December 14, 2008

How to kill an idea











Client: Showoff
Agency:
Fuel, Lisbon

December 10, 2008

"The bailout"



[Via: Boing Boing]

December 08, 2008

December 04, 2008

"Food for thought"

"Do we really believe the true visionairies of the world ... the Steve Jobs (Apple) ... the Phil Knights (Nike) .. the Howard Schultzs (Starbucks) ... seat around waiting for the research groups to tell them what they should do?"
-- David Jones, Global CEO Euro RSCG, IDEA Conference 2006

November 26, 2008

(A really) nice chap!

I've finally met Russell Davies, today at breakfast in Lisbon :]

"JUST DO IT"










------------------------ > [Nike SS09] < ------------------------

November 21, 2008

"ATM receipts"



Client: HSBC
Agency: JWT Sydney

November 17, 2008

"Napkins"






Who said that DIY commercials couldn't be funny and "insightful"?

November 12, 2008

"Real Life Adventures"



Real Life Adventures by Gary Wise and Lance Aldrich

"Upscalling"



Client: Toshiba
Agency: Grey, London

November 11, 2008

"Food for thought"

"Creativity is the ultimate source of all forms of power and freedom."
-- George Gilder

One a day



I've always had a particular admiration for St. Lukes (since the time when Andy Law and Jonh Grant were around).

"Daily Aphorism" is the agency's most recent and interesting online project.

"Policeman"



Client: HSBC
Agency: JWT

November 04, 2008

A Brief ... should be brief

A brief can sometimes be a mind dump from the account group.
The things the client wants to highlight.
The things the client doesn’t want highlighted, but wants mentioned.
The new direction the advertising must take.
The nod in the direction of the old advertising.
Pretty soon, you’ve got so much information your head is swimming.
The job looks insurmountable, your energy is sapping away.

(...)

Remember a brief is supposed to be just that.

Brief.



by Dave Trott

October 29, 2008

"Ultra-bendy"



Client: Aquafresh Flex Direct Toothbrush
Agency: Grey, Hong-Kong

October 26, 2008

A new theory is born



After Thomas L. Friedman (in)famous "McDonald's theory" (a type of Pax Burger), we now have a new international relations theory based on Starbucks, another global chain:

"The higher the concentration of expensive, nautically themed, faux-Italian-branded Frappuccino joints in a country's financial capital, the more likely the country is to have suffered catastrophic financial losses."

October 23, 2008

“CPR/Mount Everest”



Client: The Alberta Library
Agency: Rethink, Vancouver

October 21, 2008

"Food for thought"

"We work in an area burdened by jargon and complexity, but the best marketing strategies are defined in simple terms. If something is too complicated, then it’s time to start again."
-- Andrew McGuiness, BMB

October 20, 2008

"Chief"/"Gramma"




"Even the worst people in the planet need the planet."

Client: MTV Switch
Agency: Leo Burnett, Buenos Aires

"I'm a Mac"



I'm starting to feel sorry for the PC :)

[Via: PSFK]

"The comma"



Client: Associação Brasileira de Imprensa
Agency: Africa, S. Paulo

Ogilvy, the storyteller

October 17, 2008

"Domino city"



Client: Sony Bravia
Agency: Bates Singapore

October 14, 2008

Pure imagination ...




Client: Lego
Agency:
Blattner Brunner

[Via: AdverBox]

October 13, 2008

"Splatter"





"Splatter" by James Cauty.

October 10, 2008

"Slice of life"



[Via: Post Secret]

"Fridge magnet"



Client: Guiness
Agency: Irish International BBDO

October 09, 2008

"Banksy's pet store"



[Via: Wooster Collective]

"Food for thought"

"People who despise consumerism and advertising are usually just as guilty (possibly far more so) of seeking status through Veblen effects. The Guardian-reader who shops organically and holidays in Macchu Picchu is far more guilty of displaying rarity-snobbery than a Sun reader who goes to Burger King and Benidorm."

You got to love Rory Sutherland!

Great thesis. The only problem is that when the majority of the brands act as social levelers you will end up creating an anonymous and homogenized class of consumers.

That's why you have people trading up more often (the majority of the masses saving 3 month salary to buy a shirt from Prada) rather than trading down (the affluents eating McDonald's and flying EasyJet, for example).

When tobacco was good for you



[Source: NY Times]

October 08, 2008

"Think. Again."










\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ The Atlantic Monthly //////////////////

"The Atlantic was born out of questioning. To not question the world around you is to choose to live in the dark. That's why we turned these Atlantic questions in neon questions, we took their questions out of the magazine into the street and this is how people responded."
-- José Ricardo Cabaço, Euro RSCG North American CCO

[Via: Creativity Online]

October 02, 2008

"Food for thought"

"Campbell's Soup has introduced chicken noodle soup with "25% less sodium." What does that say about Campbell's regular chicken noodle soup? That it has too much sodium? Then there's Campbell's Healthy Request line of soups. What does that say about Campbell's regular soups? That they're unhealthy? Then there's Campbell's Chunky soups. What does that say about Campbell's regular soups? That they're thin and watery?"
-- Al Ries in Ad Age

Johnny's country life



Client: Country Life
Agency: Grey, London

October 01, 2008

In memoriam



"Why should I go out for a burger when I can have a steak at home?"

– Paul Newman

Elevator squatting

September 23, 2008

"Play it again?"


Cadbury - Drumming Gorilla from Stepa Mitaki on Vimeo.

According to the Brand Republic website and quoting a recent TNS study Cadbury's flagship Dairy Milk brand has lost market share to arch-rival Galaxy.

After the huge success of Juan cabral's "Gorilla" (Fallon London), it appears to me that the old discussion about the true role of advertising will be triggered again:

Should advertising entertain and generate awareness per se or should advertising be more effective in making people buy stuff (as if the last is detached from the former)?

Obviously advertising is just one of the "P's". Obviously advertising is always the weakest link when marketing departments fail on the rest of the tools and strategies.