June 30, 2008
Lawyers make such rotten copywriters.
June 17, 2008
Sordid, guilty pleasures of Sky Mall
Sheer genius. I want that Bigfoot thingie. I really do. Oooh. And that giant crossoword. And all the hose holders. I'm a sucker for those.
June 16, 2008
Mentally Tough
This spot has been around awhile, but I hadn't seen it until this weekend. On Father's Day, actually. Maybe it was the mood of the day, but this just jumped out of TV and slapped me around a little in terms of relevance. A great example of the right spot placed at just the right time. Creating spots like this seems deceptively simple. Oh, hell you just take a quote from an interview Earl did a few years ago and cut together some old footage. But crafting a spot this tight and this on strategy out of found material is, in no way, as easy as it sounds. WK is just so damn good at this stuff. The Magnificent Bastards strike again.
File under: marketing to men.
June 13, 2008
Fan-fucking-tastic Ocean City, MD
A straight genius effort from the Ocean City, Maryland Office of Tourism. Check this shit out.
And great, great job to the agency, creatives and Ocean City's Mayor for having the balls to make a great, funny, relevant spot. Check out more here.
I can't seem to find the agency. Can anyone tell me who made this gem?
This son of a bitch makes me want to visit OC -- where I have actually already been -- again!
June 06, 2008
Advice for everybody in the ad/marketing game.
Bill Hicks offers everyone in our business a little advice. Thanks to Armano.
May 30, 2008
Bushnell: A million bucks for a Bigfoot.
Bushnell makes all kinds of yummy optics and cool electronic gadgets. From binocs, to laser range finders to GPS units to scopes to trail cameras. You know what a trail camera is don't you? You attach it to a tree somewhere deep in the forest and it waits patiently until it senses movement. Then it clicks off a few frames. The idea is to photograph nature without all that human intervention stuff. Sometimes the results are pretty interesting. Like the photo of the raccoon who decided to take a ride on the back of the boar.
Now comes the report that Bushnell seems to be preparing to offer a cool million to the first person who can capture indisputable proof of the Sasquatch with one of their trail cameras. As noted, the Sasquatch is an advertising favorite and probably deserves a spot here.
In any case, a tip of the hat to our friends at Bushnell. The promotion is coming soon. The buzz is starting now.
May 22, 2008
Nike runs home.
According to our friends at Ad Age, Nike is back home with Wieden. Whilst we're fans of all involved, something about this says that all is right with the world.
May 05, 2008
Top 50 parody commercials of all time.
I've always said that what makes parody commercials great is that they totally get all our stupid tricks and crutches. If most of these weren't so dead on and hilarious, I'd feed terrible about my life and career right now. *Sigh.* Thanks to Nerve.
April 16, 2008
And the award for "Best Use of a Big Horn Sheep in a Gum Commercial" goes to
STRIDE! Without question, there will never be a better ram ramming into a guy's balls in a commercial than this. Kudos for the concept and the stunt. Laugh out loud every time.
April 15, 2008
$5 dolla footlooooooooongs.
I want to tell you that I don't like it. That its lack of high concept makes me wince. That it utilizes a jingle. But I can't. I just can't. Dammit, I like the the $5 footlong spots. There I said it. And I am not ashamed. Much.
Oh,Lincoln likes them, too. Wonder what Jared thinks?
March 31, 2008
When creatives get bored before consumers do.
I've always liked the Whiteboard ads. Yeah, yeah, I know a lot of you too-cool-for-schoolers are haters but I think the campaign is smart, differentiating, and appropriate for the brand. Top it off with the fact that is sells pretty hard, too. I've also always felt there was a real charm to the simplicity of the spots and the clever illustrations. But a great deal of that goes away, for me anyway, once you add the animation and the extra characters in with Azula.
So, here's the question I'm posing to people who know or would like to posit: Did the campaign need to evolve for message or did the creatives simply get bored before we (or at least I) did?
March 25, 2008
American Copywriter salutes Hal Riney
Here's to a voice that stood out. Spoken and otherwise. A voice that I'm certain our industry will miss even more than we may suspect. If you're a little young and stupid (which is perfectly acceptable), do yourself a favor and bone up on The Riney Way. You can start by absorbing what Jeff Goodby had to say about the man.
Here's to you, Mr. Riney. We are believers.
March 25, 2008
The Old VW, better than the new VW.
You know that new VW spot where the Jetta or Passat or whatever beeps everytime the guy who wants to buy it takes a step toward it? See, in the spot, turns out that the car's already sold and instead of putting a sold sign on it, the new owner thinks it's funny to peep-peep the alarm to scare the first guy. I get it, and it's kind of funny. It's just not nearly as good as this:
Seems I used to know exactly what kind of brand VW was, just from their ads. Now their ads are telling me they're just another car company. And that's a little sad, in an advertising kind of way.
March 11, 2008
The Mañata?
It's amazing what kind of team TBWA and MJZ make. Or, maybe what's more amazing is the campaign they're putting together for Skittles. More tasty goodness from them:
February 24, 2008
And the Oscar for Best Ad on the Oscars goes to...
Tonight, is a big, big night for brands. Star brands, studio brands and marketer brands all mix on the red carpet. We can count on the Nicholson brand doing well tonight. It's a tradition to cut to him grinning in the audience. His smile is as iconic as the Clydesdales. But what about the marketers that are making their big bet with this event instead of the hyper-hyped Super Bowl? Follow a live chat with the pundits on Adfreak's new OscarFreak. If you are so moved, leave your opinions on the winners and losers here or as an audio comment. We'll update this post with our own opinion in the morning. In the meantime, we already know what Judd Apatow thinks of the whole thing.
UPDATE: I'll be honest, Sunday night laundry made me miss a lot of the spots. The one I caught that I found really intriguing was MasterCard "searching eye." It's paid off online here.
February 24, 2008
War Kittens war chest?
Regardless of what you think about the campaign, is anyone else even slightly taken aback by how much cash Captial One consistently puts into production? The word "consistently" is key here. I'm not sure this one holds a candle to the spectacle of some of the old barbarian spots. Is this a case of my mid-sized agency roots showing or do the line producers here seem to have carte blanche? In an age where TV has become only a 300-pound gorilla, how are the production budgets you're seeing?
February 13, 2008
Cavemen Return to GEICO?
Now that the Writers Strike is over, people are clamoring to know when their shows are going to return with new episodes. The short answer for many is "not for a while, but check back in April." For others, however, that answer may be "never again."
On that short list of "never again" could be the Cavemen show inspired by the GEICO commericals. What does that mean for our unshaven friends? How about a new online/Facebook campaign for GEICO? I'm not sure if this was something created a long while back for GEICO, or if this is a new offering. In any case, if the Cavemen come back to commercial-land, I'll be happy.
February 11, 2008
Will Ferrell smells like a turtle cage.
Will Ferrell + Old Spice + Semi-Pro Co-brand + user participation = pretty fuckin' awesome. Check it. You really gotta hand it Old Spice and WK. This is one helluva brand renovation that's underway. Irrelevant and cheesy to irreverent and, gulp, potentially cool. One can almost drop Old Spice in the shopping cart without shame.
February 08, 2008
It's better than good?
A while back it was decided that the men in red wigs weren't the right brand direction for Wendy's, so they scraped it. Now, as recently as a week ago, Wendy's new spots from kirshenbaum bond + partners have begun to air on television (and are now on Wendy's web site, too). If you haven't seen them yet, they're quite the departure from the previous red wig campaign (which I was fond of). The reviews haven't been so glorious so far, but this is the first effort, maybe they'll turn a corner.
My question is the new tag line, which is "Waaaay better than fast food. It's Wendy's." Is it me, or is that a bit similar to Sonic's, "It's not just good... it's Sonic good." Not that it's a bad thing to copy something that's working, but I think it's a bit too close.
What do you think? Is there room for two fast food chains to have similar tag lines?
February 03, 2008
Maybe the most relevant super ad we'll see today.
A click leads you here to play a surprisingly engaging and difficult advergame. And yeah, I added Alka-Seltzer to today's shopping list. Well played, Speedy. Well played.
January 30, 2008
Talked to Luke last night.
Tug and I had a great time talking with the one-and-only Luke Sullivan last night. He's more proof that the most talented people in this business are also the most down-to-earth. We talked for about an hour. That's enough for two podcasts. I'll get to work on cutting those right away. Of course, we all know what happens this Sunday. AC was founded on breaking down the Super Bowl spots and we plan to do that again. So, expect to hear the Luke podcasts later on next week. In the meantime, Luke said we could leak a few snippets of the new content from the third edition of "Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This." Enjoy:
Try something naughty. I do not mean do a pee-pee joke. (Oh lordy, please, please . . . no pee-pee jokes. No fart jokes. No scatology. Please, just stop it.)
What I am suggesting here is that you do something naughty. Maybe naughty isn’t the right word. How about controversial? My thesaurus also suggests: devilish, sneaky, disobedient, mischievous, willful, wayward, bad, or recalcitrant. Do something you’re not supposed to do. Break a rule of some kind. Come up with an idea that makes you say, “We can’t do that, can we?” That’s a sign it’s a strong idea. The other question to ask is: “Will somebody talk about this idea if we do it?” Sticking messages into dog poop at the park qualifies, I think, on both counts. It’s a controversial sort of idea somebody might talk about.
Beaming an anti government message onto the side of city hall is naughty.
Airing a free video on a hotel’s adult channel is naughty. Running a small-space ad with a headline “Fur Coat Storage Services” is naughty. Well, it is when you know the rich ladies who called the number got a recorded message from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals about the cruelty of the fur business and how they should “donate” their fur for proper burial. In Warren Berger’s book Hoopla, CP+B’s Alex Bogusky observes, “If you’re about to spend advertising dollars on a campaign and you can’t imagine that anybody is going to write about it or talk about it, you might want to rethink it. It means you probably missed injecting a truth or social tension into it.” A truth. A social tension. Now we’re getting to the nut of it. Think of truth, or social tension, or naughtiness as the bad guy in a movie. Ever notice how the bad guy is usually a movie’s most interesting character? Kids wanna be Darth Vader, not Luke. On Halloween, I’ve never seen anybody wearing a Jamie Lee Curtis mask; it’s always Michael Myers. Bad is good. The bad guy disrupts. He changes things, makes them interesting. Bad means gettin’ some “Bom Chicka Wah Wah” from the Axe Effect or doing things in Vegas that have to stay there. Bad is why the Subservient Chicken is wearing a garter belt. Do something devilish, disobedient, sneaky, mischievous, willful, wayward, bad, or recalcitrant. At every turn of the way, question authority.
January 08, 2008
Safe. From odor.
Mixed sports metaphors, high-top striped socks and an intentionally cheesy payoff. There's a lot to like here.
January 03, 2008
Irene Done speaks for the nation.
When the lady is right, the lady is right. God bless Irene for speaking the truth.
January 03, 2008
The Tiddy Bear. That's T-I-D-D-Y....
And I quote: "...Kids of all sizes love the Tiddy Bear." Nice. Boy, what I wouldn't have paid to be in the room when the name for this product was actually approved. Of course, the real question is how the VO guy actually got through the session. Do you think the client requested auditions? Or do you think he got the gig, walked into the studio and saw the script for the first time? 'Cause either way, the stuff on the digital cutting room floor has to be pure gold.
You know, this is a good week to look at some of our favorite guilty-pleasure informercials. Send us your thoughts and we'll see if we can dig 'em up for ya'.
December 12, 2007
Whopper Freakout really sells.
So, in one fell swoop, we're selling the living hell out of product and freshening up the testimonial. Nice work Crispinites. Nice work.
November 29, 2007
The Canadians have creeped me out.
Holy jumping bass! I know I must be way, way late to the conversation about this campaign but, sweet baby peas, this made me jump right out of my chair.
I had heard tale of a campaign from the big, snowy that made Safe Happens look like an Archie comic, but I just ran across it today. What say ye people? Horror film or effective ad? I'll go first. Generally, I don't go for the gore. But I have to admit these do change my thinking about safety. Or, at least, they really have made me think about safety. Somehow that gets me over the "taste' hump.
November 29, 2007
Mockumentary not dead, thanks to Mr. Scorsese
I was going to post today about a terrible spot I saw this week. Instead, I'll post about an incredible one I just watched. Martin Scorsese creates an engaging and funny homage to Hitchcock (in mockumentary form, baby!) and sells champagne at the same time. Stay with it for the full 9 minutes, it's worth it.
November 21, 2007
I live in lovewesandersonawholebunchville.
So, I'm a little behind on blog topics. Wes Anderson just fucking rules doesn't he? I love the concept, too. Really stands out in the category. Christ, I hate giving AT&T credit for anything. Agency credits anyone?
November 21, 2007
Give thanks that, for the weekend, these terms are on the banned list.
I'll be taking the next couple of days off from advertising and I suggest you do the same. Here is just a short list of terms I'd like you to not utter until you get back into the salt mines on Monday.
Alignment
Brand architecture
Activation
Going forward
Implementation
Competitive noise level
Delta
Incremental
Push/Pull strategy
Acquisition/Retention
Reach/Frequency
Spot
Concepting
Creative landscape
Platform
Minor Tweaks
Share
Share of wallet
Share of voice
And, of course –
Sucking up to the client.
Happy Turkey Day everybody.
November 20, 2007
Rest in Peace Mr. Whipple.
Dick Wilson, a.k.a. Mr. Whipple, 1916-2007. P&G ran the "Please don't squeeze the Charmin" campaign from 1964 to 1985 and again in 1999. As Steve said, "...Wilson, was a lovable, humorous television advertising icon back in the day when brands didn't change campaigns and agencies at the whim of a here today gone tomorrow CMO."
November 11, 2007
Viva Viagra. Really!?!
Oh, I get it. Guys don't like to talk about erectile dysfunction so let's show them singing about it! Yeah, that'll take the stigma away.
Hands up, who thought this was a spoof? A spot like this makes it clear why a guy might be embarrassed to ask his doctor for Viagra. And it has nothing at all to do with erectile dysfunction.
Drugs in this category must be worth big bucks. The first pharma brand that figures out a way to talk to men about them in a way that's not goofy or adolescent stands to truly dominate.
November 06, 2007
Bee Movie posts $39.1 million. Almost breaks even.
In its opening weekend, Seinfeld's and DreamWork's Bee Movie grossed $39.1 million.
By my rough calculations that won't quite pay for the amazing amount of advertising and promotion activity that was placed behind this movie. This would include TV, print, cinema, sponsorships and the very confusing Bee Movie shorts on NBC prime time.
American Gangster (nice name) grossed $46.3 million. And it did that in 1000 fewer theaters.
I can't guess how many impressions Bee Movie was putting out there but, whatever the number, my money says this property was actually overexposed.
Which begs the question: Did Bee Movie actually advertise itself out of part of its audience?
Note: Had the producers had been really smart, they'd have added some cause marketing into their plan and joined the genuinely crucial effort to save our bees.
October 25, 2007
Sony is so one note.
A teaser video for Sony's new generation Walkman products. The actual spot debuts tomorrow in the UK but should be online first.
The spot, created by Fallon, is billed as "the first ever ‘monophonic’ advert..." Seems 128 musicians will play only one note at a time to reconstruct an original music piece created by Hollywood music director Peter Raeburn.
I'm a sucker for these stunt demonstration spots.
October 19, 2007
40th Anniversary of Patterson-Gimlin footage
This Saturday marks the 40th anniversary of the film that made the Sasquatch pop culture royalty. So, here's to you Mr. Big and Smelly. Jack Links, Coldstone and Coors (among others) salute you.
October 16, 2007
Whatever happened to Reebok?
No seriously. Whatever happened to Reebok? I have not seen hide nor hair of them since Terry Tate. But it was sure funny. In fact, I laughed out loud when I remembered the company was "Felcher & Sons." Sheesh. Apparently no one at Reebok had ever seen Urban Dictionary.
October 14, 2007
WWLJD?
I place this in the "homage" category. Am I wrong? What would Leeroy Jenkins do? Either way, it's interesting that this is ad does double duty for two brands. Do you suppose the T-Shirts with, "I am the law giver!" are already printed? Come to think of it, this Toyota campaign must be created by nerds after my own heart. So far, they've worked in Nessie, meteors from space, a mechanized monster and now WOW.
October 05, 2007
Arnold exposes the focus group.
Watch this and remember why you get paid to do what you get paid to do. The opening to the 2007 Hatch Show from Arnold.
Spotted at Ernie's blog.
September 18, 2007
Shop victoriously is a winner.
I'm digging these. Mainly because I know for a fact it IS better when you win it. Actually it's best when you sneak in from nowhere and steal it right out from under the nose of that newbie bidder who really thought no one else was interested. Loser.
Credits to the peeps at BBDO. More here.
September 12, 2007
A Cute Survey
My Aunt Phyllis will occasionally tell me she's seen some of our agency's work. She'll say, "It was really cute."
I grind my teeth. I try to remind myself that, in Aunt Phyllis Speak, "cute" is a compliment of the highest order. But she always notices that her comment hasn't exactly set me all aglow, and she'll say, "Oh, wasn't it supposed to be cute?"
I'll explain that I'd like it better if she described good advertising as "smart." Or "insightful." On rare occasions, "brilliant." Even "clever", I'll say, would be better than the four-letter adjective that was invented for use only in pet stores. And that's when she gives me that pained, jeez-I-was-just-trying-to-tell-you-I-liked-it look.
So here's the survey. Am I the only ad jerk that cannot graciously accept a well-intentioned compliment because I have a problem with the choice of words? And if not, what "complimentary" words make you want to roll up a newspaper and whack the complimenter on the forehead?
August 30, 2007
They're already married? I don't think so.
This was sent to me by Garrett Street, a copywriter at Callahan Creek.
He said:
"Is this an ad for jewelry or for male performance enhancing drugs? I’m not sure. And why would you bother putting this on cnn.com? This picture is exactly like the ones you see at that back of Men's Health or Maxim about, you know, keeping up with your fellow man."
Thanks Street.
August 24, 2007
Life for Allstate agents a living hell.
"Most of us go through life as if nothing bad can happen," says the baritone VO of Dennis Haysbert at the open of an Allstate ad I saw last night.
"But Allstate agents know that all too often bad things DO happen."
As Haysbert velvet tones soothe our ears, we watch a man driving down a street. He glances up at a lovely family home visible through his car window. At this point, the man in a car, who we come to believe is an Allstate agent, sees the house burst into bright, orange flames. You can't quite hear the screams of the trapped family. Later, the poor agent, who, by the way, seems to have stopped caring about the tragedy he sees everywhere, witnesses a nasty car accident. This is followed by other unpleasantries including a wedding that, by virtue of a nice match-cut, turns directly into a funeral officiated by the same pastor.
Yeeeesh.
Maybe the spot will be good for business. But if I wash out of advertising I'm not going to sign up to be an Allstate agent. Apparently, the job is way too Sixth Sense/Ghost Whisperer/Final Destination for me.
July 25, 2007
Pardon me, but have you any TV spot rankings?
USA Today ranks the Top 25 ads from the past 25 years. Pretty good list if you ask me. Agree or disagree here.
July 22, 2007
Work that reminds us why we love advertising #1.
Had not seen this Gold Lion winner until last week. Genius. One can only hope to do as well with a full two minutes to communicate an idea. Great concept. Great script. Casting is dynamite. And the direction? So good it can't be fully appreciated until the end. Flat out wonderful. Credit where it's due: Agency: NORDPOL+ HAMBURG Creative Director: Lars Ruehmann Art Director: Bjoern Ruehmann/Joakim Reveman/Matthew Branning Production Company, City: PARANOID PROJECTS, Paris Country: FRANCE 2nd Production Company, City: PARANOID US, Los Angeles Country: USA Director: The Vikings
Thanks to Andrew The Planner
July 19, 2007
2007 Oustanding Commercial Emmy Noms
Congratulations to the following commercials and agencies who have been nominated for the 2007 Outstanding Commercial! We tip our hats and wish you all luck.
Animals - American Express Hungry Man, Production Company Ogilvy Mather, Ad Agency
Battle - Cingular BBDO New, Ad Agency Park Pictures, Production Company
Happiness Factory - Coca Cola Wieden Kennedy, Ad Agency Psyop Production, Production Company
Jar - GE BBDO New, Ad Agency Traktor Production, Production Company
Pinball - Pepsi Partizan Entertainment, Production Company BBDO New, Ad Agency
Singing Cowboy - Truth Arnold and, Ad Agency MJZ Production, Production Company
Snowball - Travelers Fallon Ad, Ad Agency MJZ Production, Production Company
July 19, 2007
Plagiarism is in the eye of the beholder.
Anyone who reads this blog likely knows the unwritten rules of applying creativity to sell a product, service or idea. 
One of the greatest sins? Intentionally ripping off an idea from another creative. In fact, it's considered grounds for excommunication from the creative tribe. Not just because it is wrong but also because it speaks volumes about your opinion of your own talent.
As the lines between entertainment and advertising blur, however, it seems our tribe may have some trouble adjusting to the culture of the networks and Hollywood where straight out rip-offs don't seem to carry the same stigma.
The most recent case in point: Don't Forget the Lyrics on Fox and The Singing Bee on NBC. One of many cases of network duplication including Trading Spouses vs. Wife Swap and Super Nanny vs. Nanny 911.
We've talked before about the collective unconsciousness. Two creative teams working half a country apart on poorly differentiated brands can and do arrive at similar conclusions. It happens. That doesn't stop the whispers and disapproving looks. Even, uh, borrowing elements from other parts of the popular culture can be frowned upon i.e. the kerfuffle about the origin of the look of the iPod spots.
How is it that something so taboo on the advertising side is so out-and-out blatant on the content side?
Maybe it's that TV shows aren't viewed as ideas but rather as competing products.
July 13, 2007
Old Spice knows manly fears.
The insight in this new W+K campaign for is a good one. There are things men are expected to know how to do for no good reason other than the fact that they are men. Lack of experience with the manly arts can indeed make you sweat. I love what the magnificent bastards are doing with this brand.
July 10, 2007
Low tech. High impact?
Seems to me that outdoor is a medium that can quickly separate the great creatives from the good ones. So the question is: Great billboard? Or, as one commenter on YouTube notes, great film?
July 08, 2007
Sprint Ahead is pretty Good(by).
The new Sprint Ahead campaign sure is pretty. Cheers to the visual peeps at GS&P.
I also like the anti-technology idea of "magic." There's a lead anthem for the campaign which has appeared in print but doesn't seem to have made it as a spot. Too bad. I think it's stronger than the spot above. Nonetheless, the convention of the campaign seems to have legs for days. The best of this campaign is yet to come.
July 02, 2007
Amazing Integration
We've all heard about the bold move that 7-Eleven and Fox agreed on a while back to promote the new Simpsons movie and thought it was cool. But if you haven't seen the level of detail they've gone through to bring the Kwik E Mart to life, then you haven't lived (today). Here's a nice set of Flickr photos covering the entire store.
Mega big-time props go out to Fox, 7-Eleven and FreshWorks (and anyone else that had a hand in this) for pulling off what should be considered the best example of bringing a brand to life.
Can you imagine the brainstorming sessions that went into this? Lovely.
June 26, 2007
Can Friday Come Any Sooner?
Oh boy! I can't wait for Friday to arrive. Friday, June 29! You know what that is, right!?! That's right, it's iDay! And that means we can all finally get our hands on an iPhone. Take it home, call people, surf the interlux, etc. etc. etc.
Actually I'm more excited about Friday coming so we can start NOT hearing about the damn iPhone. This thing has almost 69 Million results on Google. In my RSS feeds, specifically TUAW, about 75% of all the posts for the past two weeks have been about the iPhone. Or an iPhone accessory. Or how much it'll cost for the data plans. It's been like Christmas day, every day, for the past month for them.
Seriously. If this isn't the most talked about thing since the supposed Y2k computer crash, I don't know what is. Maybe the Segway before it was called a Segway? Who knows. The sad part about Friday is that it won't be the end of the iPhone discussion. Starting around 7pm on Friday we'll get first hands-on reports. What it's like to un-package it. How well the reception is. If it breaks when dropping or when taking a shower with it. Someone will buy one only to break it open and show us the guts.
Think Microsoft is jealous of Apple's marketing genius?
The iPhone craze isn't over. Not for a long while. And if you're like me and tired of all the talk, buckle up, because it's about to get bumpy. Err, bumpier.
June 20, 2007
The Art of Competition
Question: When you're one of two, maybe three, new pizza shops opening across the street from each other, what do you do?
Answer: Easy, you put up a sign that tells everyone what the name of the place is and who your creators are -- Pizza Bella, Coming Soon, from the owners of 1924 Main and Souperman.
Question: When you're the OTHER pizza shop, you're nearing completion, and you've already been beaten to the punch about what's coming soon... what do you do?
Answer:
I won't even begin to nitpick.
June 19, 2007
It's open season on Toucans and Tigers.
The war against childhood obesity may have some advertising casualties. Toucan Sam, Snap, Crackle, Pop, and, maybe, Tony the Tiger.
Kellogg's announced self-imposed guidelines that would keep it from advertising cereals that don't meet new nutritional standards to children under 12 by the end of 2008.
"Our hope is to take some of the guidelines and reformulate, and then we can continue to use Toucan Sam," said Kellogg's CMO Mark Baynes. "It's not as easy as it sounds. We've got some interesting challenges ahead of us."
Ah, poor Toucan Sam.
According to Wikipedia, The character was originally voiced by Mel Blanc, although the longest-running voicing of the character was performed by Paul Frees as an imitation of Ronald Colman. In the most recent ads, Toucan Sam's voice has been performed by Canadian voice actor Maurice LaMarche.
Have another bowl of info at Adweek.
June 18, 2007
Mash it up with Adobe.
Adobe Systems is looking for an ad. And you can make it. The “Take Creative License” contest gives entrants the opportunity to mash-up images available on the Adobe Stock Photos library and create an ad for the Adobe Stock Photos Service. The winning entry will be published in the September issue of Graphic Design USA Magazine along with an editorial highlight about the designer and their design process.
Go get 'em kids.
June 12, 2007
Will the Research Prove Relevance?
In the industry, we talk a lot about reach vs. relevancy and how the average consumer is bombarded with too many ads in a given day. That's why we're seeing a LOT more ads tailored to specific audiences within niche mediums – hit them where it's relevant.
On my usual walking route to work, I pass by an ad that I've always wanted to talk about. Today, I finally took my camera phone out of my pocket and snapped a photo of the ad.
It's an awareness ad for Bipolar Disease. On a pay phone.
A Bipolar Disease awareness ad. On a pay phone.
I, personally, haven't done enough any research to know if the Bipolar audience are regular users of pay phones, but I'm guessing that they're not. I'm also going to guess that the Bipolar audience doesn't hang out much at Town Topic on Baltimore Ave in Kansas City. Again, I could be wrong. I'll need an Account Planner to do some analysis and get back to me. Anyone want to volunteer?
My thought, if one REALLY wanted the ad to be relevant, would be to have Boost Mobile on the side of the pay phone. But what pay phone company is going to allow that?
June 11, 2007
Tonight Show goes back, way back, in time.
Got this story today from MediaPlannerBuyer.com. (Don't ask how I got it, just know that my eyes and ears are open people.) Thought it might interest some of y'all.
Tonight Show' to Air Live Commercial
MediaBuyerPlanner.com, 6/8/07
NBC has teamed up with Garmin International to air a live commercial during Tuesday's broadcast of The Tonight Show.
The ad - in the form of a skit put on by Jay Leno's announcer, John Melendez - will air just before the show's second commercial break, writes the Wall Street Journal. Leno will toss to the break, at which point Melendez will come out in a lab coat to discuss the perils of "direction disorder," or men's seeming inability to ask for directions. The cure for the disorder: a Garmin device.
After the skit, the commercial break will air, with a Garmin ad running in the first slot in the break.
Live ads were standard in the 1950s, and continued to be popular for some time, but they eventually fell out of favor. The Tonight Show last ran a live spot in 1995.
The live ad for Garmin is another in a series of attempts by television networks to TiVo-proof ads for their advertisers. During television development meetings in Los Angeles in March, the networks announced new initiatives that they hoped to launch with advertisers. ABC, for example, introduced 10 examples of how ads might be incorporated into the content of shows, while VH1 has introduced what it is calling a "pod-buster" format.
NBC says it will look to expand the use of live commercials during late-night, but that it won't happen a lot.
May 30, 2007
Good Chemistry.
We're more than slightly behind in noticing this new campaign from Chemistry.com, but had to write about it anyway.
Love and rejection have been going steady for a long time. So, playing
on our only slightly repressed teenage angst is pretty smart. If you're
on the market do you really want to experience rejection by your dating
service? Particularly for "It's not us, it's you" reasons. Yeah, it's always a dicey proposition to name names. You are technically promoting the competition, and there's a risk of coming off petty to boot. But this gutsy campaign by Hanft Raboy & Partners works.
May 24, 2007
Dead rocker spec work + Web = fired?
The Daily Swarm is reporting that Doc Martens has fired the London arm of Saatchi & Saatchi for unleashing a rejected campaign on the Web earlier this month. The posters have generated a fair amount of controversy.
TDS has also published a response from Saatchi:
“We believe the ads are edgy but not offensive. There has
been blog commentary both for and against the ads, but it is our belief that
they are respectful of both the musicians and the Dr. Martens brand.
We regret that the controversy has led Dr. Martens to terminate the
contract with Saatchi & Saatchi. We are investigating the circumstances and
considering the ongoing employment of the individual who was in breach of
instructions not to distribute the ads further than the original approved
placement in Fact Magazine in the UK..."
There's more than a little "he said, she said" going on. Doc Martens says they did not approve the campaign. Saatchi says the campaign was approved to run in one specific place, but that it was not to be distributed further (which doesn't make a lot of sense). Courtney says she never approved the use of Kurt's image. Whatever the absolute truth of the situation, one thing is irrefutable:
Spec work in the age of instant, global communications can be career-limiting.
Hat tip to: Ben Thoma
UPDATE: More here.
May 22, 2007
Marvel vs. DC.
Conservatives vs. liberals. PCs vs. Macs. DC vs. Marvel. Some tribal skirmishes never grow old. Check out the rest of the series, too.
Side debate: Is Batman really the most Marvelicious of the DC characters? Which characters from which comic universe could or should switch? Let your geek flags fly, people.
May 22, 2007
Star Wars weekends at Disney-MGM Studios
Once again this summer, the Star Wars universe is landing in sunny Orlando, Florida. Disney-MGM Studios is putting on a series of Star Wars Weekends where fans can hang out with the friends and foes from a galaxy far, far away. Star Wars fans and characters of all varieties will converge on Orlando to "celebrate the heroes, villains, droids and magic of the saga. In addition to costumed characters, fun activities and the Star Tours theme park ride, celebrity guests will be in attendance for meet-and-greet sessions, star conversations, and classic Hollywood-style motorcades."
To hype the event, they have placed a series of really well done posters in the Orlando airport.
The Vader one is my fave but you can check out the others here.
May the Force (and a ton of screaming kids) be with you.
May 15, 2007
Behind-the-scenes with Bruce Campbell.
Here's a "behind-the-scenes" look at Bruce's latest endeavor for Old Spice. I think the original effort was better than the spot that goes with the above. The approach in the new spot itself isn't as refreshingly unexpected. Still, here we are talking about Old Spice again. And this behind-the-scenes thing is certainly a nice way to stretch the campaign. So, I remain a fan. And, truth be told, it's pretty much impossible not to enjoy watching Bruce Campbell sing a Duran Duran song isn't it?
May 07, 2007
Destroying a classic. For no good reason.
No, no, no, no, no, no. Hey Tootsie Roll people, you have one of the most iconic and beloved spots ever created. Don't screw with it. Seriously.
Hat tip to Transbuddha.
May 07, 2007
For the 4,729th time, CG is not an idea.
Not sure what I was watching this rainy weekend, however, I saw way, way too much of this campaign. Smiles and computer-generated effects do not an idea make. Come on.
April 30, 2007
Starburst gets all Skittles on us.
Which makes some sense in that TBWA/Chiat/Day is working both brands.
In a spot that's almost as weird as Skittle's Prehensile Beard or Singing Bunny, Starburst and TBWA/Chiat/Day, New York bring us Little Lad and his jig for Berries & Cream Starburst. With views, responses and mash-ups rising steadily in the last couple of weeks on multiple YouTube posts, it's plain to see that Little Lad is a sensation. Unpleasant for some, perhaps. Strangely appealing for others. Either way, once you've witnessed Little Lad's jig, it is difficult to get berries & cream out of your mind. Maybe it's the well-timed "octave switch."
There are times I would have paid good money just to watch someone pitch an idea. This is one of them.
Tip of the hat to Adrants.
April 28, 2007
Copywriting is a top job for 2007.
We've said that there will always be a career for people who know how to tell a good story. That's why it's only a moderate surprise to see that "Copywriting" is one of the top five jobs for 2007. Or so says Yah