Advertising's a bitch

Oxford Street in Ghana

2007-01-25T13:33:00.000+02:00

Bilboards in Atimpoku - Eastern Region of Ghana

2007-01-25T12:06:00.000+02:00

Some bilboards on the streets of Accra

2007-01-22T18:42:00.000+02:00

Another kind of ad

2007-01-22T15:01:00.000+02:00

on a full page in the "Daily Graphic" newspaper.

Yes, it's in Ghana

2007-01-17T19:32:00.000+02:00

Probably the most creative and bold ad in Ghana.
via

Happy 2007

2007-01-10T01:20:00.000+02:00

Happy New Year to everyone and let's get back to business.

Last year I was honored with a tag from onewomanrunning. Finnaly the moment to respond to it has come. Apparently I have to post five things that people out there in blogworld couldn't possibly know about me:

1. I’ve tried sushi for the first time few months ago in Ghana - hated it. Still in Ghana, still not liking sushi.

2. I'm obsessed with Ghananian beads and cloth. Thinking of openning a shop when I go back home.

3. No matter how much money I have I'm always broke. Never had too much money though, but that's all relative, huh?

4. I first entered in the advertising world as an account executive (D'Arcy Romania) and then realized it's too fucked up for me and switched to copywriting. Quite a change, eh?

5. I think I would make a great illustrator if I'd focus on it.

Now I will also make some other people suffer:
Diana (You're being tagger again - sorry :-), Dalia (You might not like this, but I will force you to answer it :P), Arunchakkravarthy (how r u?), Alex Rosu (yep, Alex I haven't forgot you :P), Leanne (mentioned your blog in one of my posts and i've been meaning to get in contact for a while:) and Acetrump (long time, long time:).

Some more advertising from Ghana

2006-12-13T23:23:00.000+02:00

Press ads. So once in a while I stop being lazy and post some stuff. Just want u guys to get an idea of the advertising here.
PS: Club is my favourite Ghanaian beer. :P By the way - the ad refers to "Farmer's day" which was on 1st of December and which celebrates and rewards the best farmers in the country. I took the ad from the 7th of December edition of Daily Graphic, but that's another story. :-)

In Accra's Business Week - today

2006-10-30T22:33:00.000+02:00

FCB South Africa

2006-10-23T22:15:00.000+03:00

Just a quick browse into some African advertising. FCB South Africa has a nice web-site and some great work. It's a huuuge difference between the advertising in South Africa and the one in Ghana - different standards, different point in evolution, different society. Will show more samples in the next posts.

La multi ani! - Happy birthday!

2006-10-18T22:51:00.000+03:00

I've just realized it's now one year since this blog came to life!!!
It is true it had been kinda dead for the past few months but that doesn't mean there aren't people with feelings behind it. :P

Anywayz , haaaaaaappyyyyyy birthdaaaaaay dear blog! Thanks Diana for introducing me to the wonderful, demanding, but yeah, rewarding world of blogging!

This blog appeared out of frustration, but as someone intelligent said - "You won't start changing things until you're disatisfied with them"- so that's why we both (Diana and me) have already quit our job - the root of so much frustration. But that was only the beginning of another adventure that will somehow always be connected with advertising - cause let's face it advertising is like men - most of it is bad, but there are islands of hope ...oh, and you can not live without it! :))))

kisses, hugs and love (like one of my friends says - Hi Patrick!)

outdoor in accra

2006-10-14T20:59:00.000+03:00

here is some outdoor activity in accra - ghana - west africa. it's whole different way of communication (and yeah, it's a whole different world). more literal, more basic, more obvious, often conceptless.

We're alive

2006-10-12T02:51:00.000+03:00

Since I am in Africa I found this ad more interesting than I would probably had before coming here. I am not black, but got it. ;-)

Nicely put

2006-08-05T18:10:00.000+03:00

This is the agency who created it.

Advertising women of excellenece

2006-07-17T12:25:00.000+03:00

Here.
Nominate the most amazing women you know in advertising. I'm sure they are quite a few.

Saatchi and Saatchi New York

2006-07-11T20:50:00.000+03:00

I like it cause it uses the product in a simple and relevant way.

Prints from Cannes

2006-07-07T15:17:00.000+03:00

...the ones i liked the best.

Summer vacation

2006-06-29T14:06:00.000+03:00

This blog's gonna take a break for a while.
Have a fun summer ya'll!
Be seeing you.

that's why

2006-06-19T12:55:00.000+03:00

Blogger does not really like me since I've tried to post some pics for the past few weeks and nothing...
My friends seem not to have encountered the same problem. Oh , well, I'll keep on trying. As always.
If anyone's reading - have a great day!

Young hearts run free

2006-06-01T23:05:00.000+03:00

Because it's still 1st of June...

From FCB Chile

2006-06-01T22:18:00.000+03:00

I really like these ads cause they don't get the actual bugs involved as seen in most of the work for this kind of product. VIA

Young Lions

2006-06-01T15:02:00.000+03:00

This year's Young Romanian Creatives competition has chosen its winners that will face the toughest crowd at Cannes between 18-24th of June.

Organised fun

2006-05-31T21:27:00.000+03:00

The Internet is the greatest tool we've ever owned (so far that is). Of course none of us can imagine the world without Internet and very few can remember the times when it didn't exist.
And the truth is that its power can move masses. Here's only one example Improve Everywhere.

I love theseguy's statment:

"Improv Everywhere is, at its core, about having fun. We're big believers in "organized fun". In the process we bring excitement to otherwise unexciting locales and give strangers a story they can tell for the rest of their lives. We're out to prove that a prank doesn't have to involve humiliation or embarrassment; it can simply be about making someone laugh, smile, or stop to notice the world around them. "

and the initiator's approach

"As an actor new to the city, I discovered I could create my own theatre rather than waiting around for someone to give me stage time. I got tired of telling the story to friends, so I typed it up and put it on the web. Improv Everywhere was born."

See all their missions here.

VIA

One more wise thing and I'm done

2006-05-31T21:03:00.000+03:00

"Part of being creative is learning how to protect your freedom. That includes freedom from avarice."

VIA

Build your life not your career

2006-05-30T22:30:00.000+03:00

This looks so much like my way of seeing things.

"I think human beings are the superior sentient beings on this planet. Humans have the potential not only to create happy lives for themselves, but also to help other beings. We have a natural creative ability and it is very important to realize this."

Sometimes, I think we get too caught up in advertising. We talk about virals and wild postings and TV spots and branded entertainment like its something that should be on display at the MoMA.

We create images. We create words that turn heads and maybe turn minds. This is what we do. But at the end of the day, I hope I can say that of everything I created, the thing I was most proud of was a happy life."

Dalai Lama

VIA

what drives people

2006-05-23T01:42:00.000+03:00

What drives people? What makes them/us act?
Let's see what are those human drivers it's nice to be aware of at any time(which I found here):

1. Sex/romance
2. Acquisition/saving
3. Bonding/connecting
4. Learn/curiosity
5. Eat
6. Defence/fight or flight
7. Nest
8. Vengence
9. Status
10. Power
11. Loyalty
12. Order and organisation
13. Independence
14. Acceptance
15. Altruism
16. Physical activity

From the Science of Influence by Dr Kevin Hogan

Does anyone have other kind of drivers?

Dreams of flying

2006-05-22T00:45:00.000+03:00

These photos can easily make some really nice ads (for a brand of....feel free to suggest some), but I've posted them here cause I think they're simply beautiful and inspiring. See all of the pictures here and do check out the rest of the work here.
via

got "leche"?

2006-05-18T00:22:00.000+03:00

Got milk is an old (1995) and successful still running campaign.
This is one of my favourite commercials at the moment and it is for California Milk Procesors Board. The agency who created it is called Grupos Gallegos (if anyone knows more about it, please share). And also the other two commercials from the campaign are absolutely delicious- Amazing contortionist and Teeth town . I just love the details and wackiness of these ads!

Magazines can talk!!!!! ruuuuuun!

2006-05-15T23:59:00.000+03:00

This is one thing that will make history - THE WORLD'S FIRST TALKING PRESS AD!
"The ad works by inserting a special ultra lightweight chip into the publication. When you open up the blank centre pages the talking chip is activated with the message “You are 3 times more likely to get your ad noticed on radio than you are in press. For more information contact the Radio Advertising Bureau at rab.co.uk”
The ad ran in Media Week magazine on May 2nd."

I'm going to use this occasion to underline an aspect I've become very aware of a long time ago - It's a HUUUGE difference between thinking it and actually doing it! And I'm refearing to advertising this time! I bet everyone has had moments (like this talking ad one) when they've said to themselves - "I thought of that too". Except an ego bust and random frustration this moment should make as act. It's just like positioning - "who says it first wins!", just that you have to do it first! :)

VIA coloribus

motivation

2006-05-15T23:51:00.000+03:00

Creating passionte users has fresh and fabulous posts.
Flipping through them, here it was:
"YOU MUST DO THE THINGS YOU THINK YOU CANNOT DO!" - the sentence that made my day, evening actually.
Eleanor Roosevelt said it. We (also) must put it in practice.

Fallon Singapore

2006-05-08T18:16:00.000+03:00

Clear and funny idea for polution prevention ! But I kind of have a deja-vu feeling about them. Anyway, enjoy! VIA

emotional contagion

2006-05-08T17:19:00.000+03:00

I've recently read this interesting post on Creating Passionate Users. It's about these neuroscientific concepts I can totally relate and agree with. I'm talking about Mirror neurons, Emotional contagion and Happy People.
We learn from watching the others, from imitating (mirroring), from borrowing their ways without our conscious intention. Staying around or even talking with people that have a certain attitude - wheter is anxious, nervous, inspired or enthusiastic - affects us more that we know.

Regarding the effect of mirror neurons and its related concept of emotional contagion on personal performance, neurologist Richard Restak offers this advice:

"If you want to accomplish something that demands determination and endurance, try to surround yourself with people possessing these qualities. And try to limit the time you spend with people given to pessimism and expressions of futility. Unfortunately, negative emotions exert a more powerful effect in social situations than positive ones, thanks to the phenomena of emotional contagion."

and also
From a paper on Memetics and Social Contagion,

"...social scientific research has largely confirmed the thesis that affect, attitudes, beliefs and behaviour can indeed spread through populations as if they were somehow infectious. Simple exposure sometimes appears to be a sufficient condition for social transmission to occur. This is the social contagion thesis; that sociocultural phenomena can spread through, and leap between, populations more like outbreaks of measels or chicken pox than through a process of rational
choice."

Happy people are actually positive people, people that trust their own ability of taking control of their lives and fulfilling their dreams.

Happines is associated most heavily with the left (i.e. logical) side of the brain, while anger is associated with the right (emotional, non-logical) side of the brain.

"Evidence suggests that the left-siders may better handle stressful events on a biological level. For example, studies show that they have a higher function of cells that help defend the body, known as natural killer cells, compared with individuals who have greater right side activity. Left-sided students who face a stressful exam have a smaller drop in their killer cells than right-siders. Other research indicates that generally left-siders may have lower levels of the stress hormone, cortisol."

It's also important to notice that while we all have a lot of respect for physical biological contagions, we do NOT have much respect for physical(science has known for quite some time that "emotions" are not simply a fuzzy-feeling concept, but represent physical changes in the brain) emotional contagions.

Ok now, lots of copy-paste in this post, no doubt about it, but it's just that there are so many interesting discoveries and concepts and I needed to post at least some of them. Bottom line - get surrounded with people that have already achieved what you want or posess the features you need in order to achieve something. This would make you feel confident and ready to go on conquering the world! Pretty logical, huh? Impossible is nothing indeed. ;)

PS: It seems more people noticed and agreed to Kathy's post. Russel. Ian tait. Me so proud. :)

Tom Peters is cool

2006-05-04T15:12:00.000+03:00

I got to flip through Re-imagine by Tom Peters. This man is fantastic and now I'm re-discovering him. I need to read more of this book, but in the mean time I liked this one:

"You see, I don't believe in "initiatives" (Colorless). I believe in Full-Scale Assults ... on Enormous Opportunities. (Colorful)."

Time for some advertising

2006-05-03T20:58:00.000+03:00

Few posts back I announced The Firefox Contest. The contest is now over, but the winners are just beginning their jurney. You can see them on adland. Apparently the guys at Firefox have received nearly 300 submissions from all around the world. Niiiice!

"The grand prize went to "Daredevil" created by Pete Macomber of Venice, CA, who creates music videos, commercials and screenplays. His spot will be short-listed for the NY Festival of Advertising's 2006 International Advertising Awards in May."

The all 3 winning spots are fresh, but second and third are also funny. The second place one crackes me up every time! The honorable mentions deserve to also be seen. Great job for all of them!

cheer up

2006-05-03T15:01:00.000+03:00

I was feeling kind of down today. Don't know exactly why. gapingvoid cheered me up. Along with D telling me about the reality retard show of the most desgusting romanian couple Iri and Moni.

Post number 100

2006-05-01T15:10:00.000+03:00

I found these Flippies on Grow a brain. I think they are appropriate for this anniversary post. Flip it, baby!

How to get out of the box

2006-04-26T16:52:00.000+03:00

In his book "IdeaSpotting", Sam Harrison tells us to pay more attention to the things around us, to notice, to barrow, to imitate in order to get the creative inspiration that will bust our creativness.

1. BE A BORROWER One way to find an idea is by looking at how others solve problems.
For example. B.f. Goodrieh wanted to give customers an easy way to put on rubber galoshes. He spotted the answer in a fastener Gideon Sundbach had developed to help soldiers quickly don uniforms. Goodrich refined the idea and installed it in galoshes, calling his device a "zipper" because of its sound.
In the 1950s, last-food restaurants added drive- through to their buildings to lanes to serve car-loving customers. It didn't take long for banks and dry-cleaners to borrow the idea. Today, all types of business use the drive-through concept: Litlle White wedding Chapel in Las Vegas offers drive-through ceremonies, Loma Linda Medical Center administers the drugs while patients sit in their cars.
Do it yourself. List three innovative brands or disciplines unlike your own. Explore their problem-solving methods. What can you use?

2.EXPLORE THE MASTERS FOR MATERIAL When artist Willem de Kooning came to America in the 1920s, he met a young painter named Arshile Gorky. Lacking formal training. Corky learned classical techniques by trying to re-create masterpieces. De Kooning was impressed and borrowed the process. Years later, de Kooning talked of using Rubens in his own work, fusing classical and modern into a new form. What masters of innovation do you admire? Edi son or Einstein? Curie or Carver? Picasso or Pavlov? Dalf or Disney?
List idea masters you admire. Explore their lives, methods and ideas. See what can you can borrow.

3.ENJOY THE ART OF IMITATION Film director James Brooks needed visual ideas for a pool scene in "Spanglish." He didn't have to look very far — he found them in a D. J. Hall painting hanging on his wall. The artwork captures a type of upscale West Coast woman. Brooks told The New York Times, much like the character played by Tea Leoni in "Spanglish." In the movie. Leoni actually wears the shirt Hall's model wore, and the set includes the painting's banana plants and African lilies.
And just as art inspires filmmakers, film inspires designers. Watching "Somethings Gotta Give." David DeMattei. designer for Williarm-Sonoma admired several upholstered headboards used in the film. As an result, DeMattei created five headboarders for the home collection.
Go behind the curtains. Borrow from films, con cert halls, sporting arenas and theme parks.

4.LOOK AT OTHER BUSINESSES Where do you lind ideas for something as commonplaice as aluminum foil? Mark Nielsen house designer for Publix Super Markets, faced this question when he created packaging for the aluminum brand of foil. He went hack in his memory for the night with friends at a Japanese steakhouse. “A waiter wrapped our leftovers in foil, then made sculptures out of the containers," he says. "One looked Goblin from Spiderman. Another was ,a rose. Then I spotted an idea. "I started thinking there was no reason foil sculptures have to be only for leftovers!” he says. "Why not make them for the heck of other things and that ‘s what I began doing.”
He created hand-sized elephants, moose, aligators and turtles. He then photographed these shiny minianures. The result is fun, eye-grabbing pack aging for any everyday product. "Marks concept injected life into what's usually straightforward packaging”, says Cox, director of creative services at Publix. “These sculptures help differentiate our private label, customers give great feedback.
What businesses give you imaginative, energetic service? Explore their ideas and techniques. What can you borrow from restaurants? Hotels? Retailers? Others?

5.OBSERVE AND TAKE NOTE Ideas have short shelf lives. We find them one seco nd., forget them the next. That's why it's smart to capture ideas and insights at the scene of the crime.
Book them before they flee, take notes. Leonardo da Vinci is arguably history' s most famous note-taker. His notebooks overflowed with sketches and notes on nature, art, architecture. Thomas Edison wrote thousands of notebooks with insights and diagrams And today's creative people are equally diligent abo ut recording thoughts and ideas.
Canadian designer Bruce Mau says “ The single most necessary device for me is a notebook. I just plow through notebooks.", Gail Anderson, current SpotCo art director, calls herself a note- taker and language observer. "I love making notes about type I've seen on store signs or on sides of buildings”, she says. Note-taking gives the creative process to time to breathe, says Erin Vvhelan, Heal Simple art director. "I love recording really out-there ideas." she says. "It's so great to start at crazy places and then reach middle-ground, smart solutions.' Eva Maddox, prin cipal of Perkins + Will, has a journal in hand when travels, but not for writing. "I draw, she says. "I draw at least one picture in my journal each day."
Capture ideas while they last. Ideas often show up as views through windows, books and tables. They linger for a moment, then — zap — they're gone. Take verbal and visual notes.

6. BORROW FROM THE PAST AvrokO, a celebrated group of Manhattan architects and designers, knows the genius of borrowing. Especialy after AvroKO's team captured a coveted James Heard Award for creative restaurant design. Designing a restaurant in the city's Lower hast Side. AvrokO paid tribute to the neighborhoods garment hist ory, according to New York magazine. Stanton Social's backlit wine wall was inspired by herringbone fab iric. Banquette pillows are held in place with leather str aps mimicking men's suspenders. Limp shades borrow from the curved patterns of old-fashioned girdles. AvroKO wisely looks over many fences for inspiration . For Sapa restaurant, its designers studied a Vietnamese mounlaintop village where wealthy French families vacationed in the 1800s. Asian wire lanterns. french casement windows and garden urns give Sapa Asian-yet-Parisian ambiance. And for Public restaurant , AvrokO turned to municipal buildings from the 1930s. Decor includes bronze post-office boxes, restroom doors with mail slots, library-card files — even menues made form governmet forms.
Places to peruse for your next idea: Fashion — consider fogot ten styles and patterns. International resorts — bypass today's hot spots and go back in time. Architecture — find elem ents reflecting the brands you work with.

7. DON'T BE A NIHILIST A nihilist (lowercase) thinks nothing has real existence.
A Nihilist thinks nothing exists except that created In his own mind or company — a disciple of the Not Invented here philosophy. Not Invented Here held a smidgen of legitimacy in days of vast research labs filled with engineers at IBM, P&G and other mega firms. Bui that era has ended. More than a quarter of P&G's innovations now come from outside sources. IBM depends on strategic partnerships. Even self-reliant Apple now joins hands with Motorola and Hewlett-Packard. Washington Mutual reaches across the aisle toward retailers to create customer-friendly financial centers.
And products from one industry inspire ideas in another industry. Electric toolhhrushes inspired the idea of the Dawn Power Dish Brush. Ballpoint pens inspired the idea of the Clorox Whitening Pen. Listerine PocketPaks inspired the idea of Hartz Dental Breath Strips for Dogs.
Open minds uncover ideas in hundreds of fertile fields. Have you walked away from Not Invented Here? Or are you still being NIHilistic?

8.OPEN YOUR MIND Hallmark Cards finds inspiration and avoids Not Invented Here hy opening its doors to outside influ ences. "We value getting our people out of cubes and into cities," says Scott Orazem, director of design stu dios. Hallmark designers, writers and photographers regularly tour metro areas for creative exploration. These trips are purely for renewal and inspiration, says Mark Spencer, program director.
On a Chicago tour, participants explored museums and architecture, art fairs and shops. They dined at new restaurants and hit shows at Steppenwolt The ater. In Washington , a Hallmark group studied history and politics, theater and art. And the Santa Fe tour covered art colonies and Native American culture. People return with broad knowledge and strong inspiration. Spencer says. For example, one designer cre ated beautiful gift wrap inspired by theater costumes she admired in Chicago ."
In addition to going out into the world, Hallmark brings the world in. A gallery in its Kansas City , MO. headquarters hosts 10 shows a year. Recent shows focused on watercolors, embroidered fabric, antique furniture and a 19th-century photographic process. "Each show runs four weeks. Spencer says. "People from throughout the company visit for inspiration."
Hallmark also conducts an in-house lecture series, pulling in creative experts to share their work and experiences. Recent guests include poets, book design ers and poster printers. "We seek ways to open our minds," Orazem says. "We engage with people outside our world to exchange ideas "
What are you doing to open doors and minds?

9.PICK UP THE TRASH More and more people find ideas in found objects "Right now I have little bars of soap piled all around my workspace, says Krisly Moore , art director at Martha Stewart Living. "I get inspired by the packaging — the soft colors, the way words are stamped in the surfaces." San Irancisco-based designer Bill Cahan gathers sidewalk stuff while walking to work an apple core, a cabinet lock, a wood scrap. He piles these found objects in his studio and sifts through them for inspiration. And SpotCo's Gail Anderson finds ideas in salt-and-pepper shakers and bottle caps gathered through the years. "I've also swiped typog raphy from old matchbooks, tobacco tins and create labels, she says.
Designers often use found objects as creative materials. A lamp shade made from Slyrofoam cups. Another made from plastic stir sticks. A dividing cur tain made from discarded tea bags. Joe Duffy, founder of Duffy & Partners, embeds found objects into por traits — oak leaves found on a tree-lined street in Paris , a tribal headdress found in Thailand.
Any random obcct can be inspiring See what you can find — and use — today.

10. STAY WHERE YOU ARE
Sometimes you need to move. And sometimes you just need to stay still.Charles Pajeau sat in his living room and, for the first time, really watched his children build small bridges with their collection of pencils and thread spools. Soon afterwards. Pajeau invented Tinkertoys.
Italian designer Antonio Citterio was enjoying movie night at home with his wife and two children. He suddenly noticed they were sealed in a straight line, like passengers on a crowded plane.This gave Cilterio the idea for a new family-seating concept for B&B Italia, a semi-circular sofa shaped somewhat like a banana.
Because she was pregnant. Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola was paying extra attention to baby dresses. Inspired by the smocking on one little girl's frock, she used the stitching to design her Smock ch air for Moroso furniture.Dan Croggin, an unknown New York Cily actor received a nun's habit from a friend as a joke. Crog gin put the habit on an old mannequin and posed it around his apartment — washing dishes, vacuuming and performing other household chores. One day,while watching guests laugh at the mannequin, Croggin spotted an idea. Grabbing a pad, he began creating the play "Nunsense”, filled with silly songs and skits. "Nunsense" and its sequels have grossed more than $300 million in ticket sales and earned Croggin more than $7 million.
Sit and explore where you are. What's happening right in front of your eyes?

Romanian ads from the communist days

2006-04-26T14:47:00.000+03:00

From bags to cans

2006-04-26T12:48:00.000+03:00

plastic surgery. by DDB Canada.
Neat stuff!!!

via creative criminal

My old obsession

2006-04-25T18:01:00.000+03:00

must see: Thank you for smoking
Main titles are here! Superb!

This is...hot

2006-04-21T09:09:00.000+03:00

Saatchi and Saatchi New York

Kids

2006-04-20T15:07:00.000+03:00

Kids have so much to do with advertising and childhood has so much to do with our current development. In order to come up with creative solutions we have to keep that childhood joy and curiosity, but be careful with all the traumas one might inherit.

There have always been debates whether kids in certain commercials were used for a brand reason or just to work their magic on the target's human soul.

Kids have their own world and their own industry of food, clothes, transportation, shows, movies. But parents rule that world.

Kids are cute and smile a lot. We should smile more too. :)

more celebs kid pics

I am yours and you are mine

2006-04-20T13:08:00.000+03:00

This is made by a copy friend of mine. He works at Gavrila&Asociatii Bucharest.

Enjoy

I'm dead serious bout this one

2006-04-19T01:05:00.001+03:00

I couldn't believe my eyes! Someone has actually done it - HOT BABES AND COLD COFFINS!!! Check this out! Yep, yep, it's the old trick - an already desirable thing next to your wannabe desirable product! Crazy calendar and all sorts of crazy products to enjoy as long as you still have the chance. Death could be sexy.... yeah, why not?! hahahaha

VIA

TBWA London

2006-04-18T00:29:00.000+03:00

This is great. Creates the story in such a simple way.

Do you also wanna quit your job?

2006-04-17T23:20:00.001+03:00

How to know when you’re in a crap job?

Crap Job (n): Far too much of what you dislike, and far too little of what you need to be your best.

1. The people you work with and for are uninspired. Your co-workers (and perhaps even your boss) all complain to each other, but no one takes steps to turn the situation around.

2. Politics guide most of the organization’s promotion decisions. People are judged on personal agendas rather than performance.

3. Your current job isn’t pointing you in the right direction. You can’t imagine how your job is going to help you get where you ultimately want to go in your career.

4. The people you work with have little to teach you. You’re not learning new skills, gaining new experiences, creating new contacts, or feeling inspired by the people around you.

5. The company’s values or priorities are out-of-whack with yours. For instance, you want to do outstanding work, but your company focuses only on revenue.

6. You’re working hard, but your actions don’t make a measurable difference. If you can’t point to results you’ve generated (anything from improved sales margins or a produced writing piece), you’ll have a more difficult time proving your market value to your current or future employer.

Any of these sound familiar? If so, you might just be in the proverbial crap job.

via

Random is better

2006-04-17T22:27:00.000+03:00

"It seems that creativity will flourish when we increase our chances for seemingly random events to occur. The best way to work this randomness into our thought patterns is to develop the habit of being exposed to new ideas, people and concepts on a regular basis. If we take the time to plan for this randomness by limiting our distractions, we can increase our ability to solve problems."

The quote is from Mark Sincevich, writing in his column called Creative Corner, which appeared in the latest Small Business Opportunity Magazine.

I totally agree with this one. Exposure to diversity is the key. To make the best of it we have to focus on it - make it a process, make it a way of life. Lose the fear and the confort. In order to do that we need motivation and preparation.

via

Dilbert

2006-04-12T23:10:00.000+03:00

Dilbert.Blog by Scott Adams which was initally introduced to me by Diana is one interesting and fun piece of reading material! That's beside the daily comics which I did not find that funny at first, but thanks to D I quickly got the hang of them.

In one of the posts Scott states some of his oppinions on things. Here are few of my favourite answers:

Q. Why do most people end up living mediocre, "regular" lives?

A. It’s easier.

Q. Who, out of any person, would do the best job of dictator with total control of the world, and please give a real response.

A. Bill Gates. He’s rational, experienced, and has a good track record of helping the disadvantaged through his charitable trusts.

Q. Do you feel human beings are inherently selfish?

A. Yup.

Q. Do you think that a great goal in life is to leave the world a better place than it was when you arrived?

A. I think you should live your life so that the maximum number of people will attend your funeral.

Q. I would like your opinion on how not to be lazy. I think I am ruining my life being lazy.

A. Do something you enjoy enough to work hard at it. If nothing meets that description, you are born lazy. I think people are 90% internally motivated.

Q. Your thoughts on genetically modified food/animals/people??

A. I’d allow it all, with close oversight. Who wouldn’t want a pet that was half beagle and half cucumber?

Q. Does a human life have a significant innate worth, or is that worth instead largely determined by what that human accomplishes, experiences, and how the human treats and burdens others?

A. In my opinion, some people are worth more than others. But I wouldn’t judge people by accomplishment because that’s mostly a matter of luck. And I wouldn’t judge people by their mistakes, because that would mean everyone is worthless. I do however think you can judge people by how they learn from their mistakes.

Q. Most futuristic thing you wish would be invented now?

A. Orgasm ray gun.

You don't smoke the cigarette. It smokes you.

2006-04-12T17:14:00.001+03:00

I am against smoking. It's an addiction that hurts not only the smoker but those around him/her. It's true that any addiction does that at some level, but in this case is so damn obvious. Actually if I think this through and see the ads above, the bad effect it has on us all is inside our bodies so we can not see it. Sometimes what you don't see it's what you get.

It's such a tough choice every time. There's the bad smell but there's the cool gesture. There's the amount of money one spends for cigaretts and there's this feeling of calm smokers claim they get when absorbing the all mighty smoke. There's "I know is bad for me" and there's "it makes me feel good". The good and the evil- the ethernal battle.

I believe smoking is one of the greatest scams in advertising. Some dudes had this product and it was impossible to sell - it killed you and it smelled bad. When the product doesn't have any benefits you invent some. That's how advertising works. So you get this cool guys, cool ladies, powerful characters, independent human beings to smoke in movies, interviews, shows. It's true there's less (classical) advertising for cigaretts these days around the world, but old habits die hard.

And since this subject is hunting me for some while now, I'm asking you guys to send me the no smoking ads you have. I'll try to make a gallery and post it somewhere. And we'll go from there. Maybe there's more we can do.

O&M Hong Kong - Panadol Extra

2006-04-12T15:36:00.000+03:00

I will prescribe a change

2006-04-11T12:33:00.000+03:00

Here is a very old and funny Muppets show. "The easiest way to change your personality is to change your face". Is it?

via

Life lessons from TLC Channel

2006-04-09T13:12:00.000+03:00

TLC Cannel In US, part of Discovery Networks US launched a campaign to generate interest in its new programming philosophy. There are spots and there are these figurines you can buy for only $15.

"Joe Abruzzese, president of advertising sales, Discovery Networks US, said there are two key advantages to TLC’s revitalized brand strategy. “Nobody’s really in this space, and that really resonates with buyers,” Abruzzese said. “But the big piece is this clears up any idea that there is duplication or redundancy between TLC and Discovery"

via room 116

A woman is your friend

2006-04-06T11:59:00.000+03:00

This is a social campaign in Liberia. Scary. Maybe someone has some information about the reality there.

Going through walls

2006-04-05T14:18:00.000+03:00

I'm sure you can think of many other ads using this trick. Here are two.

Ohhhh (yeah, yeahhhh), my God!

2006-04-05T01:21:00.000+03:00

Are these guys really into porn or Lord's word?

This is taken from their DVD description. The documentary on the DVD is called Missionary possitions.

"After hearing God say the word 'PORN' to them, two young Christian pastors (Craig Gross and Mike Foster) are off on a quixotic journey into the world of pornography. Their journey takes them from the red light district of Amsterdam, to the Porn rehab facilities of Kentucky. They travel from the porn shows of Las Vegas to the porn sets of Hollywood. They come with a message of love and hope for porn addicts and porn workers everywhere!

But doing the work of the Lord is not always easy. Not only are there money problems and personality conflicts, but also hate mail and Turkish computer hackers to deal with. Their wives are "way" suspicious and Christian Power house Pat Roberston won't let them on his Christian news show.

The documentary was shot over the course of 3 years and the film has won several awards at various film festival across the world."

Their initiaive of making the Bible cover ( they ordered 10,000 Bibles featuring the “Jesus loves porn stars” line on the cover) cooler ("The cooler the cover, the more separated from all the trash someone gets at a porn show, the more likely it gets picked up and read.") was not ok with The American Bible Society.

"They have told us that this goes against everything the Bible stands for and they don’t want anyone to think that Jesus is okay with porn. We think they are wrong. We think this goes with the central message of the gospel and Jesus loves you regardless of your profession."

Anyway, I like these guys if they're for real. The church should learn to adapt to the times being and the way the target has evolved in order to get their message through. But someone has to start breaking the rules. And I mean that in a all good, creative and constructive way. Hell awaits me now :-]

from adfreak

Where there's smoke there's danger

2006-04-03T23:55:00.000+03:00

Here's something for my friend Viv and all the others trying to quit smoking. And when you think there was a time when giving cigaretts as a Christmas present was an option...Ahhhhhh
By the way, I only practice second hand smoking. Harder to quit than the active one.

1, 2, 3....more of me

2006-04-03T22:58:00.000+03:00

Cloning! Oh, the mistery, the evolution, the temptation, the danger! If there were more people like...............our world would be more.................
You fill in the blanks and while you're at it, check this site.
Too bad the contest on that web site is over. You were supposed to send your cloned picture and you could have won $50.00. Anyway, there's still a lesson on how to clone yourself and you can see other people's or pet's cloned pictures.
Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy

Stikers on doors are the new pink

2006-03-30T01:07:00.000+03:00

This one has been around the blogs for a while. I don't want this blog to have all the same things you can find on all the others, but I think this is GREAT so I had to post it! Raised awareness for sure. Hope some money too! Anyone can confirm that?
Made by Grey India

An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth

2006-03-29T03:40:00.000+03:00

Written in 1998, the Incomplete Manifesto is an articulation of statements that exemplify Bruce Mau's beliefs, motivations and strategies. It also articulates how the BMD studio works.

1. Allow events to change you. You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them.

2. Forget about good. Good is a known quantity. Good is what we all agree on. Growth is not necessarily good. Growth is an exploration of unlit recesses that may or may not yield to our research. As long as you stick to good you'll never have real growth.

3. Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives the process we will only ever go to where we've already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we’re going, but we will know we want to be there.

4. Love your experiments (as you would an ugly child). Joy is the engine of growth. Exploit the liberty in casting your work as beautiful experiments, iterations, attempts, trials, and errors. Take the long view and allow yourself the fun of failure every day.

5. Go deep. The deeper you go the more likely you will discover something of value.

6. Capture accidents. The wrong answer is the right answer in search of a different question. Collect wrong answers as part of the process. Ask different questions.

7. Study. A studio is a place of study. Use the necessity of production as an excuse to study. Everyone will benefit.

8. Drift. Allow yourself to wander aimlessly. Explore adjacencies. Lack judgment. Postpone criticism.

9. Begin anywhere. John Cage tells us that not knowing where to begin is a common form of paralysis. His advice: begin anywhere.

10. Everyone is a leader. Growth happens. Whenever it does, allow it to emerge. Learn to follow when it makes sense. Let anyone lead.

11. Harvest ideas. Edit applications. Ideas need a dynamic, fluid, generous environment to sustain life. Applications, on the other hand, benefit from critical rigor. Produce a high ratio of ideas to applications.

12. Keep moving. The market and its operations have a tendency to reinforce success. Resist it. Allow failure and migration to be part of your practice.

13. Slow down. Desynchronize from standard time frames and surprising opportunities may present themselves.

14. Don’t be cool. Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Free yourself from limits of this sort.

15. Ask stupid questions. Growth is fueled by desire and innocence. Assess the answer, not the question. Imagine learning throughout your life at the rate of an infant.

16. Collaborate. The space between people working together is filled with conflict, friction, strife, exhilaration, delight, and vast creative potential.

17. ____________________. Intentionally left blank. Allow space for the ideas you haven’t had yet, and for the ideas of others.

18. Stay up late. Strange things happen when you’ve gone too far, been up too long, worked too hard, and you're separated from the rest of the world.

19. Work the metaphor. Every object has the capacity to stand for something other than what is apparent. Work on what it stands for.

20. Be careful to take risks. Time is genetic. Today is the child of yesterday and the parent of tomorrow. The work you produce today will create your future.

21. Repeat yourself. If you like it, do it again. If you don’t like it, do it again.

22. Make your own tools. Hybridize your tools in order to build unique things. Even simple tools that are your own can yield entirely new avenues of exploration. Remember, tools amplify our capacities, so even a small tool can make a big difference.

23. Stand on someone’s shoulders. You can travel farther carried on the accomplishments of those who came before you. And the view is so much better.

24. Avoid software. The problem with software is that everyone has it.

25. Don’t clean your desk. You might find something in the morning that you can’t see tonight.

26. Don’t enter awards competitions. Just don’t. It’s not good for you.

27. Read only left-hand pages. Marshall McLuhan did this. By decreasing the amount of information, we leave room for what he called our "noodle."

28. Make new words. Expand the lexicon. The new conditions demand a new way of thinking. The thinking demands new forms of expression. The expression generates new conditions.

29. Think with your mind. Forget technology. Creativity is not device-dependent.

30. Organization = Liberty. Real innovation in design, or any other field, happens in context. That context is usually some form of cooperatively managed enterprise. Frank Gehry, for instance, is only able to realize Bilbao because his studio can deliver it on budget. The myth of a split between "creatives" and "suits" is what Leonard Cohen calls a 'charming artifact of the past.'

31. Don’t borrow money. Once again, Frank Gehry’s advice. By maintaining financial control, we maintain creative control. It’s not exactly rocket science, but it’s surprising how hard it is to maintain this discipline, and how many have failed.

32. Listen carefully. Every collaborator who enters our orbit brings with him or her a world more strange and complex than any we could ever hope to imagine. By listening to the details and the subtlety of their needs, desires, or ambitions, we fold their world onto our own. Neither party will ever be the same.

33. Take field trips. The bandwidth of the world is greater than that of your TV set, or the Internet, or even a totally immersive, interactive, dynamically rendered, object-oriented, real-time, computer graphic–simulated environment.

34. Make mistakes faster. This isn’t my idea -- I borrowed it. I think it belongs to Andy Grove.

35. Imitate. Don’t be shy about it. Try to get as close as you can. You'll never get all the way, and the separation might be truly remarkable. We have only to look to Richard Hamilton and his version of Marcel Duchamp’s large glass to see how rich, discredited, and underused imitation is as a technique.

36. Scat. When you forget the words, do what Ella did: make up something else ... but not words.

37. Break it, stretch it, bend it, crush it, crack it, fold it.

38. Explore the other edge. Great liberty exists when we avoid trying to run with the technological pack. We can’t find the leading edge because it’s trampled underfoot. Try using old-tech equipment made obsolete by an economic cycle but still rich with potential.

39. Coffee breaks, cab rides, green rooms. Real growth often happens outside of where we intend it to, in the interstitial spaces -- what Dr. Seuss calls "the waiting place." Hans Ulrich Obrist once organized a science and art conference with all of the infrastructure of a conference -- the parties, chats, lunches, airport arrivals — but with no actual conference. Apparently it was hugely successful and spawned many ongoing collaborations.

40. Avoid fields. Jump fences. Disciplinary boundaries and regulatory regimes are attempts to control the wilding of creative life. They are often understandable efforts to order what are manifold, complex, evolutionary processes. Our job is to jump the fences and cross the fields.

41. Laugh. People visiting the studio often comment on how much we laugh. Since I've become aware of this, I use it as a barometer of how comfortably we are expressing ourselves.

42. Remember. Growth is only possible as a product of history. Without memory, innovation is merely novelty. History gives growth a direction. But a memory is never perfect. Every memory is a degraded or composite image of a previous moment or event. That’s what makes us aware of its quality as a past and not a present. It means that every memory is new, a partial construct different from its source, and, as such, a potential for growth itself.

43. Power to the people. Play can only happen when people feel they have control over their lives. We can't be free agents if we’re not free.

great outdoor from Saatchi&Saatchi India

2006-03-29T01:58:00.000+03:00

There is some great advertising coming from India. This piece for Ariel is brilliant in my opinion. So natural, involving and relevant.
via brainstorm#9

all eyes on you!

2006-03-27T18:48:00.000+03:00

Following on a previous post and still believing the differents things on the street can turn into great opportunities to make your voice heard, here's a nice idea.

Read also this interesting post on how to be a guerilla artist.

via

Creative No-Fly zone?

2006-03-25T20:44:00.000+02:00

Communicaton Arts Magazine published this article by Ernie Schenck.
It is called Do We Need Creative No-Fly Zones?
So what's a creative no-fly zone?
Here are some questions that led to this concept:

"How many times have we used shock as a technique? The cheap grossout gag. The kid getting whacked by an eighteen-wheeler. The harp seal getting its brains splattered all over the ice. It’s not like it’s hard to do. It gets attention. It can win awards and it has. But are we too fast and loose with shock sometimes? And does it occasionally lead us over the line into areas that are better left, well, unexplored. Should there be conceptual hot zones where we dare not open the door lest something terrible comes squirting out?"

So when too much is too much?
Slippery zone indeed, but it pays the bills and unfortunately it can't be stopped, I think.
We're in such a hurry to be the first on the market, to earn money and profit, too see the results yesterday, to be talked about that there's just too little time left for thinking about the others we affect, if any. And again why bother? "It's not our problem" will probably be the most common response. And hey, there are lots of guys making those social campaigns. Isn't that enough?

Dissecting the creative thinking

2006-03-25T19:03:00.000+02:00

Our agency has a small, but interesting library. Too bad that there are not too many people actually using it. And no, it's not because they don't have the time.

Anyway, I've run into this cool Pack the other day - Roger von Oech's Creative Whack Pack. To quote: "This book provides the fundamentals of creative thinking. Whether you're a junior in high school, an account executive at an advertising agency, a software programmer, or a mother raising a family, I think that you'll find some useful ideas in these pages"

The pack consists of a book and a pack of cards, actually "64 creativity strategies to provoke and inspire your thinking." I find the idea of the pack of cards really interesting and fun.

They are divided into four sixteen- card suits: Explorer, Artist, Judge and Warrior. These represent the four types of thinking of the creative process.

The Explorer highlites places and ways to find new information. Here they are:
Try a random idea, See the big picture, Change Viewpoints, Drop an assumption, Find a Pattern, See!Hear!Taste!Fell!Smell!, Listen to your dreams, Look to nature, Look to the past, Let your mind wonder, See the obvious, Get out of your box, Give yourself a whack on the side of the head, Ask "Why?", Look somewhere else, Dig Deeper.

The Artist provides idea-generating techiques. Like:
Be whacky, Exaggerate, Challenge the rules, Rearrange, Substitute, Think like a kid, Ask "What if?", Combine ideas, Make a metaphor, Reverse, Imagine how others would do it, Pause for a bit, Don't force it, Imagine you're the idea, Simplify, Change its name.

The Judge gives decision-making advice upon ideas:
See the positive, Find what's out of whack, Solve the right problem, Conform, Ask a fool, Focus on the real truth, Slay a Sacred Cow, Loosen Up, Check your timing, Beware the unintended, Get out of the dogma house, Be dissatisfied, Don't fall in love with ideas, Avoid Arrogance, Listen to that hunch, Hear to the knock of opportunity.

The Warrior gives the kick we need to get our idea into action:
Believe in Yourself, Put a lion in your heart, Fight for it, Flex your Risk Muscle, Get support, Get rid of excuses, Take a whack at it, Slay a dragon, Have something to stake, Use your shield, Do the unexpected, Sell! Sell! Sell!, Set a deadline! Be persistent, Learn from mistakes, Give yourself a pat on the back.

All these steps are explained (both in the book and on every card) with well chosen examples and everything you need to understand the process and get inspired to make it happen.

The thing with these cards is that one can use them anyway he pleases, as creatively as possible to suit the problem in question. And they can be used in every environment that needs new ideas, new points of view, new insights, and solutions overall.

Well, your average creative person working in an advertising agency knows, or should know all these stuff. That doesn't mean they are being used.
And sadly quite a few of the creatives I've met instantly reject the idea of someone telling them they could expand their thinking - even just by checking out things that might look stupid at first. Oh well, talking bout having an open mind...
It is also true most of these processes are being used subcounsciously by those earing a living out of creating new ideas. But that doesn't make this pack to be less fun or inspiring.

Time for winterfresh, yeeeeeeaaaah?

2006-03-24T18:29:00.000+02:00

Here's something worth freshing up with - The Winterfresh site.
The short spots in the Attraction Chronicles are fantastic!
I love the executions, the accent and the silly drawings along will all sorts of little details to be discovered in the web page. Right on the concept and fun fun fun!
Agency Energy BBDO.
via adgoodness

What American teens think

2006-03-21T23:57:00.000+02:00

I've run into this really compelling study (9 page report) on American teens. Interesting and useful research stuff if you ever have something to sell to this target or just feel like comparing them with teens in your country. Focus and enjoy!

"Setting the stage for a yearlong celebration of our Centennial milestone, Boys & Girls Clubs of America has published the results of its Youth Report To America – the largest national survey developed and administered by teens. In the Report, 46,000 young people (ages 13-18) deliver a candid message to America.

Youth across the nation are calling for America’s leaders, community officials and parents to help bridge the gap between hope and opportunity outlined in the Report. With compelling findings on topics ranging from the Iraq war to violence in schools and from education to the pursuit of the American Dream, the Report spotlights the perceptions of America’s youth."

via ypulse

Ambiental guerilla media

2006-03-20T20:39:00.000+02:00

The streets offer us quite a variety of opportunities for promotional purpose. Although we rarely see something like this going on in our neighbourhood. I wonder why is that exactly.
But here are some nice stuff you can find on Romanian street walls, sidewalks or signs. Everything has to start somewhere. We'll get there, I know we will!

What is a planner?

2006-03-18T19:13:00.000+02:00

As Russell Davies put it and Diana agreed, a talking telescope! Fair enough!

Oh, my lovely superheroes

2006-03-18T17:41:00.000+02:00

Since every man thinks he's some sort of superman, it's no wonder there are so many ads trying to use the power of the superpowered. This time, some man's clothes line gets on the mission, a little too obvious for my taste, I must admit. And the wordplay...hmm...I don't really dig it. But here they are with the nice looking photos and great art direction.

The truth is that...

2006-03-18T17:05:00.000+02:00

"A copywriter, like a lawyer, builds cases for clients by selecting truths that are positive and omitting truths that aren't." - Paul Silverman

"Curiosity about life in all its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people." - Leo Burnett

"The truth isn't the truth until people believe you, and they can't believe you if they don't know what you're saying, and they can't know what you're saying if they don't listen to you, and they won't listen to you if you're not interesting, and you won't be interesting unless you say things imaginatively, originally, freshly."- William "Bill" Bernbach

"Man's mind, once streched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions" - Oliver Wendell Holmes

"Well, four is just about enough quoting for now..." - Me

Adidas cools

2006-03-12T17:03:00.000+02:00

A series of 4 spots from adidas and its new footwear Climacool.
Ahhhh...fresh and cool!
via chestionabil

Pirelli's new buzz

2006-03-11T19:36:00.000+02:00

This is the future of advertising, or part of it:
Following the BMW steps, Pirelli is now trying to get our attention with its new project: The Call.
What is this exactly?
It's a 10 minute film (to be released on march 23th) which involves a battle between good and evil, featuring the ascetic-looking Malkovich as a priest and the modeling bad girl Campbell as the devil. Pirelli says the story provides a metaphorical illustration of its long-running slogan, "Power is nothing without control."
The Call is the first step of Pirelli's idea to make a new generation of shorts only for Internet, written and produced with the same means and professional expertise as the most famous Hollywood productions.

Pirelli says its project, developed by Leo Burnett Italy, goes several steps further (than BMV or others).
For one, the branding will be unusually subtle. "The Call" will be the centerpiece of Pirelli's marketing for several years; and advertising in other media, including print and television, will be built around the Internet film. Pirelli said "The Call" and its associated advertising would account for 60 percent of the company's marketing budget -- a Hollywood-style gamble on one production.

"The Call" is Burnett's first major project for Pirelli, which had been working mostly with an Italian agency, Armando Testa. Pirelli also chose a new media-buying agency, Maxus BBS, part of WPP Group, replacing Media Italia, a subsidiary of Armando Testa.

The film may represent a new direction for tire advertising, but it is not entirely out of character for Pirelli, which has always relied more on image-driven advertising, trying to appeal to the would-be Ferrari driver rather than the average tire kicker.

More

play with your mind

2006-03-10T00:05:00.000+02:00

Open minded people are nice people. They're not judgemental, they make you feel confortable, they know lots of stuff but they don't brag about it, they're always eager to learn more, they're fun, they're helpful, they're fearless, they do stuff that matter to them, they get things done, they get things changed and basically they...just get it.

Here's something to exercise an opend mind.
But beware: one hour of increased brain activity via thinking a lot or experiencing new stimuli can make you smarter, more energic, more creative and more sociable.
link found on grow a brain

PSP London spring campaign

2006-03-09T01:11:00.000+02:00

PSP has a new campaign throughout London.

Agency: TBWA London.

It's a series of 22 posters aimed at showing off the features of the PSP.

I like it. At all unnoticed and quite involving.

via adland

what tone of voice to use...

2006-03-07T16:07:00.000+02:00

The "tone of voice" as seen by the guys at W&K London. Which reminds me it's been quite a while since I haven't posted something about them. So here we are!

"We’re here to communicate. And there are as many ways of saying things as there are things to say. Let's start with you. Imagine you’re a brand. Who are you? You’re speaking but no one's going to listen if they don’t know who you are. So in answer to your question, you can’t define the term ‘tone of voice’, you have to define yours.

That means defining you- who are you, where have you come from, what are you about, what do you stand for? Then, you can say anything. Because it will be honest. If brands are companies and companies are humans, it's about speaking like one.

This is basically why tone of voice is so important. It’s like an ad going, “Hey, kids, buy this, it's really cool” Kids are encouraged not to take things from strange adults. And rightly so. Or, a car salesman saying, “Buy my car!” Well he would, wouldn’t he?
But if your best friend told you something he liked about the car that you didn’t know, you might get interested. So who is the car company, a bunch of guys like your friend or bunch of phoney car salesmen? Those people in the company surely work there because they like cars a little bit, maybe even a lot. That’s what you would tap into.

And I guess that also means, when you ask about lots of different tones of voice, you can’t try them on like hats. If you’re an established bank it will sound strange if you start talking like a vodka brand. It's like those clear plastic bra straps…weirdly noticeable only because they’re trying so hard not to be. "

Now this is what I call a couple

2006-03-07T14:10:00.000+02:00

These guys look fantastic together, leaving aside they both are so gorgeous. I like them cause they seem extremely close and confortable with one another. God knows if that is actually true, but I had a nice feeling viewing their pictures at the Oscars, so I had to post this one. :)

..oh!...and hurray for Crash on winning best movie.
better late than never :)

BMW audio books

2006-03-06T22:04:00.000+02:00

Here's a really great idea: BMW Audio Books. BMW in conjuction with Random House, brings you BMW Audio Books, a unique series of specially-commissioned short stories showcasting the work of some the finest contemporary writing talent.

And the books are FREE to download.

Just go take your BMW from where you've parked it and start riding!

via grafic

PS: Love the illustrations

My Amazon wish list

2006-03-06T21:54:00.000+02:00

I was browsing through Amazon.com today and I thought I'd make my wish list. It's not complete of course. One can't never have enough wishes, but these are the stuff that are important for me right now.
It's still a while till my birthday, so who really loves me should start make some heavy savings :)
Mom?!?!?!!?

The secret of headlines and body copy

2006-03-05T15:09:00.000+02:00

A colegue at work bought this book Kiss and Sell by Robert Sawyer. It's a great book that handles the subject of copywriting in a very practical way. Here's a glimpse of it - few basic things about headlines and body copy.

A headline that works:
1. Stands out.
2. Stops readers long enough for them to process the meaning.
3. Offers a promise, an invitation, or important news.
4. Persuades readers that it's worth their time to learn a little bit more about a product.

Good body copy:
1. Says only what's important to say.
2. Addresses the prospective customer directly.
3. Uses as few words as possible.
4. It's honest and simple.
5. Sticks to the story.
6. Respects the product or service being promoted.
7. Holds the prospective customer in high regard.
8. Stops instantly when there's nothing more to say.

Pimp my ...

2006-03-05T12:17:00.000+02:00

MTV has done it once again with their show "Pimp my ride". The trend is on - we can apparently pimp anything these days. Why? Cause it's cool.
History fact number 9.897.341.

On the other side, VW is unpimpin'. Cause they have the already pimped car. Watch the new commercials from Crispin+Porter and Bogusky here . The site also kicks ass.
via adblather

How to build a great portfolio

2006-03-02T01:33:00.000+02:00

Most of the time a great portfolio means just quickly collecting what you think is your best work till that point. And that usually happens when you're really desperate to find a new job.
Of course this would work if you have been around the block for quite a while.

I think it's more to presenting yourself than that. I believe a great portfolio gets build in few good months (and I'm refearing here to the "putting all your work together" part), it needs to be looked at many times and not only by one person, it has to be improved - adding for example a campaign for a brand within a category you don't have any work done and it needs to be presented in a certain way.

Since I'm trying to do that these days, here is some really good advice for me and all the others interested in the matter.

Found this great article in CMYK's Magazine on-line version.

10 WORDS FOR YOUR BOOK
By Breda McGing

Ideas
This is it, where it all starts! Without ideas nothing else matters. You’re trying to convince us of your conceptual ability. You need to fill your portfolio with five to seven original and brilliant campaigns. Each campaign should have one central idea that is supported in three ads. In case you don’t have a calculator available, that comes to 15-21 ads in your book. Don’t show the advertising world your book, until you’re proud of it.

Imagination
You either have it or you don’t. Let your work show how far out there you can go. Once you start your career, your Creative Director can rein in your ideas. This is the one and only time the work you’re doing is completely yours. There is no client influence or account service person to stand in your way. Have fun and release your imagination.

Diversity
We’re talking products you choose to highlight in your portfolio and the target market your work is geared towards. Prove that you can solve tough problems. Don’t just sell fun products to yourself…that’s way too easy. Try selling financial planning to the folks at United Airlines. Are you up to the challenge?

Knowledge
You need to know what you’re selling, who you’re selling it to, and the competition. Do some investigating. Next time you’re at the store really think about your purchases. Why do you buy Crest over Colgate? As you go from aisle to aisle, be nosy, what’s in the carts around you? If you’re so inclined, talk to your fellow shoppers. The smarter you are the better your ads will be.

Personality
Put a little of your self in each ad. If you’re a comedian use that to your advantage. Most, but not all of your ads should make people laugh out loud and maybe snort! A Creative Director should get some sense of who you are from your book.

Consistency
All your work needs to be at a high level, quality over quantity. If not, a Creative Director will wonder who helped you with the good ads. Don’t make them think someone else helped you hit the highlights.

Rhythm
Your book needs it and you should have some instinct as to the order in which you place ads and campaigns. How does one campaign flow to the next? Your book should start and end with a bang. Personally I suggest your two favorite campaigns in these positions.

Passion
You have to have it to survive in advertising! The love for your craft whether it’s words or pictures needs to come shining through. It can’t be forced or faked. Each ad should reflect your passion. It should demonstrate how much you’re willing to give of yourself; hard work and a piece of your heart.

Evolution
Just when you think the work is over…it’s not (I’m yelling to keep working). Your book should always be improving. You can never settle. You should be able to see the progression in your work. Reviewers will expect to see new work if they’ve seen your book before. If this daunts you or depresses you, you’re probably pursuing the wrong career. However, if you’re up for the challenge, you’re on the right path.

Life
Live your life. Read. Go to the movies. If you’ve never been to the ballet, go see one. If you’re a diehard Country and Western fan but a friend has invited you to see the Rolling Stones…go, don’t hesitate. Where do you think your ideas are going to come from? Enjoy and absorb everything around you. Art imitates life.

Breda McGing is a creative advertising recruiter with more than twenty years experience in the business. McGing is also founder and President of Critiquemybook.com, an on-line service that offers users an objective evaluation of their portfolios. McGing has worked with agencies of all sizes and has spent a great deal of time working with entry-level creative talent. McGing has a long association with many colleges, universities and art schools and regularly instructs classes on portfolio preparation and presentation.
For more information about a portfolio critique, visit http://www.critiquemybook.com/index.html

Great work from Fallon, Minneapolis

2006-02-27T14:45:00.000+02:00

We try to get to you with solutions before you realize you need them. So we're always prepared and informed. Because in business, there's always a Goliath.

We try to get to you with solutions before you realize you need them. Which is why we're rewarded with relationships lasting longer than elephant's memory.

We try to get to you with solutions before you realize you need them. By being prepared and informed, we've got you covered no matter what's on the horizon.

Luke Sullivan's wise words - Lesson #1

2006-02-26T02:01:00.000+02:00

I just felt the need to go again through "Hey Whipple, squeeze this". This great book makes few points that we tend to forget sometimes.
Hey, it feels good to have some real guidance once in a while, even if only theoretical.

I've copy-paste-ed some tips on creating great advertising Sullivan's sharing with us all:

Restate the strategy and put some spin on it

So begin by taking the strategy and saying it some other way, any way. Say it faster. Say it in English. Then in slang. Shorten it. Punch it up.
Club Med’s tag line could have been “A great way to get away”. It could have been “More than just a beach”. Fortunately it became: “Club Med. The antidote for civilization”.
Be careful, too, not to let your strategy show. Many ads suffer from this transparence, and it happens when you fail to put enough creative spin on strategy.

Get the visual cliches out of your system right away

Certain visuals are just old. Somewhere out there is a Home for Tired Old Visuals. Sitting there in rocking chairs on the porch are visuals like Uncle Sam, a devil with a pitchfork, and a proud lion, just rocking back and forth waiting for someone to use them in an ad once again.

Show, don’t tell

Showing the benefit of your product allows readeres to reach their own conclusions. It’s more involving this way.

Saying isn't the same as being

Nike never once said "Hey, we're cool". They just were.

Simple is difficult to obtain. But it’s hard to miss, more believable, easier to remember and it breakes through “advertising clutter”.

Well done sir!

2006-02-25T14:30:00.000+02:00

With a value of $3.5 trillion, Britain has been named as the world's number one national brand by a survey, beating France and the US, which scraped home in 10th place.

The Anholt Nation Brands Index place Britain ahead of second-placed Canada and third-placed Switzerland in the overall rankings, which are based on a survey of 25,907 people in 35 countries.

The UK was ranked number one after scoring well on investment, sports, cultural heritage and its highly skilled and educated people. Tom Wright, chief executive of VisitBritain, said: "You can think of Britain a little like an onion. There is always a new layer for visitors to peel back and discover and that's why we are seeing more and more people coming back here every year."

via brandrepublic.

Old human disection pictures

2006-02-25T11:02:00.000+02:00

I've run into this creepy on-line exibition of students and cadaver, either actively dissecting or just posing, often wearing their best suits. Fun, huh?

What does this have to do with advertising, you wonder? Oh well, that depends on how many weekends you've spent working till now.

Here's a contest for ya'll

2006-02-24T10:34:00.000+02:00

Create a 30-second ad, in any style (live action or animated,) that brings Firefox to life for the millions of Web users who have yet to discover Firefox and the better Web experience it delivers.
Sounds challenging!
Dead line - 15th of March 2006 - receiving date. Hurry up!

Swell fellas!

2006-02-23T12:25:00.000+02:00

Here's another agency that caught my attention - Sullivan, Higdon & Sink.
Their philosophy wishes death to the sheep - that's because they remind them of marketing that’s content to follow instead of lead. Nice. But they do love purple cows.
Check out their blog also - American copywriter.

BARBIOLOGY

2006-02-23T11:15:00.000+02:00

- the art and science of being barbie

The world's bestselling doll has made lots of victims not only among the kids. Look around you and you'll probably see a live one somewhere close. They can be recognised by their looks, but you can only be sure if you hear them ask questions like: "Is this fish, or is this chiken?"

what's your punishment?

2006-02-22T13:18:00.000+02:00

Sins are being punished. Choose your own!
You can run, but you can not hide! :)

Everything you need to know about advertising

2006-02-22T12:10:00.000+02:00

Motto: The truth is out there...
Where, where?!?!!?

Not only that we sometimes can't even admit the truth to ourelves, but also we're constantly terrified by change. It's more confortable playing by the rules and anyway, who can't beat the system? We're only humans, right?

I've run into these great displays of honesty! If they weren't fun, they would've been tragic!

- Truth in advertising movie
- When I grow up I wanna be...

Whoever is kissing his/her boss's ass, please raise your tongue!!!

women in old ads

2006-02-21T18:49:00.000+02:00

Do you wanna know how women were portrayed in British World War II Advertising?
Look no further.

I just love those guys at Strawberryfrog

2006-02-21T13:00:00.000+02:00

Here is why!

Weird spot for Shots Magazine - London

2006-02-19T20:01:00.000+02:00

I've seen this one a while ago but I didn't know what to make of it. But now I got it: this is the scariest spot I have ever seen!

Some weekend blogging-fun

2006-02-18T19:18:00.000+02:00

Haha, this is a really entertaining site: Cool things to put on your blog
My sexy Brazilian name is: Lisandra Santoro. Exotic, huh? :)
...but don't get fooled by that: "I even scare scary people sometimes!"
Have fun with all the crazy tests you'll find there!

Lots of things to do

2006-02-16T00:40:00.000+02:00

It's absolutely amazing how many stuff people can still invent! This one reminded me of the movie Cube and a little bit of 13 ghosts.

"NEVEL is a moving labyrinth (11 X 11 m) consisting of 9 programmable walls able to rotate 360°. Architecture comes alive, walls become doors, spaces open and close, visitors are locked up and set free again."

Found it on this super interesting blog - http://futurefeeder.com/

Even more amazing and a lot sadder is how some people in advertising forget to take a look at these other kind of discoveries, along with the older, but still unpopular human inventions such as blogs, the struggle to escape mediocrity, professionalism or even common sense.

Another example of great copy ads from ALMAP BBDO Sao Paulo

2006-02-14T18:57:00.000+02:00

bout copy and stuff

2006-02-13T22:32:00.000+02:00

These great copy ads (via http://sandeepmakam.blogspot.com/) made me think of the constant battle between the word and the image. I think they should live together in harmony and equilibrum, but there are voices (art director's voices mostly) that tend to prise the no copy ad a little too much. I personally don't have any problem with that as long as it's a fresh idea that serves the brand. Extremes were actually never my cup of tea and I really can't understand those with that kind of opinion.

Here's Doug Hall's research in the book Jump start your marketing brain. I've found it in a post on the blog Guerrilla Consulting.
I don't wanna prove anything with this one. It's just a research that seemed interesting.

"In a study of 3,600 consumers, researchers concluded that to get people to notice an ad, text was twice as important as pictures. Your clients are interested in reading about your services, but you must grab their attention ...

What’s most important is that the fluff be ruthlessly eliminated from your ad copy, Web page or other marketing communication. If you include hype and half-truths, you make it nearly impossible for clients to separate the wheat from the chaff. The result: a lost sale. "

"You don't need love"

2006-02-12T19:34:00.000+02:00

I've run into the campaign for DeliChoc by Fred&Farid's rather new agency - Marcel. This campaign goes pretty well with the previous post, so here it is. My favourite TV spot is the Cinderella one. So simple!
Make sure to check out the More stuff section for few girlish funny games and break-up letters (in french though). Those guys with the sense of humour may also have a laugh or two.
For everybody, ENJOY!
...and happy 12 of February! ;)

Valentine's day

2006-02-10T00:36:00.000+02:00

That annoying day is almost here. I'm talking about the lovable February the 14th - the day when sales in bonbons, flowers, cards, normal toys, sexual toys and preety much anything cute enough to put a smile on your sweetie pie's face, go higher than in any other day throughout the year. And here's something as annoying as the day itself - from Altoids.

PS: Don't get me wrong - anything that can break our rutine, spice up our lifes, remember us to be better is a good thing.

And to all my shy anonymous admirers - I really wasn't talking seriously - I don't find the day annoying, I'm a nice person - i would never say that and mean it...that was just to make the post more interesting, ok?
I won't mock you in any way if you give me jewellery, cars, summer cribs, 100 flying doves, planes writing my name in the air or whatever expensive love proof you will come up with, ok? Ok? OoooK.

sharing is caring

2006-02-10T00:15:00.000+02:00

I believe in sharing - sharing ideas and resources. And all in the name of cohesion, evolution, human fullfilment and fun. This belief does not apply when it comes to tooth brush, underwear, make up and men.
Skype agrees with me - sharing good, not sharing bad. That pretty much covers it.
Via http://blog.industrialbrand.com/

just a thought

2006-02-09T00:18:00.000+02:00

I found these images on www.despair.com. They made me think about the esence of advertising - that it is really about understanding human nature more than it is about anything else. (They've also reminded me bout all that every day corporate bullshit, but that's a different story.)
Understanding human nature's not an easy thing to do. In order to do that one needs to be willing, have lots of patience, tolerance and courage which translates into keeping an open mind and an open heart. Unfortunately, there's not too often that we come across it. Not even in advertising where people have definitely larger views on things. Or at least they should have...
Hmmm...anyone, any other thoughts?

What if?

2006-02-06T21:04:00.000+02:00

SciFi Channel has produced quite few spots to promote itself. They are very pleasant to watch. Few really surprising ideas and all the way amazing effects. Nice work!