June 23, 2008
World of World of Warcraft
Painfully funny because it is painfully true. I love a good Mage.
June 23, 2008
RIP George Carlin
The Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television got him arrested and made him an Icon. Carlin knew the power of language. The "Stuff" routine can still make me laugh out loud. Thanks for the laughs, sir.
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
Stan Winston RIP -- hope the Predator didn't get you.
Creepy crawlies, dinosaurs and other space creatures -- a moment of silence please. Stan Winston, Academy Award-winning creator of special effects, makeup and creatures has died at 62.
Best known for his work on the Terminator series, the Jurassic Park series, Aliens, the Predator series, and Edward Scissorhands -- he also designed the Mr. Roboto mask for Styx'x 1983 album.
So domo arigato, Mr. Winston. I still can't stand the fucking scribble and scratching of the face hugger skittering across the floor in the Alien Quadrology. Thanks for that bit of life-lasting horror and disgust, my friend.
Stan's vision, creativity and monsters will be missed greatly.
Here's just one story.
Thanks for the tip Kegger.
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 06, 2008
Advice for everybody in the ad/marketing game.
Bill Hicks offers everyone in our business a little advice. Thanks to Armano.
June 06, 2008
Mentos & Diet Coke Booby Trap
I've been cheating on Diet Coke with another soda lately (the worst one you can imagine) and feel just awful about it. With the amount of DC I go through, I am sure the Coca-Cola company has noticed. To make up for some of my lost volume, some of you might consider this shenanigan.
Thanks to Paul Jarret.
May 30, 2008
R.I.P. Harvey Korman
Too many of these this week. Here's to you Mr. Korman. Thanks for the laughs.
Sidenote: There's a "thing" in theatre about "breaking character." Sure, Conway is chewing the scenery here. But the real laughs come from Korman going ahead and laughing at him. Korman knew exactly what he was doing.
May 29, 2008
MySpace. The next "Fucking Merlot."
It's sad when the shunning starts. Funny interpretation of Internet brands as your friends and neighbors.
Spotted at the one and only Dear Jane Sample.
May 29, 2008
Disney brand standards apply. Even to Jack Sparrow.
A guy learns the hard way that there are rules about playing Disney characters.
Via LA Mag and Joe.
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.
December 05, 2007
Going WAY Beyond Batman Begins
A while back I started to notice quite a bit of cool viral marketing going on for the next Batman movie, The Dark Knight. We're talking microsites galore and massive user participation. On one microsite, users were asked to answer location-specific questions from across america to reveal a phrase. Then, after that, there was a chance to send in a photo of yourself dressed up as the Joker.
Today, over on FirstShowing.net, all of the previous viral marketing attempts have been chumped, big time. It appears that now the people behind this marketing campaign has taken their execution to a new level -- physical items.
On December 3rd a new page appeared at whysoserious.com/steprightup with a hammer game and some teddy bear toys. Each toy had an address on it located in a number of cities around the US. The note on the game told people to go to that address and say their name was "Robin Banks" (get it, "Robbing Banks") and they'd get something there. It was first come, first serve, and each location was a bakery. What they were given was a cake with a phone number written on it. Now here's the best part: inside the cake was an evidence bag (complete with Gotham City Police printing) that contained a cell phone, a charger, a Joker playing card and a note with instructions.
If you're not following along, the lucky few to receive the cakes now have a cell phone that someone will call at a later time. In essence, Warner Bros. is creating their own Joker army.
Damn geniuses.
November 19, 2007
Sonic guy supports writer's strike. Stirs thoughts.
From the minds at the Colbert Report. Nice to see one of the Sonic Guys scoring even more work.
The writers strike should remind all creatives that intellectual property is anything but a commodity. Guard yours.
Thanks to Darryl.
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 09, 2007
Dick Pound. And other manly names.
Dick Pound is a lawyer, author and keeper of one of the 9 manliest names in the world. At least, according to Cracked. My fave? Magnús Ver Magnússon, of course.
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.
October 01, 2007
Product placement 25 years later.
Last week, Netflix delivered E.T. to our door. The kids had never seen it, and it'd been years since I sat down to watch. I'd even forgotten it was in our queue. When Elliott starts dropping the Reese's Pieces, my oldest asked for some clarification. "Well, he's using the Reese's Pieces to show E.T. how to get to his house," I answered. Nothing much more was said at the time. The next day, however, my wife came home with a big box of the peanut butter treats. Seems the boys simply had to try some. Half an hour later, the colorful shells were being used to lead me all over the house to discover various caches of toys. Subsequently, the candy was officially declared as "our favorite."
25 years later and the M&M's brand is still paying for not listening to Steven Spielberg.
September 25, 2007
Dear Apple Media Planners...
Dear Apple Media Planners:
I am clearly in your target audience for the new iPod Nano. I love Apple products. I own two iPods. I'll pop for an iPhone eventually. I work exclusively on Macs. I am a brand zealot. And, demographically I must still fit because, despite the fact I really haven't watched that much TV as of late, I have been exposed to the new Nano TV commercial 98,412 times. And this is the problem. I quite enjoyed the spot the first 78,767 times. But, as of today, I think if I have to listen to that snippet of the hip, mellow vibe that is 1,2,3,4 by Feist again I will throw a brick through my new Vizio. Jesus, peeps. Is it too much to ask that you actually look at your plan and think, "Hmmm, this is a really big buy, lets make sure to let the creatives know that we should make at least a couple of spots." I believe the weight you've put behind this single execution is, in a word, inhumane. The spot has gone from ingratiating to grating and it's all your fault. All I'm asking for is a little bit of variety. A couple of executions. Maybe even three. Really. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
JJ
August 20, 2007
Clowns, strippers and finger walking.
Seems that Yellow Book made a slight change to the way they categorize entertainers in their latest directory, and it's pissed off some clowns. And mimes. And stilt walkers. Maybe some strippers, too. According to this reg. required story, Yellow Book combined "family entertainers" and "adult entertainers" into one mega "entertainer" category.
This means that if one lets his or her fingers do the walking at 3 a.m., Bubbles the Clown may get a call intended for someone else named Bubbles who is a different kind of entertainer altogether. Send in the clowns, baby.
In a prepared statement, Yellow Book noted that they might reconsider the decision next time. But that doesn't do much for the strange bedfellows until the next directory comes around. One clown lamented that this development probably wasn't good for the overall image of the profession. Of course, given the level of terror clowns can inspire in some people, the overall perception of clowns and clowning may not be exactly sparking anyway. Maybe the World Clown Association should put out an RFP for agencies to research the issue. While the clowns aren't laughing, you do have to wonder who is really going to be tempted to see if a clown pole dances? Oh wait, strike that – seems there are plenty of people with that particular fetish.
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.
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 21, 2007
Finally, e-cards even ad people can love.
Some Ecards is fuh-ney. And, as you can see, they've really got something for every occasion. Check them out. And hit send carefully.
Hat tip to Woolardspeak.
May 02, 2007
Thanks for the memories, Tom
Tom Poston. October 21, 1921 — April 30, 2007.
On TV and advertising:
"When I started out, I was sorry I'd missed vaudeville,'' Poston told New York magazine. "I was sorry I'd missed silent movies. At the time, it didn't occur to me that I was participating in the beginnings of television. TV was a weird option because of the advertising. When it first started, I said, `I don't want to have anything to do with promoting beer and cigarettes and cars. I don't want to peddle snake oil.' I had studied to be a classicist.''
On his famous, bumbling characters:
"In ways I don't like to admit, I'm a
goof-up myself. It's an essential part of my character. When these guys
screw up it reminds me of my own incompetence with the small
frustrations of life."
April 25, 2007
Spinal Tap is back.
If you happen to do some work on a green brand (or a brand that wants to go green), now may be the time to strike a deal with the lads from Spinal Tap. Since we've been so nice to them, maybe the fine folk at W+K London will see fit to fly us over the pond for the show at Wembley?
April 04, 2007
Where's our art direction idol?
How is it possible that the number one TV show in the known universe continues to get away with having the cheesiest, most horrific graphic design and motion graphics known to man? Seriously.
Come on Bill and Kyle. Can't you and your tasteful compatriots do something about this?
March 27, 2007
Lily and Orson and the micromanaging creative.
Sometimes directors have their hands full. Of course, sometimes directors really blow it. I'm not sure which is the case in the above video from the set of I Heart Huckabees (which is so not work safe). Watch all the clips in the series before you make up your mind.
Of course, this makes me wonder what the talent is really thinking when a micromanaging creative or client begins to pick apart their performance in a studio or on a set. How many of us really know how to direct an actor properly? When it comes to coaxing a performance from either a voice talent or an actor in a TV spot, do you consider yourself a good director or are you really just a good dictator?
Reminds me about the classic recording of the poor agency bastards who ran up against the mind and ego of Mr. Orson Welles. If you haven't heard it in awhile or if you've only heard bits and pieces, sit back, relax and thank your lucky stars you're not selling frozen peas today. Then again, it's hard not to appreciate where Mr. Welles has to say.
March 13, 2007
Oh, you mean you were serious about that copyright thing?
But we thought the law was just so analog.
February 13, 2007
Blame Sid & Marty Kroft.
I have now come to believe that advertising's problems arise from the fact that there are still too many active practitioners who grew up watching either first runs or repeats of televison shows created by Sid and Marty Kroft. They screwed us up, man. They flat screwed us up.
(Bigfoot and Wildboy started out as part of the Kroft Supershow. For a fix of all of your old Saturday morning favorites go here.)
February 01, 2007
When it all blows up in your face.
I am of two minds this morning on the whole Boston/Cartoon Network fiasco which you've already read about here, here and here or maybe you saw it as the lead story on the Today Show and nearly every other major news outlet this morning.
My first mind says that this tactic should never have seen the light of day. Part of our job is to be culturally aware. We're the ones who are supposed to know what everyday people are thinking and feeling. The country, as a whole, is jumpy as hell about terrorism. 24 has built its new season around nukes going off in L.A. Entertainment reflects culture. The country is living with some fear. Read any consumer study and it'll confirm it. So, right now, placing plastic stuff with batteries and wires under bridges and in public places is just a dumb thing to do. Even if it just looks like a big Lite Brite. Every political leader, every canned airport voice and even other ad campaigns tell us to be aware and report anything suspicious. And the cops have no choice but to respond to a possible bomb on a major commuter route. Responsible people within the approval chain should have had some light bulbs go off in their heads. Packages of any sort left under bridges, on Subways or buses, are just begging to misinterpreted no matter how well art directed they are.
That said, my second mind feels awful for all the creative people involved. Dumb idea or not, I know all they wanted to do was provide a little theatre for bored rat-racers. And, as many commenter's on other blogs have noted, the target audience sure didn't run screaming from it. In fact, the target seems to be rallying for the advertiser. Some say there's no such thing as bad press. I don't believe that. One guy is in jail. The agency yanked its Web site down. No one is sitting around with big smiles are their faces. Least of all Ted Turner. We've all had lapses in judgment. Most times though, those don't end up the talk of the country. It has got to be a real nightmare for those involved.
Still, there are consequences to our actions, and the consequences here have a ripple effect on you and me. Everyone in the industry get whacked with the same bat when something like this goes down. "Look at them! How far will they go to push their brain-washing techniques on us!" If governors or mayors are talking about a campaign that doesn't have something to do with tourism you know someone has really stepped in it. That's where we stand today.
Update: Looks like I'm wrong about the nightmare part for those involved. These guys don't seem to be concerned at all.
January 31, 2007
Super Disengaged?
I'm just not worked up about Super Sunday. Maybe it's the fact that I've been too busy to preview the Bud snippets or go see the Snickers teaser or dig around for more on Coke's efforts. Maybe I'm bored with Bob Parson's censor games. Maybe I'm still lamenting the money the Saints lost me.
Maybe it's those things.
It's more likely that my lack of interest comes from the dread of Stupid Monday. You know Stupid Monday. That's the day everyone comes back to work and says how stupid the ads were, how they used to be so much better, how the industry is suffering from a dearth of creativity. Where's 1984? Where's Mean Joe Green? Hell, where are the dancing bears?
I'm wondering if I can partially avoid Stupid Monday by keeping myself away from the pre-hype. If I stay off the grid long enough, maybe I'll be surprised by something. Maybe I'll find an argument that creativity is not dead come Stupid Monday morning. At least, that's what I'm hoping for. Because, whether I like it or not, I'll be part of the stupid. Tug and I will join the chorus of people who didn't create a Super Bowl spot bragging and ragging on those who did with our annual Super Bowl wrap-up podcast. Available around 10 a.m. on Monday. You can be part of the stupid, too. Point your browser here and record your thoughts after the game Sunday night with our handy Mobatalk comment system (found on the right hand side of the page). Or just record an MP3 and email it to us. Be pithy.
Of course, many people like to be prepared for Super Sunday. Here's a great post about Super Bowl XLI essentials from Friend of AC Warren Johnston.
December 12, 2006
Forrester says iTunes sales suck.
iPods are selling like water. iTunes library gets bigger and better each day. But this report from The Register says iTunes sales are "collapsing." Interesting reading to say the least.
December 11, 2006
American Girl freaks me out.
The impending birth of a little girl drew my wife to investigate the American Girl superstore just off Chicago's Michigan Ave. I tagged along.
I had heard of American Girl. I knew there were some dolls, some books and, I figured, some other merchandise. A successful little brand, I thought. Yeah, successful? You bet. Little? Not so much. Those blessed with female children probably already know that American Girl is not so much a brand as an empire. For those of us still a little in the dark, let me put it in perspective for you: There were, (by visual estimation) at least three times as many people milling about the three (or was it four) floors of the American Girl store than there were checking out Apple's showplace on the Miracle Mile.
The AG store was a serious scene. I was incredulous upon entry into the place.
There was a doll hair salon, a doll hospital, a cafe, a theater (with live shows), American Girl furniture and clothes. Oh and let's not forget the beauty merchandise (brought to you by the folks at Bath and Bodyworks). Most of the other guys in the store had the same dumbfounded look as I did. This is a world we just never knew existed. The dolls themselves cost about $90. Add the clothes and furniture and movies and books and you can drop several pretty pennies on the concept without trying very hard at all. This is a premium brand.
What it all adds up to is a total brand experience for moms and daughters. Seeing it in action was truly amazing. So many brands would kill for the stuff that was happening in that store.
What interests me most about the American Girl phenomenon is that this is a brand that, as far as I can tell, isn't all over TV. This fact is made more interesting by the fact that the company is owned by Mattel (the makers of Barbie). American Girl is, however, a powerful direct marketer. We didn't sign anything at the store but, I fear, our mere entry into the edifice will earn us an American Girl catalog. AG is old news to many of you, I'm sure. But it was an eye-opener for me. I am always happily surprised to discover powerful brands lurking just off my radar. 
It reminds me once again that we all can get a little too myopic about what's really going on out there in the world (for instance, nobody in the store seemed to care who Wal-Mart's agency is or isn't). In the meantime, I'm opening a new savings account for American Girl purchases. If I start now, it'll ease the pain the day that my daughter discovers this brand.
November 29, 2006
Fake but real product placement.
On this week's episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, NBC cross-promoted Deal or No Deal by having the real Howie Mandel host the fictional show (within the show) and then turning his fictional monologue on the fictional show into a fictional skit that was, in reality, a real promotion for Mandel's real show. Fake but real cross-promotion seamlessly integrated into the flow of the real episode (and, I thought, it was entertaining enough not to be glaring).
Last week, the staff (of the fake show) discussed a new set that would be made up of the kinds of billboards that one spys on the real Sunset Strip. They (the characters) decided they'd sell those fake billboards (on the fictional show's fictional set) to fictional sponsors to save the fictional show's (and the fictional network's) budget. So, now I'm wondering if we'll see that new set on a future episode of the real show featuring fictional sponsors for the fictional show that are, in actuality, real sponsors for the real show. In other words, real product placement within the fake show for the benefit real show and real network which has, of late, talked about its own real budget-cutting measures.
Sheesh, it's getting hard to keep track.
Updated for additional content.
November 29, 2006
Bad news for one of the world's power brands.
If you don't (or haven't) had small children in your life, you may not have even heard of The Wiggles. However, they are a powerhouse global brand that straddles all media and an incredible array of merchandise. They are Australia's top-earning entertainers, banking more in '05 than Nicole Kidman and AC/DC combined. Now there are reports that the yellow Wiggle, Greg, may have to quit the band because an illness. Children all over the world are crying. Have some fruit salad and get well, soon Greg.
November 11, 2006
Thanks for the memories, Jack.
Jack Palance.1919-2006. No one did a better one arm push-up than you.
October 18, 2006
Influential people who never lived.
Allan Lazar and Jeremy Salter have written a book that ranks the top 101 characters of myth, legend, TV and movies by how much influence they've had on society. Lots of them I know off the top of my head, lots of them I don't.
One thing I do know for sure is that advertising (and more specifically, ad agencies and their creative staffs) got four characters in the top hundred-one. Seems pretty good to me.
In order we got #78 - Joe Camel, #28 – Smokey Bear, #21 – Rosie the Riveter and #1 – The Marlboro Man.
Congratulations to Leo Burnett for creating the most impactful non-real character ever. I only wish we had one of those big-ass foam fingers with "Advertising Rulez!" printed on it.
Check out the full list here.
October 17, 2006
Mel Harris is still hot.
I suspect there are more than a few of us "thirysomethings" who once regarded advertising as a highly glamorous profession to pursue thanks to the high '80's dramedy Thirtysomething. I also suspect that there are more than a few us who maintained 1987 crushes on Mel Harris who played the lovely and talented Hope Steadman.
Despite the fact that you still don't have a chance in hell, there's now a reason to drag that crush out of your 80's memorabilia.
October 15, 2006
Football player talks smack on Madden.
NFL players can be brands in and of themselves. As such, they have every right to protect those brands. Ethan Albright, long snapper for the Washington Redskins, was the worst rated player in the new Madden '07 game. It's a distinction no one really wants.
Hence the need for this decidedly non-work safe diatribe that takes a powerful stand for the Albright brand.
So, okay, it's clear Mr. Albright didn't really write the screed. But it's much more fun just to pretend that he did.
You go, Ethan.
October 05, 2006
Studio 60 captures creative angst.
It's official. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is my favorite new show of the season. The show nails the messiness and angst of the creative process. The brainstorm sessions, the pressure to be creatively great and make the numbers, the dulling input of a ham-handed focus group, the oft-abused production people and schedule, the pressure from "the sponsors," the ever looming deadline and, of course, the energizing and addictive joy of finally cracking the code. All of it all could be set in an agency as easily as it is backstage at the fictional show. Hell, Matt Perry seems to be channeling most of the ECDs I've known (the ones from the writing side anyway). Check out your life on Monday nights.
October 01, 2006
For those with tough client meetings this week.
Go get 'em kids. Clark's got nothing on you. Thanks to Russell for the tip on this clip.
September 12, 2006
Nike's Briscoe High scores.
Yeah, yeah. I know. We're way, way too heavy on the football-related theme of late. But Nike's satisfying "Football is Everything" stuff must be noted.
W+K's Briscoe High campaign is everything it should be. It's the dream of every high school football player captured on film in :90, :60 and :30 versions. It's loaded with watch-it-again-and-again cameo roles for football's most famous names and faces. The Easter egg of a title layers on meaning. An immersive Web site is geared to keep you coming back for more each week as Nike puts fictional Briscoe High on the gridiron with real high school football powers such as Tulsa Union, Massillon and Katy. It's utterly insider. And utterly wonderful. I thought it was the best spot of the bunch for the NFL's opening weekend (despite Lee Corso's less than subtle performance). Great to see that the campaign lives well beyond the TV screen, too.* You can see the prequel to the above spot here. Okay, we're done with the football stuff. For the moment.
*To whom it may concern, nice job on the Wikipedia entry.
September 12, 2006
AC #45 now available.
The Football & Philosphy Edition:
John and Tug meet on a Saturday afternoon in a noisy joint to watch football and talk ads. A new spot for DirecTV sparks a discussion regarding the relationship between Tolkien and Lewis (2:36) and, inevitably, Joseph Campbell and the Cosmogonic Cycle (9:13). After the break, the guys jump into a discussion of the NFL as a mega super brand (11:02). John finishes up the podcast at home by directing listeners to this intriguing post by Ernie Schenck, and encouraging listeners to send in audio comments about their own experiences (16:49). Not link-loved out, JJ rounds out the show by passing on this great bit of advice from Mack Simpson (20:30).
Sound mildly interesting? Listen to it now and find out.
September 10, 2006
Friendly advice.
Happy football day. We're bound to see a ton of great spots today. Like this one from the NFL and BBDO. True "insider humor" is often rejected by clients who don't want anyone feeling left out by their advertising. Thankfully, that wasn't the case here.
September 08, 2006
Peyton Manning. Superstar.
The new NFL season kicked off last night. It's not just a new sports season. It's a new advertising season with a slew of NFL-related commercials. Many of the new spots will undoubtedly feature Peyton Manning who has proven to have both a strong arm and a darn decent sense of comic timing as evidenced in this new Sprint spot, and even more so, in last year's priceless Mastercard campaign.
My current favorite Peyton commercial is the new SportsCenter spot that he shares with his famous brother and father. During a tour of ESPN's studios, Peyton and Eli act like kids giving each other wet willies and back kicks while Archie shoots them disapproving fatherly looks. Classic.
We'll keep our eyes peeled for good spots this weekend as we watch entirely too many games. Go Chiefs.
September 05, 2006
Secret TiVo video.
A tip from the mysterious Davis Freeberg leads us to this viral from TiVo. Most interesting is the back story within the back story considering this video.
According to Freeberg, this piece was discovered by a zealous TiVo fan on TiVo's Web site. The site where the this "fan" posted about the video is now treating it like something out of Lost. The video itself provides a back story for TiVo's creation called Project Blue Moon (note TiVo first shipped on a blue moon and TiVo maintains a corporate holiday around this theme).
Now, the video kinda belabors things a bit, and I know the "training film" motif has been done to death, but those of you who crave conspiracy theories won't be able to resist it. After all, who is Davis Freeberg? Is the mysterious TiVo fan really a TiVo fan or a plant? Who faked that TiVo page? Will we ever get tired on that '70's transfer look?
August 23, 2006
Why being an asshole creative is bad for your career.
If I had to put money on it, I'd wager that senior clients and agency heads really aren't that much different in mindset than the people who run the big studios.
After all, each of these managers use a creative product to make money. All have learned to be quasi-adept at working with creative souls. All allow a certain amount of eccentricities to slide. But no matter how great a creative you happen to be, consistently acting out just because you can will eventually cost you money.
Everyone loves your freak flag. Just know when to put it away. Your personal credibility as a source for smart thinking and ingenious solutions is worth much more than any any street cred you think you're building with some asshole act. As Jeff Goodby once said, "All we're asking for is a little fucking judgment."
August 22, 2006
AC #44 Now Available
The Late to the Partay Edition:
In this episode, John and Tug talk about all the stuff the rest of the world already talked to death last month. In fact, some of what we say is so dated, it's not even true anymore (see note below).
We begin with a brief discussion on ill-fated attempts at positioning (1:30). We make a poor transition to a brief, yet slightly confusing, discussion of hyperbolized copy getting in the way of a good benefit (5:41). After the break, the lads take on Tea Partay (8:50) and, proving that they are so four weeks ago, finally weigh in with a take on "the video" (14:36). Tug splits after a toast to some friends, leaving John to offer his $.02 about Snakes on a Plane's less than stellar opening (19:01).
Note: teapartay.com is now up and running. Our take still stands. The site is an afterthought. A lot of opportunity was missed, and continues to be. At this writing there really isn't much additional content outside of the video. We've seen that. Give us more reasons to spend time with the brand.
August 13, 2006
Snake on a Plane.
To celebrate Samuel L. Jackson's pre-cult movie opening this week, we pulled this aircraft service crew poster out of the archive. More important than any old poster is the new marketing that has guaranteed this movie will strike it big for its opening weekend at least.
For those of you who've not plugged into this film yet here's the low-down:
Social media has been instrumental in generating unexpectedly extreme hype for the flick fans affectionately call SoaP. Part of the credit goes to Jackson. The star insisted that the working title remain the market title. See, the studio, New Line Cinema, wanted to change the name to Pacific Air 121. According to Entertainment Weekly, Jackson responded with this gem: "If you're coming to see this movie, you're going to see a plane full of deadly-ass snakes. That's what it should be called. Deadly-ass Snakes on a Plane. COME ON!" You've got to love the man.
Turns out, Jackson's instinct was right. SoaP's title instantly engaged the movie geeks. Soon would-be fans were off and generating content such as songs, t-shirts, poster art and even some fiction pieces. A piece of that content actually ended up in the film. It was a blogger, not a screenwriter, who coined Jackson's soon-to-be-famous line: "I've had it with the motherf***ing snakes on this motherf***ing plane!" The line proved so popular, producers made sure they got it on film during reshoots. By all accounts, it's in the final cut. That's an amazing turn of events. Particularly when you learn that producers considered sinking their fangs into the first spate of fan-generated content with cease-and-desist orders. Smarter heads prevailed. Not only did producers hold the studio lawyers at bay, they actually started feeding the blogs official material. This was genius. They didn't try to make their own stuff. They just threw fuel into the organic fire. Props to them again for recognizing that they'd lost control of the message and embracing the opportunity. Should Snakes on a Plane do well beyond its open, we've got a new title for the production: The Accidental Case Study.
August 11, 2006
To boldly inspire like nothing has inpired before.
Our friends at Brand Flakes for Breakfast point to these Star Trek-inspired Successories spoofs. I fear Successories. I mean, do people truly find them motivating or inspiring? Sometimes, if I'm in an office that has them hanging on the walls, I start thinking I ought to take up rowing again. Or that having a pet eagle might be fun. But year after year, they sell them by the truckloads. Someone must think they're cool. Hmmm. Come to think of it, maybe "when we roll, we roll big" would make a good Successories poster.
July 29, 2006
Kevin Smith, Superman and You.
Tug introduced me to this clip just now. It's long. 20 minutes. But, if you are a creative, this is worth every precious second. The last :05 seconds of this are, without a doubt, worth the journey. You think it's hard to do what we do? Watch this. The screenwriters don't have it much better.
Oh, and check out our friend Russell's take on it.
July 06, 2006
Millions of Pixels
Think way back to last year and try to remember a web site that sold pixels as ad space. When I think about that, I remember thinking what a silly idea it was. Boy, was I wrong. It was a HUGE success and now there are quite a few spin-offs as a result.
Trying to cash in off of the popular Million Dollar Homepage, comes this tongue-in-cheek, easter egg filled, parody, The Super Billion Dollar Home Page.
It's a fun site and begs the question, is it worth a small chunk of change to be one of the first few advertisers on the site? It could seriously blow up. Or not. We'll see.
June 27, 2006
Coming Not-So-Soon to a DVD Near You
The movie battle of the century has begun.
No, I'm not talking about Brandon Routh vs. Kevin Spacey. We already know how that's going to turn out. I'm talking about HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray. Both high-definition DVD formats are on the street now, and we have no clue who's going to win that battle. And the truth is, most of us don't care. We just want one of the formats to hurry up and become obsolete already, so we can buy the other one and start watching DVD movies in high-def in our own houses.
But I'll make you a bet. No matter how high-tech DVD movies become, they will have one thing in common with the first movie your grandparents ever saw. Before you ca