Thought for the week

Samuel says enough

I don't know about you but I'm so over the whole bought, owned, earned media story.

Of course it's relevant. I'm just sick of hearing it or hearing about it.

So given it's the 20th anniversary of the release of Pulp Fiction this year I thought it apt to combine the two.

Newcastle Brown stands tall

I've been working on some packaging design recently and one of the things we've put a big focus on during the concept stage is that product on shelf should work like a small format poster.

In essence the front of the pack needs to work like an ad.

Which is probably why I love the Newcastle Brown beer tap.

Of course if every beer started doing the same choosing a beer at the pub would turn into a nightmare.

But they're not. So kudos to the team behind this. 

Hegarty ain't happy

The great John Hegarty talks to Dave Birss about the current state of the ad industry and his frustration (or should I say disappointment) with it.

This is essential listening for anyone working in the biz. So grab yourself a cup of coffee and put 20 or so minutes aside. 

Magical banking?

This ad for Standard Bank in South Africa is utterly gorgeous until they try to awkwardly shoehorn the product in at the end.

Honestly. When did anyone ever find banking magical? 

Selling holes not drills

Terrific product demonstration ad to kick start the week here at BrandDNA. Good to see the medium being used to deliver the message too. 

Product demo with Vine

I reckon Vine is the perfect medium for little product demos like this one. And even though Vine doesn't have a huge usage base as yet the fact that you can embed them makes it well worth investigating as a medium. 

Health & Safety

Love this ad. So cute.

It's from the 1950s I think.

There is no way in the world this would ever run today.

Can you imagine the conversation in the legal dept about wrapping a baby in plastic?

Looking but not seeing

I spent an enjoyable couple of hours last week soaking up the artworks of the Adelaide Biennale.

While I was there I saw a school group being taken around.

Their guide put a lot of work into explaining the piece above which consisted of a couple of hundred handmade aboriginal spears.

Of course the kids nodded along as the guide spoke but really they weren't that interested.

As they left the room where the piece was located I noticed an unintentional artwork being created by the shadows cast by the spears.

None of the kids or their guide saw this.

Which says to me they were looking but they weren't seeing.

Because as Paul Smith says, "You can find inspiration in everything. And if you can't, look again."

Typographic break-up

So lovely spending five minutes in the company of two seriously nerdy typography nerds.

They seem to get along like an old married couple.

And like many married couples they're currently going through a divorce.

A very very expensive divorce.  

Pokemon and the World Cup

When I was a kid the World Cup was one of the most exciting sporting events going around.

It's not like that anymore.

Most of the English Premier League clubs now have a large roster of foreign players.

So the chances of seeing new or undiscovered talent is rare.

What's really affected the World Cup though is the corporate dollar.

Even the bloody ball has a sponsor!

This week things hit an all time low when Japan announced that its team mascot for this year's tournament would be Pikachu.

Yes Pikachu. A bloody Pokemon!

Of course there's more to this than just a mascot. This is about deal between Nintendo and Adidas.

Honestly what is the world coming to when the once mighty Three Stripes is joining forces with an 18 year old computer game?

And what are we to think when the Blue Samuri (as the Japanese team are known) run out on the pitch accompanied by Pika-bloody-chu.

Yes it'll attract kids to football. Yes it'll get talked about. And yes the Japanese will probably love it.

But seriously. It's the World Cup for goodness sake! 

Urinary Tracks

I've never been shy in coming forward about being a toilet tweeter.

It would appear that staff at Arnold aren't shy either as they've started tweeting about what they're listening to on the toilet.

No. I'm not making this up.

Click here if you don't believe me.

Advertising and the internet

Much as I'd like to roll my eyes at this quote from Ad Contrarian Bob Hoffman he does make a good point. And a valid one too! 

Is html contagious?

Just came across some survey results in the LA Times that took the expression 'Only in America' to new heights.

Or maybe that should be new lows.

According to the survey by VoucherCloud 11% of Americans think that html is a sexually transmitted disease.

But wait there's more:

27% thought a gigabyte was a South American insect.

And 23% thought an mp3 was a robot in Star Wars.

Oh dear....

Engagement vs Broadcast

I have no idea who Matt Goulart is but he is absolutely spot on.

Far too many people on the client-side seem to think that social media is all about telling your fans and followers about you.

And then these self same marketers wonder why people aren't engaging with their tweets and posts.

It's almost as if they think that people go on to Twitter for the sole purpose of reading 140 character brand messages.

or maybe they do and I have no idea what I'm talking about!

Well crafted or crap?

Case study videos. Ideas that follow fashion. Seemingly endless new categories.

There's much for an old timer like me to dislike about modern award shows.

Seems I'm not the only person who thinks about this stuff.

Have a look at this damning indictment from the ECD of Saatchis in Australia Damon Stapleton:

"It is staggering what some agencies enter into ad shows. Absolute shit.

What that tells me is some agencies no longer know what great is.

I think case studies are the botox of advertising.

There are certain entries that have more craft in the case study than the idea or execution.

They make rubbish look better."

Wise words Mr Byrne

Dear oh dear

I've yet to see an Infiniti out on the road but they sure have been spending money on advertising in Australia.

There's a particularly uninspiring billboard around the corner from where I live.

This press ad really takes the cake though.

I mean really. What the hell were they thinking with that headline?

And as for the 'Light it up' line. Well the less said the better.

Logo overload

Saw this on Twitter the other day.

Reminded me of a direct mail piece that landed in my mailbox the other day.

The mail piece had not one but five logos on it.

Yes five.

Talk about overkill.

Somehow i doubt that any half decent art director or designer would let a job like that go out the door.

So who's responsible for all this brand name and logo overkill?

I'll give you one guess...

Say vs Mean

I gotta confess I've been guilty of all these. And I'm pretty sure you have too! 

What would Bernbach say?

The Volkswagen 'Lemon' ad is generally regarded as one of the greatest ads of all time.

And deservedly so.

But how would it look (and read) if it was made today?

Probably a lot like the ad above rework by the very cheeky Dr Draper.

Sure the copywriter would do their darndest to be witty and clever.

But a combination of client incompetence and legal department aversion to risk would likely result in a complete lack of charm.

The 'Join the conversation' line me smile though! 

Experience aids creativity

Creativity is often defined as being able to make a connection between two seemingly unrelated things to create something new.

I can't remember where I first read it. It may even have been something John Hegarty or Steve Jobs said.

The pic above shows this beautifully I think.

The thing is that pic says it is about experience not creativity. But trust me when I say it's not.

What it clearly shows though is that age is not a barrier to creativity because the more experienced you get the better you become at spotting unseen connections.

Which kinda makes me wonder why agencies are so obsessed with youth.