Friday
Yup this is all kinds of awesome
My favourite parts are:
1. Glasses at the start
2. Picture of Jack Tretton, CEO of Sony at 35 seconds
3. The wii boxing motions he makes
4. The gun sound effects
5. The muffins at the end - I thought you ate all your food through straws?
Thursday
Mercedes and Josh - I am
Just watched this new spot from Mercedes. I have to say that, as a whole, automotive advertising get's me down. It tends to be all the same - little story, 15 seconds of the car and then a push to the website with the relevant, 'new age' car configurator. Some automotive brands have done amazing work (see Honda as a reference) but most are just bland, boring copies of each other.
I can't really remember a Mercedes campaign that I've enjoyed but something about Josh Brolin and a well shot, well-written script is resonating with me.
An older spot but one from the same campaign I find interesting as well - shot from the perspective of the car. Something you rarely see these days. It's also anti-advertising which I think is quite interesting (and delightfully post-modern).
What do you think?
I can't really remember a Mercedes campaign that I've enjoyed but something about Josh Brolin and a well shot, well-written script is resonating with me.
An older spot but one from the same campaign I find interesting as well - shot from the perspective of the car. Something you rarely see these days. It's also anti-advertising which I think is quite interesting (and delightfully post-modern).
What do you think?
DK should change their name to Xerox
So this is currently one of the most viewed videos on the internet... to bad it is a complete rip off of the one below. I hope DK (UK) is ashamed.
Lost Generation was created a couple years ago in early 2008.
In an industry that prides itself on our ability to be creative it is sad that we continually find examples of blatant rip-offs. At the same time I truly believe that clients are also to blame as they are the ones still buying this crap.
Let's make a pact:
Agencies will promise to be more creative and original.
Marketers will promise to be better informed and closer to pulse of the industry so they can call bullshit on their (soon to be former) agency when regurgitated crap is presented.
Lost Generation was created a couple years ago in early 2008.
In an industry that prides itself on our ability to be creative it is sad that we continually find examples of blatant rip-offs. At the same time I truly believe that clients are also to blame as they are the ones still buying this crap.
Let's make a pact:
Agencies will promise to be more creative and original.
Marketers will promise to be better informed and closer to pulse of the industry so they can call bullshit on their (soon to be former) agency when regurgitated crap is presented.
Monday
Microsoft Pivot [Data Part 2]
Lauren recently sent me a link to a new product from Microsoft Live Labs called Pivot. Pivot is a new application that allows users to sort through huge sets of data (called 'collections'). The data could be anything - from every donation made on Kiva to the relationship between one football player to another.
The brilliance behind this application is that it makes finding connections between huge sets of data accessible to anyone. You don't need to be an expert in statistics to see patterns provided by Pivot.
I think that the data examples provided in the video below are interesting, however I think that the real application will come when you input your social graph into an application like this. Imagine being able to view your holistic connections to everyone on Facebook beyond the first friend? Or track the people you talk to most, creep on most frequently or try to avoid?
From a brand perspective, the connections gained from this could provide valuable insight. Imagine uploading the Brand Tag data set and finding the connections that consumer have to various brands based on their perceptions.
All in all, just another example of the new types of creativity that are going to shape communications (and everything else) in the coming years.
The brilliance behind this application is that it makes finding connections between huge sets of data accessible to anyone. You don't need to be an expert in statistics to see patterns provided by Pivot.
I think that the data examples provided in the video below are interesting, however I think that the real application will come when you input your social graph into an application like this. Imagine being able to view your holistic connections to everyone on Facebook beyond the first friend? Or track the people you talk to most, creep on most frequently or try to avoid?
From a brand perspective, the connections gained from this could provide valuable insight. Imagine uploading the Brand Tag data set and finding the connections that consumer have to various brands based on their perceptions.
All in all, just another example of the new types of creativity that are going to shape communications (and everything else) in the coming years.
Just Good Stuff
An old ad but a good one. Goes along with some of my recent posts about great storytelling. If you've read the blog for awhile, you know that I'm a sucker for Nike and most stuff that comes out of W&K.
Let's make better work. And remember stuff that is actually good.
Let's make better work. And remember stuff that is actually good.
Sunday
This is the future of creativity
The Economist recently published a special report on data. If you haven't noticed, it's everywhere. Smart brands are using this data to create better experiences for their customers, optimize work flow and make their organizations more efficient.
Creativity is no longer simply about one big idea to catch someone's attention and shift their perceptions about a product or service. Creativity is about using massive amounts of raw data and turning it into an experience that is relevant, authentic and personal for the user.
I'm going to be writing more on this subject in the weeks to come but if you want to see what's around the corner, you need to read this report and watch this talk (from the creator of the Internet) as soon as possible.
Creativity is no longer simply about one big idea to catch someone's attention and shift their perceptions about a product or service. Creativity is about using massive amounts of raw data and turning it into an experience that is relevant, authentic and personal for the user.
I'm going to be writing more on this subject in the weeks to come but if you want to see what's around the corner, you need to read this report and watch this talk (from the creator of the Internet) as soon as possible.
SEO - The Ugly Stepchild
For the last number of weeks, I've been doing a lot of SEO work for a client. Unlike experience design or creative development, SEO is a process that is incredibly granular, time-consuming and rigorous. It contains many aspects - from choosing what keywords to optimize your site with to understand the competitive set against each term - and each one changes every day.
The other challenge with it is that it's only half in our control (sort of like the rest of advertising). Except it's not just the consumer we have to worry about engaging, it's the search engine as well.
Studying the Google algorithm - although tedious - has been extremely rewarding. Anyone can talk about the basics of SEO (you know, the three sentences that usually contain the words content, headings, copy and links) but few people in agencies actually acknowledge that it is critical to the creative process.
We spend so much time designing experiences and ads / video's / apps that drive or distribute them. Most of our tactics - if not all - cost a ton of money to implement (whether on the media or the production side).
The great thing about SEO is that once the basics are in place, users find you. Sure, you have to update and stay vigilant among your competitors to ensure your ranking stays high but it's worth it when you don't have to pay for a huge percentage of your site.
I know it feels strange asking about keyword optimization in a meeting with creatives but if they're not thinking about it, you've got to be.
To start on the basics of SEO, check out this page and this great site.
The other challenge with it is that it's only half in our control (sort of like the rest of advertising). Except it's not just the consumer we have to worry about engaging, it's the search engine as well.
Studying the Google algorithm - although tedious - has been extremely rewarding. Anyone can talk about the basics of SEO (you know, the three sentences that usually contain the words content, headings, copy and links) but few people in agencies actually acknowledge that it is critical to the creative process.
We spend so much time designing experiences and ads / video's / apps that drive or distribute them. Most of our tactics - if not all - cost a ton of money to implement (whether on the media or the production side).
The great thing about SEO is that once the basics are in place, users find you. Sure, you have to update and stay vigilant among your competitors to ensure your ranking stays high but it's worth it when you don't have to pay for a huge percentage of your site.
I know it feels strange asking about keyword optimization in a meeting with creatives but if they're not thinking about it, you've got to be.
To start on the basics of SEO, check out this page and this great site.
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