Saturday 31 March 2007

Apu at the 7-Eleven


My son Max has asked me on several occasions why 7/11 has never thought of selling Squishees.

Well it looks like he may actually get his way, if a rumour doing the rounds turns out to be true.

Apparently 7-Eleven is in discussion with Fox to convert some of their stores into Kwik-E-Marts to promote the upcoming Simpsons Movie.

If they pull this off, it could go down as one of the greatest brand tie ups of all time.

Let’s hope the movie lives up to hype and expectation.

Friday 30 March 2007

Good enough for Jack


I’ve spent the last week or so drafting scripts about high-tech stuff for a telco client.

Some of the technology seems so far fetched I jokingly said that we should turn the scripts into mini episodes of 24.

Well it seems the idea wasn’t quite as silly as I thought it was.

Thanks to its product placement deal with 24, Sprint Nextel has seen traffic to its website quadruple in the last year.

Jack Bauer’s preferred tech supplier has also seen their brand recall rise by 30%.

All I need to do now is find a way to get the budget on my project increased by about 1000% and we can set up a meeting with Jack.

Does an avatar leave a footprint?


Lauren made a very interesting point in her comment on my post about Second Life yesterday.

Now Dan Germain has raised another Second Life issue I’d never considered – Power consumption and the carbon footprints left by this virtual world on our real one.

An avatar in Second Life uses roughly the same amount of electricity as the average person living in Brazil.

Producing that much electricity pumps over a ton of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere of the real world.

That’s a pretty big carbon footprint for a person who doesn’t actually exist. The equivalent of driving a bloody great big 4WD almost 4,000km!

Dan’s post touches primarily on the power needed for an avatar.

Given that Second Life exists on enough computers to fill a football field, I’d say that simply maintaining the complex and detailed 3D environments would result in one hell of an electricity bill.

Click here for further debate.

Thursday 29 March 2007

Bakery uses its loaf


I often pop in to my local bakery on the way home.

They always have bite sized samples of something or other on the counter for you to try.

Today though they took sampling a step further.

When I bought my usual loaf of bread they gave me a sample pack of one of their new loaves.

Rather than the usual bite sized piece they gave me enough for a sandwich.

Two slices, in a slice size bag with an info flyer.

Strangely the flyer didn't include any kind of offer or enticement.

Which I reckon is a missed opportunity.

Still a nice idea none the less.

Virtual bricks and mortar


I’ve just being reading that Amsterdam has been sold on eBay for $50,000.

Thing is it’s not the real city in Holland, it’s the virtual Amsterdam in Second Life!

That’s fifty thousand big ones for something that doesn’t actually exist – or does it?

I’m really not sure.

The virtual Amsterdam looks pretty much like the real one with tall skinny houses, cobbled streets, canals and women in windows.

And believe it or not those women are making just as much money as their counterparts in the real world.

In a documentary on the ABC’s Four Corners last week, the man behind the virtual Amsterdam claimed that there are prostitutes in Second Life who earn around $4,500 a week.

With that kind of income, I can’t help wondering if it was a virtual working girl who snapped up Amsterdam on eBay.

At $4,500 a week it would only take about three months to save up the money.

Wednesday 28 March 2007

Bloody parking meters


I've been doing a bit of work in South Melbourne this week, where parking is a total pain in the arse.

All street parking has been restricted to one hour pretty much everywhere.

To make matters worse, the money grabbing council has also installed dozens of bright shiny new parking meters.

So now not only do I have to walk down two flights of stairs to move my car every hour of the day, I also have to pay for the privilege.

They did something similar in Madrid last year, resulting in this sticker campaign against the mayor.

Don't know how much impact it had, but I bet people sure felt better inserting coins where the sun never shines.

Tuesday 27 March 2007

Beyond the limits of unlimited


Hate to moan on the blog, but...

I have BigPond cable broadband on an unlimited account.

That's right, unlimited.

On Sunday I got an email telling me that I had been slowed to 64kbps because I had reached my monthly usage allowance.

No, that's not a mistake.

I have exceeded the usage limits on my unlimited account.

This is pissing me off more than you can imagine.

Not only is my internet really slow, but whenever people send me files via email they take an eternity to download.

I'm ranting in this post becaus it just took me 20 minutes to get an email.

It's enough to make me want to sell my Telstra shares.

Problem is they're performing so badly they're worth a lot less than when I bought them.

Bastards!

What went wrong?


I posted just the other day about the lovely Lipton Tea work by JWT Cairo.

Sadly I can't say the same about their campaign for UHU Glue.

Other ads in the campaign featured words like Geek and Fag.

The tagline says: When it sticks it sticks.

What on earth were they thinking?

I've never been one for political correctness, but these ads are just plain wrong.

I suspect they're scams. In fact I hope they're scams.

If they're not, then worldwide CD Craig Davis has still got a lot of work to do to make JWT a global creative force.

Monday 26 March 2007

Potential for compensation


“Here's the gig, it's a 30 page tri-fold brochure.

Here's the catch: I don't have really any money.

How about 300 clams? Does that sound fair?

Oh, did I mention that I get to comment at every stage of the approval process until I see a stream of tears coming down your beet red face?

Did I mention that I'll be briefing you on the project by email one little trickle of critical information at a time?

Did I mention that I'll let you get to the 17th round BEFORE I show it to my boss"?

Did I mention that those are actual clams, not dollars? We're a seafood distributor.”

And there was I thinking that this kind of shit only ever happened to me.

For more on this close to the heart of every writer topic click here and see what Todd has to say.

Sunday 25 March 2007

Timeless design from Switzerland


One of the things I love about the photo site Flickr is that not everyone uses it just for photos.

I've seen student folios, food reviews and lots of great design pieces.

One of of the recent highlights of my regular trawl through Flickr is Alki's collection of Swiss graphic design through the ages.

It's brilliant.

Via 1+1=3

Death to Helvetica


The annual AGIdeas Fest is happening here in Melbourne sometime soon.

If you're planning to attend, what better way to get noticed by the all-in-black designer crowd than with a stylish Death To Helvetica t-shirt.

Available in a range of colours, and guaranteed not to have originated from a sweatshop, you can pick up one of these shirts by clicking here.

Better hurry up though. AGIdeas is almost upon us.

Free stamps for all


Can’t afford a stamp?

Then head to Holland my financially challenged friend, where a Dutch advertising company will give you a five pack of pre stamped envelopes.

Yes that’s right they’ll give them to you.

Where’s the catch I hear you thinking.

There isn’t one - Unless you consider adverts on your envelopes a catch.

If you don’t then a pack of five pre stamped envelopes for absolutely nothing sounds like a bargain.

Be warned though, the people you’re writing to may well confuse your letter for a piece of junk mail.

Perhaps you might be better off saving up for a stamp instead.

Pioneer of beta testing


We hear a lot about beta testing in the new marketing age.

The likes of Blogger and Flickr are just two of many success stories that started out in beta.

In my mind Neil Young is one of the unsung pioneers of beta testing. He’s never been afraid to try new things or fail in public.

His recently released Live at Massey Hall is a great example of Neil beta testing material.

Of the eighteen songs in his set, ten of them were not only unreleased, but also unrecorded at that time.

The concert recording dates from 1971, yet some of the songs he performed didn’t appear on record until 72, 73 and as late as 74.

I know Neil and his voice can be something of an acquired taste, but if you consider yourself a ‘new marketer’ then the least you can do is take a listen to the finest piece of beta testing I’ve ever heard.

Click here for more info on Neil at Massey Hall.

Saturday 24 March 2007

African Extras



When I started watching this Ricky Gervais clip from last week's Red Nose Day appeal in the UK, I couldn’t help thinking that it looked a little fake.

Watch it for yourself and you’ll soon find out why.

The man’s a genius.

Friday 23 March 2007

Freshly brewed urban spam


I've always been a fan of topiary. I even managed to work it into a script for a tv spot once.

And even though I'm getting a bit bored with so called ambient ideas I love this one.

Topiary tea cups in Cairo, with the addition of Lipton tea bag tags, gets the thumbs up from me.

Good thinking from JWT Cairo which featured at the recent Dubai Lynx awards show.

Via

Thursday 22 March 2007

Develop a new habit


The ban on smoking in pubs and clubs is rapidly approaching here in Melbourne.

I wonder what will happen to all the cigarette vending machines at these soon to be smoke free venues?

Perhaps they’ll be transformed by Art-O-Mat into art vending machines.

Art-O-Mat converts cigarette machines into vending machines that sell small pieces of art for around five dollars.

We don’t have anything like Art-O-Mat in Australia at the moment, so the tobacco ban could well present a great opportunity to a canny local entrepreneur.

Go get a McJob!


For many years the Oxford English Dictionary has defined a McJob as either unstimulating or lowly paid, and McDonald’s isn’t happy about it.

David Fairhurst, HR Chief for McDonald's Europe, believes, “That it is out of date, out of touch with reality.”

"It's time the dictionary definition of McJob changed to reflect a job that is stimulating, rewarding and offers genuine opportunities.”

Wait a minute. I thought the dictionary reflected common and popular usage of words, not the meanings dictated by global corporations.

Well the big M doesn’t agree, so they’ve briefed no less than three PR firms to get us believing that McDonald’s is one place where you’ll never find teenagers working a McJob.

They’ve also, believe it or not, started a petition to gain popular support for changing the dictionary definition of McJob.

I’ve just discovered an interesting twist in this tale - McDonald's owns the copyright for the term McJob!

Hmmm?

Wednesday 21 March 2007

In the red corner, weighing in at…


Having dropped the best part of a hundred pounds, 34-year-old Boston man Chris “Tiger” Stockbridge is ready to take on the world.

But before he takes on the world he wants to take on Jared, the formerly fat guy from the Subway ads.

Stockbridge wants Jared to put the gloves on and step into the ring on May 11 for a one-minute charity bout to raise money for the annual Dorchester Day parade.

A spokesman for Subway said, “Jared’s not much of a fighter. He’s too likable a person to fight.”

He’s also pretty bloody annoying if you ask me, which is why I for one was looking forward to this battle of the former heavyweights.

Via Boston Herald

Tuesday 20 March 2007

Increase your bottom line


I spent this afternoon writing copy for a telco client and even now my head is still spinning.

The offer was so complex it left me wondering if they actually wanted people to take it up.

What a pity all copy can’t be as straightforward as this great example that I found over at Where’s My Jetpack:

“Whether you want to sell windows, wine, cough syrup or roofing supplies, all you need to know is summed up in a single word - Ass.”

It’s from a brilliantly tongue-in-cheek website called Ass Sells.

To see how one of mans' most coveted features can help make you rich and famous, click here and discover Colonel Meyers’ Philosophy of Ass.

SXSW Podcasts


The annual Texas creativity get together SXSW seems to get bigger and better every year.

Who knows, one of these days I may even save up the money and make the pilgrimage to Austin myself.

In the mean time, for those who missed it, SXSW has many of the best panel discussions and presentations available as podcasts on their official website.

I've just downloaded one called 'After The Brief' which features graphic designers Jason Santa Maria and Rob Weychert.

To get some SXSW for your iPod click here and visit the official website.

Monday 19 March 2007

Kids of today


When quizzed on what she uses a television for a 19-year old university student replied:

"Sometimes a prof will ask you to watch a program for school and it's not something you'd be able to track down on YouTube."

Wow! That’s a really interesting response, don’t you think?

Guess the times are a changing. And a lot faster than many people realise.

Via Leo B Toronto

Sunday 18 March 2007

Creative Sustenance


Once upon a time, in an agency far far away, my Exec CD came back from lunch to find the creative dept deserted.

He was so pissed off he left a memo on the desk of every creative.

It said, in a nutshell, "Great ideas will never be found at the bottom of a beer glass!"

Perhaps we should have been partaking of this hearty and nutritous soup at lunchtime instead.

Pic innocently pinched from Dan

Paranoid Android


The government of South Korea is in the process of drawing up an ethical code for robots.

The code is aimed at preventing humans from abusing their robots and vice versa.

Millions of dollars are being devoted to robot research in South Korea, where it is predicted every household will have a robot by 2020.

Thanx to Lockwasher for pic.

Zamzar to the rescue


I did a presentation recently and there were some great videos on YouTube that I wanted to include in the presentation.

Problem was I couldn’t figure out how to download them.

A couple of people recommended I try a particular piece of software, but I couldn’t get it working properly.

That’s why I’m so excited to have discovered Zamzar, an online file conversion service.

Zamzar can convert a variety of file types including all sorts of video and music files.

It also has a nifty browser button that lets you convert any convertible files on the webpage you’re currently on.

It easy to use and best of all it’s free. I really can’t recommend this service enough.

Click here and check out Zamzar for yourself.

Saturday 17 March 2007

Tom Waits goes commercial



This has to be the curiosity spot of the week.

A 1981 commercial for Purina dog food featuring the not exactly dulcet tones of Tom Waits.

It appears to be the only ad he's ever done.

Having said that, this iPod mashup featuring Tom doing the Hokey Cokey really works a treat.

What a pity it's not a legit ad.


Friday 16 March 2007

Bud.tv or Dud.tv?


Budweiser’s much heralded Bud.tv had only 253,000 visitors during its first month.

When I read that statistic I thought it wasn’t too bad. Then I heard that their monthly target figure was around 3 million.

Oh dear.

I remember writing a post when the site first launched, where I commented on the overly complex upfront registration page.

Well it looks like I wasn’t the only person who couldn’t be bothered with the arduous registration process.

"The first week after Super Bowl, the site got an average of 20,000 visits a day,” said Buweiser’s Tony Ponturo.

“But only about 800 to 1,000 a day were registering--we think because of the registration process."

Perhaps they should rename it Dud.tv instead.

Thank God it's Friday


Thanx to the Tiger

When only the best will do


The Chaser’s War on Everything returns to Oz television at the end of the month.

To publicise the new series, the ABC has spared absolutely no expense in securing the show some very high profile billboards.

Click here to see just how high profile.

Thursday 15 March 2007

What a wonderful town


The much anticipated Simpsons movie opens in cinemas across the globe on 27 July.

And where better to hold the world premiere than Springfield.

But which Springfield exactly?

There are over 30 towns in America called Springfield, but only one of them can host the premiere.

So Fox is asking the Springfields to compete for the honour.

The towns were each asked to supply videos showing why their Springfield should be the one.

“Like the show, we have a bowling alley, local pubs and manufacturing,” said Dottie Chaffee from one of the many competing Springfields.

She then went on to say, “We don’t have a nuclear power plant, but there’s one that’s close.”

Wednesday 14 March 2007

Long time coming

5 O O 0

This is my 500th post on Brand DNA and I'm a little shocked to be honest.

When I started up the blog I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

It really has taken on a life of its own.

Just the other day Gavin asked me for five reasons why I blog.

I'm not too keen on rambling endlessly about myself, but what better time than my 500th post to try to answer his question.

1. Sharing - When I set up the blog last April I was on the academic staff at RMIT. I was putting together a new subject for the advertising degree, which looked at the impact of new and emerging technologies on advertising. The blog was simply a place for me to share some of the interesting discoveries I had made.

2. Learning - Once I started blogging I started discovering new things almost on a daily basis. The more I blog, the more I learn. And you’re never too old to stop learning.

3. Community – I have met more like minded people since I started blogging than I ever did when I was working in big agencies. Strange thing is I’ve not met any of these like minded people, but somehow it feels like I have.

4. Professional – Many of the discoveries I made whilst blogging have been put into practice in one form or another. This is one of the great things about working outside of the advertising mainstream. You get to try new things before they’re completely ready. Beta testing, as the pioneers like to call it.

5. Pleasure – Gavin also listed pleasure in his five reasons. I love sharing my discoveries. I love voicing my opinion. I love sharing my thinking. I love putting Brand DNA together. I hope you love it too.

Think big...Really big


This month Creativity publishes it list of the top 50 creative thinkers of the year from around the world.

It features some of advertising brightest stars, as well as a whole range of people who I’ve never heard of, but would definitely love to work with.

Here’s an insightful quote on the nature of creativity from one of the 50, Jonathan Dayton.

“Creativity is always starting from scratch and never considering that you're an expert on something. When you really start from that humble place, creativity flows. The worst enemy of creativity is when you think you know something."

Thanx to NCA for the pic

Tuesday 13 March 2007

Take a closer look


I'm going for an eye test on Tursday. It seems my age is finally catching up with me.

However even with my failing eyesight I can still appreciate this excellent and involving creative idea.

Found on Thoughtspurs

Is that 600 virtual dollars?


Joseph Jaffe’s book ‘Life after the 30 second spot’ is one of my absolute favourite new marketing books.

I’ve always been a fan of his 'Across the sound’ podcast too.

Of late though Jaffe seems to have fallen for every single ounce of hype surrounding Second Life.

Case in point being his agency Crayon.

I hate to say it, but I’m this close to deleting my Jaffe rss feed, because he seems to be forever plugging how ‘cool’ Crayon and its virtual world set up is.

Yeah…Whatever, as my daughter would say.

Anyway now Jaffe is coming to Australia and we’re expected to fork out $600 a ticket to hear him speak about new tactics and avenues for marketers.

My question is, if people regularly meet and chat with him at his agency’s virtual home on Crayonville Island, why would you pay $600 for the privilege?

Unless of course it's an admission that a virtual agency living on a virtual island in a virtual world is no substitute for the real thing.

Monday 12 March 2007

What a croc


It seems to me that the people at Nike may well have fallen victim to Chinese whispers.

Somehow the statement “Crocs are selling like hot cakes we should do something similar” has resulted in Nike producing a pair of Air Force One crocs.

Problem is the only thing the new Nikes have in common with Crocs is the word croc.

Crocs as we all know are ugly plastic shoes whose popularity remains a mystery.

The Nike shoes are limited edition Air Force Ones made out of crocodile skin.

As you can imagine the leather hating Croc wearing folks from the National Animal Welfare Society are not happy.

“What a horrific and objectionable way of making money,” said spokesman Nick Rudge.

Here’s hoping the rumour that Nike are about to make an Anaconda shoe remains little more than a rumour.

Wisdom from the good Dr


But on you will go
though the weather be foul

On you will go
though your enemies prowl

On you will go
though the Hakken Kraks howl

Onward up many a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Sunday 11 March 2007

Second Life down under


BigPond, Australia’s biggest ISP, is about to make a big splash in the online virtual world Second Life.

Thus far it is the biggest and best known Australian corporation to set up a presence there.

The Pond has a distinctly Australian flavour with virtual versions of Oz landmarks like the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Ayers Rock.

Billboards for BigPond appear throughout The Pond and content from its real world offering – video, movies, music and games - has been ported in.

Audio and video clips are quite limited at this stage, but BigPond's Jason Romney said more and more content would be accessible in Second Life once copyright issues had been sorted out.

Click here to check out The Pond and find out more.

Source The Age

Marketing lessons from Borat


Borat has just been released on DVD in the US.

Once again media savvy Sacher Cohen shows us how attention to detail is everything.

The cover looks very much like a pirate copy.


Meanwhile the disc itself looks like it was burned on a home PC and labelled with a permanent marker.

Even the DVD brand itself is a dodgy fake.

Brilliant!

Thanx to Chroma

Ouch!


If they can't even spell Brazilian, why would you trust them to go anywhere near 'there' with hot molten wax?

Another slow news day?


Considering the band Boston was little more than a one hit wonder, I was surprised to see the death of their singer make it into the top news stories of the day at Nine-MSN.

I was even more surprised when the story turned up twice.

As I said yesterday, don't they have any editorial or fact checking people at Nine-MSN?

Saturday 10 March 2007

Check your facts


Ziggy Marley back in Australia.

This was one of the headline news items on Nine-MSN this evening.

Obviously a very slow news day. So much so, that I decided to read the article.

Talk about misleading.

Here are some verbatim quotes from the Nine-MSN piece:

"...the Jamaican-born artist will bring his soulful tunes to Australia next month."

That's right, next month.

"...the 38-year-old told AAP from his home in California."

In California?

I don't care how hard up for news they are at Nine-MSN, there's no excuse for making stuff up just to fill space.

The English Ugly Betty



It's early days yet, but the Seven Network is currently winning the Oz TV ratings war, primarily thanks to Ugly Betty.

And is it any wonder, given the endless trailers and promos we had to endure throughout the summer?

What a pity our home grown promos weren't anywhere near as daring as this top notch spot from Britain's Channel Four.

Friday 9 March 2007

Something's definitely missing


Premiere magazine has just published its list of the 25 Best Movie Posters Ever.

And believe it or not, there's no sign of The Godfather.

No mention of either Taxi Driver or Jaws.

The Warriors and Escape From New York also missed out.

The most glaring omissions though, surely have to be Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill.

Oh well. At least they had enough taste to include not one but three posters by the legendary Saul Bass, including Anatomy Of A Murder, which landed in first place.

Click here to see if you agree or disagree with Empire's 25 Best Movie Posters Ever.

Personalised isn't personal


I don’t know about you, but once I greet or acknowledge a person I seldom use their name during conversation.

So why do so many direct marketers?

Because they get all excited about personalisation.

That pic above is a small snippet from a letter I got today.

It features my name in the headline, as well as in the opening paragraph of copy.

This is some DM guru’s idea of personalised communication.

Just because a DM piece has been personalised doesn’t mean it’s personal.

Quite the opposite in fact. It’s simply a sales vehicle with my name contained within it.

Not only that, but the only person who ever calls me Stanley is my Mum.

I get letters like this quite often. Normally I just throw them away. But this one was from my bank.

Yes my bank! Who want to reward me, a ‘Gold Service Customer’ with a generic DM letter that is anything but personal.

Where the bloody hell's Lara?


M&C Saatchi’s ‘So where the bloody hell are you?’ campaign has helped Australia land an extra $1.8 billion tourism dollars over the past twelve months.

A large part of the ads success can no doubt be put down to bikini babe Lara Bingle and her enthusiasm for the word bloody.

It certainly had the Brits all a tizzy last year. So much so that Oz tourism minister Fran Baily had to jet over to Blighty to sort the Poms out.

Talking of Poms, these tourism figures could also have resulted from a massive influx of English cricket supporters for this summer’s Ashes series.

Then again, given that the lovely Lara was seen in the company of cricketer Michael Clarke at most of the Ashes games, perhaps she was a lot more responsible for the tourism numbers than the tourism people realise.

Thursday 8 March 2007

Beckham bares his soul



Thanks to Scamp for tipping me off on this new Adidas tv spot featuring David Beckham.

Gotta say I love this ad, I really do.

I remember years ago Ted Horton telling me that emotion was a very powerful advertising tool.

Of course I've been preaching that mantra ever since.

What I love about this Beckham ad though is its honesty.

It's as if Beckham wrote it himself. Who knows, maybe he did?

Like the Michael Jordan ad I posted a while back, this is another great example of how embracing failure can help you build the strength to go on to succeed.

Hmmm!?


Given free reign by a New York based client, Edge Design brings a light hearted touch to an office men’s room.

Certainly gives a whole new meaning to stagefright, that’s for sure.

Phew...That was close


I read a very funny letter in the newspaper this morning, from a guy call Simon of Hampton Park, who’s as puzzled by recent advances in shaving technology as I am.

Rather than trying to paraphrase what Simon had to say, I’ll simply hand this post over to him:

Thank God. According to their latest ad, we now have a razor with five blades.

How did we ever cope with just four? Three seems prehistoric.

Imagine how lucky we’ll be halfway through the year when they invent one with six blades – then seven, then eight, nine and ten.

Eventually we’re going to need two hands to hold it.

And can someone please tell me what a battery operated razor does?

As near as I can tell, it seems to operate a magnet that attracts sports cars with models draped across them.

Wednesday 7 March 2007

Apples are cool, but...


The wow starts now has to be one of the most uninspired taglines I've seen in a while.

Having said that, the people in this point of sale piece would definitely be saying wow if they were actually using Vista on an Apple iBook.

According to no less an authority than Endgadget you can't run Vista on an iBook.

Perhaps Microsoft should steer clear of stock shots next time they're looking for a little bit of wow.

Extreme Fashion


I found this pic on blogED.

Forget your skinny models and air kissing fashionista types.

What better way to kick off Fashion Week in Melbourne than with a couple of models abseiling down a giant banner in a shopping centre.

Of course they may well have been doing some kind of air catwalk performance thing.

But abseiling sounds so much more exciting.

Could this be the start of extreme fashion?

Tuesday 6 March 2007

One small step for a copywriter


I’ve been working with a large organisation on their new website over the last few weeks.

One of the things we’ve spent a lot of time discussing is the tone of voice of their copy. As you would expect they want to come across as serious and businesslike.

I’ve managed to get them to understand that just because their copy is warm and friendly doesn’t mean they won’t be taken seriously.

Quite the opposite in fact, because people will actually find the copy worth reading, as opposed to the usual empty corporate platitudes.

I saw a great example of what I’m talking about in a newsletter I just received from Networx. It’s by Antoni Lee from Red Agency:

Imagine if Neil Armstrong’s first words as he stepped onto the lunar surface had been, “We are delighted to announce this landing today. It positions America as the world’s leading provider of people-in-space solutions.”

Such words would have faded out of memory and into space.

Thankfully, Armstrong said something insightful, memorable and quotable: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

A tasty combination


Whilst on holiday in Cape Town a few years back my kids and I got a taste for Simba chips.

One flavour in particular that we loved was, believe it or not, chutney.

It sounds so wrong, but it tastes so right.

There's a South African foodstore near where I live and I often stop by to pick up a few bags of Simba for the kids.

This morning I saw they had a few new flavours and one of them in particular really caught my eye.

Nando's Peri Peri.

What a great idea. It was even co-branded with the Nando's logo and a pic of a Peri Peri sauce bottle.

It's a wonder we don't see more of this sort of thing, particularly on the snack food market.

I reckon if they introduced Vegemite flavoured chips here in Oz they'd sell like hot cakes.

In fact I can't believe it hasn't already been done.