Just Walk

So obvious you have to wonder why nobody thought of it before.

That's my definition of a big idea.

I don't know if the Nike crime scene style tape is a big idea. But it sure is a nice one. 

Brand Porpoise

A concrete resume

Click the pic if you want a closer look at this concrete resume by Andreas Conrad.

He's a young architect looking to get noticed.

Now I've seen a lot (and I do mean a lot) of gimmicky promo pieces and resumes in my time.

And I can't work out if this is one of the best or worst.

Concrete resume? Really?

Still you've gotta give the guy credit for trying given he even chiselled all the content!

Bud Light or Lite?

For an agency with supremely high creative standards this Bud Light campaign is definitely sub-par for W+K London.

But hey we can't all be on our A-Game every day.

Anyway years ago a friend went to the US on hols and rented a car. To ensure he stayed on the right side of the breathalyser he drank Bud Light.

But for some strange reason he kept feeling a bit drunk.

Eventually he read the lable on the back of the bottle and found out the beer was not light as we know it - low alcohol - but low on carbs and calories.

Fortunately he never got pulled over while driving!

Visualise This

     

This video landed in my inbox last week but I only got around to watching it today. Now I'm annoyed I never watched it last week. So good!

Chuckle Chuckle

Damn good advice

No more changes!

The general public would probably have no idea what this ad is all about.

But ask anyone (and I do mean anyone) in adland and they'll know exactly what it means.

Sadly it's a concept not an actual ad.

But kudos to the man behind it Andrii Mishchenko.

Dave Trott gets drunk

A friend in New Zealand shared this on Facebook the other day. It is a great story from one of my adland heroes. Enjoy!

Remember Socialcam?

I was reminded of this social media exchange this morning when it turned up as a screenshot in a text message.

To be honest I can't even recall what Socialcam is or was.

Instagram however is now pretty much omnipresent.

Proving yet again that picking a winner in the tech innovation wars is never as easy as it looks.  

Ideas are fragile

Fiat 500 is forever young

The Fiat 500 or Bambino as it's affectionally known is one of my all time favourite cars.

It says Italy to me like no other car.

I once went out with a girl who drove one.

My wife currently drives one.

And on my recent holiday in Italy I rented one for a week in Sicily.

Happy 60th birthday Bambino. You're a timeless beauty. 

Poor taste puns

Respect for women and 'no means no' are values that should be instilled in every young man.

Obviously they are not.

Which is problematic in and of itself.

But this poster I saw the other day is also problematic. At least it is for me?

Seriously who on earth thought a dick made from a thermometer was a good idea?

Not to mention the appallingly punny 'Don't Blow it' headline.

In fact this ad is so wrong, in so many ways, I'm struggling to figure out how it ever got approved.

Approved by the client. And approved for presentation by a Creative Director.

Perhaps they were trying to do something edgy.

Instead it's just punny bad taste...

Coca Cola Pool Boy

This is like the kind of ads Coke made when I was a kid. But with a modern twist. 

Women's Day Fail

Unless these women are getting a thrill from the vibrations of the washing machine I reckon this is one of the worst Women's Day fails from last week. 

Nike Basketball

Somewhere in some far off advertising hall of fame there's an entire wing dedicated to Nike basketball advertising.

Which much be quite daunting when a Nike basketball brief lands on your desk.

So what do you do when pretty much everything has been done before?

Get creative with design.

Not exactly sure what these ads are saying but they sure as hell say it in style.

Uniqlo & Droga

It's an ad for bras. Uniqlo bras. By Droga5.

If those ingredients aren't enough to entice you to click plaay so be it.

But I think you should because it's fun, weird, sexy and features beautiful brutalist architecture.

Do I smell smoke or scam?

Little known fact - More Burger King restaurants burn down than any other food outlet.

Which is where this idea came from. Apparently.

Hate to be a cynic but given it's now March I'd say it is extremely likely that these ads were prepared just in time to enter into Cannes.

Love is Revlon apparently

Some big names in this very nicely directed spot.

All of them with nice things to say.

But seriously what is the point?

Oh that's right...

The point is to go to a website and make content for Revlon.

Why?

Because after paying for Gaga, Pharrell and Ellen they probably found out they'd spent their entire year's marketing budget.

They're not curves Zara

For every brand doing a Dove and trying present 'real' women in their ads there's a brand doing the opposite.

Like Zara. Yes Zara.

I don't know about you but when I look at those too skinny white chicks the last thing that comes to mind is curves.

Fortunately the good folk on Twitter quickly churned out a meme or two to show them what real curves look like.

Droga does The Times

Pretty sure that you (like me) have a favourite Droga5 ad.

And yet I very much doubt that any of those ads we love is a good old fashioned print ad.

Which may explain why I'm so happy to see one from them.

It's for the New York Times and it ran in the New York Times.

Simple. Bold. Elegant.

Just like the paper itself. 

It's in the details

An idea that sticks

This is one of my all time favourite posters.

It's featured in several advertising books.

Yet this is the first time I've seen it photographed in-situ like this.

I'd hazard a guess, based on the Ford Cortina, that it date from late 70s to early 80s.

Which make it 35 to 40 years old.

If this poster appeared today I guarantee people would be taking photos and sharing it on social media.

Because it is in my mind the greatest product demonstration ad ever made.