DID THAT JUST MOVE?..

cinemagraphs - absolutely gorgeous.

EXPER-INTENTIONAL?

while stood amongst a gathered crowd, watching a rather showy installer erect this poster on Brick Lane, i started thinking...

since the birth of youtube, smart phones, and social media, advertising has been able to reach audiences further and faster than ever before. an eye-catching installment or experiential campaign will be filmed and photographed, then shared and blogged, reaching millions in minutes. we know this, and many advertisers are using the free media to great effect.

but as this exuberant worker was climbing and abseiling up and down The Truman Brewery, I realised that not even traditional poster advertising is restricted to its medium. whether intentional or not, Absolut Vodka had created an experiential piece, simply through the installation of a poster (and employment of a real-life Spiderman). there was an excited buzz amidst the spectators - with everyone discussing the artistic designs that had stemmed from the Absolut Blank.

(apologies for the poor image. it was an afterthought taken from my flat window. i didn't have my phone on my at the time of the event)

INJECT INSPIRATION

I'm going to start running again.
(South American agency, once again)

VISUAL AIDS

I wish I had been in advertising before black and white became an option. Stunning.

BUENOS AWARENESS

South American agencies seem to be on top of their experiential game of late, and none more so than Ogilvy, Buenos Aires. Since visiting the addictive metropolis last year, a Latin emigration has never been far from my mind - and with installments like Coca-Cola's friendship machine and Budweiser's Poolball popping up more and more frequently, I think it may be time to dust off the Michel Thomas tapes...

THIS TESTING MACHINE MISSED THE BOAT...

a great new spot for VW from DDB.

almost a reversal of the infamous lemon.

turning the tester into the tested.

and the tested into the tester.

DDB clearly still employ the same great brains.

an agency of thinkers. and not bullshitters.

inspiring.

VERY GÜD INDEED

DDB have composed this charming commercial for the Gü brand of desserts. the beautiful subtlety of the advert works to initially intrigue, and eventually reward - with the musical accompaniment setting the tone of cheeky temptation perfectly.

BORN TO COPY

where it all began?
who knows.

FLIPBOOK OF THE FUTURE

LIVE YOUNG

lovely stuff, eh.

POWER OF MUSIC? POWER OF FILM.

Cinematic Orchestra 'To Build a Home' by shootingpeople
The Cinematic Orchestra's track is beautiful. here it becomes almost mesmeric. it emphasizes the poignancy of this short film, creating what has to be the most moving video i have ever seen. absolutely stunning.

TICK OFF

fantastically art directed illustration here.
i didn't notice the tick initially.
it was an 'aaah, brilliant' moment when i did.

PASS IT ON

Leo Burnett Columbo have produced an extremely moving short film for the Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society.

WORDS FAIL ME

the inspiration behind this exhibition of ironic vagaries of the English language was, ironically, a person's struggle with the vagaries of the English language - that person being the author's Italian mother. full of grammatical peculiarities and contradictions, this book questions everything from pronunciation to spelling, all through cleverly manipulated typography.

WORDS FAIL ME - Teresa Monachino

SOME DAY...

powerful, provocative, inspiring.
what else can you say about the narrative?..
this is what copywriting is all about, and this is why i love it.

ABSOLUT LIGHT

although writing with light has been around for some time now, Gringo's latest project for Absolut Vodka, named absolute glimmer, really managed to connect and engage with the audience by going beyond the aesthetics of the trick itself. fantastically interactive and instantly viral, this makes for a great campaign, allowing the consumer to feel extremely close to the brand.

thINK

Solidarités International and its agency BDDP Unlimited released this beautiful spot to build awareness of the scourge of undrinkable water. To evoke the silent and invisible threat of unhealthy water, BDDP Unlimited opted for a minimalist approach that is both visually appealing and surprising, using water and ink exclusively. The spot shows the power of ink to reveal the invisible.

CHIP SHOP AWARDS

if people didn't complain
advertising would be so much better

JAZZ

another epic animated spot for Honda. although the core message may not be as convincing as 'Grrr', W+K have once again combined fantastical animation with an enchanting and charming narrative to great effect.

FBK. LIKE?

it has taken over. taken over social lives. taken over the web. and definitely taken over advertising.

Mark Zuckerberg has borne what is essentially a social documentary, containing details and images of our daily movements. where once a spontaneous snap could be tucked away and kept as a welcome reminder of a moment in our lives, it now acts as a potentially friendship ruining, relationship ending, employment terminating and reputation destroying piece of evidence. the flash of a camera is now immediately greeted with panic... 'don't tag me in that'. facebook terminology has even inserted itself into our vernacular; like, dislike, poke, detag... it hardly induces eloquence.

this online phenomenon does however have its obvious and real benefits. having spent a few months traveling in recent years i came to the realisation that without facebook communication, my family and friends wouldn't have had any real idea what i was up to; where i was going, where i had been. people we met along the way would just be past memories, email addresses on pieces of paper that would never be contacted.

it has become the perfect medium for direct advertising allowing specific targeting, apps, discussions, viral, and interaction. The visuals have even become iconic enough to use in offline advertising, as fantastically demonstrated in the above press campaign.

WITTY PRINT

two recent print ads that have brought on a smirk. the tag for Curly Balls reads
"No luck at all? Have a curly ball."

WHAT A WEEK

through cheery illustrative visuals and well justified positivity, DDB have managed to eulogise and romanticise every working day of the week. a perfect tone for Tropicana's daily dose of sunshine campaign.

these would make for great decorations around the office...

THE NIKE OF MILK

i was always a big fan of the original Cravendale "miiiiilk" ads featuring the plastic pirate and die-cast cow. they instantly created a very strong brand image in what threatened to be a new branding war for another fairly innate product - much like the bottled water game. moving on from this initial success Wieden & Kennedy have taken a completely different approach, but to equal acclaim. their slightly more product-related "cats with thumbs" TV spot is fantastic; comical, cleverly narrated, and worryingly thought-provoking for any cat owners out there who are au fait with 'the stare'.

RIO SMILES

fantastic stunt.
just watching the video evokes happiness!

A NEW TARGET

these great press ads approach the subject of sexual assault awareness differently to most others i have seen. the usual target for such ads is the victim, in this case inebriated women. these awareness campaigns typically urge women to restrict their behaviour, suggest they be more vigilant, or detail how they should best deal with the aftermath.

this campaign addresses alcohol-facilitated sexual assault without blaming the victim, through stark, striking imagery and succinct, hard-hitting copy. targeting potential offenders surely makes much more sense, as they are responsible for the assault and ultimately responsible for stopping it.

after all, drink driving awareness ads don't target innocent pedestrians, telling them to watch out for the pissed-up idiot veering down the road...

ONE OF THE BREAST

INEVITABLE WRINKLING

if ever a series has seen deterioration through progression, it has to be skins.

that being said, after the encapturing arcade-fire-endorsed trailer for the latest series i must say i was tempted, but this temptation rapidly subsided on viewing the early teasers hailing lines such as "i'm metal!" and subsequently, i decided to give it a miss.

however, flicking over tonight and settling on E4 for the latter half of the aforementioned 'current' teen drama, i was gripped. the portrayal of debauched late teen life is pretty spot on (depending on perspective of course). raw, honest, and indulgent.

upsettingly, the only feeling left lingering on the end credits was one of; shit. i've grown up.

DELIGHTFUL DIGITAL

M&M's.

SUPERBOWL

following in the footsteps of Old Spice's 'the man your man should smell like' was never going to be an easy fete, and i think it's safe to say noone came close to toppling said TV bit during this years most viewed airtime slot.

just the two stand outs from superbowl 2011 for me, and both of them car ads.

HOW TO GET PEOPLE TALKING. STUNTS

some absolute gems in here.
this method of advertising always seems to inspire some of the most creative thinking.

LOOSE MEN

andy gray and richard keys.
any worse than this lot?!
this daytime TV drivel sees the haggle of middle-aged misandrists spout out endless sexual innuendo's and slate the opposite sex. the only difference between this and graykeysgate is that for this sad show, the conversations are meant to be aired. for entertainment!
it seems odd that a group of guys sat around chatting during half time of a football match should be chastised for voicing an opinion, or making a laddish, if slightly lewd comment... off camera!

EPIC EXPERIENTIAL

Y&R London's infused with imagination campaign for Bombay Sapphire is a fantastic piece of ambient experiential. captivating and almost hypnotic, i imagine such a display would have driven a fair few of the guests to gin-based cocktails at the ensuing event.

SKY STUNNER #2

the gorgeous panning shots across the new york skyline, enhanced by the flashes of sun glare and coupled with a mesmeric narrative makes for another incredibly enchanting advert from sky.

PRINT OF THE WEEK

a couple of stand out print ads i have come across this week.
TOP Feel like a star. for Dr. Tint, a glass-tinting service for cars.
BOTTOM Extends Life. for Sekunda Glue.

ANECDOTAL METAPHORS & METAPHORICAL ANECDOTES

dave trott's blog.
always a great read.

REQUIEM FOR A NIGHTMARE

a loose recommendation lead to myself and 3 pals watching Requiem for a dream on a "relaxed" friday night in. we were not expecting what has to be one of the most forceful and abrasive anti-drug narratives ever. the film presents the darkest take imaginable on a story of hopes and dreams shattered by drug addiction. there was no preaching or sermonizing, just a hypnotic and almost-clinical depiction of lives laid to waste. Aronofsky's chillingly graphic vision succeeded in giving us a nightmare not lightly forgotten.

DEAD COOL

WHO ARE WE TRYING TO IMPRESS?

having quaffed a couple of tins last night, i showed my friends this ad idea for Wharfedale that i am working on. a reasonably simple graphic and clear visual message i would say. yet after a few seconds gazing at it, the lads proclaimed that they didn't get it.
fair enough, the graphic may not be working well enough. the idea may not be strong. or the details of the visual may be lost. i can accept that.
however, i then asked - would it work better as an ad for you if there was simply a picture of the speaker with huge text next to it reading "BUY THIS SPEAKER NOW!" ? to which the answer was a resounding "yes".

i think sometimes it is easy to try and be too creatively clever. it may impress a left-hand-side-of-the-brainer, but will it impress the consumer.

this tussle invariably becomes apparent when i am leafing through a publication such as Lurzer's Archive. the majority of the ads featured in it are ingenious and leave me in awe. yet when i hand a copy over for my friends to peruse, they generally comprehend just 2 or 3 ads from the entire magazine. and that's on a good day.

it does raise the question do many ads work too hard?
or are my pals just stupid?...

JESSIE J

so gald this girl gained the title she deserved.
on Jools Holland earlier in the year she shone.
hoping her hip-hop instincts don't ruin what is the best female vocal in a long long time.

ARTIST OF 2011...
(and of course James Blake)

NEED A BREAK

i bet even the most discerning of Art fans would welcome this piece of perfectly placed ambient.

SEX AIRPPEAL

how do you make an airline sexy?
it seems just ask Y&R.
this stunning advert for Virgin has succeeded in distinguishing the airline as the stylish flyers' choice.
sexy, yet elegant.
luxurious, yet unassuming.
voguish, yet classic.

on every viewing i can hear the iniquitous cries of sexism.
it would be naive to emulate an James Bond opening sequence without expecting to rouse some feminists, eh.

i think will be flying Virgin in my ECD years...

COGGLES. YORK

York's Sarah Coggles boutique offers one of the most diverse designer collections of any store i know. great atmosphere. friendly staff. and effortless interior. well worth a visit.
(and with Betty's Café Tea Rooms a mere stroll away, why wouldn't you)

Sarah Coggles

GUILTY PLEASURE

i love silly cameras.
i don't know why.
i'm not trying to be edgy. (at least i don't think i am)
i hate edgy.

my polaroid camera is too bulky for a pocket. too bulky for some bags.
regardless of the quality of the shot. it has cost over £1.
but each photo is itself a piece of art.
something immediately tangible.
passed between friends. scribbled on.
born framed.

my Holga has the same logistical drawbacks.
each roll of 120 film costs in excess of £10 to develop.
few photo processing shops house the equipment to do it.
the prints often draw a blank.
but each image that does come back holds excitement. anticipation.
a double exposure. leaked light. that vignette.

my point and shoot film camera still doesn't fit in a pocket.
the films cost. the developing costs.
beautifully taken shots are returned scarred and overexposed.
moments are lost.
but every mechanical click and whir.
every wait.
every film returned.
brings something aberrant.

taking photos on my digital camera is free.
the image is high quality.
it can be digitally enhanced and altered.
it can be seen instantly.
but can be as quickly erased.
it has no imperfections.
no character.
no charm.
each image will spend it's entire life lost in a sea of thousands just like it.
inside an electric box. on my hard drive.


a salient comparison might be a relationship with, say, a woman.
one who is attractive will draw you in straight away.
she is modern. trendy.
immediately you can see that you like her.
you feel you know everything about her from one electric encounter.
everything seems ideal.
however this transparency soon becomes boring.
there is nothing more to her.
cue detachment.
she ends up a forgotten memory in that black book with many just like her.

but that girl who keeps a bit back.
the one that requires time (and money) for anything to develop.
her imperfections become endearing. personal. lovable.
each time you look at her your love grows.
she is timeless. a real one off. a treasured gift.

she is the one you keep hold of.

LIFE SAVING

sex sells.
the lingerie market is surely built on this premise.
therefore it is kind of a prerequisite that a lingerie advert be sexy.
although maybe not medically accurate. this still works.

and works well.

FANTASTIC AND UNERRING COPY

from Droga5 (click link)

i love this industry.
i wish i didn't.
i want to spend my career keeping it relevant.
i wish AMV BBDO or DDB or TBWA implemented nepotism in their selection process.

DOG SHIT

i thought the whole charm of the Andrex adverts was the cute puppies..?
baffled why JWT have animated it.