Adobe CS3 Has It All
Adobe has recently released CS3. Yep, your versions of Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop are now officially out of date and old, loser. At least Adobe was nice enough to offer some upgrades
4.30.2007
Chiquita Bananas Goes Bananas
What the hell happened here? Is there some sort of glitch in the new Photoshop CS3
Millimetres Matter to Bugs
This little Millimetres Matter video is so awesome, wow. Tiny, like really tiny, pastries were created and flung at insects such as flies and roaches. The cakes clobber the bugs, and it's awesome. The video is a viral for Samsung's Ultra II phone.
The Penguins are Melting
The whole melting ice sculpture thing is becoming a bit repetitive. First it was melting mommies, now it's melting penguins. This time, thought, the video just directs you to a website that I can't read. Any clues to it's purpose?
Heineken Turns You Into Human Cannonball
Heineken has a new online promotion/game called Secret Final. You upload a picture of yourself and they shoot you out of a cannonball towards basically anywhere in the world you want to go. Watch yourself fly through the atmosphere and land on a nice couch somewhere in the world. It's part of a contest to win a trip to a secret location to watch the UEFA Champions League Final (that would be a soccer match).
Women Fight Back
Watch out guys. By the look of these women's self defense ads, women are set to kick our asses.
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Creatives Make Some Money
The May/June 2007 issue of Communication Arts gives us the results of their 2007 salary survey among the creative industry. They've compared the results to those of 2005, showing that earnings among most disciplines have increased. The low down is that creative directors are still eating steak dinners, while entry-level designers are still eating Ramen noodles. You can check out the complete survey, as well as past years, over at the AIGA website.
4.29.2007
1960s Advertising is Back with Mad Men
The ad world of the 1960s will soon make a comeback on TV. Mad Men is a new series by the writers of The Sopranos that will debut on AMC in July. The show will follow the professional and personal lives of New York advertising execs in the 1960s. Let's hope they highlight the popularization of cigarettes and the degradation of women in the ads of those days. Gawker has a comical post about the show.
UPDATE: Now with the trailer and website link.
Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World isn't Interesting
Here are some shorts from Dos Equis' Most Interesting Man in the World campaign. I don't know, I don't find him that interesting, but he has a couple good lines in these.
Coke Side of Life has Endless Summer
Crazy cool new Coke commercial called Endless Summer. Love the animation style and the little world they created.
Jeep Gets Magnificent View Installed
Great idea. At an auto show, Jeeps were fitted with window stickers that created the illusion of driving through mountains to people who sat in the vehicles. Very nice.
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Speed Stick Turns Your Pubes Green
Ha. Cheap gimmick for Speed Stick Irish Spring that kinda works.
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National Geographic Puts You Front Row and Center
Pretty nice. I like the art direction. Copy translates, "The best of National Geographic only in Canal 13."
Williamsburg Kite Festival is Colorful
The Williamsburg Kite Festival took place in Brooklyn today at McCarren Park. It was a fun atmosphere with lots of kites, kids, music and colors. Enjoy the video from the event.
DJs Spin to Promote Dance Parade 2007
Today I was walking around Union Square and stumbled upon these DJs spinning for a little dance party. People were going nuts for the music, some even dancing on stilts. The mini party was promoting the upcoming Dance Parade 2007, taking place May 19th. The parade will boogie down Broadway into Washington Square Park. Participants can then dance the day away from 4-8pm. Sounds like a great time to me.
Peep at People with Person.com
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This is a sponsored post.
4.28.2007
Vanessa Bongo Girl Minnillo
iPod Ad Gets Sexified by Soft Paris
Alright, so this is basically a classic iPod ad sexed up till it blows (NSFW). It's actually an ad for some sort of female pleasure stick called Oh Mi Bod from a brand called Soft Paris. The vibrator's an iPod plug-in that rocks you out to the beat of the music playing. The commercial lyrics "you should plug it, let's all plug it" are a nice touch. I'm gonna go watch it again now, enjoy.
Lux Brings Neon Signs to Life
This is a great commercial. I love the atmosphere it creates simply through the art direction and music. Tells a good story centered around Lux, as well.
Kleenex Tissues Go On Forever and Ever
Pretty nice and imaginative idea here for Kleenex. Great way to show the nearly never-ending supply in one box.
Central Park in Spring
I spent part of my day today in Central Park. It was a beautiful Spring day, and the park was hopping. Enjoy the pics.
Hummer Gives Away Hummers
I was pleasantly surprised when a nice young girl in a Hummer shirt handed me a Hummer for free today. What a great promotion to give grown men toy trucks at the NFL Draft. Thanks Hummer!
NFL Draft Spills Into the NYC Streets
I happened to walk by the NFL Draft today, happening at Radio City Music Hall. In the streets outside the building was the fan zone, with lots of events going on. I caught a glimpse of New York Jets running back Leon Washington being interviewed (shown above), and even got a free Hummer. Gotta love sports.
User-Generated Pepsi Ad in Times Square
Back in February, I posted about a user-generated billboard Pepsi was asking for. Now, the billboard is up in Times Square. Not bad for something designed on a website, I like all the colors and chaos in it. It looks like Pepsi was even nice enough to leave the name of the winning designer off of everything. Glad to see they are giving credit where credit is due (that would be sarcasm that I am using there). You can also see in this billboard that Pepsi isn't done milking its drinkers for all they're worth. Now they are asking you to design their can. Good luck in all your attempts to give Pepsi more free design work.
Sikh Parade on Broadway
While roaming the streets of Manhattan today, I stumbled upon some sort of Sikh parade. I'm not sure if today was a holiday for the religion or what. All I know is there was tons of people all over the place and lots of color.
AAF NSAC in NYC this Weekend
The AAF's National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC) is underway in New York City this weekend. In the program, colleges compete against each other by developing a campaign for a client, this year Coca-Cola, and presenting it to judges at the competition. Months of work goes into developing the campaign, organizing the presentation and finally presenting to the judges. I watched Penn State's presentation today. It was very well done and professional. They had a lot of ideas, all wrapped around a central theme.
The winner of Penn State's district will be announced tonight at an awards ceremony. Tomorrow another district will compete. The event is being held at Baruch College (55 Lexington Ave) this year, with teams presenting throughout the day. I think the NSAC is a great way to give students a sense of how the ad world works and also give potential employers an arena to see up and coming talent.
Lickable Little Popsicles
Ummm...yea. Not even going to say anything. Just let your dirty mind fill in the blanks.
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4.27.2007
Most Interesting Man in the World Drinks Dos Equis
Raid Works Wonders on Sheet Music
Kinda good, but almost just creative for being creative's sake. I get the bumblebee connection, but there's not really any reason to connect it to music.
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Tango Ad with Special Effects
I like this commercial just based on the single element of the way it was shot. It's one single viewpoint the whole time, but somehow they take you from inside an office to eventually circling a field from a helicopter. Great work.
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Xerox Takes Borderless Printing Too Seriously
This is one of those ideas that shouldn't have even been written down. Copy reads, "Borderless Printing." It took me a second to get it, and when I did I was pissed that I had wasted my time on something so stupid. I demand you give me back those three minutes, Xerox!
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WWF Creates Chainsaw Dust Art
I just really like the art direction in this ad. WWF does such a great job with their campaign. Copy reads, "Rain forest cries out. But the chainsaws don't let you hear it."
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Shedwatoon 2: Agency Research
This cartoon is the second in a weekly series drawn by a talented illustrator named Victoria Levan. Check back each Friday for a new Shedwatoon.
DHL Ships via Paper Airplanes
I'm kinda on the fence with these. I like the visual of a giant paper airplane (with which I was obsessed as a kid) at an actual airport, but the ads really don't make much sense. They are just giant paper airplanes, not DHL branded, not letters, not packages. Maybe I'm just completely missing the message they are trying to get across, or maybe they just completely forgot to try to send one.
Hairstyles Show Payscale of Races
Simple is better a lot of times. It definitely works here. The hair style of a white man is placed next to the hair style of a black man with their attributing salaries to highlight the unfair difference. I like the use of the mirror.
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This is a sponsored post.
4.26.2007
Panasonic D.Sound Fits Anywhere
Wow. This would never pass for national TV, but it's definitely going to make its round on the internet. Anyone wanna guess exactly where that small MP3 player is stuck?
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Colour Pens Tell the Whole Story
These are kinda good I guess. They do a good job of showing the two sizes of the pen tip and keeping it kinda humorous.
Guardian Angels Like to Watch
Funny commercial for Planned Parenthood, showing that even guardian angels are watching you get down.
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Lazer Helmets Kill Flowers
Love this spot for Lazer Helmets. A flower's life flashes before it's petals as it is crushed to pieces by the strong helmet. Great idea and even better execution.
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Everything's Faster with Porsche
I like the art direction and style of these ads, but the message is a little flat. Click the images to enlarge and read.
Be the Lowest Bidder with Bid4Prizes
Tired of not being the highest bidder in online auctions? Want to spend as little as possible on great prizes? Then check out bid4prizes now. They offer auctions on tons of cool prizes, but it's not your typical bidding war. In these auctions, the lowest bidder actually wins! They have phones, TVs and cars all up for bid. How it works is that you bid a low number, say $.75 for a TV and then you get a reply stating if you bid is too high, too low, unique or a repeat and it's your job to figure out what the lowest unique bid is. Once you do so, you win. You can place bids from your cell phone or online. So, waste some spare time with a fun and challenging lowest bid auction.
This is a sponsored post.
4.25.2007
American Copywriter is a Good Listen
Anyone in the hunt for a great advertising focused podcast needs to look no further than American Copywriter. The show is hosted by two creatives, John January and Tug McTighe. They are entertaining as they tackle the news of the industry. The guys also have a blog to accompany the podcast. I suggest you check out both, if you know what's good for you.
Heinz Ketchup Top This Contest
Here's another YouTube user-generated commercial contest. This time it's Heinz Ketchup with their Top This promotion. All you have to do is create a good ol' Heinz Ketchup spot and you could win the $57,000 grand prize. The top 5 videos will all run on national TV. Grab that red stuff and get started.
JLo and Hubby Get Photoshoped
This is the poster for the new Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony movie, El Cantante. That's one hell of a Photoshop job they did on the odd couple. Reminds me of a 1970's porn cover. At least they got the crazy wrinkles right on his face.
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Get In Touch with Vonage
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This is a sponsored post.
I Pity the Fool Who Doesn't Have a Snickers
Mr. T is back with a vengeance in this new Snickers campaign. It's not the most genius campaign out there, but I still like it. Any commercial where a candy bar is hurled at someone's head is alright in my book.
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Shedwa's Six: Arvind R of Creative Criminal
Name: Arvind R
Title: Publisher
Blog: Creative Criminal
SHEDWA: When and why did you start your own blog?
ARVIND R: I started my blog in April 2005. I was passionate about advertising and I wanted to share it in some way or the other. That's when I started Creative Criminal.
S: What do you look for in work that you feature on your blog?
AR: Ideas. Any creative that brims with a spectacular idea will make it to my blog.
S: You're located in India. What do you think is the biggest difference between Indian advertising and American?
AR: In India, advertising is looked at as something that gets product off the shelf, which in turn builds the brand. The more they sell, the better the brand. In the west, advertising is something that builds a brand. The stronger the brand, the more it sells. Good ads sell more.
S: What do you think is the hardest thing about trying to get a job in advertising?
AR: The ability to create ideas that are simple and straight. I think that's the hardest thing.
S: How has advertising spoiled you thus far?
AR: Haha. After spending quite a few years in advertising, I still feel incomplete and inadequate.
S: What are your 5 favorite blogs, advertising focused or not?
AR: Of course all my likes are advertising focused. I like Ads of the World, ihaveanidea, Brainstorm, The Hidden Persuader and AdRants.
Check back each Wednesday for a new Shedwa's Six interview.
Let the Gods Deal with the Damn Things
Copy reads, "Poweron. We send mosquitoes to heaven." Hahaha...very nice.
Durex has Sexperience
Pretty cool looking Durex ads. It's kinda nice to see them do something that isn't just sex, sex, sex, nudity, nudity, nudity.
4.24.2007
Jeter Meets Keitel on the Diamond
Here's a new Gatorade ad featuring Derek Jeter and Harvey Keitel. I really like the cinematography and the feel of the ad. Much better than Jeter's past Gatorade spot. I kinda wish they would have went another direction though; it would have been great if Jeter spilled red Gatorade on his uniform during the game and he had to head to the locker room where he met Keitel's 'The Wolf' character from Pulp Fiction to help him clean up the mess. That would have been one bad ass spot.
History's Tragedies Advertise News
World tragedies are used here by Cape Times, a South African daily, to promote themselves. Copy reads, "The world can change in a day. Don't miss your daily edition of in-depth news. Cape Times. Know All About It." I think it's a strong, impactful message, but there is always uproar when things like this are done.
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Intel's UMPC Future
Here Intel gives us a glimpse into our future with cool new technology. I like the features in the first two situations, but the third one is kinda weird with those bracelets and the silent club. What if I forget my ear thingy? Then I'm screwed.
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Download Humans at Portfolios.com
Pretty simple, but kinda nice. It's almost saying portfolios.com is a slow-loading site, haha. Also, the look and feel of these ads doesn't really fit with the bright colors and cartoons once you go to the site.
Taking Hopscotch Vertical
Copy on the walls reads, "Rock climbing camp for kids." I like it, and I wanna go.
Mapa Brings Sensitive Hands to Life
These are some of the weirdest ads, but I think that's what makes them good. You'll have to enlarge the ads in order to read the stories and really understand what's going on.
7-Up Diet Floats Out of Ad
Not bad, but I think they could have pushed their brains a little further and really came up with something good. Headed in the right direction though.
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This is a sponsored post.
4.23.2007
Evolution of the Nike Shoe
Very cool Nike ad showing the evolution of their shoe. Great sound effects as well.
Smirnoff Travels Through Time and Space
This is an awesome Smirnoff ad. It gives the history of the vodka as it travels through the frosted imagery we have grown to expect from the campaign. I like this spot quite a lot.
Up Close and Personal with Disney Characters
Love the art direction. Copy reads, "See them bigger than ever. Disney Fest. 14-16 Nov. PVR Cinemas."
BP Gets a Little Better
Awesome work. I love the music, the animation, the message and everything else that is wonderful in these new BP ads. See a couple more below, and an outtakes clip here. Hooray!
National Geographic Highlights Nature's Horrors
These ads for National Geographic Kids Magazine are great. I know if I was 10 years old and saw that a deformed cat can have one eye and frogs can explode, I'd definitely be interested.
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Get Boat Cover Advice
If this week's weather is any indication, summer is quickly approaching. Sun, heat and outdoor activities are all coming soon. That means it's almost boating season, as well. There's a lot of opportunities to enjoy boating in the New York City area. If you're a boat owner, your boat is a prized possession and it should be cared for as such. That's why Boat Covers Advice is here to let you know everything you need to about boat covers. They will tell you how to choose the right canvas and what the features of a good cover are. Don't let your boat sit out in the elements unprotected. Get informed about the perfect boat cover today.
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Windshield Wipers Play Violins
I hate getting flyers posted on my car, but at least this one would make me appreciate the creativity. The windshield wipers make the violin bow.
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Antonella Barba Sighting
This weekend I headed back to my old stomping ground, Penn State, and came across an unlikely celebrity sighting in Antonella Barba, the American Idol wannabe voted off earlier this season. She was at a frat party. Apparently her brother is a brother there. Anyways, I heard she did a little singing later in the day, but sadly I missed that. My paparazzi skills were seriously lacking, but I did manage to get a couple shots of her.
4.20.2007
Pepsi Billboard Uses Grinning Clown Mouth
That smile and those lips just look like a sexual predator on the prowl. Talk about bringing back terrifying circus clown nightmares. Thanks Pepsi.
Marilyn Monroe is Hot for Einstein
Funny commercial for some sort of foreign soda. Marilyn Monroe and Einstein meet and discuss the possibility of procreating together. Gotta love advertising.
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McDonald's Breakfast Ads are Sunny
As much as I hate McDonald's food, I really like these ads. Copy reads, "Breakfast 6:00 till 10:30." I like the choice to do a full photograph as the ad. Wonderful.
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Shedwatoon 1: Client Meeting
This cartoon is the first in a new weekly series called Shedwatoon. The cartoons will be done by a talented illustrator named Victoria Levan, and a new one will appear at the end of each week. Check back each Friday for a new Shedwatoon.
XM Radio Hooks You Up with Calls from MLB Stars
So, this morning I was getting ready for work and got a phone call from Derek Jeter. Yes, he was hanging out with my friend and was just dying to tell me all about MLB games on XM Radio. Ok, so it was really all just an automated promo, but still pretty damn cool. You can go to the XM Radio MLB site and have either David Ortiz, Cal Ripken Jr. or Derek Jeter send a message to your friends or family. The site asks you a few questions, and then the personal message is created and can be sent via phone or email. Definitely a great gag for any baseball fan.
4.19.2007
Visit Jamaica Because It Looks Great
I love the art direction and illustration in these visit Jamaica ads. Such a great job of capturing the atmosphere and attitude of the country.
LeSportsac Zipper is Full of Color
Here's a nice, but probably illegal, outdoor board for LeSportsac located at Lafayette and Bond Streets. I like all the color peaking out through the 3D zipper.
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Global Warming Will Bring the Sharks to Manhattan
Poor Manhattan is going to become shark infested if we don't do something about global warming. Copy reads, "Global warming is changing the world's climate rapidly. Icebergs are melting, oceans are rising, nature is revolting. Act now, conserve energy and treat the planet with respect, or we'll have a world at sea." Looks like those friendly whales are going to have some competition.
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4.18.2007
Alyssa Milano Designs MLB Apparel
Fergie's Glamorous Candie's Commercial
Here's the Candies commercial featuring Fergie. You can also check out the print ads, if you're into that kinda thing.
Paris Hilton Ruins Hotel Elegance
First, Banksy made a few minor changes to Paris Hilton's album, now another artist has updated the signage in an Ohio Hilton Hotel. These Hilton ads featuring a nipple popping Paris(NSFW) were posted throughout the hotel. I wonder how long they were up before the employees noticed (or cared).
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The History Channel Misinforms
I'm torn on these History Channel ads. On one hand, they draw attention and bring the tagline, "Watch history come to life.", well, to life. On the other hand, they are bordering the delivery of misinformation. I think maybe if the headlines were more easily recognizable as past events, not current, then the ads would be a little safer and maybe better.
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Kids Get Cropped Out of Tennis Coaching Ads
Copy reads, "Tennis coaching for kids." I like these, but the first one is better than the other two. Especially the last one with the linesman. Why is he cropped out? There's no reason for that one. The other two make sense; the kids are short, I get it, but the last one I don't see a reason why he would be cropped out. I do like all of the negative space in the ads though, it's nice.
K9 Advantix Goes to Camp
Kind of a slow day in the ad blogging world today, so here's a semi-old K9 Advantix commercial that I sadly know all of the words to. Get out of my freakin' head you stupid puppy!
Shedwa's Six: Miel Van Opstal of Coolz0r
Name: Miel Van Opstal
Title: Publisher
Blog: Coolz0r - Marketing Thoughts
SHEDWA: When and why did you start your own blog?
MIEL VAN OPSTAL: I started blogging in April 2005. At that time, I was studying interactive marketing, and I had been contributing to blogs of friends before. They just got tired of me sending them links all the time, so they convinced me to start blogging myself, which I did. My blog wasn't on blog software, it was entirely HTML, manually coded. I just looked at it as a personal website. For every post I made, I created an html page with the post title, I copy-pasted the entry on an index page, made the links myself and sliced up the index file 4 times a month to spread the load. It was incredibly time-consuming, but I loved it. Because I started posting more regularly, and the blog started growing, I decided to merge the entire HTML site into a WordPress setup in January 2006.
S: Why blog about advertising?
MVO: The blog content isn't restricted to advertising, but it's the part I love most (apart from the gadgets and digital toys). I was a student in a marketing/advertising sector, did internship in an ad agency, so it was basically to have a personal archive to pour ideas out of. Very often when I bookmarked 'cool stuff' in general, it was moved over the course of time. I hated the 404 messages every time I needed specific content, so I decided to create a platform I could control, so that the content would be within reach the entire time. It came in very handy when I was working as a strategic planner for the ad agency. It served very well to support pitches, to demonstrate campaigns or to show how creative other agencies have been elsewhere in the world. When I started working for Microsoft as an Enthusiast Evangelist, the question rose to continue blogging about ads and marketing. I decided that my interest in ads and marketing became a hobby and that I loved the attention I got from readers, the emails with suggestions and freshly released campaigns. I'm the only ad/marketing blogger in Belgium with a large audience like my blog has (8,000 uniques a day), and I decided to keep on building. I'm addicted to ads, to creativity and to marketing. I just select cool stuff from all over the world that's worth mentioning. Apparently a lot of other people appreciate my taste and I know in every ad agency in Belgium, someone's reading what I post.
S: Where do you find the content that you include in your blog?
MVO: It gets sent in by agencies, by readers, by PR services. I have an RSS reader with about 1,000 feeds in it, which I try to manage. Whenever I find something in there I like, I post it on the blog and link to the original author with a 'via' to conclude the post.
S: What impact, if any, do you think blogs serve in the ad community?
MVO: The fact that things can go 'viral' in the blogosphere is part of the reason why blogs exist. For agencies, creatives and directors, being featured and discussed about is a personal compliment. Getting attention from all over the world makes you a little famous, it gives the campaigns extra exposure which is good for the brand (it confirms that they have chosen the right agency) and for the agency (it confirms they have great talent in the house). It's a good way to share the cream of the scene, to show other agencies and readers what's been going on in the rest of the world, that can initiate a new creative process and lead to new and better ads.
S: You work for Microsoft EMEA as an Enthusiast Evangelist. Just what exactly is that?
MVO: Enthusiast Evangelist has two words. The first word is my audience, the second one is what I do. I have to talk to audiences who are in one way or the other involved with Microsoft's products. It can be Zune (our video/music player), XBox 360, Vista, Office 2007...but it can also be hardware, health care related, education related, hardware related. Basically ANY product that ends up with the consumer is within my field. What I have to do is create events or sessions in which I try to deliver an experience to the audience so that they become 'more enthusiast' about the products they already use, so that they learn things they didn't know before and so on. I have to talk about cool things I see, hear or know of and make it more tangible and understandable. I don't have to sell anything.
S: What are your 5 favorite blogs, advertising focused or not?
MVO: Adrants, InsideMicrosoft, LiveSide, Google Blogoscoped and AdLand.
Check back each Wednesday for a new Shedwa's Six interview.
Design Your Own Oval Kleenex Box
Kleenex is brilliant. Well, someone that works for them is anyways. They've come up with a whole new box design (it's oval and very nice), and right along with it they've rolled out a design your own snot box option. You can design them however you want (even upload pictures), then the kind Kleenex folks will print it out, put it together and send it your way for only $4.99.
I think this is a great idea, and has so many applications. Brand your company's tissue supply, create a touching Mother's Day gift, or hell, you can write "Sorry, I'm breaking up with you." on the box, send it to your girlfriend, and she has tissues right there to ball her eyes out into. Whatever the case, a custom designed Kleenex box is sure to get the job done. Two enthusiastic thumbs up, Kleenex.
UPDATE: My company designed and ordered a few boxes of these, and they just arrived. I have to say, even as an art director working in a printing studio, I am very impressed with the quality and craftsmanship of the printed boxes. They are perfect. It's going to be hard to throw the empty boxes away after I use up all the snot rags.
Fiat Falls Flat
I like the art direction and look of these ads, but the headlines are terrible and the overall message just doesn't do anything for me.
4.17.2007
You Can't Make Reyka Vodka
These ads for Reyka Vodka are interesting. The animation is pretty cool, and the message is odd. The Icelandic girl basically just tells us what we do wrong, and thanks Iceland for being right. Watch a couple of the other spots below.
Prestige Pan Holds Up Its Own Billboard
Another great example of a creative medium execution. Great work.
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Gamerama Will Deform Your Hand
These Gamerama ads are kinda sad. The first one seems more like a cry for help than an ad promoting video games. Copy reads, "Gamerama. Dedicated to video games."
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Skittles Creates Annoying Singing Rabbit
I love all of the crazy Skittles ads, and this has got to be one of my favorites. That rabbit is annoying as hell, and I love that there is no dialogue in the ad whatsoever. Great spot.
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Converse Moves to the USB Beat
This is a pretty cool viral. It's doing wonders for Converse, which I'm not sure is behind the video or not. We all know this is a fake. There's no way a USB cable really makes a shoe do that, but is it really an ad? Sure, it's sending that Converse shoe to millions all over the world, but if it's not created by the shoe company it's just by luck and chance that the guy picked his old Converse over his old Nike, old Adidas or old L.A. Gear. Alright, that last one was a stretch. Nobody really has old L.A. Gears.
Medical Diagrams as Ads
I like these a lot. Perfect art direction, and a new kinda twist to the stomach pain reliever. Nice work.
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Tokyo's Flip-Book Style Subway Ads
I had heard about these Japanese subway ads that are posted through the tunnels to make moving pictures as the trains zoom by, but I had never seen a video of them. They are pretty damn cool. And the song in this video rocks, too.
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4.16.2007
Happydent White Serves India
There's been quite a few gum executions lately using this kind of 'brightest smile ever' thing, but this Happydent White commercial has got to be one of the best. It's a great spot with all of the Indian guys serving as everyday objects. This shoot must have been crazy.
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Elevators Used as Film Reels
I really like when a great creative idea incorporates a new spot for an ad placement. This Gothenburg International Film Festival ad is a great example of that.
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Take a Vacation Away from Orlando
These ads look great. The photography is beautiful, and the type treatment is very nice. I really like the message too; trying to show that there are other vacation options other than Florida. Copy reads, "16,203 KM East of Orlando. Change your reference point."
Gulf News Uses Type Terrifically
I think the art direction and type treatment in these is great. Copy reads, "Second thing in the morning." I'm not sure if they are saying Gulf News is the second thing in the morning, or it's the first and the objects are second. Whatever though, it works both ways. Nice work.
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Hulk Hogan Sings to the Japanese
What the hell is going on here. Hulk Hogan singing to babies in a Japanese commercial, that's what. I don't really know what this is for, or what the voice-over is saying, but The Hulkster singing the days of the week to me is reason enough to post it.
Kia Motors Makes Busy City
I absolutely love the art direction in these Kia Motors ads. The copy reads, "Haven't you noticed that when you want to buy a car, you start to see it everywhere?" I could look at these for hours.
New Amstel Light Ad Feels Good
There's nothing special about it, but I kinda like the feel of this new Amstel Light commercial. It's got a nice, laid back thing going on. I've seen it run about 20 times in the last two days though, and I can tell it's gonna be one of another one of those commercials that will eventually make my hair stand on end from hatred.
Nitco Billboard Plants It's Roots
This is one great looking billboard. I love it. Copy reads, "Nitco. Wood finish tiles." Great work, I just wonder how the mono-chromatic look reads to drivers.
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4.15.2007
Sour Patch Kids are Mean
These Sour Patch Kids commercials aren't new, but I love them and haven't blogged about 'em. They are so quick and simple, but have a hilarious premise and the tagline, "First they're sour, then they're sweet", is perfect.
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I Just Felt Like Driving a VW
Brilliant! Why wasn't this done sooner? Volkswagen Golf takes the famous running scene from Forrest Gump and turns it into a driving marathon. They did a great job with the shoot and the cinematography. I love this, it brought a smile to my face.
Tax Rap Winner Creates Great Video
This is the winning video for the Turbo Tax Tax Rap contest. I gotta say, it's a damn good video, with choreography, special effects and decent lyrics. It's almost too good and too perfect for the contest. It makes me wonder if it's not just something Turbo Tax put together as the winning video.
If it is a real video, I'm increasingly impressed with the CGM that comes from these advertising contests. Great results are good for both advertisers and consumers. Ad people can be more confident that their contest will actually generate some decent submissions and consumers are pushed harder to do more with their entries. Nice work, cpulfer.
British Airways Has Beautiful Prices
This is literally a beautiful spot from British Airways. Love the music as well.
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Christina Aguilera is All About Ending Domestic Violence
Christina Aguilera is the star of a new domestic violence PSA on the Lifetime network. Aguilera's mother was a victim of such abuse, so she was a great candidate for the campaign. You can see the spot over at the Lifetime Video Lounge.
Sea of People Scope Out Lower Manhattan
Enjoy the solid land while you can, New Yorkers. The Sea of People were in lower Manhattan over the weekend to get the word out about global warming's harmful effects on the future of our little island. They kind of paraded around in their blue suits while playing bells and making themselves known. My favorite part is the whales who were "scoping out the real estate...looking into moving into lower Manhattan and making a home for their pod."
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4.13.2007
TMNT Rescue Woman Projected on Building
This is a cool promo for the Brazilian TMNT movie, Tartarugas Ninja TMNT. A video of the turtles rescuing a woman from a fire was projected onto the side of a building, followed by the trailer for the movie. I think this is a great tactic.
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Kissing Spot Promotes Lip Balm
FOOA for Free is Fun
Here's one for all you tech-savy ad folks and bloggers. The Future of Onine Advertising Conference is set to take place in New York City June 7-8. Speakers will include internet marketers and thought leaders such as Steve Rubel of Edelman, Darren Rowse of ProBlogger and many more. Tickets to the thing will cost you a good chunk of change at $995 for the two days. Luckily, AdPulp was nice enough to offer a contest for free tickets, of which I was a winner. See ya in the future!
Turn Your Car into a Giant Raspberry
This is a pretty cool idea, but I think the execution could have been better if the other cars on the roads were bad smelling things like onions and feet. Copy reads, "The world smells better with Arbre Magique."
4.12.2007
Holly Madison Would Rather Go Naked
Hugh Hefner's main girl, Holly Madison, has gotten naked again. But this time, it's for something other than Playboy or The Girls Next Door. It's for the animals, baby. Holly has bared it all and joined the PETA I'd Rather Go Naked campaign. This ad has a lot more of a classic pinup feel than Joanna Krupa's Go Naked ads. You can check out a behind the scenes video of Holly below.
Sydney Dogs and Cats Home Sends You Hairballs
I don't know about you, but I'd be freaked out if I got this Sydney Dogs and Cats Home direct mail piece on my doorstep. It's like someone mailing you a skinned cat. Gross. And what if it rained that day? I'd be given a wet piece of hair. I may throw up a little in my mouth from that.
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Greenpeace Says Global Warming is Destroying Snow Globes
This ad certainly rang true in New York City this year. Copy reads, "Winter. You'll miss it when it's gone."
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4.11.2007
Lil' 9/11 Leaves You Wondering
Here's one of the strangest videos I have seen in a while. It's the events of 9/11 acted out by children. Lil' George Bush goes searching for Lil' Osama Bin Laden. I can't help but laugh at it, but I feel like a bad person for doing so. I've never seen an episode of Human Giant, but after this preview I'm curious.
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Cravendale Videos are Crazy Cool
I posted about how I liked the Cravendale milk print ad earlier today. Now, here comes the video spots. I love them too. The animation is great. This whole campaign is too cool for school.
Nike Thinks It's Better Than Snails and Turtles
I get what Nike was trying to do in these ads. They've attempted to show Nike as fast and all other shoes in the store as slow. The problem is, to me it kinda reads that Nike is equal to all the other things on the shelves, and itself slow. Also, how the hell does a shoe actually make you faster? Maybe Nike is developing rocket booster shoes.
Seiko Will Wake You Up Wherever You Are
I actually kinda like these Seiko alarm clock ads. They are simple, but the art direction looks really nice and all the lights on makes for a cool effect. The only complaint I have is that I'm not sure I want an alarm clock that is so loud it can wake the whole neighborhood. I might have a heart-attack when that thing goes off in my ear.
Gabor Fits Perfectly Nude
The copy on these Gabor ads reads, "Fits Perfectly." I really don't like these ads. I don't need a shoe to tell me they fit good, I'll go to the store and try the damn things on. And what's with the hands in the ads? Are they trying to be seduction just for the hell of it. They are just annoying me.
Cravendale Milk Looks Good
I don't know what it is, but I like this ad. Maybe it's the simplicity of it, or maybe just how the copy runs down the pipe. It kind of reminds me of Schoolhouse Rock, which I loved as a kid. Whatever it is, it's an interesting ad.
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Shedwa's Six: Kevin Dixie of FuelMyBlog
Name: Kevin Dixie
Title: CEO/Founder
Site: FuelMyBlog
SHEDWA: When and why did you start FuelMyBlog?
KEVIN DIXIE: I started it in frustration with trying to simply read good blogs without having to click through five or six pages to read something, and then the same number of clicks back like all other sites. It started over Christmas as an experiment, since then, I have met some amazing characters including a homeless guy in the U.S., film producers, many internet CEO's and I have assembled the fuel team on the internet.
S: What's the story behind the homeless guy?
KD: The Homeless Family is a blog that started while the family were homeless and follows their life since they started blogging in an internet cafe. The blog starts "A site created by a family while living on the streets in Jacksonville, Florida, and their path out and up into stability. Can this site help end homelessness? No. What it can do is give a shard of hope for others, and a reminder to spin doctors to quit daydreaming."
S: What has been the biggest surprise about providing a service to bloggers?
KD: The most moving experience was talking to a lady who had received some awful comments attacking her personally on her blog, and was going to shut it down. I emailed her until 4am and we eventually spoke. She carried on with her amazing writing, and the writing was about abusive relationships.
S: What makes FuelMyBlog different than other sites, such as MyBlogLog and 2k Bloggers, who feature numerous bloggers and links to their pages?
KD: FuelMyBlog will be offering a community. MyBlogLog offers a fantastic statistical facility and a great widget and 2k Bloggers was constructed to gain links. We have many, many more things on the way. Remember we are only a couple of weeks old. We will have a radio show, videos, competitions, free stuff, better forums and much, much more.
S: What's your vision of blogging in five years time?
KD: I think it will be faster. Not via the web, but via mobile phones and more on the format of Twitter.
S: What are your 5 favorite blogs?
KD: Great question. I read 100 per day, and I couldn't say honestly. I love great content. It is hard to deliver great content everyday, that's why we created FuelMyBlog! (I do love Indexed)
Check back each Wednesday for a new Shedwa's Six interview.
World of Comedy Festival Draws Some Jokes
I like the illustration in these World of Comedy Festival ads. It's also nice to see them bring some of the oldest jokes in the book to life. Nice work.
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4.10.2007
Graffiti Artists Tag Subway Car for Adidas
To launch the new EndtoEnd line of Adidas shoes, the company sponsored a public graffiti project in New York City. The shoes themselves were designed by graffiti artists in London, so ten other artists were asked to tag a NYC subway car replica on the corner of Houston and Lafayette today. I like the whole thing, but I don't really see any tie to Adidas in the photos. Maybe ya had to be there.
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Hummer Plays Mad Scientist
Nice work messing with nature here for Hummer. Copy reads, "Hummer. Like nothing else." I'm not sure a bear with elephant tusks really represents Hummer, but the photography/photoshop work is cool.
Axe Gets You Naked in the Tub
So simple, and so good. I really like the Axe advertising. Sure, it's sexual and sometime degrading to women, but that's exactly what guys are thinking when they are using the stuff.
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4.09.2007
Breakup via Singing Bear Telegram
This T-Mobile spot featuring a singing telegram bear is possibly my favorite commercial running right now. I laugh at it every time. I've been trying to track it down for weeks, and finally found it here. As soon as I can track it down on YouTube, I'll post the video as well.
UPDATE: I've finally found the video. Hooray!
Kids Ride Each Other for Sneaux Shoes
This is the new Sneaux Shoes commercial. I like the cinematography, but I kinda miss the craziness of Steve-O in the old spots, shown below.
Star Wars Episode III Poster is Very Nice
I love this Star Wars Episode III poster. It uses those long light bulbs to create three lightsabers. Perfect.
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Visa Wants to Give You Potato Chips
This is a nice outdoor board from Visa. The chips are real, and are encased in the hollowed out ad. Copy reads, "The average family eats 3000 potato chips a year. Use your Visa card at any grocery store to enter for a chance to win." I don't usually equate Visa with potato chips, but if it's free I'll take it.
Grab a McBanana for World Health Day
This is nice. It's for World Health Day, which was April 7th. Copy reads, "Eat healthier. World Health Day. April 7." I like it, and I hate McDonald's food by the way.
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4.08.2007
Reebok Wants You to Smell Garbage
This ad from the new Reebok run easy campaign was on a subway platform. It reads, "Stop and smell the garbage. Run easy NY." The whole campaign is wrapped around the idea that you should run slower and at your own pace, or easier. It's a decent campaign, but why would they want to focus on the negatives of running easy here? I don't get it. I think the next couple of NYC themed ads should read, "Let the mugger catch up to you. Run easy NY." and "There's only 500 cabs running you down. Run easy NY."