A men's nightmare

"No Scruff" -- Here's an interesting creative concept; what would happen to Gillette's sales if all men adopted José Mourinho's 3day beardy look?

Solution: Create a movement where women tired of their boyfriend's prickly and scruffy faces, they too, start growing hair hmm ... in other parts of their bodies, as a way to prove their discontentment.

This viral (apparently launched by Gillette itself) has been online since May. For those who have never heard about it before, here's your here's your chance to see the films (amusing).

Post-scriptum: If your girlfriend started to grow jungle-airy armpits, would you shave every morning?

[Via: AdRants]

"Animals"

Client: Orange
Agency: Mother

(Virtual) game addiction

Can't stand away from your game console from more than 2 hours? Dutch consultancy Smith & Jones seem to have a solution. Here's an interesting niche/business oportunity: "Addiction consultancy".

"Computer and video games can be fun and innocent. Most people can play computer games without trouble. However, 20% of all gamers can develop a dependency on gaming.

Many of these individuals have neglected family, romance, school, and jobs; not to mention their basic needs such as food and personal hygiene? all for a video or computer game.

The Smith and Jones WILD HORSES CENTER has the very first outpatient addiction treatment program for problem gamers in Europe."

[Via: Iconoculture]

"Spring his here"

Agency: Dentsu, Toronto

"The best days of life"

"Freud 27 years old. His main subject of study was eel's testicles."

"Einstein 27 years old. Looking for a job in Switzerland."

"John Paul II. 21 years old, miner in Cracovia."

"The best days of your life are still to come.
So take care of yourself."

Client: Unimed
Agency: F/Nazca S&S

"Act Stupid"

After W+K London - - it's W+K Amsterdam turn to embrace the blogosphere with their recent blog "Think Global Act Stupid. Which according to Ad Critic might be the "Bloggingest Agency Network".

[Via: Ad Land]

"Big Thinking"

Here's another great event by the Account Planning Group and Campaign Magazine.

[Note: Being the creative brief one, if not the most important and tangible working tool of a planner, APG is also promoting a three-day workshop course in London, late September on how to write better briefs - "Insight from the other side to help you write better briefs".]

"The Coke Side of Life"

"Grand Theft Auto" whithout parental advisory label in the corner of the TV. Spot from Wieden + Kennedy.

[Via: Marketallica]

"Worth the pain"

YoungGuns 2006 CFE Campaign

The enemy of virginity?

"A US study claims that teens whose iPods are full of music with sexual lyrics start having sex sooner than those who prefer other songs.

The study by the research outfit Rand, has apparently discovered that a lot of modern popular beat combos release tunes with sexual lyrics.

When installed in an iPod these influence teen behaviour, the study claimed. If a teen listens to music where men are depicted as "sex-driven studs" and women are sex objects, the tunes are more likely to trigger early sexual behaviour, such as premarital hand-holding and pecks on the cheek."

"Whishful thinking" cause-effect?
Well, I remember myself listening while a teenager to the theme "Relax don't do it" from Frankie Goes to Hollywood and as far as I'm concerned it didn't affect my libido.

[Source: Inquirer | Via: Gizmodo]

Beware of salivated floor

[Click on image to enlarge]

Guerrilla or "ambient media" action from 1pointsize for the Eatalica restaurants.

"iJeans"

iJeans = iPod + Levi's
Finally revealed the first pics of the new Levi's RedWire DLX jeans. Another interesting example of "cross branding" partnership in the category of functional apparel.

[Via: Bright | Gizmodo]

"Tea Partay"

"Ralph 50 cent Lauren"

Must-see BBH's viral parody for Smirnoff

[Via: Datenvandalismus | Wizbang TV]

MSF (doctors without borders)

Client: MSF/AZG
Agency: Duval Guillaume Brussels

"We attached posters and MUAC (Mid-Upper Arm Circumference) bracelets on places with a diameter of 3 cm, this is the size of the upper arm of a malnourished child."

"Castelmaine XXXX"

Agency: BBH

Death in the middle?

Death in the middle ground

According to Michael J. Silverstein (Boston Consulting Group) in the American, European and Asian markets the consumers are bifurcating their shopping basket into two fast-growing pools of spendig: In one hand consumers are willing to pay more for premium goods and services; on the other hand consumers are seeking for low-cost bargains in basic goods (or low interest goods).

"The middle ground remains the biggest segment of purchasing but is shrinking - for exmaple, in televisions it is already down 40%, in cars 12%.

Overall, it is estimated that the middle market will decline by 5% a year over the next five years, offset by the bottom-end growth of a similar amount and a 10%-12% increase in premium purchasing.

Companies staying in that market will find the going tougher and be forced to make major business decisions, such as shutting plants, changing overhead structures and getting out of product categories. Shifting up or downmarket is the alternative."

Who said luxury doesn't mix up well with low cost/discount?

[Source: "Death in the middle" + "Middle ground"]

Wieden+Kennedy: "Yakult"

Global Brands 2006

The usual suspects:
Coca-Cola Microsoft IBM GE Intel Nokia McDonald's Disney ...

[Via: Interbrand -- Business Week]

"Don't poison us"

[Via: The Kills]

Today's videoclip

[Kasabian "Empire"]

Sharing housework

"When men do housework, it's most likely to be in the kitchen and least likely to be washing and ironing.
Women cook in 78% of cases and men in 23%; men and women share the cooking in 16%. Women do the washing and ironing in about four-fifths of households. Men wield the vacuum-cleaner once a week, while many women do so every, or every second, day."

[Source: "How women, men and machines will divide up the housework", Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute]

"Lords of Dogtown"

Tony Alva one of the legends and pioneers of sk8boarding along with Stacy Peralta and founder of the Dogtown movement (circa 70's).

Photos from Wynn Miller.

[Via: Freshjive]

How to trigger ...

... Pavlovian "word-of-mouse"?
Easy, try to tagg the Air Force One.

"Spoof" or truth? Marc Ecko explains here.
Maybe Droga5 has also something to do with it.

[Via: Planning on Subversion]

"Try"

Client: Optimus mobile operator
Agency: BBDO Portugal

Common sense

Agency: BDDP & Fils

[Via: Frederik Samuel]

Timeless ...

"Mother Toys"

Title: Portuguese Football Action Figure
Agency: Mother, UK

"Food for thought"

"Creative whithout strategy is called art. Creative with strategy is called advertising."
-- Jef Richards, Univ. of Texas, Advertising Department

A problem of "connections"

Across our "global village" it's starting to become quite common to see brand managers and marketers asking themselves what's the best way to reach the younger audiences, in order to create early bonds and get their pocket-money.

In my modest opinion, more than ever it's not a question of "content" or brand message, it's a question of "connections".

Here's some of the online spaces and habitats where the so-called "Geration Y" lives and breaths on a daily basis:

:: MySpace
:: Fuse TV
:: YouTube
:: Hi5
:: Friendster
:: Pandora
:: Last.fm
:: Current TV
:: Turn Here
:: Hype Machine
:: Pop Justice
:: Viceland
:: The Fader
:: Protein
:: Flickr

The original is always better

"Counterfeit Mini" ... from Crispin Porter+Bogusky, who else?

"Comcastic"

[by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners]

"Sex sells"

[Click to enlarge]

"Re-creative" action from the Women's Liberation Front in Pennsylvania, USA.

"Jealous animals"

Client: Toronto Zoo
Agency: Lowe Roche

"Slow life. Slow food."

The trend is not new, obviously. Nevertheless today we witness a degree of maturity that didn't exist in the past.

Just look at the growth of the consumer demand for organic food and ingredients; the recent introduction of salads, soups and fruits in the menu of the biggest fast-food chains around the world; the coming back of the "slow food" meal time ... and all of this backed up by recent and new anti-fast food and pro-healthy diet movements.

Experience advertising

Extremelly clever, kudos to Ogilvy One, Bangkok.

[Note: The gargabe containers have a movement sensor that triggers the sound of a baby crying every time a punter goes nearby. The messagem is obvious.]

Via: Oorei and Briefblog

The medium is the message

Recent Adidas guerrilla action in Leidseplein, Amsterdam to promote its newly opened concept store.

[Via: Guerrilla Innovation | Flickr]

Hans Brinker "Pasaporte"

[Via: Jody Barton]

Andy Smith

[Via: Soma Gallery]

FTBLTSHIRTS

"Dirty Pretty Things"

Andy Hughes | "Dirty Pretty Things"