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ON PRODUCT PUBLISHING
I learned about this company On Product Publishing about a year or so ago and was intrigued by their unique delivery system of combining promotional publishing content in a multiple of formats and varied executions.
TRUST ME
TRUST ME did a good job at painting an accurate portrayal of the highly volatile and dysfunctional silo I know as the ad agency. If you haven’t worked in this realm and someone who does says they don’t like shows like this, it’s probably because it forces them to hold the mirror up to their chosen profession and it presents a less than flattering reflection!
Life’s About Sharing
Well, that is according to T-Mobile’s newest spot. I am a huge fan of anything dance related. Enjoy!
Beat the Snot out of a Banker?
During this time, a lot of people are under a huge amount of stress – rightfully so of course. But if your like me, you are probably reaching for that stress ball frequently…am I right? Well, CreativeFeed, a boutique agency with offices in New York and San Francisco, has launched an awesome line of “Squeeze the Banker” dolls in the guise of former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan, current Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Who, of course, are the most unpopular men in the Continental United States – am I right? The agency notes that a percentage of the revenues (assuming…
Watching the ‘Watchmen’ viral ad campaign
Warner has created a Web site for The New Frontiersman, the fictional right-wing conspiracy magazine beloved by Rorschach. The awesome old-school NBS video report, purported to be from 1970, is just awesome. Though it resembles 42 Entertainment’s Dark Knight viral campaign, the design is actually courtesy of The PPC Group. The New Frontiersman will be updating until the release. You can catch them on Twitter, too, if you want up-to-the-minute leads on conspiracy theories from an imagined alternate history. Now lets see if this will work for them, like it did for the Dark Knight.
You Got A Second?
With the economy the way it is and companies having to make major layoffs and cut backs, who has $3 million dollars for a 30 second Super Bowl ad? Well, Miller High Life is going to save a few million by running a one-second ad during the Super Bowl with the company’s pitchman Windell Middlebrooks, the lovable wear-house worker.
Their Website, 1secondad.com, says,”…We’d rather have our message short and to the point, if it means delivering more honest beer at a tasty price.” At 1SecondAd you can watch a bunch of 1 second ads, a few videos featuring Windell Middlebrooks, and their…
Brinkley Milks ‘Mustache’ Anew
Remember those milk mustache spots? Well apparently their making a come back. I don’t think they should make a come back. It’s over and done with people! Move on! I mean, did it really work? Were people really influenced to drink more milk just because their favorite movie/sports/music star wore a milk mustache? Heres an article from Adweek.com:
The iconic “Milk Mustache” campaign this week kicked off a new initiative, “Drink well. Live well,” that brands milk as “Nature’s Wellness Drink.” The push from IPG’s Lowe in New York includes an ad featuring Christie Brinkley, one of the first celebrities to wear…
Is Star Power Enough to Sell Beer in Hard Times?
With ads striving to be more creative and eye-catching during this economy, there are two big brewers who are seeking to push star power as a sufficient way to counteract a failing economy. Here is a great article from NewYorkTimes.com regarding this new campaign:
Anheuser-Busch InBev and Heineken are preparing efforts to reach beer drinkers who have been watching their spending since the recession began. Beer has long been thought to be less affected by downturns than other consumer purchases, but the severity of current conditions has called into question the most cherished of marketing assumptions.
“Now more than ever, you need to give…
Pledge 5
Would you do 5 hours of community service for a free cup of Starbucks coffee? Well, from January 21-25, when you pledge 5 hours of your time to a community service activity Starbucks will give you a free Tall coffee. With their new site, Pledge 5, Starbucks hopes to inspire Americans to donate more than 1 million community service hours every year by 2015. On the site you can search by your zip code to find volunteer opportunities in your area through the Hands On Network.
Check out the site and find out how you can help make your community a better…
Torch Creative Lights It Up!
Torch Creative out of Dallas is really lighting up the Sports and Corporate Branding Identity Program category for the National Hockey League, The NBA and in categories as diverse as QSR, CPG, Social/Cause Marketing, Health & Wellness and Industrial. In business since 2005, in four years they have established themselves as one the top design firms with a very distinct approach to their work.http://www.torchcreative.com/
The two principals, Brad Bishop and Michael Thurman, both from Texas have done some terrific work for the NHL such as their efforts for the 2008 Winter Classic. www.torchcreative.com/work.html
One of the things that struck me as so impressive about…
Obama phone introduced – in Kenya
Kenyan phone manufacturer Mi-Fone has introduced what is being called an O-phone or Obama phone.
It’s branding in a most specific way, and it’s not going to cost very much to have your own O-phone, if you live in Kenya, $30.
In terms of phone capabilities and features, it’s a lightweight. It does have an fm transmittor, calculator, alarm clock and flashlight.
Obamabilia
Have you heard the term? If not, I know that you can guess what it means. But it is running rampant everywhere. From the simple coin to Ellen DeGeneres giving away plates with President-Elect Obama’s face on it – granted you get her face too, but you get my drift. I was on NYTimes.com and I found this interesting article:
THE ardor among marketers for Barack Obama is intensifying with the approach of Inauguration Day, when, it seems, they intend to name him the nation’s new consumer in chief.
Mr. Obama’s election set off a boom in merchandise, official or otherwise, that has…
Why would anyone want to do that?
So I saw this spot the other day for Big Happie Hair. All I have to say is: Why would anyone want to do that? Am I completely out of the style loop? I thought big hair went out with the ’80’s. I just shake have to shake my head in disbelief.
If this is in style now, then I will most assuredly say: I want to be out of style. Am I really all alone in this?
Simpsons – 20 Years and still going strong
WOW! Can you believe The Simpsons has been on the air for 20 years? It seems just like yesterday the fun started
. In celebration, Fox has decided to honor the show that bucked the odds and remained on the air, in a yearlong 20th-anniversary Simpsons-fest dubbed “Best. 20 Years. Ever.” The first contest includes their faithful fans who are invited to submit their designs for a poster contest. The deadline is March 4, and the lucky winner gets a trip to L.A. to attend a Simpsons party and tickets to The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood (which you can enjoy virtually on the ride’s…
Things That Hold Back Creatvity
Besides stupid people and abject nonsense, they’re a given. We all do things that don’t help our own cause and make what we normally do very fluidly, into a battle and a struggle. Shalu Wasu a creative consultant with a terrific website that offers some great “reminders” on how not to be your own worse enemy. It is a simple, effective read that will be useful: http://tickledbylife.com/index.php/15-elephant-tethers-that-stop-you-from-being-creative/
Here’s a taste of what Shalu Wasu identifies as the many things creatives use to tether themselves to failure:
1. What will people think?
2. But I’ve never had any great ideas!
3. What is the right answer?
4. I don’t…
22 Simple Rules For Designing A Great Logo
I get a lot of people asking me why I love to design logos more than anything else. My passion is definitely all things Shopper Marketing, but if I had to choose only one thing that I would love to do and never get tired of, it’s logos. The challenge from where I live and breathe, is they are their own language of business communication. A company’s visual signature and currency. The first brand ambassador for what your initiative endeavors to accomplish. Regardless if the logo is for a fortune 100 corporation or for one of my friends’ temporary projects, I…
Wallace & Gromit
Our intrepid friends Wallace & Gromit from across the pond are back again showing up in more advertising. After their highly successful Harvey Nichols fashion ad campaign, out of Bristol, England, NPOWER a British power company employed our two favorite chaps into service in December to raise awareness about their free insulation program available for seniors and the disabled in Britain. http://www.npowermediacentre.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=2318&NewsAreaID=2
The two ingenious Brits have also popped up in Social/Cause Marketing in England with their own efforts, The Wallace and Gromit Foundation which is helping to fund pull-down beds for tired parents at children’s hospitals. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7426713.stm Well done lads! Check out their efforts: http://www.wallaceandgromitteaparty.org.uk/
Finally, a…
Whopper Sacrifice
Burger King recently launched their new Facebook app, Whopper Sacrifice. With this app users who delete 10 of their friends get a coupon for a free Whopper. Also by having the application installed, it sends a message to the friends you delete that they were deleted for a Whopper. But beware, the promotion is limited to just one coupon per Facebook account. So don’t go deleting all your friends thinking you’ll get to eat free Whoppers for a week.
This campaign comes out just as Facebook announces they now have 150 million users with almost half of them using the site…
N.Y. Lottery gets creative…
You have to admit the appeal of a lottery-jackpot windfall is more potent than ever, especially afterr the economic crisis we are in the midst of. Now, part of its attraction is that a winning ticket can suddenly make you as wealthy as the corporate drones who (amid all the recent disasters for which they’re responsible) still ‘get the big bucks.’
We hear that phrase repeatedly in this spot for the New York Lottery (via DDB in New York) as the mailroom guy, pushes his cart through the office and points out a familiar cast of corporate characters — the executive (receiving an in-office…
For the Honda Brand, a Cinematic Stroke
With the automobile industry going down the “tubes”, Honda has decided to introduce a corporate image campaign. Here is an interesting article from the New York Times about this new campaign:
WITH the automotive industry battling an economic downturn, is it the right time for a car-maker to introduce another installment in a corporate image campaign that carries the theme, “The power of dreams”?
The American Honda Motor Company believes so, bringing out this week three short films — a k a long commercials — to be watched online. The so-called webisodes, each about seven minutes, will be available, starting on Monday,…
The Ladders think BIG
Here’s a funny new commercial from Fallon Minneapolis for premium job-search site The Ladders. The Ladders is a job-search site that deals only with executives who make $100K per year or more - and in this case the large…well monster. The spot starts out showing a bunch of smaller monsters trying (and failing) to wreak havoc on a cityscape while trying to instill fear in its populace. “If you think about it,” says the voiceover, “this is what makes The Ladders different from other job-search sites. We only work with the big talent.” I like how its a funny twist on the usual Godzilla ad…
Branding Only Works On Cattle
Successful branding is all about “BEHAVIOURAL MOMENTS” that are a set of actions that happen in the real world that actually drive sales an repeat business. “Once you decide, We Are Not In The Image Business, We Are In The Behavior Business, It Empowers A Different Conversation About Everything.”
Terrify Your Kids into Obedience
Ok…thats not the way I feel but apparently the UK does. Check out this PSA from Leo Burnett London, “encouraging” kids to be safe near roads. It speaks of “The Girl Who Didn’t Dress Bright in the Dark.” Apparently the inspiration comes from the poet Hilaire Belloc, whose tales, that were allegedly for children, attempted to frighten them into always doing the right thing. His tales included such timeless classics as “Matilda, who told lies, and was burned to death” and “Rebecca, who slammed doors for fun and perished miserably.”
Hmm, there’s not much I can say except: CREEPY.
…
Atlantis Weathergear defeats perfect storms
I’ll admit, I’m very picky about what I like. So there are very few print ads lately that make me stop and say: “WOW – thats awesome.” I know its still early in the year but so far this is my favorite of the year (8 days in) – the relaunch of Atlantis Weathergear. Mullen’s positioning line says: “Don’t let the weather get you.” Its so wonderfully scary. Makes me glad I get seasick too easy. What about you? Do you have any favorite print ads?
A world without brands
What is a brand? A brand could be defined in flowery language as a promise, a stamp of quality, approval etc. From an advertiser’s point of view, it is the most important thing in the world, for it gives us our jobs. But looking at it bluntly, a brand is nothing but differentiation. We brand or label everything in our lives. From salt to even people, everything is branded and labeled.
What is the need for such differentiation? The answer lies in the very human instincts of prejudice and distrust. We as advertisers only help by engraving prejudices on stone,…
Sweet, Sexy, Science
Who doesn’t remember the Atkins Diet? Its greatest accomplishment was the huge jump in popularity during the middle of this decade. I remember just about everyone was trying out that diet – and I mean everyone. It promised great results in less time.
I caved in and jumped on the Atkins Bandwagon – and lost a bunch of weight. But I don’t think I need to tell you that my weight loss was very short lived. Not a shocker as that happened to many people – which is what probably caused Atkins to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2005.
Well ladies…
HBO Is Hiding Little About ‘Big Love’
Remember that show on HBO? You know the one about the the polygamous Henrickson family? No? Not much of a shocker as ‘Big Love’ showed its last new episode in August 2007. Why do they always have to wait so long between seasons on HBO?
Interestingly enough, HBO has thought outside the box for their campaign promoting the show. They’re viewing this as no one will remember why they liked the show in the first place. What is up with that anyway? If its a good show…they shouldn’t worry about that. Or am I wrong in that thought?
Anyhow, HBO is beginning an…
You ‘Kin Do It!
Hill, Holliday’s latest advertising for Dunkin’ Donuts introduces the rallying cry, “You kin’ do it!”. No, they are not trying to be Tony Little, its actually explained in their press release - the term actually comes from Dunkin’s name. DunKIN DOnuts.
The new campaign “cheers on the everyday people who keep America running by reminding them they can take on any task: you kin’ make it through the workday, you kin’ shovel out that driveway, you kin’ pass that exam, you kin’ finish that paperwork.” Well, you kin’ also join a gym to work off that badonkadonk after scarfing down all those chocolate frosteds, though I…
Pepsi’s New Year!
Happy New Year! This year will be a time of changes – big changes. Every where I turn, people are telling me what big changes they are implementing in their life. Whether or not it will take is another story… for a different blog. :o)
Yes, the New Year is certainly a good time for positivity – a great time for change. But given that 2008 was, in many ways, a seriously lousy year, this first Pepsi work from TBWA\Chiat\Day might seem a tad disconnected. Then again, it’s aimed at millennials, those born between 1980 and 1990, who are an innately optimistic…
Whopper virgins
Here’s a new ad campaign, seeing it all over the web and on the television, and it’s freaking me out every time I see it.
It’s the Whopper Virgins ads. The premise is that Burger King has traveled all over the world looking for people from cultures that have not had hamburgers. They bring these “whopper virgins” in and let them have both a Whopper and a Big Mac, to see which one they pick.
The ads make me cringe and feel uncomfortable, and I’ve yet to find any of them funny. This just adds to my dislike of most ad campaigns. I remember…
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