Sparks fly as kiwi electricity retailer Powershop considers a case of Aussie creative dejavu
August 4 2011, 2:58 pm | | 14 Comments
Online electricity retailer Powershop is well known in New Zealand for its eye-catching and often thought-provoking advertising. It seems this internet banner (far left) from its original campaign featuring Che Guevara really inspired the Australian who supplied the marketing imagery for new energy drink Powerbeverage.
A spokesperson for Powershop said: “The Aussies have made a national sport out of stealing our food, musicians, sports heroes and even our celebrities, but we think they may have gone too far this time by trying to pinch our advertising.”
A case of imitation as the sincerest form of flattery? Or just brazen Aussie cheek? You decide.
14 Comments
What! fuck off.
You can have the Finn brothers and Russel Crow back anytime you want them.
And the Seize Power graphic work is shit anyway, so get of your high horse.
So wait, you guys came up with che?
Pot calling the kettle black don’t you think?
Aussie cheek? That’s both buttocks. 😉
So this is the first time the image of Che’s been used? They’re both derivative, and both crap…
This is obviously a case of stealing an idea from someone else. Blatant. Why not name and shame those involved. Full credits of the Aussie work please so we know never to hire these people.
Come off it guys, no one outside the industry give a toss. You’ve sold your souls to sell fizzy pop. If you really cared, you chuck it all in, rent a little shack somewhere and paint. As it is, your indignation is a little shrill.
Two words: Copyright breach.
Two more words: Legal action.
While you can’t copyright an idea (be it lame or otherwise), you can certainly copyright its unique visual expression. This is one of the worst like-for-like design rip-offs I’ve ever seen!
[ Reminds me of the copyright fiasco that erupted over the Obama “Hope” poster last year—another copyright brawl. ]
Ned Kellying an idea is one thing, but stealing the execution as well is pissing in the billabong.
Lets hope the client demands their money back, fires the agency, and the ‘writer’ gets attacked by sheep.
Quality of ‘idea’ is irrelevant. They stole the idea and the design. Lazy and criminal.
Come on guys. Put your racial prejudices aside. And who cares if it’s shit.
This is a blatant, blatant ripoff. It has to be. Same idea, character, image, treatment and line. Whoever did this should be ashamed.
A blight on the industry.
PR stunt: energy company makes energy drinks. Why the hell are we reading it on CB anyway? If it was serious it’d be in Mumbrella or some shit.
A New Zealanddesign industry blog pointed out today that the Australian drink designers didn’t even bother to take the NZ Powershop logo off Che’s beret. Shocking.
2.52 that proves its a wind up
It’s called stealing and being cheap. Yeah, sure NZers didn’t ‘come up with Che’ as said earlier or any other such nonsense, however this aussie company has done the classic ‘copy and paste’ of powershop’s advertisment. You can clearly still see the powershop logo on che’s hat and everything! Blatant rip off