relationship play out, as well as with all the various side characters.
i’m going to be reviewing tumblr ads on this account
methodology
i rate ads on 3 main criteria:
clarity: how clear is the ad about what it’s selling and why customers should want it?
format: how well is the ad formatted? does it utilize its medium effectively? are there obvious mistakes?
targeting: is the ad something that i am interested in or might reasonably be interested in?
i average these three together to get a final result, which i may alter to account for other factors not encompassed by the three factors above. i also provide an additional rating of weirdness, which doesn’t factor into the overall rating.
sourcing
the ads i rate mainly come from my dashboard, but if you’d like to send me other ads (from tumblr or other sources) feel free to send me an ask. (you can also just ask me things—i’ll respond!)
Like more and more Americans, I consume a lot of soccer. It's pretty natural to see Heineken ads while watching Champions League football, as they are a major sponsor. As a legacy brand in the beer space, Heineken has enjoyed success around the world as an imported lager, often positioned above other similar beers in their domestic markets. They’ve often had clever ads, but I think the "When Working" ad, from the recent campaign of “No Reason Needed” really highlights clever production and provides a funny universal message for the product, which only helps to emphasize the product and create a memorable ad for a legacy brand in the increasingly crowded space of Non-Alcoholic beer.
As more and more folks drink Non-alcoholic beer, especially with popular movements like “Dry January” or “Sober October,” Heineken has expanded their offerings to include a NA (0.0% ABV) beer. They’ve been pretty clever with the roll out of this product in various ads, including one where multiple-time Formula One (another sport with heavy Heineken presence) champion Max Verstappen is sacked with being the designated driver, only to turn it on his friends:
The message of the ad is simple: you can have your cake and eat it too, you don’t miss out on the “refreshing” taste of Heineken, and you can still drive your friends home safely at the end of the night (although not in that Mustang).
All Screenshots (unless noted) Courtesy of Heineken
This new ad, titled “No Reason Needed”, I think is brilliant, not because of its innate humor and juxtaposition of images, but also because production-wise, it’s small, clever, and can be adapted for multiple markets and formats. Let’s break it down:
1 - Slow Zoom on 3-shot
The scene is simple - three coworkers huddle around a glowing laptop screen during a company party. Again, Heineken makes the event vague, as the ad started releasing in January 2025, but it’s clear that everyone else is socializing away from their computers and work obligations - or are they?
2 - Reverse: Boss Grabbing Keys
Suddenly, the boss man comes around to get his keys. Why were they on a random desk in the open office? Don’t worry about this, suspend your disbelief. He notices the trio, seemingly still working…
3 - Closeup on Product
This is straight out of the textbook, you can see the brand markings and the iconic green bottles, clearly showing the “0.0%” on the label. There’s even condensation on the bottle.
4 - Medium shot: Boss gets their attention
5 - Close up on the 3-shot: The Gang Looks Up
Hoping that their ruse will play out, the three “hard workers” look up from the laptop monitor.
6 - Reverse: Boss Throwing the Gauntlet Down
The boss man (he looks scary, this is how we can tell!) asks what our friends are up to…
7 - The Gang Ponders Their Response
Sometimes silence is the best answer.
8 - Reverse: Back to the Boss
The three greatest words to hear at work.
9 - Cheers!
Our friends make a quick toast, the brand message appears on-screen,
10 - Working Hard, or Hardly Working?
We finally get the reveal of what was on the screen! In fact, it’s a soccer match (it looks to be Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid), with the “Heineken 0.0” branding on the sideline boards wrapping around the corner of the pitch.
11 - Hero Shot
“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Benjamin Franklin (did he really say that??)
12 - The Boss Returns
Catching our friends off guard, the boss was so impressed by their dedication, he actually forgot to grab his keys!
13 - Reverse: Group Tension
I wouldn’t want to get caught either. Notice the green beer bottle standing next to our friend on the left.
14 - A Sense of Relief
Resolving the arc of the story here. Go ahead, pump that fist, boss man.
15 - Product & Tagline
To close out the ad, the product is shown, alongside the branding and “Now you can” campaign tagline. Which is pretty clever - you can adapt that to all sorts of situations.
Why It’s Smart
There’s several reasons why this ad is so smart, and let’s start from the logistics of it all: it takes place in one room, with the same talent. In fact, when you really break it down, there’s only about four set-ups that they needed to do:
Shots of boss walking in
Shots of coworkers in front of laptop
Laptop closeup
The “hero shot”
I’m sure there is more footage for longer versions, or different cuts, but it’s really simple. The set is a basic office, which you could easily find with a location manager, or do what I’ve done in past lives and just take over an office. The wardrobe and set design both utilize neutral tones that we typically see in an office, but that allows for the green Heineken bottle to be noticeable and stand out.
The most clever bit is that this ad can feasibly be manipulated digitally in order to conform it to different markets. Heineken themselves claim that their products are available in over 190 countries around the world, so it’s pretty feasible that the creative team at Heineken would want to be able to adapt this ad in different languages, perhaps in Spanish:
Check out Heineken 0.0's 30 second TV commercial, 'No se necesita ningún motivo: trabajar' from the Beer & Hard Seltzer
Yeah, that’s right, it’s the same exact ad, just with a Spanish voiceover artist for the boss man. Heck, it could have been originally filmed in Spanish with an English dub! Making this easy to reach millions in both languages.
In fact, with some more manipulation, you could easily replace the Football match with a different sport easily, just by using a key effect, and perhaps putting in an American Football game:
Quick Artist Rendition. Go Birds.
This is all done in pre-production. Making sure you think ahead of time about what your messaging is, how the action plays out, and to complete the story arc; can’t be done on-set or in the editing bay. I’m a big fan of storyboards and scripts, and working with your production team to lay out the set up and confirm all the setups you’ll be doing.
It only goes to show what a universal message, clever production, and preparation can do for your messaging. The more memorable your ad is, the more people are going to remember it. My friends and I still quote the Budweiser “wassup” ads all the time. Let’s see if these campaigns similarly permeate the culture as well.
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advertising is especially evil for ascribing purposes to objects instead of objects to a purpose. advertising and Product Branding intentionally restrict creative uses for products, or conversely insist that the product is good for absolutely every purpose.
this makes it very hard to choose the tools for a job and robs people of inventiveness. people react with instinctive revulsion learning that the same base components are used in two disparate products, like that they share origins is somehow dirty.
“did you know this thing is used in CAR WAX and CANDY?!” like yeah. it works good for both. or the ick people get when they see kitchen shears because you’re “supposed” to use a knife— even when shears might work better and be safer.
reusing stuff or repurposing things or upcycling stuff are seen as fun novelties rather than the norm which is just to buy a new thing for a task and let it sit in a drawer for years. why cant we be borrowing that item from a lending library or neighbor?
i hate ads and i hate that capitalism wants each thing to have only one purpose or to insist that their Product (tm) can do everything instead of just showing what it does *well*
clarity: 7/10
this is pretty obviously an ad for clickbait about skincare, although the specific remedy is of course not mentioned.
format: 3/10
the text is repeated twice and the parenthetical inside the quotation is odd. the image may be bizarrely eye-catching, but that doesn't really make up for it.
targeting: N/A (this ad was not displayed to me)
verdict: 5/10
the ad is upfront, but repeats things strangely
weirdness: 7/10
the thing being advertised isn't too weird, but the picture is..... so strange.
clarity: 5/10
i wasn’t sure if this was an ad for marijuana or not until i saw the tags, but i figured it probably was given the ‘hemp’ and ‘dabs’ references. also shout out to their ‘4+ locations’
format: 8/10
the picture has 2 different fonts and the weed apparatus is strange enough to catch my eye. it looks like fucked up chemistry glassware. however, ‘anytime’ should have a space: ‘any time’
targeting: 2/10
it is illegal for me to purchase marijuana products. also, this company is located in the U.S. state of Tennessee, which is pretty far away from me.
verdict
overall: 5/10
i wish this ad were more direct, but, hey, at least it’s not foundation, weird video hosting, or male grooming! it’s pretty well done
