Always Open

On the importance of smiling

2009-09-29T21:01:00.004-05:00

Just saw this and wondered, where the hell can I share this? And, so, ta-da.

Hello, blog. It's been a while.

fire hydrant wearing a shirt. classy.

Oh, yeah...

2009-08-06T08:30:00.002-05:00

So I started this new business. Unrelated to advertising. And it's kind of overshadowed le blog. I shall return. I mean, I've gotta keep in touch with the industry. But for now, check out the little endeavor, here.

Everything Is Within Your Reach

2009-05-11T17:11:00.006-05:00

The Country's Best Yogurt (if we're open when we say we're open)

2009-04-30T10:45:00.005-05:00

I recently had a pretty dumb experience at a TCBY down the street from my house. And as much as I'd like this to be a raving personal rant, it actually has a tie back to the reality of branding.

In a nutshell, the minimum-waged employee turned off all the lights to the store so as to give the appearance of closedness a good 20 minutes prior to their scheduled closedness.

fellow-ice-cream-wanter-in-car: "I think they're closed."

me: "uhh, no they're not. I've checked their site. They close at 11pm. It's 10:40."

So we drove up to the darkened menu board with the speaker-phone, squinted our eye-balls out, informed the "employee" of our inability to read their delicious offerings because of darkness. Surprise - she did (and said) nothing.

We got our treats and left. And went home and wrote a long nasty-gram on their internets.

And we got this in response:

Dear Mrs. ME,

Thank you for taking the time to e-mail our Customer Service Department.

I am very sorry for the poor service that you encountered at our Bright Banc location. Please be assured that we take all such matters very seriously. I will immediately forward your concern to the franchise owners so that this matter may be investigated and the necessary corrections (firings) may be made at the store level.

I will also let our Marketing Department know about the problem with the contact-us page on our Web site. (their internet form didn't allow me to submit the complaint until I removed all apostrophes from it) Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

I will be sending you a few gift certificates (bribes) in the mail so that you may return to any of our stores near you at your convenience and enjoy some of our delicious product at no cost. You should receive them within the next two (to 52) weeks.

In the meantime, if I can be of any further assistance to you, please let me know.

Thank you for contacting TCBY on-line No problem.

Robert Schicker
Retail Customer Service
TCBY

As a consumer, I find websites to be hugely helpful in this respect. I mean - how mad would you have to be to sit down and pen a complaint to TCBY HQ and wait several weeks for a response. This, my friends, was awesome. For me.

Probably not for TCBY. But who knows? The ability to have little spies to report this type of thing would be hugely helpful for me as a business owner. It would be great to always have undercover reporters to keep everything in check. It just sucks that they also have to be your customers.

Not the First time

This isn't the first time that such an experience has happened to me at a fine dining institution. Once at a Dairy Queen, albeit 8ish minutes to closing), as I sat looking at my high-tech phone read 11:55pm, I was told very blatantly through the shitty P.A. system a-la drive-thru that "it 12am accordin' to ma clock" If I were the manager of said DQ, I wouldn't care if it were 12:05 "accordin' to yo clock." If a customer has made it to the store, must. serve. something.

Complain and you shall receive

It seems a bit backward, no? This whole idea of complain = reward? When we were kids, complaining got you little more than a hairy eye and swift words of terror.

But here, in the cushy real-world, it delivers sweet reward. Delicious.

Seen the Google Home Page Today?

2009-04-27T16:22:00.000-05:00

It's Samuel Morse's Bday.
Clever.

Leo Burnett. The man.

2009-04-16T09:18:00.004-05:00

Who knows if this was really how the place was run. I've been at my fair share of speeches where I wonder if myself and the speaker are thinking of the same place. So, perhaps this is to be taken with a tiny grain of salt.

Either way, I'm sad it's taken me 2 years to finally see this:

The making of The T-Mobile Dance

2009-04-13T15:24:00.000-05:00

Dance the Dance

2009-04-10T15:10:00.003-05:00

So my dad sends me email forwards like whoa. It should be more like LIKE WHOA. It's fine and mostly entertaining.

Any how - he sends me this today:

Nice. only about 750K views so far. I start betting on the views it will garner. And, of course, my dumb advertising brain says "ooooohhh, how can I use that to advertise." I look in the "related videos" section on Youtube and find this:

crap. It's been done. But I like it. And I think more so than the Dutch/German/What-have-you version. Simple. Smart. Fun. And there's a point to it all.

For all I know, the foreign version was an ad too. Just...more foreign.

Your Calling is Calling.

2009-03-26T14:47:00.002-05:00

I appreciate this ad for everything it is. And everything it isn't.

Warning - non-advertising post

2009-03-23T08:57:00.000-05:00

Only in Texas (and maybe India):

Yes.

2009-03-18T11:00:00.001-05:00

Cool Agency Site

2009-03-17T10:39:00.001-05:00

McKinney Silver, NC

Have you heard of YouTube Live?

2009-03-16T09:31:00.002-05:00

In a land filled with more, we needed more celebrities.

Thank you, YouTube.

I now know who Chocolate Rain is, what What The Buck is, and now...who Bo Burnham is. Put 'em all in a room together, and you've got YouTube Live.

Looks something like this:

Connecting the dots

2009-03-11T10:46:00.006-05:00

There's something fun about connecting the dots.

We all know the time-honored-client-tradition of showing what you're saying (ergo "see-say"). But seeing and saying the same thing isn't exactly the culprit. What actually makes it bad is what you're NOT doing. And that is, engaging the consumer.

When you're so explicit with what you show and say, spelling it out for the consumer, it's not fun. As a consumer, there's no need for me to participate in your crappy ad if your crappy ad is blunt enough to tell me exactly what I'm supposed to be thinking.

ACT NOW!

Like a comatose patient on life-support, I do nothing but drool.

Imagine giving a toddler a coloring book with all the pictures already colored in. Or - better yet - a connect the dots game that's already been played.

When you're on an airplane and you bust open your copy of American Way (because the brilliant Sky Mall magazine is taken), do you sit idle for your 3 hour flight staring at the crossword puzzle some jackass has already filled in? NO. You steal the magazine of the guy next to you for a fresh puzzle to massage your brain.

When you're made to connect the dots, you're engaged. You fill in the blanks and paint the picture of the story. YOU, in fact, are a vital part of creating that story.

But how do you do it? How do you make something that involves the consumer in a way that also satisfies the client?

I don't know.

But what I do know is this:

Knowing different things - and lots of different things - helps you bridge stuff together that can make people connect the dots, smile, and think different.

Be it cultures, pop culture, sports, food, lighting, medicine, rubik's cubes, or the temperature on the sun's surface. Know more old stuff. Create more new stuff.

It's my knowledge of different cultures (Indian and Pop) that makes this one work my brain:

It's my knowledge of submitting cake orders and sports that makes me fill the gaps in this story:

And I lack a third example for illustration. Which, for some reason, makes me feel incomplete. But there are plenty more - go find your own. And share.

It'll make us all better.

Another from Chuck Klosterman IV

2009-03-09T20:15:00.001-05:00

"I'm sure you've experienced situations where you've had your ideas edited or rewritten when they didn't conveniently fit into somebody else's agenda. And then - when someone asks you about those ideas later - you cant' even argue with them, because now your idea exists in that edited form."

- Colin Greenwood of Radiohead

Watching Weight and Watching Public Relations

2009-02-24T09:28:00.006-06:00

This morning as I rushed into the lobby of my agency trying to beat the sign-in clock, I was approached by a woman, not unlike the woman portrayed above, carrying a stack of (what appeared to be) flyers.

"We're having a Weight Watchers meeting today in the building and you're welcome to come," she said. As if it made it more appealing, she added, "It's free."

While it wasn't just me, but rather a crowd of people (mainly women) waiting for the next elevator, I still found it rather in poor taste and avoided eye contact.

None of the women around me, including myself, were out of shape. None even appeared to be remotely overweight. In fact, one even looked like she'd benefit from consuming a few gallons of ice cream.

But while most people would get that she wasn't offering the invitation based on the invitees weight, you couldn't help but infer that that's what was intended. It's only a few steps removed from saying, "You're fat. Stop eating donuts."

I didn't really find it offensive so much as comical that a woman, mind you, would feel that other women would be thrilled to be invited to a Weight Watcher's seminar while angrily waiting for an elevator and flanked on either side by co-workers. To say that her timing was off would be an understatement.

I could imagine this scenario working out fine for, say The Emril Lagasse's school of cooking seminar, The Breast Cancer Society seminar, or The Good Housekeeping Magazine seminar. But to approach a group of women and ask that they attend a presentation about losing weight is just dumb.

I'm still trying to figure it out. Would I be able to do this? How could she not see the flagrant foul? She was walking toward a cliff and her intended audience wanted to shove her.

It's just another case in point for the struggle that is a brand. Kudos to Weight Watcher's for their new ad campaign. I dig it.

But BOO for whoever hired this lady.

Another personal post

2009-02-10T08:42:00.002-06:00

I forgot to mention. While I was getting married, celebrating the holidays, and back in VA, I was also getting a new nephew.

He was born the day before the wedding (show-stealer). But we were more than happy to have him any time. Here's a video pre-arrival of his big sister (Clara) requesting that her dad "go get da babby brudder."

James update.

2009-02-06T11:29:00.002-06:00

James is about to get a baby (Jack Russell) sister (Vesper). So we let him sleep on his own bed in the hotel.

Don't request room 114 at the LaQuinta in Clemson, SC.

Fonts

2009-02-02T17:17:00.000-06:00

There's a Hobo Std.

Really?

The elephant.

2009-01-29T15:52:00.006-06:00

Let's just go ahead and get it out. The Super Bowl. It's this weekend if you haven't heard. And if you haven't seen, Youtube is choice for breaking some of the highly anticipated ad-porn you're pining for.

Youtube is great on many levels as I'm sure everyone in the universe is well aware. It's a supreme (and free) way to put the fire under most any brand. Plus some videos give you a little more - like an inside peak on what it's like to create the holy grail of advertising: A Super Bowl spot.

While some have spoiled the fun and released their spots early (Career Builder), others have made clever teasers to build the suspense. Here's one from Bridgestone and The Richards Group:

Surf's up

2009-01-28T11:03:00.002-06:00

Why do we "surf the web"?

Why don't we "ride the web" or "dive the web"? Maybe we could "side-saddle the web" or "skate the web".

No?

Snuggie

2009-01-28T10:17:00.003-06:00

Like most people remember where they were when Kennedy was assassinated, I too recall the moments when I saw ground breaking ads. I remember the first time I saw a MasterCard "Priceless" spot. The first "I'm a Mac/PC" spot. And now, the first time I saw the Snuggie spot.

I was at the gym on the treadmill. It came on one of the many TVs without sound. Yet, still, I struggled to keep myself from dropping limp on the conveyor belt below me as I watched the horror unfold.

I could hear the announcer in my head - he was brimming with excessive joy and enthusiasm for this groundbreaking device that lets you enjoy the comforts of a blanket without all the hassle! (What?)

I usually enjoy 800 commercials. They're sly use of over acting and making simple things seem extraordinarily complex thrills me to no end. But this one took it over the edge.

Now, you too can experience the pleasure. Here's the original followed by an extremely well made spoof that pretty much sums up what everyone's thinking. Don't wait! View yours today!

ORIGINAL

SPOOF

Seriously.

2009-01-26T09:04:00.004-06:00

I hate to clutter le blog with these kinds of entries. But, really? Really?

ProFlowers is trying to relate to me by dropping the OMG. The only problem being, that relates to my 15 year old sister who doesn't buy flowers for anyone.

It just further proves that every little bit of communication - whether a billboard in Times Square, or a puny little email blast - says something about your brand.

And right now, I'm not a fan of what ProFlowers is saying about itself.

I wish

2009-01-21T15:40:00.004-06:00

For some reason, the lovely American Airlines Center here in Dallas thinks I have $3,000 to rent a "new 12 person suite" to watch a Maverick's and/or Stars game with me and my 11 closest mooching friends.

I covet the thought. But aside from appreciating the exclamatory "JUST" placed meaninglessly in front of the $3,000 price tag, covet is about all I can do.

Thanks for the email though, AAC.

The Amazon Link

2009-01-20T16:01:00.003-06:00

I find it more than amusing that Amazon has discovered a correlation exists between people buying Coleman Coolers and Monty Python and The Holy Grail.

Curious.

Yes We Can use that slogan to benefit ourselves.

2009-01-20T09:48:00.002-06:00

Political slogans have taken a nice two month snooze. And now, the alarm has gone off and they're once again stirring. The front runner? "Yes we can."

It's beautifully simple, can be wonderfully rhythmic, and painfully imitated.

Watching the NFL championships over the weekend, I was slightly annoyed to find CBS borrowing not only the slogan, but the familiar tri-chromatic postering to promote their line-up of sit-coms.

Boo.

And now, on inauguration day, foreign leaders are slicing themselves a big helping of Obamaism pie. With a heaping scoop of weird on the side.

Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah would like to let me know he supports Barack. How nice. It's quite possibly the strangest banner ad I've ever clicked on: a banner ad that's not even selling anything and links directly to a foreign diplomats web page.

(click image to launch into weirdness)

Maybe this is a good thing: a president the world can get behind.

But while imitation may be the greatest form of flattery, it's still just imitation to me.

Notable Quotes

2009-01-16T08:51:00.002-06:00

I'm in the middle of my second Chuck Klosterman book, "Chuck Klosterman IV". It's a compilation of his interesting interviews with interesting people over the course of 10 years. Or, as the spine of the book says: "A decade of curious people and dangerous ideas."

I enjoy his style of writing, and while I'll assume it's not for everyone, it's at least worth a skim next time you're at Barnes & Noble.

Currently, I'm reading an interview he had with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant. And while most of what streams from Plant is incoherent and narrow-minded, there was one line that was strikingly clear. I can only assume I couldn't comprehend most of what he was saying because I'm not that into music. But, perhaps because I'm in advertising, I understood when he said this:

"I don't make my living by making my living. My time is so important that I can't compromise my taste - or my idea of what's right - simply to match someone else's view of what's a good, calculated move."

Of course, that was then followed by "It would have been quite sluttish to come back firing like a bunch of hard rockers." But I suppose that rings a bell too...

Back and Interactive.

2009-01-14T11:43:00.005-06:00

After a long and much needed break from life, I've returned. And waiting for me was a new job with interactive agency, Click Here in Dallas. And so, the learning has begun.

There are vendors out there who actually spend their 9-5 coming up with interesting, stimulatingly clever "page-loading" concepts. Yes. The 15-30 seconds you wait for a page to load was brought to you by somebody's work day.

There's a pre-loader museum curated by Space Ship. It's called Pretty Loaded. If you go to their site, a random montage of different concepts streams.

I never thought I'd enjoy spending more than a nanosecond waiting for something to load. And here, there's no promise of anything ever actually loading.

Tracking study.

2008-12-17T08:59:00.002-06:00

Have you ever landed on a web page and wondered "How the F did I end up on this page?"

It's behavior. Your behavior. And it was shaped by all the sites before the one you ended up on. They guided you to something you may not have otherwise seen. And there were other internet-gems that you may have passed up to get to where you are.

In Ad grad school, I was once asked to complete a flow chart of a web session. Tracking where I started. And ultimately, where I ended up. Though it might be a good exercise, it felt a bit contrived. I felt like I HAD to find the next page to go to. I was looking for it. When, in a natural setting, I never feel like I'm looking for it. It just happens.

Something happens to guide me. It seems almost like it's a decision already made for me. And who made the decision? A number of people. From brands, to media, to me.

But maybe there's a way, as advertisers, we can use this. To play internet fate. Who knows where it could take you:

whocanisue.com

2008-12-15T09:49:00.003-06:00

There's so much to be said about the fact that this site even exists. And that a huge billboard advertising it's existence is on my way to work. Every day.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-11T10:08:00.002-06:00

Also liking...

2008-12-05T11:02:00.001-06:00

this. Though I hear I'm the last one on the planet to have seen it.

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Power to the players.

2008-12-05T10:36:00.001-06:00

Totally, wholeheartedly, undeniably digging this Game Stop campaign. Best stuff to come of The Richards Group in '08.

"Coverage you can count on"

2008-12-02T08:13:00.002-06:00

is not a phrase I will ever use should I ever be tapped for local news advertisements.

Happy Thanksgiving.

2008-11-27T18:59:00.001-06:00

That's it.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Seinfeld on advertising.

2008-11-21T08:59:00.002-06:00

After purchasing several DVD seasons of Seinfeld, something stood out that didn't the first 5,000 times I watched every episode on TV.

While watching Seinfeld commercial-free, it became apparent that he does a lot of talking about commercials. And a lot of it, not too favorably.

So, I compiled a reel of Seinfeld clips where he mocks a particular category of advertising, then it's countered with an ad (or two) that I think represents the category pretty well.

I'll post the agencies and directors responsible for the work momentarily.

Doing The Most Good

2008-11-18T11:09:00.006-06:00

Sometimes, advertising feels good. Like when you do it for companies that DO good. Like The Salvation Army.

They have a cool thing going on this year. (From TrendHunter) You know those red kettles that old guys stand next to and ring bells as you do your holiday shopping? Well, they've created virtual red kettles (no virtual old men).

It's a way to feel good about donating to a cause by getting OTHERS to donate for you. You send out a link to your virtual kettle and ask friends and family to chip in a buck or two. Before you know it, a buck or two from Uncle Fred and Aunt Pam turns into a buck or two from Nana and Poppy.

Plus - it's competitive. The site keeps track of which individual or team has the most donations. So if your agency wants to get all competitive in an arena other than the ping pong table, here's your chance.

Click the thingy below to fill my bucket with a buck or two. Or click it to find out how to set up your own bucket/team/etc.

Now...back to being cynical and peddling holiday offers on unsuspecting consumers.

(Oh, and the cool thing about this embedded widget - it fills up with red as donations are made reflecting how close I am to my goal amount. See that little bit of gradient there at the bottom? That's my contribution to myself. How rewarding.)

While Supplies Last

2008-11-14T14:37:00.002-06:00

Dear Lawyer,

Is it not inherently clear that an offer is only valid while said product is able to be found?

I hate you,

me

I'm convinced that almost everything of interest is made by people in advertising.

2008-11-07T14:12:00.008-06:00

Sometimes it has to do with advertising itself. Like when Justin Gignac made

Sometimes it has nothing to do with advertising. Like when Justin Gignac made

Or when he sold

Sometimes it has to do with politics like when some other ad guys made

and sometimes, it has to do with whatever you come up with next...

It's still an ad. Or is it?

2008-11-06T15:50:00.002-06:00

Dorritos has (or will) create an application that lets you control the content on your browser screen. So instead of seeing ads (which typically make up about 30% of your screen), you can see useful stuff like NFL game trackers or pictures of your cat, Mr. Jingles.

It's kinda, sorta changing the internet. But I ask 2 questions: 1. Is it still advertising? and 2. Do you care? (slash - do you think advertisers will care that they're being blocked.)

A great presentation sans power point.

2008-11-05T09:07:00.001-06:00

Career Builder

2008-10-29T16:05:00.005-05:00

One of these days I'll give you a long diatribe of words and senseless commentary. Till then, I present you with another audio visual aid.

This ad to me is captivating. I can't explain it any other way. My brain is constantly slapped into a state of confusion and massaged into relaxation over and over throughout its sixty seconds. It creates a pleasurable sensation that goes by the name of "great ad."

Reminds me of a great Career Builder ad done by a friend.

A guide to creativity.

2008-10-21T11:29:00.002-05:00

Granted, there's no real formula. But I found this interesting enough (perhaps, visually) to post.

Time for some holiday cheer.

2008-10-20T11:14:00.000-05:00

Your agency do this?

Mine does.

Yes, I know.

2008-10-13T11:10:00.001-05:00

You've seen this before. But it's worth re-watching.

It might be seen as a tad cynical. Maybe even depressing.

But what I see is a career with the ability to make fun of itself.

And to me, that's the best kind of career you can have.

Polotic

2008-10-03T09:36:00.005-05:00

I found this over on that cool ad blog, makinads. You haven't heard of it? Oh, man.

Anyway. He's tried hard over there at makinads to keep Washington off of his blog, but as you can see from my erratic posting, I try to keep everything on mine.

Check this out. It's an Obama-supporter ad for sure. But it's so simple. It's just like a power point linked to pages within itself. But the lines sort of drum up a someecards familiarity that makes me smile while simultaneously thinking "how dumb."

I like.

The Revolution Will Not be Televised

2008-10-01T18:44:00.001-05:00

Brotha

All shook up.

2008-09-24T15:03:00.004-05:00

Making an everyday experience unique again AND joining it with a coherent message?

Nothing short of brilliance.

Not embedded for a reason. Click the picture to link or here.

VA my home.

2008-09-24T08:23:00.000-05:00

Too good to not hit apple+C on the embedded.

Look how far we've come

2008-09-22T10:23:00.005-05:00

At my agency, we have this horrid meeting at 8am every Monday where we announce our goings-on for the week. The upside is that sometimes, somebody compiles a reel of their favorite spots/favorite videos/favorite___. Then they play it before our meeting.

Sometimes the reels have a theme. Sometimes they don't. This morning's did.

It was basically a look back on some supreme examples of advertising circa 1952. And after we had a good laugh at them, the owner of our agency said "Just think of how people will laugh at your work 50 years from now."

Touche. Toooo. Shay.

Time to learn how to do this:

2008-09-19T17:25:00.001-05:00

Animated typography.

2008-09-09T19:23:00.003-05:00

Why is it so fascinating to watch words dance?
More here.

I hate water drinkers.

2008-09-08T09:31:00.001-05:00

You know the kind. They walk around swinging their Nalgene bottles like a new religion.

I’m terribly sorry if you’re one of them. I do realize that, despite the ridiculous nature of carrying water around from meeting to meeting in an office environment, a healthy 8 glasses a day is a good religion to follow.

But when I head to the break room to grab a steaming Styrofoam cup of coffee, I don’t want you in there.

Because when I reach for that Styrofoam cup, you reach for one too. And instead of filling it to the brim with crushed, roasted, chocolate beans from some Columbian plant harvested by Starbucks, you fill yours with crisp, bubbling water from the jug perched atop that insidious looking fountain.

And with every sip of my black coffee, I blacken my soul. For I am not as pious as you, Water Drinker.

And that’s why I hate you.

While we're on the topic of POP

2008-09-05T10:39:00.007-05:00

What is this you ask?

Well, it's quite simple.

It's a 3 dimensional, miniature replica of a cereal box that juts out into my face on the cereal isle.

Curiously stupid.

But it got my attention.

The name of the "NEW!" cereal was also curiously stupid. Because it's not so much a new name as much as it is a qualifier to distinguish itself from another familiar cereal. And, of course, by that I mean "Honey Bunches of Oats." There's no honey. There's no oats. Just bunches!

And it's tone is almost like it's jeering the other cereal. Like "I can do what you do with JUST bunches! Beat that."

I can't recall any other product ever that has named itself almost in spite of another product within the SAME category made by the SAME parent company. If you can see in the lower part of the picture H.B.O.O. is right beneath it's new brother. Brilliance.

(Also, I felt the inherent need to apologize for my recent lapse in posting, but then I realized I wasn't really sorry. But I do intend to make up for it. Both for the lack of posting and for the not feeling sorry about it.)

Speaking of packaging.

2008-08-21T16:50:00.004-05:00

I guess it's not bad to say ones' various brand names are a "family" - but when the word "family", "pack", and "beer" come too close together, you might be saying something different altogether.

Johnny: "Look Mom! Let's get the family pack!"
Mom: "Good thinking, son. It's always smart to save on the essentials! Let's get two. We all know how your sister's a booze-hound."
Johnny: "Gee, Mom. You're the best!"

Things I wish clients knew_1.doc

2008-08-18T15:35:00.002-05:00

Just because you SAY "stylish" doesn't mean people will believe that it actually is.

Especially, if it's not.

(Can you spot all the client mandated jargon in this packaging?)

Direct Response TV

2008-08-18T01:04:00.001-05:00

You might have to make one of these some day. Think about it.

(by the way...roll lavishly in the opening line of this one. In fact, bathe in it. I did and it was quite enjoyable.)

Baseball, Conan/1864-style

2008-08-15T08:58:00.002-05:00

Conan exploits a crazy take on an old sport with an advertising reference to boot.

Conan O'Brien 1864 Baseball
by Youpinadi

Yearbook Yourself

2008-08-14T11:14:00.005-05:00

I'm not sure the details surrounding this microsite (shudder - "microsite" - ugh), but it seems a few malls of significance throughout the country have hopped onto this idea of "fashion through the years."

1. Upload a picture of yourself (the dumber, the better)
2. Work your mug into one of several previously formatted headshots from yearbooks.
3. Laugh
4. Hopefully click on one of the various brand links within the page.

It provides me entertainment and a means by which to waste a few minutes. It's not overly branded. And I think it makes sense.

I like it.

Something should go here

2008-08-13T10:10:00.002-05:00

Like - "Juniors can do good work, too." Or "Even the little guy can be great."

But then,
that would ruin it.

This was at a Texas Tech basketball game last year. They're ages 6-8.

Do something else.

2008-08-08T16:59:00.004-05:00

Like this guy.

He's a creative at my agency. And a country singer.
I can look him up on iTunes and buy his songs.
A strange dynamic, yes.
But cool? Absolutely.

Or this guy.

Another creative at my agency.
He wrote a children's book about a little doggy.
I can find him in Barnes & Noble.

Me?
I'm into Rubik's cubes.
I have yet to figure a way to earn $ with them.
But it's comin'.
I can feel it.

This is what concepting looks like:

2008-08-05T16:27:00.005-05:00

(sometimes)

most of the time, it looks like this:

Really?

2008-08-04T10:48:00.001-05:00

Font Conference

2008-07-25T14:54:00.000-05:00

Know your fonts.

Thanks Jeenal.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

A metaphor, if you will.

2008-07-24T15:38:00.001-05:00

Or maybe just how it is.

Stolen, stolen, stolen from this crazy cool guy over at Makin' Ads. Thanks.

Alright. Ya got me.

2008-07-23T08:48:00.006-05:00

As much as I'm down with Dallas, I'm even more down with my green sister up north.

I mean, the noise, the people, the pizza. It's a delicious conglomerate of everything in the world. All on the smallest island they could possibly fit it on.

That's pretty fabulous.

Sure. I'm down with Dallas. But how can you beat The City?

A trailer for the new 007 flic

2008-07-21T10:31:00.000-05:00

Or an overly dramatic meeting between creative and brand manager?

Dear Movie Theater People,

2008-07-21T10:23:00.005-05:00

A cup with a circumference twice the size of an "extra large", while shorter than your average Dixie cup, is still not a "small".

Please consult your nearest dictionary for assistance and/or get in touch with God to increase the rate of evolution so our puny human hands can accommodate such a cup.

Sincerely,

Movie-goer.

Advertising, meet Dallas

2008-07-14T10:19:00.005-05:00

So, it's been just over a year since I moved to Dallas, TX. And, honestly, it's not that bad. I know a lot of ad grads who don't want to head this way because "it's Dallas." That usually illicits some sort of "ugh" with a grimace.

Well, for one, like most things to do with advertising, the peripherals hardly matter. Not your masters degree, not your undergrad GPA, not the color shoes you wear on Wednesdays.

What matters is the work.

And there's lots of it here in Dallas.

You know Bridgestone? Nationwide? Chic-fil-A? Fruit of the Loom? Patron? SubZero? GameStop? Discovery Channel?

Their ads are done by various agencies in Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, Dallas, and Dallas. Respectively.

Secondly, while this might not be the big city life you dreamed of, it's got bonuses. Like the stuff you don't dream of, but should: an apartment with more than 200 sq feet, a starting salary you can actually live on, and enough wide open spaces to make you claustrophobic.

But at the same time, it's got tall, tall buildings clustered together to form a city, nightlife, stores suited for NYC, and, yes - Dallas even has a mass transit system.

And while you might find some of these,

A few of these,
And maybe one or two of these,

You'll also find a lot of these:

EDIT*:

As a side note, I felt it important to share with you this image I came across when googling "cowboy boots." Why? I just don't know.

savepolaroid.com

2008-07-10T22:57:00.003-05:00

Seems like a genuine consumer outcry to save a brand.

Interesting.

Probably the cutest thing I've ever seen.

2008-07-09T23:14:00.001-05:00

Now, I know it's in everyone's nature to gush about cute babies in their family, but c'mon. You gotta give it to this one.

I like working in advertising

2008-07-09T17:15:00.001-05:00

because you get email solicitations that look like this and it's called work:

Art Everywhere

2008-07-09T10:10:00.001-05:00

Dana Coleman is

2008-07-05T23:50:00.002-05:00

engaged.

Who's comin to India?

You can find inspiration in anything.

2008-07-02T12:20:00.001-05:00

60

2008-07-01T11:08:00.006-05:00

I opened 60 magazine* the other day, and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a naked Slate. No tiny reindeer. (But I wouldn't have been surprised or any less turned on.)

*For those who don't know, 60 is an annual produced by the second year students at VCU BrandCenter. To request a copy, head to the link over there in the sidebar re: what is vcubrandcenter?

you can also link directly to Slate's blog, a talented young Art Director fresh out of VCU.

Barbie

2008-06-30T10:04:00.001-05:00

The niece. Getting pumped to see her this weekend for the 4th.

Amazon just doesn't know me anymore.

2008-06-30T08:58:00.002-05:00

Being a person is a full time job

2008-06-25T13:53:00.003-05:00

I was thinking of hiring a personal assistant. Then I realized I didn't have the money to. Then I realized why I didn't have the money to.

First, there's the rent payment. Then the car payment.

After that there's the credit card bill, the electric bill, the water bill, the cable bill.

Oh. And do I need to mention gas?

Plus there's insurance for the car, for the home, for the me. And I'm sure I'm leaving some stuff off.

All of these have real-time deadlines. It's like work just to live.

So I need somebody else to live my life so I can live my life.

Any takers?

I did this over the weekend.

2008-06-24T15:00:00.004-05:00

Dumb

2008-06-20T11:16:00.006-05:00

I don't have a MySpace account, nor do I ever intend to.

And this guy just confirmed why:

It reminds me of a story my sister-in-law recalled about a conversation she once had with her aging, southern grandmother. In this conversation her grandmother stated that traveling by air was merely a fad, sure to pass within decent time. Essentially, she presumed that train travel would pick up again and that the Atlantic would be traversed solely by ship - since, clearly, flying was on its way out.

Mr. Murdoch's assumption doesn't fall far from this tree. In fact, I think might even be still attached at the limb.

Have you seen MySpace lately? Have you taken a good look at it? Done a side-by-side comparison, perhaps?

MySpace reminds me of a website I might have had when I was in middle school - in every sense of the world. It behaves like the immature little brother of Facebook. With it's spastic, ADD layout and it's graphics from '96, MySpace is trapped in an era of thinking it's cool

And even though I've been prompted over a dozen times to "register/sign-up to view XXXX's profile", I haven't. Just like jumping out of a plane without a shoot, I've never been compelled.

So while Facebook may just be a fad, I'm happy to ride it out. I don't care if it's just a "directory" either. Facebook works 100% better for me as a directory than MySpace ever could as a...well, whatever MySpace is.

I do feel compelled to hate MySpace based solely on Rupert's picture. And his name. Rupert? Please.

Post Script.

Maybe there cold be a hybrid called FaceSpace. or MyFace. And Apple can come out with a laptop called MyBook.

oooohhhhhhh.

Guilty Pleasure

2008-06-15T14:27:00.005-05:00

I like it.

Considering it's local, I like it even more.

TEXT: "Your Wife Is Hot. / Better get the A/C fixed."

(I would've said "Better fix the A/C" - but who's counting?)

75 North, Dallas, TX

Funny how tried and tired are seperated only by the placement of two letters.

2008-06-11T16:33:00.001-05:00

Promises

2008-06-10T14:18:00.007-05:00

I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We'll walk in the fields of gold
We'll walk in the fields of gold.
- Fields of Gold, Sting

A bad ad promises.
A promise is a lie because it has not come true.
[Consumers] know better than to listen to a promise because they've all been broken up with when they were in highschool by boys and girls who'd promised to love them forever.
- A promise is an Infomercial, Fenske

;)

2008-06-10T13:59:00.004-05:00

While I loath the little beasts, emoticons seem necessary at times to diffuse an otherwise misinterpreted email.

No, I didn't say I "hated" you.

I said I "hated you ;)"

They change something that could be misconstrued as sarcastic and hateful into something that's funny and delightful, even though it's subsequently intended to mock you.

But there's still something about them that makes me hate them. Perhaps it's when they're used too often. There's an essence of fakeness associated with them.

I mean, they help me understand your mood when I can't see you. So, to that extent, they're somewhat useful. But when they're used in excess, I get the feeling you aren't sincere, or that you're an excessively happy person which is equally annoying.

Perhaps, in that regard, they're something like exclamation points. And it's hard to be sincere with exclamation points.

Thanks!

Dana

Yes

2008-06-09T17:21:00.001-05:00

UK VW AD

2008-06-09T11:50:00.003-05:00

better than the VW ads running state-side right now.

The making of (very interesting insight into the making of a collaborative ad):

Apple's future is in 1960.

2008-06-09T11:20:00.002-05:00

As with most things, I'm sure most people knew this before I was even born. But, nevertheless, I came across this article about Apple's design.

It seems to be highly inspired by a one Dieter Rams. A Braun designer from the 60's.

Take a look.

IDK

2008-06-06T15:22:00.003-05:00

The first viral to successfully have people not know it's an ad (Don't believe me? Check out the comments below or here). But is that a good thing? I mean, they're jeans. But never once do you see a tight shot of "Levi's" even though that's who it's done for by the up and coming Cutwater.

Good? Bad? Who knows?

I'm not even sure if I like it.

Yet.

FYI

2008-06-05T18:41:00.002-05:00

While I use this blog mostly as a forum for advertising-related commentary, I came across this and felt the need to post it.

It contains information about a rare form of Breast Cancer. One that many people, one that many doctors, don't even know about: Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

Unlike most other forms of Breast Cancer, IBC doesn't show in any of the routine screenings. So you have to recognize the symptoms. And, in many cases, know them better than your doctor.

Reality Advertising

2008-06-05T10:01:00.005-05:00

This spot appeared live on TVs across the UK last week on May 29th at 8:10pm. It looks to be sponsored by a news program so there's some initial set-up involved. It wasn't just sandwiched in between an ad for Charmin and one for Metamucil.

The reviews on AdCritic aren't that encouraging although the spot stands as one of the Top 20 on the site. They said it was boring and self-serving. And, yet again, I disagree.

While it did seem slow in the beginning, it felt like it was intended to build the suspense. I mean, I'm just waiting and waiting for them to jump. And I want to see what it is they're going to do to illustrate "Difficult is worth doing."

And maybe I was looking for it because I'm in advertising. But perhaps instead, the reviewers on AdCritic were the ones analyzing the ad as people in advertising instead of just people.

People who think different is cool.

And while being different doesn't necessarily sell cars, it isn't exactly a quantum leap to draw the connection they're trying to make between ad and brand.

One AdCritic reviewer asked "Where's the consumer in this?" I found the answer in another comment section, here.

Marty Cooke

2008-06-04T16:00:00.002-05:00

So, AdWeek has this cool thing in the right panel of their site. It's a video feed with quick clips from people who have something to say in the ad industry.

Marty Cooke's name was listed among them and it caught my eye.

A year or so ago he came to the VCU AdCenter as a "Friday Speaker". He was our second Friday Speaker that year, prefaced by Jonah Bloom from AdAge. I took notes during those first few Speakers Series. In fact, I still have the notes from Marty's presentation here at my desk at work. Let me fetch them...

Ah, yes. Here they are.

"September 15th, 2006", I wrote. Immediately followed by SS+K est. 1993. Marty Cook on "Building Brands + Opinion in a Fractured World"

Let's see...what else...

He told a story about how they made "Fruitopia" what it is today. - a ubiquitous "snapple-like" drink some may recall emerging in the mid-90's. The most interesting part of the story was that Coke, the parent company, wanted to call the drink "Minute Made Naturals". Nice. Sounds like a laxative.

Marty told them the name sucked and reinvented the brand. Voila! Fruitopia.

That's not the only way they've been putting their thumb-print on brands.

Remember those hip yellow bracelets that came out a few years ago? The ones with LiveSTRONG seared into the rubber band? Yea. That was them.

And...oh yea, this was an idea he stressed several times...

He talked about every brand having a "Noble Purpose" - you had to write it down. It had to be six words or less. And there could be no "and" in it.

That's great. You get focused.

Wal-Mart: Make everyday stuff affordable.

Done.

BUT - ask a client to do that. Maaann, that'd be hard. There's so much you have to say and so much you can do and the consumer needs to be made aware of it and what if they don't know how great we are and I might lose my job!

Now that's clearly a generalization. But a lot of times, it seems to be the rule.

And that brings me back to the video from AdWeek. The reason I liked it is because Marty brings up another good point: "The worst part of advertising is the clients just don't trust us as much as they used to."

And while I haven't been in the industry near as long as Marty, maybe not even long enough to have experienced the days when they did "trust us", but I still feel it.

There are times when you wonder why they've hired an agency at all. It seems that you're just a scribe for their ideas to promote their brand. While, in reality, this is our business. This is our trade. This is what we know. We can help you. But only if you're willing. And it seems these days, they're not.

While flying from New York to London, you wouldn't suggest a different flight pattern and speed to your pilot. But the difference in this industry is that everybody has an opinion. And it just takes a bit of pop-culture knowledge to think it's a valid one.

There are so many brands that could meet endless success if only reins were dropped. Or at least loosened.

Granted, it's advisable to at least entertain some input from the client. I mean, it is their brand after all and ultimately, they do know it best.

That said, I would still love to see the day when, for a given period of time, complete control over brands was ushered to agencies. The client would see the end result on tv, just like everybody else. And they would laugh, cry, grow more attached to their brand, just like everybody else*.

Here's the video with the other interesting ideas he presents.

* In theory

Dance, Dance, RevoRobot.

2008-05-28T16:08:00.004-05:00

This, in some small way, makes me feel less guilty about devoting my life to selling people things they didn't know they wanted.

Sony taught some robots to dance.

Nobody applauds. Poor, creepy guys.

Someecards

2008-05-27T13:01:00.002-05:00

Once again, I must stress the importance of wasting at least .50 hours a day browsing someecards.com.

Ultimate Integration

2008-05-23T11:52:00.002-05:00

Weezer takes YouTube stars and makes them real stars.

What makes this video great is they actually recruited these characters to perform. They didn't just take clips from their actual videos and try to match them to the song's lyrics. That wouldn't have been cool.

This, however, is.

And of course, like any good reunion, they got all of them in the same room at once.

Simple idea turned awesome. Probably a bitch to produce though.

Smart.

2008-05-23T11:30:00.003-05:00

Ok. Seriously.
How long did you expect me not to post something about advertising?

I held out as long as I could.

I like this:

My, My, My

2008-05-23T11:23:00.003-05:00

Niece. Rapidly approaching the big 2, I take a look back on how crazy-fast she grew.

SEPTEMBER 2006
NOVEMBER 2006
APRIL 2007
JULY 2007
APRIL 2008

Coke Zero

2008-05-22T09:55:00.002-05:00

Amsterdam style.

Someone on Adcritic said this:

I say Yes.

To this one. Maybe not the others in the series.

On great work.

2008-05-21T11:47:00.004-05:00

A creative director at my agency said of great work:

"I look at those ads with equal parts infatuation and rage."

The litmus test for putting together a great book? Perhaps.

Mixed Media

2008-05-20T17:30:00.001-05:00

The internet can provide you with nearly everything. Even a panda-dog.