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.

I♥DDB

"remember those great Volkswagen ads?"
what a book.
what copy.
what ads.
and what an impact those 60's DDB word mongers had on the ad world.
they made advertising an industry where intelligent people used creativity to communicate complex ideas as simply as possible.

best book purchase i have ever made.

STUNNING

Fallon's latest campaign for FRENCH CONNECTION, some of the best art direction and copy i have seen. the primative man and sophisticated woman. love it.

SPRING SUMMER CAMPAIGN
AUTUMN WINTER CAMPAIGN

VOYEURISM

a fantastic exhibition at the tate modern, exposed.

since its invention, the camera has been used to make images surreptitiously and satisfy the desire to see what is hidden. the exhibition, entitled Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance & the Camera hosts an impressive array of candid shots, some being quite powerful and even grotesque. below feature some of my stand out snaps.

john goodman - tremont street #3

harry callahan - atlanta 1984

lee friedlander - new york city 1966

helmut newton

designated driver

more budweiser class from DDB chicago.

QUOTE:

"they say when you get what you want you don't want it anymore. that depends what you get"

superlative pay off for the new Mercedes advert.

QUALITY ADVERT, MAN

in my third year at university i remember one option for a work brief was to relaunch one of the classic men's scents, Brut or Old Spice. i am pretty confident no-one came up with anything this good.

the two guys at widen+kennedy have nailed the tone of voice with this advert and the concept is the perfect persuasion, not only for the man, but also for the actual target market of buyers - girlfriends.

magnetic man + annie

dubstep has been creeping more and more into the mainstream ever since its initial leak from Skream early last year with his remix of La Roux's In for the Kill. being a massive fan of the genre, i have some reservations about this but can also draw some positives from it's increasing popularity.

i witnessed one of the major bonuses whilst at Manchester's Parklife festival earlier this month. Magnetic man, the collaboration of Skream, Benga and Artwork, put on a production to finish the night that Daft Punk would be proud of. the video below fails to capture the impact of this immense light display but gives an idea of just how impressive it was.

guilty of starting the my obsession:

i love her.

South America

a few snaps from the amazing and diverse continent have made their way onto my flickr page.

show offs

when this advert first appeared on my TV after England's penultimate pre-World Cup friendly against Mexico, i sat absolutely glued to my screen, actually gobsmacked. the concept behind the advert is brilliant, epitamising the impact such small events in one football match can have around the world and the tagline 'write the future' could not sum this up better. however, i feel that Wieden+Kennedy slipped up with the cameo from Homer Simpson (not to mention the inclusion of Brazil's non-participating aged star). the inclusion of this comic cartoon slob feels very awkward and for me really takes away from the spectacular and inspirational tone of the advert.

the sheer length of the ad combined with the overwhelming cast and genius concept make for what has to be one of the best sports brand adverts ever made, and acts as a perfect reminder of just who is top dog.

a single man

having read and thoroughly enjoyed Christopher Isherwood's A single Man, the news that Tom Ford was to direct the film adaptation was somewhat exciting. unfortunately, being in South America at the time the chance of me catching it at the cinema was slim but as luck would have it, what was the feature film on the flight back to Paris?...

although not the ideal setting for the first viewing of an anticipated film, i decided i couldn't wait so tuned in. considering who was directing, it was clear that the film was going to ooze effortless cool. however, i thought the first half an hour or so had a touch of the try-hard about it. the constant close-up camera work, varying angles, slow pans and freeze frames all give the feel of a first time director who is dying to bring out his style in his work, and all succeed to give the feel of a fashion ad rather than a motion picture. even though the 1960's period style is somewhat over-indulgent, every item of clothing and every set piece, from Colin Firth's tie clip to his shoe brush, is clearly meticulously chosen and each give a clear reminder to just what the director made his business in. the portrayal of the story itself is great, and the film is so accomplished visually that, after the slow and shaky start, i was gripped.