From the WTF files

Here's an ad from the days when brands (and copywriters) got away with just about anything.

How 'bout that headline huh?

The killer line in the whole piece though is tucked away in the copy.

It's a low-res scan so a bit hard to read, but this for me is genius:

"Laboratory tests over the last few years have proven that babies who start drinking soda during that early formative period have a much higher chance of acceptance and 'fitting in' during those awkward pre-teen and teen years."

Soggy Bottom Boys

Yesterday I had a mini grumble about the state of copywriting.

Today my friends I would love to share a fine example of the craft.

It's also a terrific (and rare) example of non-seriousness in the wine industry.

That's two birds with a single stone.

Love your work Soggy Bottom Boys!

Smell the pleasure

My long time no see ex-colleague Praveen shared this the other day.

It highlights for me a subject in need of debate in 2018.

The craft of copywriting.

No. Make that respect for the craft of copywriting.

The more clients attempt to dumb down and rewrite copy the less attention people are going to pay to it.

Obviously 'smell the pleasure' caught my attention. But not in a good way.

And definitely not in the way a brand manager would want it to.

So how 'bout we let well paid experts in their field just do their job?

Pleeeease!

Tough as Chuck Norris

Dumb fun. What more can I say?

If only all brands could take themselves as un-seriously as Toyota does in this spot directed by Andreas Nilsson, who directed the legendary Volvo 'Epic Split' spot a few years back.

It's also great to see Chuck Norris is able to laugh at his own myth too. 

Smell clean?

I'm not sure if Warhol painting the Campbells soup can was the first high profile example of culture jacking but it is definitely still one of my favourites.

And it was the Campbells can that came to mind when this new Moschino fragrance appeared in one of my social media feeds over the weekend.

Ironic? Sure.

Expensive? Probably.

But would anyone in their right mind want to use a fragrance that looks like a bottle of kitchen cleaner?

Probably not.

But hey. What would I know!?

Summer?

If this clever outdoor campaign for Ikea by DDB Belgium is anything to go by summers in Belgium must be as reliable as summertime in England

Which means we may get this campaign running in Melbourne too.Our summers are notoriously all over the place!

The timeless problem

Armpit advertising

 Congestion on Tokyo trains is not a myth.

They really do cram as many people into a carriage as they can during peak travel periods.

Which is why the utterly ridiculous Japanese idea of armpit advertising may not be so ridiculous after all.

Japanese ad company Wakino is reportedly paying models $69 to expose their branded armpits during peak hour.

Classy? Not really.

Noticeability? Absolutely.

Ice cool Cube

Gangsta is probably the first word that springs to mind when people say the name Ice Cube.

This short film is guaranteed to change you mind.

It's Ice Cube. On Eames.

Who'd have thunk it!?

Nöfnidea!

Love this cheeky poster from online bedding brand Koala.com.

Placement is perfect.

Piss take on classic IKEA wordage.

And no need for an allen key.

Seriously what's not to love!?

Hard luck life

I've spent the last few weeks researching an alternative to my superannuation fund.

Fees Fees. Fees.

Which may be why this ad resonated so strongly when it popped up in my Twitter feed the other day. 

Play with Mail Chimp

Mail Chimp is pretty much every small business owner's favourite email marketing tool.

Simple to use. Effective. And reliable.

Now they've gone and made a computer game.

It's dumb. But heaps of fun.

Click here to go play.

1984 reveals itself

When I first saw this cover for George Orwell's 1984 in my local bookstore I swooned.

Such a clever idea censoring the the title of the book.

It's now been a few years since the current cover hit the market and those censored covers are starting to show a little wear 'n tear.

And as a result they're also starting to reveal the title of the book.

Brilliant don't you think?

The Return

I've always been a sucker for astronauts and space travel. So I was always going to like this new spot from Impossible Foods.

Bloody AdTech!

In an incident that has had the Australian football world talking, last weekend an on-field fracas led to a punch in the face for the young fella pictured above.

The punch left him with four dislodged teeth and a broken jaw.

A truly shocking act. Especially on the sporting field.

But not as shocking as the ad that was served to me while reading about the incident on a local news site.

I mean really.

Yes AdTech helps marketers target and reach people more effectively.

But sometimes you have to wonder just how dumb a piece of technology must be?

Just say no

On the whole, wine is one industry that is relatively gimmick free.

Sure there are casks. And cans. And screw tops have pretty much replaced corks.

But blue wine?

Seriously?

That's just plain wrong.

Eye catching for sure. Or as the kids would say Instagram worth.

But it looks like a goddamn gimmick to me.

French entrepreneur Rene Le Bail is the man behind the wine. Which is a chardonnay tinted blue by anthocyanin. A pigment that occurs naturally in red grape skins.

Cute product demo

Coca Cola Clear

Coca Cola Clear is a Japanese innovation. So I'm gonna cut them a little slack.

But seriously who the hell wants Coke that looks like water?

And who at Coca Cola HQ is responsible for their appalling product names these days?

They're so pragmatic it's as if they think people are stupid. 

Mission Impeccable

Ted Baker and Guy Ritchie is an interesting combination.

Not the first time film director Ritchie has done work with a fashion house though.

I'm pretty sure he was involved with Dunhill a few years back.

Anyway for what it's worth I reckon Mission Impeccable is a darn good campaign title.

And the film almost lives up to it. Almost. 

Tech vs Art Direction

Above is a poster for Wimbledon created by Watson the IBM artificial intelligence (AI) supercomputer.

And below is a poster created by ad agency McCann.

I know which one I prefer. How 'bout you?

What?

I think you'd agree that is one helluva lot of questions.

So how many do you ask a day?

I reckon it'd be twenty tops.

Maybe thirty.

So why don't adults ask questions like kids do?

The more you ask the more you learn.

The more you learn the more you'll know.

And isn't that what being a creative person is all about?

The original Alexa?

I honestly have no idea when this ad for Mullard ran but it sure looks like it would have been some time ago.

Which is interesting considering it is practically an ad for Amazon Alexa or the Google Home Pod!

Book of the month

When I was younger I was intent on building a library.

So I made it a habit to always buy a book on the first day of the month.

And so given it's August 1st I thought I'd recommend a book to you:

The Creative Curve by Allen Gannett.

In the book Gannett shows how creativity is a skill you can develop not just some magical thing only a handful of people possess.

It's a great read and of course you can find it on Amazon.