Dunlop versus Mercedes

What the butterfly never learned is that the fastest way between point A and point B is in a straight line.

Seems that creatives have learned how to illustrate with that line between point A and point B. Here are two campaigns that rely on the same execution and idea, as the execution is the idea. One campaign is for tyres , the other for luxury cars.

This series for Dunlop Tyres are from Singapore ad agency Doris Soh and Associates. Art Director was Derek Chia, Copywriter was Simon Wong. Though it's hard to see in this tiny size, the line starts with the letter "A" and ends with the letter "B". These ads were found in the Communications Arts advertising annual 43, that is 2002.

Mercedes from Hamburg, Germany and the ad agency Springer & Jacoby. Art Director(s): Szymon Rose and Jonathan Schupp, Copywriter, Stefan Meske. Illustration by Szymon Rose. Campaign spotted in Lürzers Internationl Archive vol 6 2004.

So is this illustration technique the idea, or the execution? Are these two campaigns based on the same idea, what do you think?