Paul the octopus makes his prediction.....

The wait is literally over. It may have taken Paul the octopus an hour to decide, but the great eight-legged sage of our times has picked Germany to beat Argentina. Given his extra long deliberation, however, expect the quarter final to go to penalties.

And word in the aquarium is that Advertising Age have just signed him to predict next year's Cannes lion winners. Clearly a step up from Bob Garfield.

World Cup topical ad of the now.

Someone had to do it. But kudos to Specsavers for getting it done. Interestingly, they don't have an advertising agency. All their creative, which is prolific and rather clever, is done in house. So extra kudos.


(Sharing credit to adfreak.com)

Adidas having the last laugh?

That spectacular three minute "Write the future" Nike commercial can now be confined to the ash heap of history. Okay it will come back strongly during next year's advertising award circuit, but today Cristiano Ronaldo, its last surviving protagonist, meekly went the way of the others. Their future has been wrote.

The heroes in Adidas's vastly inferior campaign, on the other hand, are flying high. David Villa, aka "The Blaze" is the joint top scorer, while "The Spark", better known as Lionel Messi is arguably the player of the tournament so far. They go head to head in one of the commercials and will probably do the same for real in the semi-finals.

All is not lost for Nike though. A new spot in the campaign featuring Robinho has just started airing. And while he hasn't exactly set the World Cup alight, his Brazil are ominously starting to look like the last team that will be left standing.

The "Make it Happen" Challenge.

Let's play a special World Cup edition of "Make it Happen", the crowd-sourcing challenge to see if my big ideas can come to fruition thanks to the rich community of creatives, writers, artists, designers, inventors, scientists, architects, pharmacologists, techies, provocateurs, ethicists, military contractors, etc.

MIH Brief 011

OBJECTIVE:

Create the "Unofficial"story behind England's inglorious failure at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Another World Cup passes by for the hapless "Three Lions". It's now 44 years since they brought home the cup. This campaign, though, may be the most dismal yet. They didn't start off on the right foot, actually it was more like two left feet and it ended in total capitulation against ze dreaded Germans.

The inquest has already begun. And over the next few weeks speculation as to what went orribly wrong for the so called "Golden Generation" is bound to grow to a fever pitch. Players may talk, WAGS may talk, even the kit manager may talk, but in truth we will never really know what went down.

So let's take advantage of the English public's insatiable desire to know more and pro-actively create an "embellished" version of events, either through a movie, or documentary or even a book. Why not have more fun at the England team's expense.

THOUGHT STARTERS:

  -  A Guy Ritchie inspired movie, "The Inside Job" could be the answer. When the mafia kidnap Fabio Capello's family he has no option but to meet their demands and make sure England get knocked out of the World Cup. Steve Coogan stars as Fabio Capello, a desperate manager faced with the task of making sure England lose without raising any suspicions. Of course given that England usually do lose, how hard could it really be.
  -  Perhaps a farce, rather than a thriller is more appropriate. Roberto Benigni could turn Fabio Capello into the "Inspector Clouseau" of football mangers in the mindless comedy, "Down and Out of Africa." It would be filled with old and predictable gags like Fabio slipping on a banana peel; Fabio sitting on a whoopee cushion; Fabio being chased by a Rhino; Fabio playing 4-4-2.
  -  A juicy behind the scenes expose from an anonymous WAG might be the answer. "Lion on the Prowl" is the unauthorized documentary of how an "uncontrollable" John Terry seduced all the wives and girlfriends of the England team players, thereby creating tension and disunity in the camp. For example, Wayne Rooney catches Terry in bed with his wife. And when she blames his "lack of performance in bed" for her adultery, an affected Rooney takes his lack performance to the field.
 

MANDATORIES:

  -  David Beckham must be included.
  -  It must end with Harry Redknapp confidently predicting that England will definitely win the next World Cup.

Good luck and make it happen, people!

World Cup fashion highlight of the now.

This one is for all the ladies and dedicated followers of fashion. Here we have Brazilian coach Dunga in a rather snazzy coat. Part trench, part military it's almost as stylish as a Robinho step-over.

Word is that it was designed by his fashion designer daughter. So kudos to pa Dunga for giving his daughter some free advertising.

Brain-teaser Monday.

Unscramble this provocative poster. (Hint: It's for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.)

Criticism Vitae.

Very funny. Very clever. Kudos to Kent Woodyard for "A Literary Critic Reviews My Resume."

World Cup schill of the now.

Yahoo sports writer Martin Rogers speculates the financial worth of Landon Donavon's injury time goal against Algeria. “It only took a couple of seconds, but it changed Donovan’s life forever,” he quotes a sports economist. He might as well be quoting from Nike's "Write the future" campaign.

Indeed, one has to wonder if Martin hasn't been sponsored by Nike to provide the editorial content part of their campaign. Maybe not, but his post does leave a putrid after taste if you're a big believer in the purity of sports. To breakdown a classically thrilling World Cup moment into its financial implication seems incredibly cynical coming from a so-called sports writer.

Perhaps Mr. Rogers will be shocked to learn that the joyous eruption of celebration from American fans from Bloemfontein to Boston when Donavon scored had absolutely nothing to do with the potential millions that may come his way.

No doubt as we speak he's calculating the millions of euros in revenue lost by the members of the French and Italian soccer teams.

Requiem for Cannavaro.

There won't be any song and dance extravaganzas in Fabio Cannavaro's future. Perhaps a nice death march to accompany his return to Italy.

Stupid gets the Grand Prix.

In light of Diesel's "Be Stupid" campaign getting the Grand Prix nod in the outdoor category at Cannes, I thought it prudent to revisit the campaign.

I'm actually pleased it won, a feeling I would never have imagined experiencing when it first appeared months ago. Back then I thought it was an inane, frivolous piece of work open to the obvious charge, "Of course you have to be stupid to pay hundreds of dollars for a pair of jeans!"

So why the change of heart? What I've come to realize in the time since the campaign debuted is that the folks at Anomaly/NY and Diesel were far-sighted to enough to see that "stupid" has cultural resonance like never before. And so they cheekily made a virtue out of it.

For starters, they understood that stupid is the antidote to smart. And smarty hasn't been doing too well lately. Take the two major crisis of the last couple of years, the financial meltdown and the oil spill in the gulf.

The financial crisis in large part was a direct result of smart people getting way ahead of the game. Left to their own devices they conceived complex products that only a few could understand. In other words, smart unregulated leads to very bad things.

Conversely, the mess in the gulf, so far, hasn't been solved despite the smartest minds working on it. It's become so desperate that advertising agencies and actors are grasping for straws. Smart can't solve everything.

And it doesn't stop there. Cars may be smart but most still have negative impacts on the environment. Phones may be smarter, but they haven't made our lives easier. Rather they deluge us with excess information that distracts and interrupts. Bombs may be smarter but we're no closer to finding a smarter peace.

continue reading

Song of the now.

My current favorite song in a TV commercial is a special mix of "Get your boots on" by U2, featuring the Soweto Gospel Choir. It's featured in a spot for ESPN's World Cup campaign. A long version is not available for purchase right now, but judging by the reaction in cyberspace it soon should be.

The entire campaign features U2 songs mixed with the Soweto Gospel Choir. The music is the only engaging part of an otherwise uninspiring campaign.

Brain-teaser Monday.

How many Cannes jurists does it take to change a light bulb?


Answer to last week's brain-teaser: 2

"The referee is a wanker" chant of the now.

The honor goes to Koman Coulibaly of Mail, who supposedly "refereed" the United States/Slovenia match. Did he botch that disallowed goal call or what.

What kind of advertisers can he expect to represent after the World Cup. Contacts, glasses and eye wear are way too obvious. Perhaps an employment search website is more appropriate.

World Cup shocker of the now.

Rank outsiders Switzerland just pulled off a major upset win over Euro chumps Spain. Can't you just imagine the headlines in the Spanish press. "El fucked" would be my choice.

But this isn't the biggest shock of the World Cup so far. FIFA have actually dared to take a stand against advertising.

Check this out for the full story, but to surmise Dutch beer maker Bavaria Beer engaged in some "ambush" or free advertising, much to the outrage of FIFA and probably all the paid advertisers.

It seems while paid, intrusive advertising is perfectly acceptable and to be encouraged, marketing by ambush is a no no. In fact it gets you jail time.

Are you ready for some branded-entertainment?

Here's some spanking new branded-entertainment for Orbit gum. It's the brainchild of Jason Bateman and his "Arrested Development" co-star Will Arnett. A high profile studio has given them a budget to write, direct and produce their own branded-entertainment ideas. Not a bad gig.

Given the hype and talent surrounding this project, it is far from stunningly brilliant. But it's definitely a lot more engaging than Orbit's current television campaign.

The future is still a blank page.

The first round of World Cup matches are in the books for all the protagonists in Nike's "Write the future" commercial. Let's assess the performances so far.

• Cristiano Ronaldo -  Nothing to write home about.
• Wayne Rooney - Nothing to write home about.
• Franck Ribery - Nothing to write home about.
• Fabio Cannavaro - Nothing to write home about.
• Didier Drogba - Nothing to write home about.
• Ronaldinho - At home, nothing to write.

Branded goal of the now.

And it didn't cost them a single yen.

Brain-teaser Monday.

Holland began their World Cup campaign today. Long suffering Dutch fans don't need to be reminded that they have never won the competition, although they have reached the final twice.

Next week the Cannes Lion International Advertising Festival, the "World Cup" of advertising award shows begins. In the blue ribbon film category, Holland are the defending champions as Tribal DDB/Amsterdam won the 2009 Grand Prix for their brilliant work for Philips.

Since 1954, how many Grand Prixs have Holland won in the prestigious film category?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9

Answer to last week's brain-teaser: b) Tequila

World Cup performance of the now.

Haven't seen such fluid movement from the Germans since they rolled through Czechoslovakia in 1939.

World Cup goat of the now.

Brand most likely to sign England goalkeeper Robert Green, following his howler against the United States - Butterfinger

Brand least likely to sign him - Allstate (You're clearly not in good hands with Mr. Green)

The "Make it Happen" Challenge.

Did someone say "Make it Happen", the crowd-sourcing challenge to see if my big ideas can come to fruition thanks to the rich community of creatives, writers, artists, designers, inventors, scientists, architects, pharmacologists, techies, provocateurs, ethicists, military contractors, etc.

MIH Brief 010

OBJECTIVE:

Create a comprehensive advertising initiative in preparation for the legalization of marijuana in California.

Check this out for more background, but to surmise, the latest polls in California put support for the proposition to legalize marijuana at 49% with 41% against. So with just a few months to go before Californians go to the pot polls the probability of the Golden State becoming the Toking State is now more likely than ever.

With this in mind, it's never to early to start conceiving an effective and imaginative marketing plan. The annual California pot output, according to the state Board of Equalization, is estimated to be worth $14 billion. Those who are ready to hit the ground running, should marijuana become legal, will be laughing all the way to the bank.

THOUGHT STARTERS:

  -  Brand naming will be crucial. What kinds of dynamic, fun, sexy names should we be looking for? Here are a few possible examples: "Jamaic my day"; "Aztoka"; "Starbuzz"; "Negril Nirvana"; "Cannibliss"; "Ganga Lites"; "Acapulco Daze";
  -  Brand packaging will be critical too. What designers can we work with to create the most irresistible designer bags? Think about how the product will be distributed. Is there an opportunity to sell "ready-made" joints? Or is half the fun in the preparation itself.
  -  Smoking pot should be a very communal activity. What kinds of  social media applications can we create to help foster this sense of community? For example, how about 'Toke Me' on Facebook. What better way to send a virtual joint to a friend.
  -  Music and pot go hand in hand. Which artists can we employ to create the right image? There should be a wide array of talent to chose from.
  -  What music events can we sponsor and promote? "Mary Jane's Musical Jamboree" has a nice ring to it.
  -  Is their an opportunity to create branded programming on VH1? For instance, "One Hit Wonders" brought to you by Starbuzz.
  -  Then there's a celebrity angle. Which celebrity spokespeople could we recruit to lend their credible voices? Cheech and Chong are obvious, but who else? Bill Maher would be a topical choice, although in truth he's already a spokesman. Woody Harrelson is another. Perhaps someone less expected, like Al Gore.
  -  How about a Direct Response initiative? Could we create an educational DVD with the "video professor", in which he instructs how to roll the perfect joint.
  -  What about the cross-promotion potential with relevant companies? Snack food companies and ice-cream manufactures seem perfect. Ben and Jerry's anyone?
  -  Is there an opportunity to partner up with Starbucks to build and manage marijuana cafes a la  Amsterdam?

MANDATORIES:

  -  All marijuana packaging must have the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.
  -  Marijuana "blended" products must disclose all ingredients.

Good luck and make it happen, people!

Still one of the best ever....

Finally the World Cup is underway. In honor, here's a brilliant old sketch by Monty Python. And confirmation that football is the thinking man's game.




(Sharing credit to Farhana Gani)

World Cup rout.

Adidas have just released their anthem World Cup related spot. It's the culmination of a campaign that started last year with "The Spark". Nicely shot, it has the feel of a graphic novel, but the French voice over (meant to be Zinedine Zidane), is a tad annoying and uninspiring. Oh yes, and there's no real concept.



The bigger problem for Adidas is that when matched up against Nike's brilliant "Write the future", it gets blown away. Indeed, this is probably the biggest trouncing at the World Cup since Hungry crushed El Salvador 10 -1 in 1982.

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."

Phoning a friend.

How many times haven't you watched a character in movie about to do something perilous and wanted to warn or help them. Well now you can, sort of. If you lived in Germany that is.

A cable channel in Germany called 13th Street has been running an interactive film trailer in movie theaters that allows audience members to directly interact with the movie characters.

Check out the case study video below, but to surmise at some point in the trailer the female protagonist calls a member of the audience for help. (Audience members supply their cell numbers at the beginning of the screening). The "help" provided then controls the direction of the trailer.



Now this is a very cool, smart interactive promo for 13th Street. And just one more example of how mobile interactivity can make our our daily lives a little more entertaining. So kudos to 13th Street, Jung von Matt/Spree, Berlin, Powerflasher and director Chistian Mielmann and for their breakthrough vision.

That said one has to question the long term practical value for this kind of experience beyond the realm of promotions and trailers. For one, I'm not sure if serious film directors and writers will tolerate their creations being manipulated by an audience. In other words don't expect Oscar-caliber films to go down this path.

Similarly, I doubt whether audiences will want their experience of cinema viewing to be constantly manipulated in this way by just one person. Or a group of people. Unless it's for a campy film in the vain of "Rocky Horror Picture Show", perhaps.

And thirdly, there will always be limitations as to how much the audience can actually manipulate. Having tried in vain to get the "Subservient Chicken" to do really despicable things I know the kinds of sick and twisted commands an audience would like characters to obey. Once they realize that this kind of manipulation only goes so far they will get bored very quickly.


(Sharing credit to theinspirationroom.com)

"Dead Ideaville"

This death is so fresh the next of kin haven't been informed yet. I recently had the pleasure of working with a London based collective of creatives and strategists on a project for the Royal Opera House. 

The brief was to connect with the 18-24 set, not exactly Opera goers, via a viral film. Add to the mix some notable barriers, like the pricey tickets and the perception that the Royal Opera House is the playground of snobs and old farts, and you get a good idea of the challenge.

Royal Opera House - "Interactive Soundtrack” 

One useful insight into this audience is their love and appreciation of music. As a result they are likely to open their ears to different types of music. But they are unfamiliar with the music of opera. They probably don’t realize the many different types of genres there are, e.g. comedy; tragic; romantic; ballad; grand or epic.

So the idea here was to introduce them to opera through the music by letting them play with and experience the power of the music behind the various types of opera genres.

How?
We would create an interactive film with an operatic score. At various stages during the film, the viewer is given the choice to change the genre of the score. The choice of score directly alters the direction of the movie. For instance, let's say a movie starts out as a comedy with a fun, light operatic score. The score then is changed to “tragic” and as a consequence the film gets darker.

In this way the viewer becomes the Director/DJ controlling all the action and sound at the same time. So, not only could we produce an engaging viewing experience, but it also could be a very instructive one as the user learns to discover and appreciate the power of operatic music.

At the end of film we would ask the viewer to visit the ROH website to learn how to experience more of these various Opera genres live.

Ashes to ashes....

The education gap.

Ask any number of political scientists, social critics or public policy wonks and they'll tell you that primary and secondary education is one of the most serious long-term problems facing the United States today. Failing teachers, overcrowded schools, high-school graduates who can barely read and write, the growing gap in test scores between rich and poor, black and white, right wing nuts from Texas re-writing text books, I could go on.

Mind you wouldn't know it judging by kids in commercials these days. Indeed the educated gap between real kids and "commercial" kids couldn't be any wider.

Take the new campaign for Kraft's Macaroni and Cheese. It stars remarkably articulate seven and eight year old kids, who with impressive oratorical zeal accuse their parents of stealing their macaroni and cheese.

Indeed they make their cases against their parents with a prosecutorial precision not seen since the early days of Jack Mccoy. "Send me down the river on trumped up charges", complains one kid. Just where did these kids learn to apply such nuanced reasoning.

Actually this gift of the gab from ad infants starts even lower than seven. That E-trade baby sure knows who to engage in witty repartee. I even used a couple of the his lines to get laid recently. I'd like to see a baby from Jon and Kate's litter speak with such clear diction and fluency. Didn't think so.

We may lag well behind other industrialized nations when it comes to primary and secondary education. Recent studies suggest American kids rank about 12 out of 38 nations in reading. But at least our "commercial" kids are kicking ass.

Brain-teaser Monday.

What is this branded-entertainment piece for?



Answer to last week's brain-teaser:  Army Strong (U.S. Army); Cross Into The Blue (U.S. Air Force); Born Ready (U.S. Coast Guard); First to Fight (U.S. Marine Corps.); A Global Force For Good (U.S. Navy); 

* Doing The Most Good is a red herring. It's actually a tagline for The Salvation Army!

Interesting read of the now.

Here's a worthwhile read courtesy of "story teller" guru Michael Margolis. He delves into the application of storytelling as a means of brand re-invention and identifies four different directions that brands can follow depending on their circumstances. A most appropriate time too given the number of brands that have recently run into credibility problems.

Personally I like his "Irony" genre of storytelling, where a brand transforms itself into the antithesis of what it once was. Perhaps there is hope for Goldman Sachs after all. Imagine if they were to become a non-profit organization. Not many would then begrudge the billions of dollars made if it all went to charity.


(Sharing credit to psfk)

Brain-teaser Friday.

This spot is part of a new campaign for the National Hockey League promoting the Stanley Cup Finals. In it, players have a hard time finding the words to describe what winning the cup feels like. Why?

1. Hockey Players are semi-literate boobs. They hardly know enough words to string together a simple sentence, never mind convey a grand emotion.
2. After having their brains bashed around for three hours the players are a little slow.
3. The advertising agency, through manipulative editing, cut out the beautiful, poetic words of the players. Everyone knows that hockey players are the W. H. Audens of the sports world. 

"Dead Ideaville"

It's not often you get two bites at the cherry. But that's the opportunity I was afforded when I got a second crack at Viagra. The first time I stayed within the confines of conventional thinking and came up with some very mediocre ideas. Not so the second. Unfortunately this wasn't for Canada or Europe.

Viagra - "The Return of Studs 'Giant' Turtle"

The brief was pretty clear cut. Banish the haunting memory of the "Viva Viagra" barn singing rock band forever with a memorable, engaging idea. If that didn't shout out for branded-entertainment I don't know what will. 

The idea was to create a web series sponsored by Viagra called, "The Return of Studs 'Giant' Turtle". It would be a humorous series that follows an aging former porn star who returns to the industry after a very long absence.

The back story. In the early eighties, Studs Turtle ruled the porn world. Young, athletic, charismatic, good looking and let's just say his nickname "Giant" wasn't ironic. He was the one actor every actress wanted to work with, every director wanted to shoot and every voyeur wanted to watch.

But then a funny thing happened on the way to his next money shot. He fell in love with a Swedish princess, married her, quit the business and entered into a privileged albeit anonymous life of European royalty.

Then twenty five years later in 2008, his princess left him for Steven Twig, lead singer of the ska-punk band, "King Zot and the disciples of pimp". They were divorced soon after and Studs was forced to return to America, penniless. Against the better advice of his friends and family he decided to return to the world he once ruled.

That's where this series will begin. We follow Studs are he struggles to reacquaint himself with an industry that has rapidly moved on without him. Now an out of shape, middle-aged man he finds it hard to relate to the newer, fresher, brasher breed of actors on his comeback film, "No Cunt for Old Men". Will the legend that was Studs "Giant" Turtle be able to stand up to the challenge and mount a successful comeback.

At least he has Viagra at his side to keep him going.

Rest in peace Studs. Or until Cialis comes calling.

Greenpeace made it happen.

In my May 14th, 2010 "Make it Happen" challenge, I reached out to the community to create a social media campaign to help repair British Petroleum's image and reputation.

One of the "thought starters" was to help rebrand BP with a new name and logo through a crowd sourcing initiative.

Kudos to Greenpeace for answering the call. This is a very clever "reverse psychology" idea to get people to unload their angst in a fairly creative way.

Branded-enteractivity of the now.

In a May 11, 20019 post titled, "Interactive film of the now" I shared a very tasty interactive film. It was pure entertainment, no branding attachment whatsoever. Here's what interactivity or enteractivity looks like when you add a brand to the mix.

The brand in question is Lexus and the experience is definitely worth engaging in. Sure it looks and feels like BMW films gone interactive, but still it's a pretty smart attempt at creating excitement for a hybrid sports car that won't actually be out for another year. Think of it as a virtual test drive with a thrilling story, not something one usually associates with hybrid cars.

Kudos to Lexus, Skinny and director James Brown, who may or may not be the hardest working director in advertising.


(Sharing credit to jawbone.tv)

Hmmmmm.

This commercial really bothers me. At best it's ironic, but not in a good way. It features a gorilla distracting a driver as he speeds along treacherous, winding roads. Even worse he tries to get the driver to take his eyes of the road to look at a computer screen.

Here's the ironic thing. The gorilla is nagging him about his long-term future. Completely oblivious to his immediate safety. As a result no kudos will be passed round. And maybe gorillas should stick to chocolate commercials.

Submay: Fact sheet

Some final facts and figures from Submay.

• Number of stations featured: 76
• Number of metro systems featured: 44
• Number of countries spanned: 29
• Country with the most number of metros represented: Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich)
• Metro with most number of stations represented: Moscow and Munich (5)
• Oldest Station featured: Notting Hill Gate Station (London)
• Newest Station featured: Volokolamskaya Station (Moscow)
• Deepest Station featured: Park Pobedy Station (Moscow)
• Architect with most station designs: Norman Foster (4)