Another great VW ad

Who else but VW (in their golden period) would use a pic of a different brand to advertise their new vehicle?

Lateral thinking at its best.

Gorgeous photo. Rich with nostalgia.

Five stars from me. 

the 3D Alphabet

The three dimensional alphabet by Jinhwa Oh.

It really is quite beautiful.

In fact I could sit and stare at this on a loop all day. 

Bureaucracy at work

Speaking at the World Business Forum in Sydney yesterday Dr Gary Hamel of the London Business School spoke about the problems with bureaucracy in the workplace.

He illustrated his message with this slide of a beautifully written warning sticker.

So good I just had to share. 

Apple makes music

Apple computers are omnipresent in the music biz these days.

They're obviously acknowledging this in their new 'Behind The Mac' ad.

I kinda like it but at the same time can't help thinking it's somewhat underwhelming.

Imagine if the team who created Think Different had made this. But they didn't...

Lost For Words

It's impossible to read the teeny tiny headline in this ad.

And if you lean in to do so you end up looking like a pervert starring at a mother breastfeeding her child.

Now I love a good bit of lateral thinking. But whoever thought this was a good analogy for 'shareable contact charging' on a mobile phone needs their head examined.

I'm looking at you M&C Saatchi Madrid.

And as for the client that approved it... 

Lenovo is everything!

I've done a lot of work around workplace culture. And I mentor quite a few young people. And I never ever thought that the key to success with the younger generation is a Lenovo notebook.

To quote the brand itself:

"The value proposition of Lenovo ThinkBook products in the transformation of the workplace where Gen-Z and millennials call the shots." 

Benefits of Boredom

Wise words from Austin Kleon. It's from his book Steal Like An Artist which you can find here.

Bummer!

When Dorothy said 'We're not in Kansas anymore' this sign hadn't been printed.

But I sure as hell think she'd have appreciated it.  

De Niro goes to Lancashire

Bolton meets Brooklyn in the bagel battle of the year. Brilliant.

Oh and there's a behind the scenes too!

Clever or Lazy?

I saw an ad from this campaign shared on Twittter the other day.

The person that shared it said it was the best ad they'd seen in ages.

A lot of people agreed.

But not me.

I could say it's all a bit to clever for its own good.

But it's not. It's lazy.

Sorry.

Makes things better

I can't remember who recommended this book to me but I am definitely recommending it to you.

It's a 54 page manifesto of sorts.

And if it doesn't inspire you to throw away whatever you're working on and start again I don't know what will.

Click here to download from Amazon for just a few gold coins.

But before you do read this mini review from the great Bob Hoffman.

“It might be just the reset button we all need.” 

Everyday Inspiration

I'll be honest. This is not an ad to set the world on fire.

But I wanted to share it because it's nice to see two well respected brands from opposite sides of the world working together.

Field Notes from Chicago and Bellroy from down under.

And whilst it's not a great ad it is a beautifully shot and art directed piece of film.

Nice soundtrack too by Spencer Tweedy which you can get for free if you click here.

Coke gets serious

Sugary soft drinks are in decline and nobody knows this as much as Coca Cola.

Of course it's still one of the world most loved brands. But sales are dropping.

So it's no surprise to see them branching in to bottled water and other 'healthier' drinks.

What is a surprise is seeing them doing upmarket hipsteresque versions of their core product for use in cocktails and mixed drinks.

Bit of a niche rather than mass market I'd have thought.

Cool bottle though. And I'd definitely like to try some. 

This is America today

Powerful work from McCann New York.

Gifts for Mum?

It was Mothers Day in Australia yesterday.

A day where corporate lack of awareness is at an all time high.

This year's best example comes from the makers of the kids computer game Minecraft via Facebook.

I mean seriously. What Mum wouldn't love this as a gift?

It's the thought that counts. Right? 

Meet Gary Hustwit

Gary Hustwit is one of my creative heroes.

He started his career as a designer at seminal punk label SST.

He produced the Wilco doco I am trying to break your heart.

And he made the best film about a typeface you will ever see.

Click here to check out a brilliant interview and insight into him and his work. 

Jeff Bridges, man

Adam+EveDDB can usually be relied upon to make great ads. Jeff Bridges is a genuine icon. And Amstel is not a bad drop.

So where did it all go wrong?

Oh and wasn't Jeff hawking Stella just the other day?

Design around the world

The other day I stumbled on a terrific website exploring design groups from all over the world.

Fascinating stuff.

People everywhere are different yet have so much in common.

Click here to check it out but be prepared to go down a bit of a design rabbit hole.

The creative partnership

This is a scene from the TV show Billions. I love the band Wilco so it really struck a chord.

I'm sharing it with you because I think it also gives a great insight into the synergy that results from a genuinely creative collaboration.

If you ever work with someone who makes you and your work better be sure and hang on to them. 

Creative Feedback

You are not alone

Carlsberg goes Red

Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly swapped his team’s white shorts and socks for red ones because he believed teams wearing red won more.

To celebrate a 26 year partnership with the club Carlsberg is also going all red.

They've brewed a beer especially for Reds' fans - an all red beer, with an all red label in an all red bottle.

Drink it and you'll never walk alone. 

Try not to hear this

Bloody hard to read the copy on these so click the pic to enlarge.

To be honest I'm surprised nobody has done this before.

But hey it's still a damn nice idea by David - Miami.