Gripe of the now.

This so-called "steamy" commercial featuring a "lesbian bedroom" scene for the Renault Twingo (ghastly name) was created by Publicis/Milan and banned by the Italian State television channel Rai, as well Mediaset, the network owned by Silvio Berlusconi.

A little ironic that Berlusconi's channel should ban it given all the sexual shenanigans that supposedly go on at his "elegant soirees", but I digress.

Back to the gripe at hand. It's has been getting all sorts of media attention, no doubt to the absolute glee of the creatives. Apparently gay groups in Italy are outraged and the spot has been lighting up many a forum with claims that it is "offensive to lesbians".

Here's the thing though. I too delved into the lesbian bedroom scene genre with this spot for Lucky jeans few years ago and to date no one has voiced their outrage or disgust.



Nothing from the gays. Nada from the clergy. Zip from the family values people. And as a result it passed quietly into the night like a silent, stinkless fart.

Someone once said, "It's better to be loved or loathed, but never ignored." Actually I think that was me too.

"Dead Ideaville"

This is the month when millions of misguided individuals celebrate the birth of a man, who if he actually existed, would probably have looked a lot like someone coming out of the Taliban strongholds of Afghanistan. How about instead we pay homage to a very real death.

BBC America's launch of "Luther", a six-part mini series about a troubled police detective trying desperately to stay on the right line between light and dark was a very big deal.

Promos were cut. Online content was created. Even outdoor banners were erected. Then I got them thinking about the unconventional.

How did that work out for me? Let's just say I have still to come to terms with the realization that I work for a cold-blooded killer.

BBC America - "Person of Interest"

Detective John Luther is a larger than life character.

Smart. Cunning. Unpredictable. Obsessive. He is the type of hard-nosed cop who leaves no stone unturned in his relentless pursuit of evil.

So how could we bring this vibrant character to life outside the television screen.

This idea turned the user into a "person of interest" for the obsessive John Luther. Through an interactive video, as well as social media like foursquare the user would be able to get a little experience of what it would be like having this obsessive cop on his or her tail.

The Interrogation Room
During episodes of Luther the viewer gets to see him interrogate a lot of suspects. It is an intense experience.

With an interactive video we allow the user to experience first hand what it feels like to be alone in the interrogation room with Detective Luther. The more uncooperative you are, the more violent he gets! 

Being followed
We all love the attention of followers on twitter and foursquare. How about being followed by an obsessive cop who knows your every move.

By signing on to a foursquare-synced app the user can experience what it's like to have John Luther watching your every move. What would you do to lose his tail?

Sans this idea "Luther" still got decent ratings. But no real buzz!

May what's his name have mercy on your soul, BBC America.

It's my blog so I'll self-promote if I want to.

It only seems appropriate that on the eve of Thanksgiving it should be left to me to perform the thankless task of selling my own shit.

Here's another promo for Law & Order: UK. And unlike the facts and figures of President Obama's recent trip to India these stats are all true.

London, anyone?

It's my blog so I'll self-promote if I want to.

For thousands of years, saving mankind has been the sport of heroes. This November BBC America honors these ass-kickers of evil with a movie event called, "Heroic Heroes Hall of Fame".

It will be a month long tribute with movies featuring great British heroes like King Arthur, Robin Hood and Sky Captain. Yes, Sky Captain - hey I didn't come up with the promotion, I just sell it like a whore on steroids.

To extend the event online we came up with a number of content initiatives, including a Hall of Fame ballot for picking new heroes to induct and these special edition "Ass-Kickers of Evil Series" trading cards.

Friday afternoon giggle.

In a November 18th, 2009 posting titled, "Wish there was an app for that"   I mused about the kinds of "exotic" mobile apps we could hope for in the near future.

One example I imagined was an app that could identify transsexuals so there wouldn't be any "Crying Game" incidents at the singles bar.

Well the folks at CollegeHumor.com have one-upped me with a funny collection of their own must have imaginary mobile apps.

Kudos to Kevin Corrigan, one of the college humorists.


(Sharing credit to psfk)

It's my blog so I'll self-promote if I want to.

Jerry and Sam may be gone, but the franchise lives on. Three years ago Law & Order moved across the pond to the land of the hooligan.

Now for the first time Law & Order UK is being shown here in the States courtesy of BBC America. Here is the teaser promo to announce it's arrival.

Can't a person rip off without being ripped off anymore?

I am shocked. Outraged. Appalled. It seems Moviefone have ripped me off ripping off March Madness. Have they no shame. As a BBC America colleague says, "Imitation is the sincerest form of...Plagiarism."

Here's the evidence. You decide.

Moviefone - Cinematical's Heroes vs Villains Tournament

Me - September Badness

I told you so.

In a January 21st, 2010 posting titled, "In lieu of a clever title for this post" I reflected on a Nielsen survey which suggested more than half of the expected viewers for Superbowl XLIV were tuning in to enjoy the commercials more than the game.

It got me thinking as to possible ways the NFL might get even more commercials into its Superbowl coverage. I cheekily suggested that, "coaches would be "encouraged" to use all of their timeouts and challenges during the game regardless of their merits".

So it was with surprise, yet satisfaction that I received this recent headline from Yahoo Sports.

Jeff Fisher was asked to call timeouts for MNF commercial breaks

Who knew my words could be so influential. I really think I have to start charging for them now.

It's my blog so I'll self-promote if I want to.

BBC America recently launched a month long movie event called “Accent of Evil”, which featured films with British actors playing baddies. To leverage the event we created an on-air campaign called “Six Degrees of Evil” that took viewers on a fun journey through relevant movie trivia.

The promotion is being credited with resurrecting the careers of obscure British actors and boosting the DVD sales of certain British films.

"Dead Ideaville"

This death really, really hurts. In fact I'm still in the anger phase of the grieving process. Why oh why Ralph!

To coincide with the opening of his refurbished "Mansion" flagship store in the upper east side of Manhattan, Ralph Lauren wanted an innovative digital idea that would build on the buzz that the opening would no doubt generate. Razorfish were asked to explore ideas and they brought me in to help out.

Teamed up with amazing people we came up with an idea that I think is one of the best I've ever been part of. Augmented reality, mobile, social networking, crowd-sourcing, interactive - it had it all. And a bloody good story to boot.

Ralph Lauren - "Augmented Reality Drama"

When you walk into the Ralph Lauren Mansion, it’s like stepping into a residential home from a different era, rich with old-world tradition and charm. 

Each room looks like it is still being lived in. We can almost imagine the inhabitants and the life they must be living.

Through mobile, in-store and web components, we bring this world to life as an augmented reality drama that gets played out through every room in the Mansion. Here's how we saw it.

The Storyline:

The Mansion is preparing for a grand ball. Within the rooms various characters are getting ready for the ball. Surprising twists and turns to follow.

A/R App:

The A/R App activates the characters in each room. Users can observe them, dressed impeccably in Ralph Lauren clothes, acting out their scenes. Users can also access more information on their clothes, like price points as well as shop via mobile.

Mansion Portal:

A large display encased in a picture frame will allow customers in other Ralph Lauren stores to view the drama in the Mansion. Shoppers can get more information, like price points on the clothes being worn by the characters. A URL link will allow customers to go to the Mansion site to see the full story play out from all the rooms.

Mansion Control:

The Mansion site will not only allow users to see the full drama, but also to control the direction it takes. Through crowd-sourcing technology and real-time voting, users can influence the characters’ behavior and even what clothes they wear.

Audience Participation:

In the dressing rooms of the Mansion, interactive mirrors can take ambient video of customers in Ralph Lauren clothes. This will allow them to be included as extras in the drama. Customers can notify their family and friends of their theatrical debuts via Facebook and Twitter.

Social Engagement:

To add to the reality of the drama, some of the characters could have profiles and status updates on Facebook and Twitter. These updates would be influenced by the choices the users make for them.

Now do you see why I'm taking its demise really badly. Okay, acceptance is slowly beginning to seep in.

Nice shoes.

More good stuff from Lernert & Sander. Take it away gentlemen.

"To help celebrate the launch of their epic new Shoe Galleries, Selfridges called on us to create 11 sculptural installations that take iconic shoe design to surreal extremes. We have taken the most mundane of household domestic appliances and comedically refashioned them into divine creations. A humorous take on fashion as an ideal escape from the daily grind."

On a graceless, self-promotional aside here is a print ad I did a few years ago for a Procter & Gamble product that also takes shoe design to a surreal extreme.

It's my blog so I'll self-promote if I want to.

More self-deprecating messaging from BBC America. This was a consecutive page, small-spaced print campaign.

It's my blog so I'll self-promote if I want to.

Another promo for the Beeb. And Gordon says if you don't like it you can go fuck yourself.

It's my blog so I'll self-promote if I want to.

Finally some brand spanking new work for people who know a thing or two about spanking.

Lately, I've been writing and producing promos for the prim and proper folks at BBC America. Working on the client side is a relatively new experience for me, but so far a good time is being had by all.



One of my first assignments was to create some brand image promos laced with typically self-deprecating British wit. The result was a series of quick, quirky hits built around the thought that while the British can no longer claim superiority in most things they still make great television.

"Dead Ideaville"

My dead ideas are deader than yours. Case in point: FT.com

FT.com - "Pay to Win"

I really liked the brief. It was simple and open. The Financial Times wanted a digital idea to help grow their paid subscription base.

Right now members can get some useful information from FT.com for free through their basic subscription.

For a modest monthly fee they can get more proprietary information (standard subscription). And for a slightly larger fee they are privy to all sorts of valuable information and analysis from the best brains in the biz (premium subscription).

The idea was to tap into an insight that serious players in the game of finance understand all too well - that valuable information is a potential game-changer, but it has a price. So that if you’re not willing to pay then you probably won’t win.

The result was a fun, yet strategic business game for users to play, either on Facebook with friends or on a specially created microsite. The game is free and progress and success in the game depends on acquiring and utilizing valuable information. Each player is given a monetary resource with which they buy information. But because the resource is finite they have to be very careful how they spend it.

So really, why play?
The user would win a free month of paid content by playing. Depending on their score they could win either the standard subscription or the premium subscription. In doing so they get to literally experience the ultimate value of paid information for themselves.

Certainly a game on Facebook is not exactly a novel idea. Indeed the social media network is bursting with all sorts of games. But what made this familiar direction feel right for FT.com is that it could have made the conversation about paid content a little more persuasive, yet engaging.

"Dead Ideaville"

I've just finished the first sentence of "The Dead" by James Joyce. And speaking of, here's a brand new arrival in Dead Ideaville. Let's give a warm, or rather cold welcome to the Prostate Cancer Charity (PCC) in Britain.

Every March in Britain is Prostate Awareness Month. The PCC likes to use the month to push their message that Prostate Cancer is a major hidden killer of men, indeed a man dies every hour.

For next year's awareness month they wanted something extra buzz worthy with a dash of non-traditional thrown in. Why do I keep falling for this!!!

Prostate Cancer Charity - "Hidden Voices"

The idea was to create a campaign, designed to spark maximum intrigue and chatter, whereby Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is the big reveal.

In other words, let’s begin a mysterious campaign sometime before the official start of the awareness month, thereby allowing its start to be the big payoff.

To really hit home the “hidden threat” of Prostate Cancer, we would bring it to life as a threatening, cryptic persona that is around you, but you can’t see it. It warns you of the damage it can cause and dares you to stop it, without revealing what it is.

But rather than a visual approach we would take an aural approach. Thus, the hidden presence of Prostate Cancer would be in the form of threatening voices that reach out across the airwaves to sound their warning about how deadly and destructive they can be to men, families and communities.

So how exactly would it work?
During a pre-determined time before the start of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, people all around Britain would hear, but not see mysterious threatening voices that are very much present around them.

In the busiest shopping centers, business centers, sporting stadiums, cinema theatres, the airspace would be penetrated by these voices. They would be live and call out actual people on the ground to prove that they are present. Here is a sample of what the voices could sound like:

  “I just killed a man and like you he didn’t see me coming. One less husband. One less father. One less brother. One less friend on Facebook. And in an hour I will kill another. And another, sixty minutes after that. You there in the green shirt, yes I talking to you, what are you going to do to stop me? That’s right look up. Look left. How are you going to stop me if you can’t even see me.”

To support this mysterious campaign we would initiate a social media dialogue. A Facebook page, “Have you seen the voices?” would be started. It would document all the places where the voices are being heard as well become the venue where users can share filmed footage of this "strange phenomenon. Twitter feeds could also report on where exactly these voices are being heard.

Then on the first day of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month the voices would cease and the reveal begins. A series of trucks branded with Prostate Cancer Charity signage would tour the country in the very areas where the voices are being heard. Fitted with loud speakers, the charity would make people “aware” of what exactly these voices represent.

In effect the Prostate Cancer Charity would become the calming, reassuring voice, explaining what can be done to fight back against the hidden threats of prostate cancer.

Unfortunately no one was able to see the growing hidden threat of timidity in the client until it was too late. A little ironic really that a charity set up to prevent deaths could so easily inflict some of its own.

"Is it real?" viral of the now.

I'm not a big fan of the "Is it real?" viral genre, even though I've dabbled in it myself. Here's a good exception for Yellow Pages out of England. It's unexpected and actually communicates a new, real selling point. Dare I say it's really an ad posing as a viral.

Kudos to the creatives behind this, whoever they are. Especially since, and here comes the opportunistic self-promotion, I came up with a viral idea while working on a business pitch for R.H. Donnelley (one of the largest Yellow Pages publishers) a couple of years ago.

Their new books for Chicago and Tampa were much thicker than their competitors, which meant more listings. Our viral idea was to demonstrate just how fat these books were by having people use them as body armor while being shot at. The idea was shot down instantly.

"Dead Ideaville"

It's not just advertising ideas that die, of course. Television ideas suffer similar deaths, perhaps even more gruesome. Here's one I pitched a while back. The fact that I am here writing a blog rather than living it up in Malibu says it all.

"X-BAY"

It all starts in the office of John Thornton, assistant deputy director for the CIA. He is busy at work when he gets an email message. It reads:

"Greetings. Item #11. George and Barbara. Male and Female Martians in good condition. Bidding will commence 14:30est. www.xbay.com. Username: CIA. Password: Holy Shit."

And so begins X-BAY, a dark comedy/action series that takes the phenomenon of the online auction to an extreme and probably absurd level.

So what is X-BAY?

A very secretive, exclusive online auction site that facilitates the buying and selling of anything of extraordinarily extreme value.

What is “anything of extraordinarily extreme value”?  

Government secrets; multinational corporation secrets; celebrity secrets; patents; international fugitives; government witnesses; weapons of mass destruction; expensive art; historical treasures; first ladies; special services, e.g. assassinations; espionage; terrorist acts.

Who are the participants?
Anyone with an interest to sell or buy, as long as it is of extreme value. These include governments, corporations, private individuals as well as third party bounty raiders. A free market like X-BAY has encouraged savvy, international thieves who can penetrate any facility in the world to steal anything of value. Just to spice up the intrigue, these raiders may or may not be agents for various governments too. Naturally all participants are anonymous.

What is the currency?
Money. National Treasures. Weapons. Anything of extreme value. E.g., Bolivia is looking to buy nuclear weapons from the Chinese. It offers up cocaine, which the Chinese gladly accept.

Why can’t governments shut X-Bay down?
Because governments are their biggest clients.

The first episode will follow the US government as it bids to buy back the Martians from other bidders including world governments and the multinational media organizations that would dearly love to break the story. Who will win? What will be the bidding strategies? And what will be the consequences?

We will also be introduced to one of the bounty raiders, who steals the patent for the cure of cancer. In future episodes we will find out who will bid for the patent and why. Other future scenarios include:

  -  England wakes up to discover that Stonehenge is gone. Stolen by those pesky bounty raiders. When it ends up on X-BAY for auction a major bidding war breaks out. But who will dare buy the stones shrouded in mystery and the occult?
  -  Aztec Lopez, the baron of drug barons is kidnapped and put on X-BAY. Given that there is a multi- million-dollar reward for him in five different countries not to mention rival drug gangs that would like to eliminate him and the stage is set for some interesting and heated bidding.
  -  Nepal needs help in lowering its huge deficit. It puts up the rights to Mt Everest for auction. Why the hell are the Swiss bidding!
  -  Nuclear weapons are stolen in a Russian Republic and are up for bidding on X-BAY, causing major headaches across various capitals. Under no circumstances can they be outbid by a non-government entity.
  -  The first lady is kidnapped and put on X-BAY. But the White House receives unexpected competition to get her back. Who on earth would want to buy the first lady?

"Dead Ideaville"

Alive and kicking one minute. Dead as a dodo the next. It's tough being an advertising idea. Case in point, this recent pro-active branded-entertainment idea for Christian Dior.

Yes it was pro-active so it's chances of survival were less than North Korea's at the World Cup, but it was presented to people who knew people who knew the people at Christian Dior so......Okay it was dead on arrival.

Eau Noir (Dior) - "Lady Killer"

Christian Dior in 2009 began a major branded-entertainment push for its Lady Dior Brand. They commissioned high profile directors to create short films to showcase Lady Dior. David Lynch has just created the third in the series.

There is no similar initiative for the men’s brand. The idea was to take advantage of the opportunity and create branded films for some of the men’s products? Eau Noir cologne seemed like good place to start. 

The five-minute story (a film noir, obviously) is a literal play on the term, "Lady Killer." It follows the police investigation of a mythical man, dubbed the “Lady Killer” who is responsible for the “falling” of a number of beautiful women.

It should be pointed out right away that there is nothing violent about the fate of these women. Essentially, they have just “dropped dead”. So there will be no injuries or marks on their bodies. No hint of any violence whatsoever.

This will be the “Lady Killer’s” M.O. He leaves these women with happy, satisfied expressions on their beautiful faces and the strong scent of a man’s cologne on them. Who is the Lady Killer? And what is the mysterious scent on these women? All is revealed.

Well not yet, anyway.

Grrrrr.

A few months ago (March) I pro-actived a branded-entertainment idea to support ESPN's coverage of the World Cup.

It involved creating a web-based reality series, where one fan from each of the 32 teams competing in the World Cup would live in a house for the duration of the tournament. The kicker being, as their team is eliminated so are they.

I shopped it around to various agencies relevant to ESPN without any takers. Just as well. For while I was the initial phase of formulating said idea, Budweiser was already in the middle of producing it. And instantly I went from genius creative with uniquely original idea to copycat hack.

So kudos to Budweiser and DDB/Chicago for a great idea. At least I don't have to say, "I really wish I thought of that."