March 20, 2009

Coke Zero demonstates deep understanding of basketball glory.

It would seem the magnificent bastards at W+K, sorry CP+B, do, in fact, understand the glory of college basketball. With apologies to our MU fans, Rock Chalk.

Posted by John on March 20, 2009 at 09:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Categories: Advertising , Brands , Entertainment , Food and Drink , Games , Marketing to Men , Sports , Television

February 16, 2009

When Collapsing Ads Goes Bad

If you're not a big sports fan, and/or don't visit sports news web sites that often, ESPN.go.com (why do they still use that url anyway?) recently underwent an overhaul. They did quite a bit of re-vamping to the site to accommodate more imagery, video and columns. The changes, in my opinion, are nice and do a good job of showcasing the news they want to highlight.

As someone that has worked on extensive web redesigns in the past, I know that when you're re-tooling a site that contains more than content, like advertising, you're planning for a LOT more than just your own infrastructure. It appears that ESPN did that, to some degree.

The homepage now features an area where an expandable flash ad can be placed almost seamlessly with the page design. To further that notion, ESPN has also included users the ability to expand/collapse the ad before it plays through and collapses on its own. The problem is that ESPN either didn't give the advertiser, Sprint, the banner specs -- or Sprint didn't abide by them. Because I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't want my company's logo covered up for whatever price I'm paying to be on ESPN's web site.

Has anyone encountered something like this with their banner advertising and was it fixed in your favor?

Posted by SethyG on February 16, 2009 at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Categories: Advertising , Sports , Web/Tech

February 01, 2009

Two ways to be part of our Super Bowl podcast

Although our opinion on the Super Bowl is really the final word (I mean, come on), we do truly welcome your thoughts on this year's Super Bowl spots. Tug and I will be recording the podcast during the game. You can play along two ways. If you Twitter you can get a message to us with an @americopywriter reply or direct message. Or you can use the handy/dandy Mobasoft audio comment system. This year, we're considering more than just simple liked it/didn't like it. We're going to also consider "is it Super Bowl worthy?" A spot may be good, but fail to shine brightly enough for advertising's biggest stage. Our motto is, go big or go home. Our guess? Coke or Bud will win the day. But, like they say, this is why we play the game. Both Tug and I have strived to remain spoiler-free refraining from viewing pre-released spots in order to give you our virgin opinions.  So, hunker down, get your snack on and enjoy advertising's biggest day. Cheers.

Posted by John on February 01, 2009 at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Categories: Advertising , Branding , Brands , Food and Drink , Games , Pop Culture , Sports , Super Bowl Stuff

August 11, 2008

Our favorite spot of the Olympics so far.

Great art direction. Great concept. Oh, and great sell for Coke, too.

Posted by John on August 11, 2008 at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)
Categories: Advertising , Branding , Brands , Entertainment , Food and Drink , Sports , Television

August 10, 2008

More proof that creative matters.

In this ROI-conscious world there are many who will tell you that it is easier, smarter and safer to focus only on function. Function, after all, is the point. Form is for sissies who only care about "winning awards." Form is fuzzy and full of risk. Form is a concern for artists not coldly efficient business people. Save this photo to remind those people (and yourself) that the right form multiplies function. The right form makes function transcendent. The right form reaches out and changes the opinion of the whole, wide world.

Posted by John on August 10, 2008 at 09:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack (0)
Categories: Current Affairs , Design , Sports

July 26, 2008

Talking like an insider.

Those in the know will love what they see here. What seems arcane to an outsider is pure poetry to an insider, and that can make an ad highly polarizing and highly relevant. A formula often ignored and/or feared by brands.

Hat tip to Did You Ever Notice?

File under: Marketing to Men

Posted by John on July 26, 2008 at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Categories: Advertising , Entertainment , Marketing to Men , Sports

July 25, 2008

Now YOU Can Take the Tour Back, Virtually!

If you're like me, one of the ways you fill your sports void during the summer is by watching baseball following the Tour de France. I think it's an amazing race that has been getting way too much negative publicity as of late because the riders have made the incredibly poor decisions to use performance-enhancing drugs.

This year was supposed to be the year that they were going to "Take Back the Tour," but there has already been several riders banned because they were doping... again. Le sigh.

But now, for those of you that DO enjoy watching/following The Tour, you can now do so in the comfort of your own personal computer space with Pro Cycling Manager 2008.

I haven't played it, but among the things I'd think you'd be able to do include:

• Manage your rider as he climbs in the Pyrenees and Alps, sprints in the flat stages or burn rubber on the time trials
• Draft other riders and allow them to burn their energy away
• Before/after stages, consume 3,000+ calorie meals
• Be in one-half of the Peloton as you split up to traverse roundabouts
• Put your chain back on your bike after you wreck
• Hit dumb fans that stand in the road while you're racing
• Throw water bottles and feedbags into the French countryside
• Take performance-enhancing drugs and dodge the random drug tests

Okay so maybe you won't do the last one, but it would definitely be a possible plot angle -- especially when there are games like Grand Theft Auto and Hitman out there. Something to ponder, no?

Posted by SethyG on July 25, 2008 at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Categories: Sports

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.

Posted by John on June 16, 2008 at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Categories: Advertising , Brands , Current Affairs , Entertainment , Marketing to Men , Sports

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.

Posted by John on May 30, 2008 at 01:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)
Categories: Advertising , Branding , Brave New Marketing , Consumer Content , Marketing to Men , Pop Culture , Science , Sports

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.

Posted by John on January 03, 2008 at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Categories: Advertising , Marketing to Men , News of the Ad World , Pop Culture , Sports