AdNausea

I stumbled across this very awesome idea and website earlier this morning and after making myself a piece of toast, I did some digging. This is taken from the website itself and I think it explains quite a bit:

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The Bread Art Project was created by the Grain Foods Foundation to help increase awareness of the growing hunger problem in the U.S. In an effort to help end hunger in the US, the Grain Foods Foundation will donate $50,000 to Feeding America. An additional donation of $1 will be made for each piece of Bread Art submitted, up to the maximum donation of $100,000.  You can make a personal donation to Feeding America.

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So basically you go to this website and can browse “toast art” done by featured artists like Jim Amadea, Iris Stein and Will Burns. You can create your own art on toast in the workshop, as well. I made one for my fictional lover, Edward as well as a shameless plug for my blog:

And not only can you upload a picture of your own, you can make a personal greeting, an image for someone else and send it to them to make their day. And $1 for each submission is being donated, so you can feel good about creating something fun. So wander on over to TheBreadArtProject and take a long look and believe me, you’ll be messing around with it for awhile, looking at the templates, using the awesome brushes, etc. Submit yours in the comments, I’d love to see what others come up with.

Let’s talk about job interviews! This is a post I’ve been thinking about for quite a while and just haven’t gotten down to writing. This is not specifically related to advertising, but I will dedicate it to interviews in the general creative field. In this economy, and in any economy, for that matter, job interviews are critical. Granted, applying for a receptionist job, a construction job, a retail job… is nothing like applying for a job in the visual arts field. For a regular job, you print a nice crisp, professional resume on off-white paper, put on your new shoes and cardigan or blazer or tie, grab those referrals and head out the door to answer questions like, “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” or “Are you willing to work the occasional late night or weekend?” You answer questions, shake their hand and look forward to the call.

For creative positions - this process is a bit more painstaking. First, you produce a top-notch (at least in your opinion) portfolio or demo reel. Then, you spend the money on multiple copies and leave-behinds and jewel cases. You grab a resume, hopefully one that will catch the interviewer’s eye as well as remain professional, your baby (portfolio) and head out to have each and every image critiqued and torn apart, sometimes laughed at and hopefully more often, praised. Everything from the kerning in your type to the one single frame in your short film that’s off, one printing mistake to one poorly rendered animation undergoes intense magnification.

So, let’s hear the stories. Who has had absolutely amazing interviews (which hopefully resulted in an amazing job) and who has had heart-breaking interviews where one thing after another went wrong? Or anything in between. I want to hear them. To start them off, here are a few of my interviews (or almost interviews.)

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I got a call after applying online to a small advertising company in Chicago. I got to the front desk 15 minutes early and was told that I would be interviewing with Tim, the guy from the online department, instead of Heather, the art director who was in charge of hiring. Why this change up? She had a pilates class and “accidentally” double-booked herself, and although she knew about it on Friday, she did not see fit to call me before the 10:30am interview on Monday. So instead, I was asked a few questions like - “Where did you get your degree?” “Do you like Chicago? Better than Georgia?” “Do you think it’s going to keep raining today?” And, as I pulled out my portfolio and opened it, Tim stood up and shook my hand, mentioning that since he was not in charge of hiring, he had no need to see my portfolio. Of course, I asked if I could reschedule with Heather, who was in charge of hiring and did need to see my portfolio and was told that she was pretty booked, but would get back in touch with me if she saw fit. Of course, she returned my follow-up call and email with one of her own, stating that they decided to go in a different direction than my creative talent allowed. I still feel like I was pretty cheated.

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Another “interview” I went on took place in what I consider a dirtier part of Chicago. I don’t live in the city and am not familiar with the worst neighborhoods, or even the semi-bad ones, but this one was pretty gross, and the building had no sign on the door, nor an address. I showed up for what I was told was a “freelance advertising and marketing position, with the potential to become permanent” at the same time as another gentleman. We both went to the front window and told the only person to stop by that I had an 11am interview with Bruce. The guy asked us to sit down and he’d let him know. After lots of small talk in this very small lobby, I realize that it’s been almost 30 minutes and go back up to the desk where I am told, again, to wait. So I do. After another 30 minutes, a guy I’ve never seen before comes up and asks what I’m waiting for, I tell him I’m waiting for Bruce and he says, “I am Bruce. I don’t work with these people, I just rent a desk from them, I didn’t know you were waiting.” So I sit down with him, at this tiny little brown desk and he proceeds to explain that the position is this - I pay to rent a desk in this warehouse next to his, he goes out and generates business for us, and we both invest in the products to do small advertising and marketing projects - like the paper, the printers and computer software. So, turns out he was looking for a business partner, not design help. Boo-hoo. He had a lazy eye, too, and those guys just make me uncomfortable. I told him I’d call him with my decision (he seemed desperate enough to want an answer now) and I did, because that’s the polite thing to do. Of course, it was a no and I drove home defeated.

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So, who else has interview stories? Any at all - send them in a comment, email them to me. I love hearing these things. Or, who has tips and tricks for landing a great interview, a great hiring story, etc. Send them in!

But not that naughty.

I am a big fan of candy bars. I am also a big fan of candy bar advertising - everything from Cadbury’s short film commercials to Twix commercials asking if you need a moment. You know what I like just as much as candy bar commercials? Chocolatey sexual inuendos and hazelnut double entrendes. So, it seems fit that I’d love Fling, the newest candy brand from Mars (who’s last new brand was Twix, revealed nearly 20 years ago.)

BBDO New York is on this project like you wouldn’t believe - the first commercial (viewed here) makes me smile at it’s simplicity. It’s sexy and funny. And, as you’ll see soon enough, Fling has print ads toting phrases like “Your boyfriend doesn’t have to know,” “It isn’t cheating if you don’t feel guilty” and “Pleasure yourself.” How awesome is that?

Mars has revealed Fling to be a low-calorie (170 calories per stick), low-cost (79 cents each) chocolate truffle bar in three delicious flavors (dark, hazelnut and milk chocolate), meant for women to enjoy. It appeals to single women, unhappy women, young teenagers who want to be single, unhappy women. And yes, it’s a bit reminiscent of Tab - the soda that re-vamped itself as a pink, bubbly low-calorie, women-only trend drink.  Apparently it was introduced in Australia with this original packaging, simple and elegant with the tag line “Chocolate with no strings attached” which is a nice direction to run with it, I think.

But it came to America with a few small changes in design and it’s marketing position. The original wasn’t girly enough, so I introduce bright, hot pink packaging! It also features shimmering pink “mica” dust on each candy bar (which are like twix in that they are 5 inches long and there are two “fingers” per wrapper.)  And the new slogan on the wrapper is “Naughty, but not that naughty.”

I absolutely love the description of the candy (which also lets you know how girly it is) because it uses words like “delicate, subtle, enrobed and shimmering.”  Now, this bar is only available in California for the time being (and Australia, where it debuted and I don’t think I’ll get a chance to visit either of them) so I can’t testify to the quality of the chocolate or the taste of it. I can say that so far, I like their advertising and can’t wait to see what else they come out with. It’s a pun, but it has to be said - I hope the name doesn’t hint at how long the candy bar will be popular - let’s hope it’s not just a fling. Ha ha.

I have fallen in love with a new radio commercial I discovered and just found out there are television commercials. Everybody knows all about Chuck Norris and his vast collection of jokes (if you WoW, then you definitely know them) and we all laugh at them, at least once. “Superman wears Chuck Norris under-oos.” Stuff like that. Well, here’s something better.

According to Dos Equis (doo-sek-ees) the most interesting man in the world, it appears, is not Chuck Norris. It’s a rugged, beautiful man, played and voiced (in radio commercials) by Jonathan Goldsmith. The radio commercials are freaking awesome - featuring funny quotes about the most interesting man in the world, who is never given a name. Here are a few of the lines from these commercials.

Even his parrot’s advice is insightful.

If there were an interesting gland, his would be larger than most men’s entire lower intestines.

His shirts never wrinkle.

He is left-handed. And right-handed.

Even if he forgets to put postage on his mail, it gets there.

He once knew a call was a wrong number, even though the person on the other end wouldn’t admit it.

You can see his charisma from space.

His blood smells like cologne.

When he orders a salad, he gets the dressing right there on top of the salad, where it belongs…where there is no turning back.

He once had an awkward moment, just to see how it feels.

The announcer reads off a few of these lines with perfect timing and at the end, MIM (most interesting man) says, “I don’t always drink beer. But when I do, I prefer Dos Equis. Stay thirsty my friends.” It’s that simple. And this is an idea that can transfer to commercials, print and an immersive and amazing website (staythirstymyfriends.com) where you can play games, learn how to say funny lines in different languages, complete quizzes, etc. It’s pretty fun, indeed.

The television commercials area all over the YouTubes, so you can look up those, but they aren’t nearly as good as the radio commercials in my opinion. The thing that is so innovative about this, is that it’s a hark to advertising ideas past. A long, long time ago, in a land with older advertising and lots of print ads, lots of products were creating this same thing… “icons.” People and cartoons that represented everything the company stood for and engulfed and embodied that. Like…

The Pillsbury Doughboy

Ronald McDonald

The Energizer Bunny

Betty Crocker

The Marlboro Man

The Man in the Hathaway Shirt

The Schweppes Man (Commander Whitehead)

There’s a reason these campaigns have been so successful, and it’s been a LONG time since the last successful icon, in my opinion. I think MIM is well on it’s way to joining the ranks. Have you heard these? Do you like them, hate them, spoof them? Leave comments or email me your spoof videos or links and we can all enjoy!

Goodby Silverstein & Partners have done it again! Well, I guess their Comcast genius came after this one I’m going to talk about, but you get the point. I am late in the game stumbling across this website for Frito-Lay chips and dips (and the post leading me to it). But better late than never, especially in this case.

GS&P have created a website (probably a couple months back) for the company Frito-Lay. This website came out and lead up to the “Made for Each Other” campaign. Both the commercials I’ve seen as well as the website have absolutely beautiful and eye-catching animation and illustration. The music fits perfectly and the commercials look like the very beginning to a trailer to a movie you wouldn’t mind seeing.

On the website, a multitude of peculiar characters await you - interact with them, try to match them with their soulmate. Explore enough and you’re going to find easter eggs and small mini games as well. Now go ahead and click here to visit it and while you’re waiting for it to load (it does take a long time) watch the commercials below. They’re fun. And tell me what you think - have you seen the website yet? What do you think?
>> LOVE SOCKETS, Animation by Blacklist, Melodium, Cobra Creative:

Everyone has seen advertisements urging parents to talk to their kids about drug and alcohol use. These sometimes include scary images of accident scenes, crying mothers and teddy bears left out in the rain. I’m not suggesting that these don’t work, but I am suggesting that this isn’t the most original take on talking to your kids and getting them to understand how you feel. But stumbling around online today, I came across an article (original here) that kind of floored me. There’s a video at that link as well.

Los Angeles agency Ground Zero teamed up with The Sound Advice Project to get parents to talk to their kids about drugs - with the help of some interactive creativity and a bracelet. To begin with, parents are encouraged to go to the non-profit’s website and choose from a variety of personal messages to record in their own voice for their child. The audio is visualized as a sound wave and that image is converted into a 3 dimensional bracelet that parents can customize as far as choosing the color of the beads and cord. The bracelet costs about $18 and can be purchased directly from that site.

The thing I like about this idea is that a caring “I believe in you” or “You make me so proud” can stick with the child no matter where they go. The bracelets look inconspicuous enough that no one ever really has to explain what it is if they don’t want to, but they’re stylized enough that your teenager will want to wear them.

I’m surprised this type of technology hasn’t been used yet for keepsakes or some other form of merchandise. Maybe it has and I’m just behind the times. People are always looking for a new way to tell someone they love them. Remember those rice necklaces? A small tube of water with a tiny, single grain (or two) of rice with someone’s name or some kind of special message written on it? Miniature roses insdie tiny vials? You could purchase a small token of your affection to give to your boyfriend or daughter or whatever. Those are neat and all, but what sets The Sound Advice Project apart from a company like RiceBling is that Sound Advice has a powerful meaning behind it. Oh, and it was advertised for.

So what do you guys think? Do you wish your parents had something like this to give you? Is it a passing trend, just like the Live Strong bracelets or is this something that will help young adults know that someone is watching out for them? What do you think?

Now, if you’re like me and you’ve ever lived in a place where you were given the “choice” of one Internet Service Provider, and that service provider happened to be Comcast, chances are you, like me, hope there’s a special place for Comcast in the pits of service hell. Now, some areas are lucky enough (most actually) to have multiple providers, which forces Comcast, and everyone else, to up their customer service enough that you like them more than the other guy, or lower their price low enough so that you like them more than the other guy. But during the two years spent in Savannah, Georgia, where my boyfriend, SB and I only had the choice of Comcast, they knew it. And they abused it. Being days late for installation, sending a bill after it had already been paid and then forcing us to hold while we tried to fix that, charging us for television that we couldn’t receive and didn’t want, charging us for the actual cable itself and whining and moaning when we canceled the service so we could move out of state. It’s a company that’s infuriated so many people, for various reasons, that it provoked a site dedicated to the hatred Comcast provokes. All of this piles up into one big “I don’t like Comcast” poop-pie. Everytime I see one of their commercials, I know it’s for them, because it has a stink to it. Here, see if you can smell it.

First stinky stink - Everybody Loves Money.

Second smelly video - Out Sick

And lastly, stinkily - Amazing Savings

Why do I hate these so much? Because it takes some stupid little joke that has a small punchline in the end. Well, at least the first and third one do. “Ha ha, she saved him! That was an amazing save! Comcast has amazing savings! I get it.”
Or,”Ha Ha! Those kids are such funny actors. My kids are funny, too. Hey! It’s children in an adult setting… now that’s what I call funny. And cute. And Comcastic.” We get it. Those jokes aren’t that smart, they aren’t that funny and even the neat design treatment at the end doesn’t save these from commercial stink.

Now, with that being said… I’d like to share a little tidbit of information with you. Now, I’m not well-worded enough with the words to have put this together all by myself, so I’ll just copy it from AdAge’s Bob Garfield’s article, Goodby Does Impossible.

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Client walks into Goodby Silverstein & Partners, plops down a suitcase full of money. Says, “You have your choice of three briefs.” Partners say, “OK, shoot.”

“No. 1,” the client says. “Find a noninvasive cure for cancer.”

Goodby says, “We’re an ad agency. That’s completely beyond our capabilities.”

Client says, “No. 2: Conquer the speed of light.”

Silverstein says, “Impossible. What’s the third brief?”

Client says, “Make Comcast seem adorable.”

Goodby says, “Can you tell us the cancer one again?”

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I know the joke isn’t that new, but the idea is right on. How do you take a product that most people hate and turn it into something that people enjoy? It’s the same problem Volkswagon faced when charging into an American market. It was done brilliantly and this Comcast reconstructive surgery is just as nice.

The commercial isn’t that original (see the article above for examples) but that doesn’t seem to matter. Because after one or two views, you’ll be singing along in your chair. The art style has an amateurish, sketchy appeal that makes it pleasing to watch and the song itself is pretty fun. The first time I saw this, I enjoyed it so much that I was a bit disappointed when I found it was for Comcast, as I’m sure you were the first time you saw it. This could carry across many media (radio, television and could make some pretty cool print and direct mail ads if they sung to you).

So maybe this post isn’t about rejoicing that Comcast isn’t devil spawn anymore (maybe one step above, now). Maybe this post is just about rejoicing that an advertising agency, namely Goodby Silverstein & Partners, is creative and daring enough to improve on a company’s brand image. A company as hated as Comcast. It’s nice that in this world, with a company that most people quiver with anger when they hear, an ad agency stepped up to the challenge and improved your view on Comcast, if only by a smidgeon. Now, go and enjoy these mono-tone, brightly colored pieces of comercial goodness. It helps if you stop the commercial or change the channel right before the very end.

Comment and tell me what you think about this. And please, share your horror stories about Comcast so I don’t lose all my deserved anger toward them!

So, I’m a little slow on the uptake, but even to me, it’s no new news that Rihanna (singer and girlfriend of rapper Chris Brown) “fell down some stairs” or “ran into the door” or whatever the initial excuse was. It happens to more people than just famous people, but of course, when your face is plastered to CDs and posters and shown in commercials, it’s hard to ignore a few bruises. And yes, it’s a terrible thing and yes, I’m against domestic violence, but that’s not what this post is about.

This post is about Covergirl. Covergirl is a make-up company (Duh!) that features young women looking happy, fresh and relatable to today’s youth. America’s Next Top Model used to get (still do?) a full page spread and whatnot, rising actresses, models and singers are often featured as a Covergirl as well. What this woman, whoever it be, is saying to the millions of girls who buy or want to buy this product is that I am an easy, breezy, beautiful woman. At least they should. Some are arguing that Rihanna still being a Covergirl is sending the wrong message. Because she’s been in an abusive relationship and has decided to go back to him, many think that Rihanna is sending the message that she’s a battered, naive and dependent Covergirl. Had she had the strength to stay out of the relationship and seek help and support from other people, that would have said a lot about her as well as the company if she stayed with them. But now that she’s putting herself in the line of fire, again, for a man who may beat her, again, some people are complaining.

And none as loudly as Revlon - a competitor of Covergirl. Although Covergirl, I think, is aimed a younger crowd than Revlon is, they’re still in the same industry, and a competitive one at that, so of course you use what you can to get ahead. And in this case, TMZ reports that Revlon has hired a secret polling company to find out what buyers think about Covergirl keeping Rihanna as a spokeswoman. Supposedly, no one was supposed to know about Revlon’s undercover plot. Hm. Take a poll at TMZ and see what people think about Rihanna and Chris getting back together (although that’s more gossip than it is Advertising news. Oops.)

Of course Rihanna’s still a beautiful woman and as soon as the bruises fade next time, she’s still going to be a beautiful woman. She can put on a happy face in the magazine ads and her name is never mentioned, so people not in the “know” won’t put two and two together. But the ending to this rant is this: From an advertising and marketing perspective, is Covergirl Cosmetics damaging itself by keeping a woman who went back to an abusive boyfriend as a spokeswoman? Is she going to harm sales and damage the brand image? What do you guys think?