Virals -alive and kicking

Well its been around for a week or so, but the new Durex viral still makes me laugh. The sound track is excellent and the third dog's ears a moment of script inspiration. Plus the whole thing is a product demo (including 'ribbed' moment) Aimed at the US market, maybe that country really is changing. The spot was made by Superfad in New York who in the traditions of Pixar have made some amusing 'outtakes' from the shoot

Royal Mail - fit for purpose?

What a great time of year to be thinking about the future of the Royal Mail. Excluding Daily Mail readers most people must be thinking its due a kick into touch. There was a time (pre email) when getting your post at home in the morning before work was a benefit. But for the last decade or so urgent means online. So why are the Posties busting a gut trying deliver when most of the population are out at work (or robbing). Society has moved on some what. If the Royal Mail really intends to survive it needs to match the needs of its customers. Outside of bills the post is for parcels. Forget mornings, let the posties have a lie-in and focus on the evenings when people are actually at home able to except parcels. Rather than spending all Saturday queuning at the sorting office. rant rant rant

Agency Christmas Cards

Lets face it company Christmas cards are always pants, massive heartache followed by zero creativity leading to boredom (of the recipient) If its not a worthy but dull charity card its an ecard that either takes ages to load. What is it that you are trying to say about your organisation by simply following the herd? yup rant over time to look at a fab viral (with a Christmas theme) from AKQA

Barck Obama the gift to new business

I have been writing a whole bunch of presentations lately on the lessons we can learn from Barack Obama's marketing campaign. Pretty much all centred on the thought that the internet changed in October 2008.

There are so many things to draw on from the opening up of visual equities to the YouTube rebuttals linked to sites like Fightthesmears.com

Todays cut on the story is building around the thought about optimised search via brand negative terms

"Brand advocacy grows with quieter advertising and looser brand control –just ask Obama."

There are many elements to Barack Obama’s campaign that have changed the way online communications should now be used. The SEO element using supporters generated content should impact on any brand with an online presence. Most brand sites do not account for consumers current search behaviour. The internet changed in October have you explained to your clients why?

Good Obama case history

Barack Obama’s digital agency

Earlier version of social networking element

BBC article about changes in search patterns

Chris Hughes ex Facebook was behind the mybarackobama.com strategy

Oh dear, oh dear


yup its MOVEMBER, fab idea for raising awareness of men's health and prostrate cancer in particular. Spend November trying to grow your very own Earl / Borat face fur. Sort of like wearing a hairy ribbon. neat web site and global reach. Donate to our very own 'Seven Floors of Manliness' team here.

Cambodia the brand

I have just come back from an amazing two weeks in Cambodia. I was with Jake my son (13) We travelled from the tourist hot spot of Siem Reap  through the country to the far north east corner bordering Laos, before leaving via  a few days in Phnom Penh. It is an amazing place, The Khemers we met proved to be fantastically warm, honest hosts. The place has so much to recommend it. When I have a moment I'll write up our learnings/recommendations on Trip Advisor.

One thing that did strike me is that Cambodia is not unlike Mazda car brand. Mazda had a worldwide sales hit with the MX5 sports car, unfortunately so iconic did this model become but pretty much the whole of the rest of the range became over looked by the buying public. The subsequent advertising then lacked confidence as it became an endless string of 'look there is more' messages rather than strong individual model statements.

Visitors to Cambodia on average stay only three days, see the Temples at Ankor Wat and then fly on to Vietnam / Thailand. There is a huge debate amongst the fledging tourist authority as to how to get visitors to 'stay another day' The whole of Cambodia is pretty unique and unless they have the confidence to say so I feel they will always be saddled with the image of 'like the neighbours but with bigger Temples' i.e. only worth a few days excursion rather than a dedicated holiday.

Prince Caspian says no to crack

Saw Bigga Than Ben at a charity preview last night. This is the film written and directed by Suzie Halewood.
Based on a Russian best seller about two young guns scamming London for all its worth. Gritty, funny and very good to look at. Starring Ben Barnes (yes, Prince Caspian himself) and Andrei ChadovI.

The soundtrack features Joe Strummer, Pete Doherty and The Rifles, the latters 'Lost in London' fits so well. really hope the film gets a wider audience than just its current art house run.


Suzie is the charming lady who directed our Fresh & Green commercial last year, pic from shoot with Mr AWT. There is an outside chance this will have another outing on TV. Previously with a media budget the square root of feck all, next to no one saw it.

Hovis past and present

 

The new Hovis ad is rather good. Big, on brand message. I did like the mixing of cliche warm nostalgia with more slightly edgy miners strike images. However picky it sounds I did feel that it was missing the wow cinematography of past Hovis campaigns plus they were proberbly missing a paper wrapper/plastic bag/paper bag packaging through the ages joke. But its a minor point on an effective ad with what must have been a interesting first script meeting!

Very cool speaker

GLA-55 speakers from harman / kardon

I was in Berlin last week at the consumer electronic show IFA. Huge, huge event, way too much to see in the day I had (especially as I was there to show Amplified Journeys to the world) These speakers (GLA-55) on the Harman Kardon stand were really tactile and I am sure will be a hit. There are some shapes you just have to feel and pick up. The only shame is that they are not actually glass, I just wanted them to be heavier and cold to the touch - that would have been cool.

Which brand??Many brands had stands covered in flat screen TV's. The trouble with such plenty was a real lack of brand individuality. Much like the Sat Nav hall which featured 1000's of oblong grey box's showing maps. Both sectors need an 'Apple' moment to break out of such comformaty.

Actually Becker systems did have some neat rubber coated Sat Nav units (Z 100, review features excellent reader comments!) aimed at bikers which would look great in cars. Especially if coated in other textures.

There is a Flickr set HERE of the things I did get to see at the show.

Deezer a geezer of a site

Just starting to use the music discovery site Deezer. A bit like Last.fm but Deezer finds whole albums rather than just single tracks. You lose some of the whimsical choices of Last.fm but gain the ability to have Guns & Roses afternoons. The site also  has a clean interface with some neat controls. The ad positions are a bit clunky but you can't have everything.

I have been a big fan of Last.fm over the last year, Check my stats! but I feel very warm towards Deezer at the moment

Amplified Journeys in action

The music discovery / navigation online mash-up I designed is now live and running! Commissioned by Harman Kardon in the UK. This site acts as a living piece of brand advertising. Due to grow and be added too over the coming months. Its all really rather exciting. Do try it out. amplifiedjourneys.hk

Burger King and a cavity search

While McDonalds walks very slowly away from global campaigns (The UK is not getting the full  McD'Olympic package in case it upsets us liberals) It would appear Burger King is moving a bit quicker in culturally specific campaigns. The guys at Idea Sandbox highlighted an amusing German BK campaign which included a very worried onion about to get the rubber glove treatment from a member of the village people. More of the Campaign HERE. plus coverage HERE

It would appear to fit the profile of BK's German young male audience. Done by .Start in Munich.

BUT check out the comments posted after this story appeared - its just staggering how many people would appear to think Burger King should have a holy than thou Americanised approach where ever it trades. One of the great benefits of multi & digital channel advertising is that you CAN speak in sympathy to many different groups at the same time, rather than sticking to some bland nonsense from the '90s.