Martin Williams

Martin Williams for Payless Shoes.

I don't really get Martin Williams; in exploring their website and viewing some of their work, I don't think they do anything great. In general, the work I saw looked mediocre and mundane, and it's work like this that contributes to the notion of advertising as clutter- not to mention that this work IS the clutter.

This ad for Payless Shoes wasn't the worst, but it might have been some of the better work they have produced for clients. This ad contributes to the overall agency image as being average and ho-hum; the work is nothing special. Maybe the marching nutcrackers were creative...maybe? All Payless spots look the same; lots of girls wearing shoes, supposedly from Payless, and doing seasonal activities (in this case, winter holiday activities include walking down stairs, decorating a Christmas tree, and getting out of a car). Payless seems like a big enough brand to be recruiting a better agency or finding someone to produce good work.

The ads Martin Williams produces feel like what you would expect from a typical, in-house agency somewhere; nothing feels inspired, thought-out, or close to cutting edge. Overall opinion: I don't know why they are a part of Omnicom, but someone deserves to lose their job over that acquisition.