brand dna

Complaining on Twitter

2012-02-24T14:21:00.000+11:00

US Army pinners

2012-02-24T04:28:00.000+11:00

Interest in Pinterest is hitting fever pitch at the moment.

In fact it's going to go mainstream any day now.

Even the US Army is into it.

Advertising vs Poetry

2012-02-23T08:20:00.002+11:00

Scottish artist Robert Montgomery is one of those people who likes to sneak out in the middle of the night and have fun with advertising billboards.

Unlike most of those sort of people who doesn't alter or deface billboard. He takes them over.

With poetry.

I quite like the example above.

Although it does break the six words or less headline rule for good billboards.

He currently has an exhibition in the UK. You can read about it here.

Never become an expert

2012-02-22T03:39:00.001+11:00

This was my closing slide from the talk I gave at Geek Night last night.

It really got people talking.

Someone even mentioned it in the same breath as Sir Ken Robinson!

It's something I've been banging on about for years.

I really do hate it when people call themselves experts.

Here's the spiel that went along with the slide:

As soon as you become an expert you know it all.

And if you know it all you can’t make mistakes.

And if you don’t make mistakes then you won’t create anything interesting.

Ultimate guide to Pinterest

2012-02-21T04:29:00.000+11:00

I'm not sure this is the 'ultimate' guide to Pinterest. But it does give a damn good overview and would be perfect for anyone looking to get their clients interested in it.

Rockers sell out

2012-02-20T04:14:00.002+11:00

Vintage ads of rock 'n rollers.

Not much else to say really.

Rock on!

The stray apostrophe

2012-02-18T15:03:00.002+11:00

Lady & The Tramp

2012-02-17T05:37:00.000+11:00

Seriously. Could you come up with a better ad for the dvd special edition of Lady & The Tramp.

Yes I'm sure you could.

But I doubt I'd like your idea as much as I love this.

Plus the Tramp bears a startling resemblance to my old dog Eno as well.

A bit too digital

2012-02-16T03:06:00.000+11:00

How many times can you use the word 'digital' in an ad for something digital? Based on the above example I'd say quite a lot.

Office Cupid

2012-02-15T03:43:00.000+11:00

I'm sure there must of been others but this is the only agency Valentine idea I saw today.

It's from the clever folks at R/GA.

And it's pretty damn cute too.

Nice to see people using Twitter in an interesting way.

I've been waiting for a twist on Twitter to come along for ages.

If it's still Valentines Day where you are click here and give it a try.

Simplifying sign ups

2012-02-14T04:29:00.000+11:00

If there's one thing that really bugs me on the internet it's those annoying 'Captcha' verification things.

Sometimes those squiggly words are so hard to figure out I have to increase the font size a couple of times.

Unlike the lovely little verification device above.

It's from the CoLunching sign up page.

Pretty clever don't you think?

And so much easier than a couple of annoying squiggly words!

Ideas for the Chip Shop

2012-02-13T02:21:00.000+11:00

I love the idea of the Chip Shop Awards from the UK.

They're a great opportunity for frustrated creatives to get those unloved ideas out of the bottom drawer and into an award show.

Without resorting to scam advertising!

This campaign for childhood obesity is an entrant in this year's Chip Shops.

Pretty good don't you think?

Apart from highlighting the issue of childhood obesity it also does a great job of highlighting the issues around scam ads.

Anyone can have an idea.

But not everyone can have an idea that is done to a brief and approved by the client.

There's no way this campaign could ever have run. So it is judged purely on the idea.

Which is why it's unfair to put scams up against real ads in award shows.

And therein endeth this month's rail against scams.

Sinful behaviour

2012-02-10T04:30:00.001+11:00

Holding ideas to ransom

2012-02-09T03:23:00.001+11:00

When I first saw this I thought it was a piece of student work.

No disrespect to the kids but pretty much every student has the ransom note idea.

But I never thought I'd see the day an agency stooped this low.

Sadly the Argentinian agency Woonky thinks holding ideas to ransom is a great way to impress potential clients.

Maybe it is. I've met some not so smart clients during my career.

But somehow I suspect it's not.

Wish you were here?

2012-02-08T22:18:00.001+11:00

Great use of a very common digital motif. Don't you think?

Golden age of sexism

2012-02-08T10:44:00.004+11:00

Ah the good old days.

When men were in charge and always took the time to let women know about it.

No wonder David Ogilvy was moved to decry; "The consumer isn't a moron. She is your wife."

What is and what isn't?

2012-02-07T17:05:00.003+11:00

I am a middle aged white male living in a seriously middle class suburb in Melbourne.

So why am not not bothered in the least by MIA giving the finger at the Superbowl?

I mean really. Have these people not got anything better to get all hot 'n bothered about?

Like Madonna lip synching her entire performance for instance.

Anyway back to MIA and her finger.

Click on the pic above to enlarge it and then you tell me what is and what isn't immoral behaviour.

I know what I think. And I suspect you'll agree.

Good old radiation safety

2012-02-06T04:12:00.000+11:00

Given I did an apprenticeship and worked a trade long before I became a copywriter it's no surprise I have a fascination for health & safety posters.

The one that always intrigued me when I was young was the radiation sign that was commonly seen above the workplace microwave.

No wonder I've avoided microwaves most of my life!

Last night I came across these gorgeous old radiation safety posters.

They from the late 1940's I think.

Weird thing is they're so cute I wonder if anyone actually took any notice of them back then.

Guess we'll never know.

New ideas

2012-02-05T10:09:00.003+11:00

Still made from beer

2012-02-03T03:33:00.000+11:00

Saw this on a drive into the city recently.

Made me smile.

Yet another piece of quality tongue-in-cheek work for Carlton Draught from the team at Clemenger Melbs.

Promises promises

2012-02-02T22:55:00.002+11:00

Stamp of approval for Roald Dahl

2012-02-02T03:59:00.000+11:00

One of the best things about being a parent is getting your kids into the books of Roald Dahl.

Seems like every generation has a soft spot for him.

Now he's being celebrated with a set of stamps in the UK.

I wonder if there are a handful of special 'golden stamps' in circulation?

Somehow I doubt it.

But how cool would it be if there was!?

Vintage ads from Japan

2012-02-01T01:49:00.000+11:00

I love love love Japanese advertising.

it's just so...unexpected.

So you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled on a brilliant Flickr set of vintage ads from Japan.

Check it out here. Trust me it's worth it!

The well read charger

2012-01-31T00:13:00.003+11:00

If you've seen one iPhone charger you've pretty much seen them all.

The colour white definitely springs to mind.

Which is why I love the look of these book chargers by Rich Neeley Designs.

Old novels converted into iPhone chargers.

Simple. Stylish. And very understated.

Come on - What's not to love!?

Get yours here.

Tomorrow never comes

2012-01-30T04:16:00.000+11:00

This ad has 70's written all over it.

Just look at that cool spacesuit head-dress thingy she's wearing.

Spacesuit chic!

Sadly forty years or so after that ad was created the future looks pretty much the same as the 70's.

Sure we've got internet and mobile phones 'n stuff but cars and houses etc really haven't changed at all.

And as for Lestoil - I have n idea what it is. Nor whether they still make it.

Regardless of that I just wanna know when the future we were promised as kids in the 70's is going to arrive?

Adland perceptions

2012-01-27T10:15:00.000+11:00

Bit hard to read at this size so give the pic a click and make it bigger. Trust me it's so worth it!

The year ahead via Soap

2012-01-27T04:31:00.000+11:00

I'm not really one for predictions lists but this one by Soap is kinda fun. It's got me thinking too!

Take my name off the door

2012-01-26T02:05:00.001+11:00

I'd like to dedicate this video to all the number crunchers, bag carriers, meeting callers and useless "where's your timesheet" chasers.

Where and how did our industry go so wrong?

Award entry videos

2012-01-25T03:21:00.000+11:00

Hate to be cynical (I really do) but every time I see an award entry case study video of late I hark back to my days as a teenage punk rocker singing along to Garageland by The Clash.

If you're not familiar with the song the opening line is;

"Back in the garage with my bullshit detector"

And that's exactly what springs to mind when I see those videos.

Bullshit.

Not all of them obviously. But some of them.

Why?

Because it often looks like the budget for the video was bigger than the budget for the job.

And the results they quote are often not real hard facts but things like page views and brand impressions.

Far be it from me to even suggest that judges are often swayed by the video rather than the work.

But I can't help thinking that we'd give out a lot less advertising awards if the work had to stand on its own two feet.

And that ain't ever gonna happen. So here's The Clash.

Ogilvy on grammar

2012-01-24T04:51:00.000+11:00

Time is money people!

2012-01-23T03:27:00.001+11:00

Meetings.

If you're anything like me I'm sure you abhor them.

But sometimes they're important.

Not always. But sometimes.

Thing is even the most important meetings can drag on too long.

And as for the pointless meetings - the less said the better.

I wrote a few weeks back about how much time is wasted at work due to meetings.

Well now there's an app for that!

COMA - The cost of meeting app.

Here's how it works:

* Enter number of people and their average hourly rate
* Choose your currency
* Then sit back and watch the agency burn through money

Given most agencies answer to cost cutting is to cull the Creative Dept this app might not help put an end to time wasting meetings where you work.

But maybe it will. Stranger things have happened!

Click here for more info.

Apple v Microsoft

2012-01-20T00:23:00.000+11:00

Looks like the stylistic and design differences between Microsoft and Apple were there pretty much from the beginning.

Books as art

2012-01-19T21:09:00.002+11:00

I had a great idea for a client last year that was centred around a sculpture made from books.

At the time I was very excited as I was hoping to commission Nicholas Jones to make the sculpture.

I'd never met Jones before but had seen many of his book based artworks.

Sadly the idea never happened.

To be honest with you I'd completely forgotten all about it.

Until today. When I stumbled on this lovely little film about Nicholas Jones.

It offers a nice insight into his arts practice and working life.

And makes Melbourne look pretty cool too.

Where's Daddy?

2012-01-18T11:42:00.003+11:00

This has been doing the rounds on the web for a couple of days now.

How can I not share it?

Classic!

Although somewhat unfortunate. Obviously.

Click the pic for a better look.

Happy birthday Muhammad

2012-01-18T04:30:00.000+11:00

The Champ is a personal hero of mine.

A man who knew how to build and grow a personal brand long before the term had been invented.

It's his 70th birthday today. I hope he has a good one.

Still just doing it

2012-01-17T03:35:00.000+11:00

As anyone who knows me well will tell you, I've never purchased anything by Nike.

It's a personal thing. Although I've always been a big fan of their advertising.

The new Nike UK campaign for the London Olympics is a beauty.

Just simple photography and headlines courtesy of the talent.

How easy is that!?

Not very if truth be told.

Although having Adam Hinton behind the camera must certainly help.

Lovely work by W&K London.

Here's hoping the Brit athletes can live up to the poster lines.

Mad Men and Newsweek

2012-01-16T04:03:00.000+11:00

2011 was a year of ups and downs.

I know it sounds a little "first world" but no MadMen on TV last year was definitely one of the downs.

Good news is it'll be back on our screens this year and to celebrate Newsweek magazine is producing a 60's style retro edition.

Back in the day Newsweek was at the forefront of news coverage with stories on civil rights, Vietnam and more.

I suspect this special edition will become something of a collector's edition and may well be the first of many special edition mags we see.

After all, with circulation on the decrease, publishers have to do something to bump up sales figures.

And maybe going back to the future is just what they need.

Any plans tonight?

2012-01-12T03:37:00.000+11:00

Some very nice work out of Manchester by the city council's in-house agency.

They're part of the council's "Any plans tonight" campaign to boost condom use and reduce STDs.

I'm sure there are no shortage of curmudgeonly types in Manchester who'll be writing to the local paper about these posters.

But if they stop just one intoxicated teen from getting pregnant then they've done their job as far as I'm concerned.

The joy of books

2012-01-11T00:07:00.004+11:00

You can probably fit all the books in this gorgeous little film on a Kindle. But I bet you couldn't make a film about one. And even if you could why on earth would you want to?

Work vs Waste

2012-01-10T04:43:00.000+11:00

Recently I've been working concurrently on two projects with two different art directors.

Like most independent contractors and consultants we often get together in cafes to work.

An hour here. And an hour there.

Plus of course the occasional hour at each other's home or workspace.

What's fascinated me about working like this is just how productive we are.

Which in turn has made me realise just how much time is wasted in agencies.

In fact I'd say that the average creative spends around 5 hours out of every working day doing something other than creative.

Meetings are a necessary evil. But agency folk seem to have far to many of them.

Most of them are to review work, complain about work, get a progress update on work, or generally talk about the work.

Such a waste of time.

Weird thing is it's taking me a while to get used to not having endless work meetings.

But I will. Don't you worry about that.

Now that's a sale!

2012-01-09T04:20:00.000+11:00

Now that my friends is how you do a sale poster.

Only in Japan!

Interview with Jim Coudal

2012-01-06T03:47:00.000+11:00

Over the last couple of years Jim Coudal has managed to make his way into my consciousness.

If only for the fact that he was so fed up with clients that he transformed his agency into an agency without clients.

He talks about this and more in this cosy chat on the ironically titled Interview Show.

Murdoch and Twitter

2012-01-05T05:37:00.000+11:00

Rupert Murdoch jumping on to Twitter has been all over the internet these last few days.

Unbelievably old Rupert has racked up close to 100,000 followers already.

That's up there with Ashton Kucher and Oprah in the uptake stakes.

But does he have anything to say?

And if he does is it worth listening to?

I'd say yes and no at the moment.

To be honest with you I'm just glad he signed up for Twitter not bought it.

Because we all know what happened to the last big thing in digital he purchased!

Picturing an idea

2012-01-04T04:40:00.001+11:00

Milton Glaser's "I ♥ NY" logo is up there with Coke and McDonalds as one of the most iconic visual devices of all time.

And all three date from a time when there were no computers or design software.

This is the original sketch for Glaser's idea.

Doesn't look like much does it?

But sometimes you just have to suspend your normal way of seeing and try to imagine.

Failing that I guess you simply have to trust that creative people know what they're doing.

Which ain't easy. As any client will testify.

But sometimes as this design classic shows it pays off.

Sometimes.

Oh dear...

2012-01-03T03:16:00.000+11:00

Satruday?

Seriously?

Is this a Lovemark?

2012-01-02T00:02:00.002+11:00

I reckon this idiot is taking the Lovemarks idea just a step too far.

Not sure the people at Louis Vuitton would be that pleased about it either.

But it definitely poses a question I've pondered for years:

How do luxury brands maintain their luxury status when they're so often worn by people without an ounce of taste or style?

New Year - Old ad

2012-01-01T04:23:00.000+11:00

This ad dates from 1965.

It is as fresh today as it was 47 years ago.

Wonder if we'll be able to say the same thing about the ads that pick up trophies at Cannes this year?

I suspect not. But hey what would I know!?

The Creative Dept

2011-12-30T00:17:00.003+11:00

My last post for 2011. See ya next year kids! Stan x

Mercedes at speed

2011-12-29T05:24:00.000+11:00

Very cute outdoor idea for an obviously very fast Mercedes.

No idea who did it or which country it is from.

But I've gotta say I like it. A lot.

Here's a slightly better look at the detail.

Time to get a real job

2011-12-27T22:45:00.003+11:00

The annual Design Industry Voices survey of British design and digital agencies has just been released.

Around 500 agency staff contributed and much of what they had to say comes as no surprise to me.

It still makes for a depressing read though.

Here's a couple of highlights (if you could call them that):

85% say that clients expect more work for less money.

71% say clients expect more work in pitches for free.

43% are using more unpaid interns.

35% of agency staff have been with their agency less than a year.

And if those points aren't depressing enough how 'bout these quotes from survey respondents;

“Clients want twice as much work for half the money.”

“Clients want everything done at speed for no money."

Wonder what Bernbach, Ogilvy or the fictional Don Draper would make of it all?

A Christmas drink

2011-12-26T06:36:00.000+11:00

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T11:54:00.004+11:00

Love me some Sammy. Especially at Christmas.

Hiccup!! ;-)

A different Top Ten

2011-12-23T04:24:00.000+11:00

Trust coffee drinkin' Jesus to put the whole end of year top ten thing into perspective.

Hat tip to the disciple.

Click the pic for a better look.

Santa the Creative Director

2011-12-22T04:37:00.001+11:00

I hear an agency I once worked for are currently without a creative director.

Rumour has it they're about to lose their senior creative team too.

Perhaps they should hire Santa to run the creative department.

After he's finished his Christmas deliveries obviously.

A blank sheet of paper

2011-12-21T03:26:00.000+11:00

Great interview with the legendary John Hegarty.

Click here for more on the Blank Sheet Project.

Death by Powerpoint

2011-12-20T04:26:00.001+11:00

Via

Water water everywhere

2011-12-19T03:09:00.001+11:00

If there's one thing that bugs me it's seeing people throw out empty water bottles rather than refill them from the tap.

My wife always tells me there are more important things to worry about but after watching this ad I'm not so sure.

Australia is the driest continent on earth.

So using 7L of water to make a litre of bottled water seems like a waste of our most important natural resource.

Kudos to British copywriter Ben Kay who created this ad to raise awareness.

There's a website too if you're interested.

Now that's a Christmas card!

2011-12-16T22:38:00.004+11:00

Know what I hate?

Digital bloody Christmas cards that's what.

There just so try hard and generally about the agency trying to look clever or ironic rather than a celebration of Christmas.

Plus you can't attach them to a string over your fireplace.

Glad to see the clever kids at Make in Brisbane share my love of the Xmas card string.

Their agency Xmas card comes in a box branded "Instant Popularity".

It includes a set of cards plus a string and some teeny weeny pegs.

Brilliant!

They mailed them today so hopefully a box will turn up in my letterbox on Monday.

Japan sets a Twitter record

2011-12-15T22:46:00.002+11:00

Legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki's classic film Castle in the Sky gets a screening about this time every year in Japan.

To say the film has a cult following there is something of an understatement.

This year's screening sent Twitter into overdrive with a mind boggling 11,349 tweets per second.

Not per minute per second.

In the film's climactic scene the two main characters issue a cry of Balse!

And as that happened viewers in their thousands echoed the cry on Twitter.

Now that is what being a fan is all about.

Not a Facebook fan a real fan.

And I very much doubt a brand could generate the same amount of passion and fervour.

Even if they offered the typical $10,000 prize that most social media promos seem to have.

Complement vs Compliment

2011-12-14T01:01:00.003+11:00

I saw the TV spot for this campaign on the telly tonight.

Doubt it'll be troubling any award show juries but not a bad little ad.

Have to admit I'm surprised that one fast food chain would take pot shots at another.

Especially as the food isn't exactly great at either of them.

Anyway the reason I'm featuring this ad today has nothing to do with any of the above.

I want you to click the pic to enlarge it then take a look at the fourth bullet point.

Now maybe it's just me but I very much doubt that the "finest ingredients" ever pay compliments to the chicken.

Or maybe they do!

Might have to flick an email to someone at Ogilvy in Sydney tomorrow and ask them.

Think inside the box

2011-12-13T04:34:00.000+11:00

Every now and again I see an idea and I think to myself "Wish I'd done that!"

This Adidas pop up store is one of those ideas.

Particularly like the laces popping out the lid of the box.

Just brilliant!

via

December in the Blogosphere

2011-12-12T05:51:00.000+11:00

This is my last Around The Blogosphere column for this year.

In it I take a look at, and share my frustrations about, the new world of frictionless sharing.

Click here to go take a look and please feel free to share your opinion via the comments.

Timeless tripe

2011-12-11T10:18:00.002+11:00

Hard to believe this is a current ad. It seriously looks like it's from the 1950s! No wonder auto makers are in so much trouble.

Memes of the year

2011-12-09T12:04:00.001+11:00

Never thought I'd see the day that people ranked dumb web memes. Glad they do though!

Bad banner ads?

2011-12-09T04:50:00.000+11:00

Seen any good banners ads lately?

Me neither.

Which is doubly sad considering how much time we spend online these days.

And given how much money is spent on online advertising.

Well...I think you know where I'm going with this.

Don't you?

Weapons of mass creation

2011-12-08T03:06:00.000+11:00

Hat tip to Mona for these excellent graphics by Angry Blue.

Click the pix to make 'em bigger.

The Don on clients

2011-12-07T04:39:00.000+11:00

The Creative Director says

2011-12-06T04:06:00.001+11:00

There's been a bunch of ad agency memes doing the rounds of late.

Hovering art directors is still my fave.

Today I came across a new one about Creative Directors.

It's a classic.

Click here to check it out.

An unexpected friend

2011-12-05T03:37:00.000+11:00

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person who gets random friend requests on Facebook.

In fact I know I'm not.

But I doubt anyone ever expected to get a friend request from their unborn child.

Which exactly how Olla Condoms chose to promote their product.

Pretty clever huh?

In essence they take your name and create a new profile using your name but with “Jr.” added to it.

You then receive a friend request from your "Jnr."

Once your curiosity is aroused (and I'm sure it would be) if you click through to the profile page you'll see an Olla Condoms ad.

Like I said pretty clever huh?

I suspect this sort of thing may be outside the rules of Facebook.

In fact it's probably been banned already.

But I've gotta admit I like this idea. A lot!

Quotable quotes

2011-12-02T04:03:00.001+11:00

Lovely collection of quotes by the Hidden Persuader. Guarantee you'll be able to drop at least one into a presentation before Christmas.

Avant garde design

2011-12-01T00:09:00.004+11:00

Just came across a music blog specialising in avant garde and experimental music.

One group of records on the site really caught my eye.

They're from the Deutsche Grammophon label.

Some beautifully simple graphic design.

Particularly good reference I think for people who design for the web as they show how you can make virtually endless variants on a theme.

Love the way the designers carried the treatment across to the back cover too.

If you click and enlarge the pics you'll also see some very well crafted type.

Hard to believe these covers are almost as old as I am!

Learning to love a good suit

2011-11-30T04:28:00.000+11:00

Over the last couple of days I've had to estimate and cost up elements of a large and very exciting project I am working on.

Problem is I'm not used to doing it.

Sure I have a rough idea how long I think a job will take.

But actually typing it up and putting it in an official document?

No way!

Yes folks I'll admit it - I have taken suits for granted.

I really have.

But not anymore.

Promise.

As seen on TV

2011-11-29T04:36:00.000+11:00

Love love love this ad by Saatchi's Sydney.

It's a bit hard to see the logo and tagline so please click on the pic to enlarge.

If you can't be bothered to click the tagline says; Toyota Prius with Rear View Camera.

Pretty sweet huh?

Dishonesty in advertising

2011-11-28T03:47:00.001+11:00

Steve Henry is one of my advertising heroes. Top bloke too from what I hear.

Anyway here he is discussing dishonesty in advertising on BBC Radio-4 with Evan Davis.

Well worth 15 mins of your time.

Hat tip to Mr Birss for the audio.

Please Mr Postman

2011-11-25T05:03:00.000+11:00

One of the hardest things about doing great direct mail is the cost of postage.

As long as you stick to a standard envelope size it's not a problem.

But go a millimetre or two over and postage costs increase dramitically.

It appears the people at Sunglass Hut learnt this the hard way when they sent the invite above to Mumbrella.

Excess postage and lots of it.

Hardly the best way to get people to your event.

Especially people from a marketing industry website.

Aaron Draplin ain't happy!

2011-11-24T04:42:00.003+11:00

This is Aaron Draplin from Draplin Design.

He's passionate about graphic design as you would imagine.

And he ain't happy at the way it's being treated.

I know exactly how he feels as I've seen many great old bits of Melbourne get wiped off the map in the name of progress.

Content vs SEO

2011-11-23T04:32:00.000+11:00

Do a Google search for Qantas and this blog appears on the first page of results.

Why?

Actually I don't know why. But I suspect it's because the stuff I put on this blog is worth wasting your time on.

Good content if you will.

And good content is what people want.

Perhaps if brands spent more time on content they'd spend less time worrying about SEO.

Inane conversations

2011-11-22T03:03:00.000+11:00

Is there anything more annoying than an overly loud and inane mobile phone conversation?

Possibly. But probably not.

So why not prepare yourself for your next public transport trip with a set of Shhh! cards.

They're just one of the many fun (and useful) creations from Coudal & Co.

Best of all they're free.

Click here and go print off a pdf.

Trust me. They'll come in handy sooner than you think!

Got a problem call Stan

2011-11-21T04:26:00.000+11:00

As of today I am officially no longer a Wunderkid.

For those of you not familiar with the term it’s the name I gave to all the wonderful people I’ve shared the best part of 4 ½ years with at Wunderman in Melbourne.

Feels a bit weird to be honest.

Which is surprising really as I’ve been waiting for my notice period to end for weeks.

Anyway today is the first day of the rest of my life.

Sorry to come over all new-age but it really is.

No more complaining about briefs.

No more bitching about ridiculous copy changes.

No more wondering why what seems obvious to me is not obvious to others.

No more… Well you get the picture.

Over the course of the summer I’m going to be working on my personal brand.

Polishing it. Finessing it. And packaging it up ready to market.

Stay tuned for news on that in the new year.

In the mean time if you or anybody else you know needs a wise head to work on a project or help with a problem you know where to find me.

And if you don’t click here and visit my About Me page.

Laters!

Do ideas really take too long?

2011-11-18T09:21:00.004+11:00

There's an article in today's AdAge arguing, as many people do today, that agencies take too long to produce ideas.

It's an interesting read. And makes some valid points.

But in my experience it's not the creation of ideas that eats up time it's the sheer number of people circling around the process.

Whether that's internal meetings and review sessions. Client presentations. Debriefings. Legals. Etc etc.

Regardless of all that the key to success when having an idea, and also understanding how ideas happen, was put into words by the legendary James Webb Young a long long time ago.

His book "A Technique for Producing Ideas" is as relevant today as it was when it was first published.

I put it on the reading list of the Advertising Degree at RMIT.

For those who are not familiar with it. And for those who think the clever people who have ideas take too long doing it. Here is James Webb Young's book reduced to a short list. I found it in the comments to the AdAge article.

1. Gather your raw materials

2. Work over these materials in your mind

3. Stop thinking about it and let the unconscious mind take over.

4. Give birth to the idea

5. Shape and develop the idea

It's not the creating that takes time—it's the incubating.

Hat tip to Steven Stark for the comment.

12 days of Bonds Christmas

2011-11-18T01:38:00.001+11:00

Cute Christmas ad for Bonds by their new agency Banjo.

Honestly. What's not to love!?

Idea engineers - the aftermath

2011-11-16T23:42:00.004+11:00

Yesterday I shared a link on Twitter to an hysterical agency promo video for Sapient.

Actually hysterical really doesn't do justice to how bad it was.

As I'm sure you know the video went viral in a big way.

Today Sapient addressed the video and the laughter in the twittersphere via their blog.

They opened with this lovely little statement;

We’re guessing you’ve seen 'the video.'

Rather than try and cover up what had happened they took it on the chin and had a good laugh at themselves.

Hell they even shared some of the best tweets.

They also made this promise about those tweets;

So for all you “creative carpenters” out there, check out the best reactions below.

And feel free to comment at will. We’ll never delete them (that would be very very silly).

Which is all good and well.

But they also went and deleted the video.

Am I seeing things?

2011-11-15T09:43:00.004+11:00

You'll need to squint to see it but check out the ad layered over the top of this Stevie Wonder YouTube clip.

Alternatively click the pic to enlarge it and see what is surely a strong contender for ad placement of the year.

The space available

2011-11-14T03:50:00.000+11:00

I've always loved billboards and outdoor advertising.

As a kid from the sticks it's something I always associate with the big smoke.

For me it's what makes places like Tokyo and Shanghai look so exciting.

Watching this trailer for the film This Space Available has got me rethinking my love.

And although I really cannot imagine a big city without outdoor ads. I think it would be great to rid our suburbs, villages and highways of them.

After all isn't peace and quiet the reason most people move away from the urban environment?

Buns turn pink

2011-11-11T02:04:00.000+11:00

I know the Pink cause is important.

Of course I do.

But I reckon some of the brand associations are a bit of stretch.

And some of them, like this bread brand, are just plain odd.

Fantastic mobile design resource

2011-11-10T23:15:00.003+11:00

Although it took forever to take off mobile is now a big part of the advertising world.

And if you're dreaming up or developing mobile ideas have I got a great site for you.

Mobile UI Patterns.

Yeah I know it's the dullest name ever.

But it's a brilliant and ever growing resource of mobile design and user interface stuff.

Click here to go check it out.

Endless possibilities apparently

2011-11-10T00:22:00.005+11:00

I know it's easy to take pot shots at logos but sometimes it's just too hard not to.

The 2012 London Olympics is a great case in point.

Still possibly the worst logo I've ever seen.

Now the USA (or Brand USA as I believe they like to be known) has a new logo.

It was created by The Brand Union.

Obviously it's not in the same league of silliness as the London Olympics logo but it still leaves a lot to be desired.

In fact when you put it up against the iconic star spangled banner it just looks sad and wishy washy.

According to their press release Brand Union reckon this logo “captures the spirit of the United States: Authentic. Optimistic. Unexpected. Inclusive. Endless Possibilities."

I reckon they're kidding themselves.

What about you?

Bag or brand?

2011-11-09T04:29:00.000+11:00

Whenever we've had to organise leaving presents for female staff members at work I often joke about buying a cheap necklace and putting it in a turquoise Tiffany's bag.

Every woman loves the Tiffany's bag is always my argument.

Plus most of their affordable stuff is essentially trinkets anyway.

The girls never seem to agree.

In fact they scoff. Loudly.

Yesterday I went to pick up a box of bags for my wife's boutique.

The bag shop's shopfront was literally stacked from floor to ceiling with bags for high-end stores.

Or brands as we like to call them.

I just had to sneak a photo or two.

And these pics are I believe one of the best arguments for the powers of brands that I've seen in ages.

Just look at them. A wall of anonymous shopping bags.

But take one off the shelf. Say a turquoise one. And suddenly you're walking down the street with a piece of Tiffany's.

Not a shopping bag.

Ogilvy builds an army

2011-11-08T08:12:00.000+11:00

Love this clever QR code recruitment ad for Ogilvy Asia.

As I've written here before nobody in Oz is doing anything interesting with QR codes.

Although given how many QR ideas I've got sitting in my bottom drawer I'm not surprised.

Love to know how big the Ogilvy poster actually was because the detail in the illustrations is something to behold.

Just plain weird

2011-11-07T05:09:00.000+11:00

There have been more than enough scout leader/little boy stories doing the rounds for years on end.

So why oh would would the scouts in America feel this ad wouldn't get looked at in the same light?

I know the idea's all about getting the molly coddled youth of today to experience and learn from "wild men" but this is ridiculous.

A good idea gone incredibly wrong.

Well I think so anyway.

You of course may see it differently.

Either way it's a seriously creepy ad.

And definitely not the sort of image I'd associate with the wholesome outdoorsy boy scout movement.

A life in film & design

2011-11-04T04:51:00.003+11:00

Love this behind the scenes look at the production of what should be a terrific book about the legendary Saul Bass.

Given Bass's iconic work with the likes of AT&T, United and Quaker, as well as films like Man with the golden arm, I'm surprised nobody's done a book like this before.

Get your order in now at Amazon and other major booksellers.

Art direction vs design

2011-11-04T04:22:00.002+11:00

There's a great discussion going on in a Linkedin group at the moment about what is and isn't an art director.

It's gotten quite heated at times.

For me this quote sums up what it's all about in one sentence.

Brilliant.

Angry Birds and agencies

2011-11-03T04:08:00.002+11:00

I read a great piece a few months ago that posed the question of whether or not an idea like Instagram or Angry Birds could have come out of an agency.

For the first couple of paragraphs I was shaking my head in disagreement. But by the end my mind was kicking into overdrive.

So I used the piece as the starting point for my most recent column for Marketing Magazine.

Click here to go take a look. I'd love to here your opinion so feel free to leave a comment.

More make up please!

2011-11-03T00:22:00.002+11:00

Status update gloves

2011-11-02T04:21:00.000+11:00

It's almost summer here in Mebourne.

Although I can't help thinking maybe I should put the word almost in quote marks.

Suffice to say however we have no need for gloves here for at least the next six months.

Which is a shame.

Not because I want it to be cold. But because I want to try out these great new gloves from Muji.

They have a special conductive material woven through the forefinger and thumb which enables you to operate a touchscreen phone while wearing them.

Yeah I know these are a solution to a first world problem.

But you have to admit they're pretty cool.

Click here to order your pair before the cold weather comes back.

Google gets fashionable

2011-11-01T03:45:00.001+11:00

Love this Japanese ad for Google.

It's by W&K I think.

No idea what it's about to be honest.

But apparently it has something to do with the Image Search functions ‘sort by color’ and ‘similar images’.

Yeah. Right. OK then.

Still a cute ad though!

Banksy on Qantas

2011-10-31T03:14:00.001+11:00

Luckily I ain't going nowhere this week so the grounding of the Qantas fleet has no impact on my life.

In fact I reckon the Banksy pic above pretty much sums up the whole situation.

It has of course been all over Twitter since the news broke.

As you'd expect in the social media age.

There were laughs aplenty in the tweets of a fake account for Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.

And a few awkward moments for Stanford uni student Alan Joyce who had nothing to do with Qantas but did share his name with the airline's CEO.

I really loved this opportunity spotting tweet from a lady of the night offering her services to passengers stranded at Heathrow.

Best thing about the grounding of Qantas though (at least for me) is it keeps John Travolta at home for a couple of days.

And you've gotta be thankful for that!

When is a story a non-story?

2011-10-28T03:45:00.000+11:00

A headline in today's AdAge newsletter caught my eye:

"Hey, Advertisers: New York Has a Bridge to Sell You".

It's a tad misleading if truth be told.

In essence it's an article about the selling of ad space on the boom gates of a couple of bridges in New York state.

No not New York. New York state.

See what I mean about misleading.

I seriously doubt anyone gives a shit about ads on toll gates on bridges in the countryside.

But hey what would I know?

I'm just an over opinionated copywriter with a blog not an esteemed industry publication.

Anyway what really cracked me up about the article was the amount of hyperbole in it.

Here's a couple of choice quotes:

"This is so 'in your face' advertising we couldn't pass it up. It's brilliant."

"Using every resource to be innovative and work with the business community just makes sense."

"I just think it's terrific advertising to have an ad come down right in front of you, even if it's just for three to five seconds."

Seriously even a crappy hard up for a story current affair show wouldn't run a story like this.

And with all the change our industry has been going through of late why oh why would AdAge?

Impossibly good

2011-10-28T00:22:00.001+11:00

Look and learn kids

2011-10-27T22:04:00.001+11:00

Every once in a while I come across an ad that I just have to share.

This is one of those ads.

From the double exclamation marks to the "30 close up photos" claim this is an absolute classic.

Big thumbs up from yours truly.