The Arne Jacobsen Chair? (here) The Ormond Gigli framing? (here) The fashion photoshoot which is clearly inspired by the Kasimir Malevich suprematism "the sportsmen series"? The Orbolu which obviously stems from the "blu(e) angel" by Marlene Dietrich and that incredible Milton Greene image which showed the actress as identified just by her legs?
Ideas come from place and there is no shame in that. Of course, there is a thin line between plagiarism or irony or tribute. Smart advertisers know the difference, cheap ones simply copy as is (no names but seriously, the idiocy had hit unthinkable treshold in Lebanon). All this without talking about some vague comparative/non-comparative ad which skirts the law without breaking it (here).
Once more, I am blessed/cursed of having an enormous archive - both on my PC and in my mind. I can see where the ad generated, and sometimes (and here I go back to my own career) you just amalgamate 2-3 different inspirations, blend them, and voila, you have a "new" concept.
Again, sometimes advertisers are too foolish, or have a large-ego. They refuse to admit that they were influenced by anything (some idiots say so about ads they clearly copied!). Well, nothing wrong with a bit of inspiration actually. You remember something and then dip it in a different sauce and there you are. I always go back to that example where, at the end of the egoiste perfume ad for Chanel, Jean-Paul Goude inserted the same type of Rolls Royce present at the bottom of the Ormond Gigli photo. Well, if there was ever a creative wink, this must be it!
So there is no shame if you borrow an idea and make it your own. As long as you don't stupidly copy.
