i think i'm so clever

Shake it

2008-09-23T16:42:00.007-05:00

Usually I'd embed a YouTube video, but in this case I couldn't, and for good reason. But click here, and you'll see the most inventive and unexpected YouTube ad I've ever encountered. It plays perfectly with the unique gameplay the ad promises, and I love that the little links all still work at the end.

Sometimes words are all you need

2008-09-16T16:21:00.002-05:00

Take that art directors.

And yes, I have been saving these up.

Everyone else is talking about it

2008-09-16T16:10:00.003-05:00

...but noone knows what it means.

There'd better be a hell of an ending.

The candyman can

2008-09-16T16:02:00.002-05:00

Axe has a new spot. I like it. I don't love it, but I certainly believe it's an improvement over the broken record their advertising has been for sooo long. The "every woman will want you" idea is still present, but as a metaphor, versus girls suddenly singing porn music in the grocery store. Much better.

Reminds me of something, though:

But then again, so does everything.

I starting to think it wasn't because of Crispin

2008-08-27T17:12:00.005-05:00

Too many commercials have cars doing power slides for no good reason. Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners found one.

via Advertolog

Whoppers are for kids?

2008-08-26T17:37:00.005-05:00

I love that this ad uses language from another ad, and that everyone just gets it. Random references like this only fly in advertising. And rap. And I guess sitcoms. Still, fun.

They ditched the red wig for this?

2008-08-21T21:06:00.005-05:00

Okay, so Wendy's "kicking trees and making speeches in red wigs" campaign wasn't perfect. But now, as if the "Wendy's gonna get ya" animated logo wasn't creepy enough, Wendy's serves up this "viral" video:

Best of all, the website's only function is allowing you to give Wendy's your email address. Whoopie!

On a related note, the line "If it's not all white meat, it's a gray area, and I don't like gray areas in my chicken." is terrible. Just terrible.

via agencyspy

Google ads strike again

2008-08-06T12:47:00.003-05:00

I use the phrase "clown-car vagina" once, and Google serves me this:

Common Sense Party

2008-08-06T09:59:00.004-05:00

Every election year, a bunch of brands decide to make fake campaign ads, because apparently they think Americans just can't get enough of them. Most of them are terrible. This one is not. Not because the idea is any better, I suppose, but because this guy is awesome.

I like how he uses the hand cart as a podium.

My Thumb Is My Cock

2008-07-18T14:50:00.001-05:00

A copywriter that was out of ideas

2008-07-09T13:06:00.005-05:00

Sometime, in some agency, a copywriter was asked to write a bit of copy for the front of the box of Kellogg's Corn Pops. The brief probably said something about describing the delicious taste of Corn Pops without referencing sugar ~~or sweetness~~, because those are things that make kids fat.

His solution: Big yellow taste.

I guess I can't blame him.

My bright white tuxedo

2008-07-08T13:04:00.008-05:00

This is a sort of follow up post to that Ira Glass thing from a few weeks ago - I stumbled upon this Harvard commencement speech Conan O'Brien delivered to the class of 2000 there. It's an entertaining speech throughout, but the great part is an analogy he makes for the need to succeed when all you've known is success. It's 20 minutes worth watching, but you can pick up the important bit by clicking the square in the bottom row, one from the right, or just by reading on:

"I've dwelled on my failures today because, as graduates of Harvard, your biggest liability is your need to succeed. Your need to always find yourself on the sweet side of the bell curve.

Because success is a lot like a bright, white tuxedo. You feel terrific when you get it, but then you're desperately afraid of getting it dirty, of spoiling it in any way.

I left the cocoon of Harvard, I left the cocoon of Saturday Night Live, I left the cocoon of The Simpsons. And each time it was bruising and tumultuous. And yet, every failure was freeing, and today I'm as nostalgic for the bad as I am for the good.

So, that's what I wish for all of you: the bad as well as the good. Fall down, make a mess, break something occasionally. And remember that the story is never over."

Let's all stop feeling bad about making a mess.

This time, I'll fail.

2008-07-08T12:46:00.008-05:00

(click strip to read)

I think most creatives (excepting the not-over-the-top-arrogant ones) think this way. Ogilvy wrote that every time he got a fresh assignment, he thought to himself "This time, I'll fail." I think that's an important and even productive mindset. You think better in a panic. The best ideas always occur to you in the last seven minutes.

via Words & Pictures

Hotness up to here

2008-07-02T14:44:00.006-05:00

Converse may be wasting their money on big-budget singles, but here they are again, and this time, their efforts aren't a complete waste of ad dollars. It's a series of shorts (I refuse to use the fucking buzzword "webisode") featuring "out of your league girl". She doesn't say anything of consequence, but she manages to be generally amusing, and she's pretty hot. It kept me entertained, and I'm not even a teenage boy. This is how to get your target shopping on your website. And in terms of viral potential, every episode has its own url. Nice touch.

JC Penny is the new Abercrombie?

2008-06-23T17:32:00.004-05:00

This ad is so far off what JC Penny should be doing I wonder if it's a spoof. Kids don't shop at JC Penny. Kids' moms shop at JC Penny. It's a department store, and as long as they're selling cookware, they're not going to be a cool place to shop. I think it's a great concept, just... JC Penny?

Find more videos like this on AdGabber

I'm just relieved they're not still using "It's all inside." as a tagline.

UPDATE: Not by Saatchi, JC Penny's agency. Not approved by JC Penny. Never ran anywhere. Bronze Lion to be revoked.

I have nothing to add.

2008-06-17T13:41:00.003-05:00

That was perfect.

This started running Sunday. And it got the ultimate payoff on its message on Monday. Good one by W+K.

Listen to Lando

2008-06-16T17:35:00.002-05:00

This is a recent spot for AT&T Advanced TV. I like it. I don't think it tells you why they're better than cable. But that's not the point. What I think is interesting about this spot is that Billy Dee seems to be reprising his well-known spokes-character from another spot:

While this is likely intentional on the part of AT&T's agency, I like to think it's just Billy Dee being himself.

Ira Glass is telling me what I need to hear

2008-06-13T10:06:00.003-05:00

Maybe some of you need it to.

via bad banana blog.

Open to interpretation

2008-06-11T15:37:00.001-05:00

This is a little old. But sometimes things take awhile to cross the Atlantic.

Hilarious.

Somethin' for nothin'

2008-06-11T14:54:00.008-05:00

Converse is giving away a free song, "My Drive Thru" on their website. It was done by Julian Casablancas, N.E.R.D., and some chick named Santogold I probably should have heard of already. It's a great song, and an ideal summer anthem. When I finally get around to making a summer playlist, it'll be on it.

But it didn't make me want new shoes.

I'm all for offering the consumer something extra to bring them to you. That ingratiates you to them. But then you have to capitalize on it. Converse has made no effort here to connect the song to their brand or their product, except to suggest I come back for another (brief) visit to the (not terribly engaging) site and see the video.

I bet the agency talks about how many hits the homepage gets this week. But I bet they don't say how many more shoes were sold online.

They did somethin', yeah. But I think they did it for nothin'.

A new idea about old technology

2008-06-09T12:29:00.003-05:00

Because it's brilliant. And because it's Radiohead. I'll let the artist handle the explanation:

"I'm a student graduating from the Glasgow School of Art's visual communication course in a few days. This is my final project.

Radiohead held an online contest to remix "Nude" from their album - "In Rainbows" This was quite a difficult task for everybody that entered, as Nude is in 6/8 timing, and 63bpm. Most music that's played in clubs is around 120bpm and usually 4/4 timing. It's pretty difficult to seamlessly mix a waltz beat into a DJ set.

This resulted in lots of generic entries consisting of a typical 4/4 beat, but with arbitrary clips from "Nude" thrown in so that they qualified for the contest.

Thom Yorke joked at the ridiculousness of it in an interview for NPR radio, hinting that they set the competition to find out how people would approach such a challenging task.

I decided to take the piss a bit, as the contest seemed to be in that spirit.

Based on the lyric (and alternate title) "Big Ideas: Don't get any" I grouped together a collection of old redundant hardware, and placed them in a situation where they're trying their best to do something that they're not exactly designed to do, and not quite getting there.

It doesn't sound great, as it's not supposed to.

I missed the contest deadline, so I'm offering it here for you to enjoy.

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Guitars (rhythm & lead)
Epson LX-81 Dot Matrix Printer - Drums
HP Scanjet 3c - Bass Guitar
Hard Drive array - Act as a collection of bad speakers - Vocals & FX"

Big Ideas (don't get any) from James Houston on Vimeo.

And the original song, for the uninitiated:

...and we're back.

2008-06-09T12:04:00.002-05:00

It's been almost exactly a year. Apparently I'm either working smarter or just less, and so I've decided to try to fit blogging into my life again. More posts to follow.

Even if fast food were never advertised again...

2007-06-07T08:56:00.000-05:00

people would still be fat.

This is what we've come to. Via boredstop.

Here we go again.

2007-05-29T09:38:00.001-05:00

After an unintentional hiatus, I'm back to the blog. Apparently, April and May (the only two months I've been at this job) are pretty crazy and a little sleep depriving around here. Anyway. Let's open it back up with a little yin and yang, recycled from recent ad blogs. First ad, for Hardee's , I really abhor, the second ad, for Carlton draught, I'm completely in love with. Talk amongst yourselves.

More beer, ahem, cola taste.

2007-05-10T10:12:00.000-05:00

More cola taste is the idea behind this new Pepsi campaign. Sounds like a (less than successful) page out of the Miller Lite playbook. Fun creative, but a weak strategy.

Evidence that it's still okay to be a copywriter

2007-05-01T09:09:00.000-05:00

In the terrifying world (for us newbies, anyway) of the advertising job search, sometimes it seems like no one is hiring anyone. Hell, in the last few months, we've seen Consumer-generated media take over the Super Bowl, and Creativity Magazine even published an article debating whether our position will be obsolete in a few years. Well, take heart, young job seekers. Check out this Pringles CGM (it's painful, but you'll feel better about yourself when it's over - this has to remind marketers why they usually pay for this sorta thing), then have a look at this Yahoo! Hotjobs report about the top five in-demand occupations.

Price points makin' you pudgy?

2007-04-26T09:29:00.000-05:00

Stumbled upon this interesting article from the New York Times about how government subsidies on certain crops are doing more to make Americans fat than anyone could ever hope to with advertising. Advertising helps, though.

Very original use of kitchen appliances

2007-04-24T13:29:00.000-05:00

Well, if you read Advertising for Peanuts, you may have seen it already, but I love it so much, I have to post about Miranda July's website in support of her book, No one belongs here more than you. Littlejohn over at Peanuts likes it for its simplicity, and I appreciate that aspect, but what I'm really all about is the impossibly endearing quality of the writing. Knowing nothing else about her, I think I'd be okay getting stuck in an elevator with Miranda July.

Where taglines are redundant

2007-04-23T09:21:00.000-05:00

I'm walking to work this morning, and I pass a bus with an ad for Turkish tourism. The only copy on this ad is down as a part of the logo: "Turkey - Where culture is a way of life." While they've accurately defined the word culture, they've effectively said nothing at all about Turkey. This would be as if Coca-Cola where to adopt the slogan, "Coke - Where cola is a beverage."

Am I wrong?

Partly sunny, but cloudier as the day goes on.

2007-04-19T23:19:00.000-05:00

You don't have to know Chinese to get this one. Call it a lob, but it'd make me notice.

Click the image to read the captions.
(Via AdArena)

We made it just over three weeks without boobs.

2007-04-19T22:54:00.000-05:00

As far as I can tell, this circa 1978 ad is legit (or at least, it's grouped with a bunch of ads that seem real). I'm not quite sure what to make of it. I don't know how it could have run anywhere (maybe in Playboy, or if the Dodge Van had an audience in the UK). But I gotta say, while I like bare breasts as much as the next guy, I think I'm glad this isn't something you see anymore. I'm no fan of Americans' uptight ad standards, but I have to think that the option of naked chicks in car ads would only dumb down the creative process in an area that is already a bit lacking in substance.

I imagine the conversation about this ad went something like this:

Copywriter: "The brief says the van has to be the hero of the ad."
Art Director: "But it's the late 70's - our vans are ugly as hell!"
CW: "Good point. Well, we've got a pretty solid line. 'Dodge' almost rhymes with 'garage'. Let's make that the star."
AD: "Wait, I've got it. Let's just put a pair of boobs in the ad! That way everyone will see the van, if only by mistake."
CW: "Groovy. Let's get some lunch and smoke a bowl."

(click here for less pixely, if you feel so inclined)

A response to a response to a response.

2007-04-16T23:34:00.000-05:00

Buried in today's AdAge Daily, under Don Imus, Google and Mountain Dew, was this article. It's a response by Bob Garfield to Rev. Donald E. Wildmon, of the American Family Association, going a little overboard in his outrage at the so-called "adult nudity" in this Burger King spot about their Sponge Bob promotion (ironically enough, it's only available because the AFA posted it). Garfield points out why taking offense to this is so ridiculous astutely enough, but there's another reason this guy is foolish for getting up in arms. He's over extending his brand. Like Crayola trying to shill juice boxes (I am not making that up), Wildmon is slapping the AFA's name on a protest that just seems a little ridiculous. It only hurts his brand's credibility for when he tries to pursue a cause that isn't so very, very stupid.

And this is what I had in mind.

2007-04-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

I didn't have a blog when this commercial came out. I'm not even sure when that was, actually. But I think it's a strong example of finding a way to do fun work for a brand that doesn't always demonstrate top-notch creative. Also, it serves as a comment on the importance of good casting. This dude is to the spot what Will Ferrell is to a any crappy comedy screenplay. It's all about the delivery.

AdFreak, why you hatin'?

2007-04-13T14:08:00.000-05:00

First, I mean that use of hatin' ironically. I am not allowed to use that word (Was that a Don Imus joke? Mmm.. no.).

But seriously, AdFreak posted today about the sad marketing effort being put forth on behalf of Lollapalooza 2007. And, to their point, it does pretty much blow. It's rather underwhelming in scope, and they've brought back (or more likely left since last year) the crazy flying space van motif. It's horrible. I can't find a video of the commercial online, but I think the website will give you a hint of what I mean.

Thing is, the festival doesn't garner daily attendance of 60,000 a day (since moving to the 2-3 day Chicago format) because of its marketing. It's the line-up. And Adfreak bashed that too. Now, it's not last year's stellar group, and as AdFreak points out, there are some niche acts and bands "who just suck", but it fails to mention up-and-comers like Regina Spektor, Snow Patrol and Peter, Bjorn and John, who will act as a draw, along with the kind of bands people never get tired of seeing live, like Pearl Jam (washed up when?), Spoon (I think they just tour all the time), and Kings of Leon. This is what sells the concert. And a few mentions on the radio never hurt anyone. The website could look uglier than mine and the place would still be packed.

I don't think we're needed to fill Grant Park. They've got moments like this:

But he seems so approachable.

2007-04-09T23:28:00.000-05:00

Now and then, I'll just post and point. This is what I love about a good ad. A smile and a purpose. Next time you can't find that obscure nature book for your brother's birthday, abebooks.com.

Two more via AdArena.

Advertising = Graffiti?

2007-04-09T22:59:00.000-05:00

Despite my cable news-style issue raising in the headline, this isn't the part of the blog where the young advertiser tries to defend advertising. I do think the message in this video, while cleverly executed, hits way off the mark. But regardless of my proving why advertising is much more purposeful and beneficial (at least in some cases) than any graffiti, this video, combined with the barely intelligible YouTube comments (probably from our coveted 18-25 year-old males)does point to the more serious issue of all the bad advertising sucking down what little is left by association. It's ineffective, and it mostly just pisses people off. Seems that if we all took the approach of giving the consumer something they want and hoping for a little engagement in return, then maybe they'd all hate us a bit less. Or perhaps I'm just young, naive and stating the obvious. Probably that one.

Upgrade? Up yours.

2007-04-04T08:55:00.000-05:00

I've noticed in several ads over the past few months that everyone's new favorite word seems to be "upgrade". I have no problem with this. At least, I didn't at first. It didn't say much besides retooling "we're better, buy this", but it didn't actively annoy anyone. But now, it's been in GMC ads, Right Guard body spray ads, Tampax Pearl ads, and others on a list that seems to grow every time I turn on the television. Pretty soon, it's going to become almost as meaningless as the various cell phones carriers claims of "power", "all-over", and "dropped call rates in extremely specific geographic areas".

I should say, however, that this smells suspiciously of client-dictated word choice. Blame not the writers, we are merely pawns in this game.

The Painful Lack of Suspense Four

2007-04-02T22:34:00.000-05:00

The story on the Nielson ratings is that they tend to have a negative bias against sporting events because people watch in groups, and the Nielson box cannot compensate properly for this high per set viewership. Well, I'm thinking they don't have to worry about that for this year's Final Four. The last three games of the tournament were so boring, those additional people probably just served as a distraction from what was happening on CBS.

Mahna Mahna

2007-04-02T22:09:00.000-05:00

A note to advertisers everywhere. This song (below) should never, ever again be used in a commercial. Ever. I've seen it tried three times, once by Dr. Pepper, once in a student competition centered around an indestructible mailbox, and again, most recently/currently, by Saturn. It's supposed to be endearing and quirky. Instead, it just ruins an otherwise sound marketing strategy, making everything you're trying to communicate seem a little stupider.

It works best from the mouths of puppets. I think that says something significant.

V-Dub in da house.

2007-04-02T21:50:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, I bought a new Volkswagen GTI so that I could get to the job on which I am now dependent to make my car payments. Anyway, that's not the point. The point is the promotional material I procured while at the dealer. It's a DVD a called "Project Fast", from back when the new GTI debuted with the little demon guy on the dashboard. It's about a psychologist trying to discover what makes humans crave speed, and segueing as smoothly as possible to quirky little explanations of the GTI's features. To see what I mean, check out the clip below. The whole thing is like that. And it's both hilarious and informative. I think it's a great example of what can be done with a long form video and an audience with a vested interest. Dunno if Crispin handles all the VW work, but this seems like their style.

Blogging is hard. For me, but not Chuck Klosterman.

2007-04-02T21:29:00.000-05:00

Well, that post a weekday thing went by the wayside quick. No worries, for my three(maybe?) fans out there. We're playin' catch-up today. Here's number one.

Perhaps my favorite thing about March Madness this year has been this blog by Chuck Klosterman. How is this related to advertising, you ask? Well, first of all, that's more of a guideline than a rule. Secondly, I think his habit of random observation is evidence of the kind of curiosity every good creative also possesses.

Here's what I mean:

"Frankly, Oden is my favorite player in this entire tournament. I love his stoicism. I realize members of the media are supposed to love "raw emotion," but I always find that undignified. At this very moment, I assume Joakim Noah is moshing around his hotel room and eating handfuls of glass and yelling at "The View" and hitting a tennis ball between his legs; he is a citizen of the world, but he's also something of a lunatic. I prefer the expressionless Mr. Oden, a person who's likely sitting beneath a singular table lamp, silently reading Chuck Eddy's analysis of the British invasion while peeling a tangerine. I always want my post players to be intimidating-yet-wooden.

As such, I am an Oden superfan."

That's what I'm talkin' about.

Warning: Contents May Be Very Hard-Working

2007-03-27T14:13:00.000-05:00

This morning, I found myself freelancing in Indiana by 8 o'clock. This means I was awake at 5:45am. I've been unemployed for two months. This is not something I am accustomed to.

I needed caffeine and I needed gasoline. I found them both at a Speedway/Burger King combo near my destination, so I pulled in to refuel. The coffee machine at the BK carried the slogan "Good hard working coffee". BK's positioning their simple (from concentrate, even) morning brew against the foufy coffee made popular by Starbucks, and since adopted by the likes of Dunkin' Donuts and McDonalds. It's not an original position, but it works better for Burger King and its clientele than anywhere else I've seen.

Every customer who walked into the place in the half-hour I had to kill in Schererville was a blue-collar guy in torn jeans and steel-toed boots (except, conspicuously, for one woman in scrubs). They each stepped up, and took their choice of the decaf, normal, or turbo (so powerful it's available only behind the counter) varieties of hard-working Joe. They aren't looking for caramel in the morning, just a good kick in the ass. And apparently drinking bitter coffee just means you're hard. I thought the coffee sucked (though others would disagree with me on that point, it seems), but I'm a big fan of the marketing, and the niche they're serving. Far more convincing than "English, not Fritalian".

Here we go.

2007-03-26T17:13:00.000-05:00

I'd been planning on starting a blog with which to chronicle all of my ad-related thoughts for awhile now, but as a part of my "do nothing until you get a job" plan, I hadn't allowed myself to make one. Or exercise.

I'll be aiming for once a weekday, but we'll see how that goes when I start working on all those days.

For now, let's just start with this:

I love this commercial, despite the celebrity endorsement. I think there are just few brands that can get away with it, but Element 79 leverages the increasingly popular celebrity-cameo-endorsement-by-association (somebody think up a better name) technique well for Gatorade. It's pretty entertaining, even if it smacks a little of Nike's Briscoe High Football effort from last summer.