The writing's on the wall

Adidas is a great brand. I love it when great brands try something different and capitalize on trends. Graffitti is nothing new. So when I saw the new Adidas campaign that encourages the public to deface their ads, I thought cool. Then I looked at the big picture... why create ads that don't get attention but instead blend into the surroundings? I like grafitti and seeing the twisted turns a spray can is capable of making. Building walls and overpasses are somewhat of an art gallery. There are other people who think this... could we be Adidas's target market? Grafitti represents only a fraction of culture. Culture is hard to define. I think Adidas capitalized on the wrong trend. You have to look for the ad. The passerby will almost never notice that Adidas is the brand at work. This posting represents mostly my opinions so I encourage you to read more about this. http://www.beinghunted.com/features/2006/04_adicolor_berlin/01/01.html

Those creative-recycling Arnikans!

I came across this interesting ad in CMYK a few issues ago. It was done by a VCU Adcenter student, Diana Tung for Home Depot. After graduating from VCU she was hired on as an art director at Arnika. Arnika is known for its good work though a lot of it is unrealistic. Then I had deju-vu. It was the same ad, except this time, the logo changed. I didn't attend the Adcenter but I know there are certain techniques (almost golden rules) that must be followed to create exceptional, ground-breaking work. One of those rules – create ads that can only be used for that brand/company. From Home Depot to Robbie's Do It Best Hardware. The strategy, you may ask? Tung's graduation. Not to be mean or anything... but why did you do that? I'm wondering if Claire Tiffey (the copywriting student at the Adcenter) even got any credit for the writing. Creatives need to realize that there are so many dynamics that go into creating advertising. We are building brands. We must get it right. Then pitch the idea and defend it. Good advertising doesn't happen by changing the logo.

Donny Deutsch: "Often Wrong, Never in Doubt" – Worth Reading!

I wasn't sure about Donny Deutsch before reading the book. He seemed like an arrogant ass but at the same time I was somewhat attracted to him. He's a great-looking guy and the brains behind some pretty good campaigns. So I gave it a chance and ordered it from Amazon. I finally got to it on Christmas vacation and couldn't put it down. I came back to work energized and with a little ego in my step. Donny is now one of my idols. And for the record - I have a deeper crush for him now. Thank God he's not my boss... yet!

"Dogs Rule" according to Pedigree campaign

I love this campaign. It's simple, cute, smart. The writing is the winner. As a dog owner, I feel the ads resonate very well. Though I can't say it makes me want to go out and buy Pedigree. I usually purchase whatever is on sale (but never generic, low-end brand). If the ads were placed in the dog food aisle (floor cling, hanging graphic) I would be reminded that Pedigree is the company that thinks my dog rules!

Starbucks and Viral Advertising

Found this from another blog. Here's his story:

Today as I was crossing the Embarcadero I noticed that this gentleman had left his coffee on the roof of his car. Midway through the cross walk I turned and pointed at him and he just waved at me. I ran back to the other side of the crosswalk and approached his window as he wasn't getting what I was pointing at.

When I got close enough to speak to him I told him that his coffee was on his roof. He looked at me and said, "I know, Happy Holiday's from Starbucks!" At first I didn't get it, it didn't sink in, so I told him again, your coffee it's on your roof and again he looked me square in they eye and said, "yes, yes, I know, Happy Holidays from Starbucks." It was at this point that I realized that the coffee cup was permanently affixed to his roof and that he was an advertisment in disguise. Even though I'm not sure how I feel about cars clogging traffic and poluting the City with exhaust to make a marketing point, I still had a chuckle when I realized that I'd been had.

Sally Hogshead "The Naked Career"

Sometimes American Copywriter gets old. Tug and John are funny guys but they are a little too personal and I don't really care what they ate last night. Sally Hogshead's podcast hits the spot (see www.talentzoo.com). She personable as well as informative. I like the balance. Sally Hogshead is another person who has influenced my life. I never had the pleasure of meeting her but if I did, I probably would hug her. Her book "Radical Careering" is something that I read when I feel powerless, useless, or emotionally-drained. I have used "cherry bombs" to revive my career. I've been happier, more creative, more productive, my work is improving. For example, my favorite is... Radical Truth #62: Ongoing Panic Kills Innovation. This book is great, especially in my case where the corporation's HR department is more or less a defense mechanism for management. Someone has to take down the SCUD missiles.

Jean Govoni & Innovation

Jean is a good friend of mine and I was one of her students at VCU. Below is an article about her that appeared on Richmond.com and in WORKMAGAZINE.

Innovators
WORKMAGAZINE presents Innovators
Innovator Jean Govoni.

WORKMAGAZINE Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Jean Govoni spent many years as an art director, graphic designer and producer with advertising agencies in New York and London. "A lot of my work involved production of 30-second commercials for companies such as Wendy's, Yoplait yogurt, Northwest Airlines and AT&T," she says. Filming took her to some neat locales, including Paris and Rio.

She moved back to Virginia in 2000 to be closer to her family and devoted the next several years to teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Mass Communications and at the VCU Adcenter. Subsequently, she bought a farm (dubbed Jean Acres by her friends) in Goochland. "But," as she says, "I missed doing it - being on shoots and in the recording studio." So she plunged back into work as a creative director and consultant for Richmond ad agencies and for other clients, including some from her days in New York.

In the course of networking in a new market, she contacted David N. Martin of the branding firm IdentityMark. "I showed him my sample reel of commercials and other stuff. The firm was working with the Library of Virginia at the time, with Susan Martin Mitchell as account executive/marketing consultant. That's how I got the gig."

By "gig" she means the creation and direction of a 15-minute orientation film for the library that could be used to educate visitors, for fundraising and possibly to be broadcast on PBS.

The stretch from her experience with 30-second commercials to a 15-minute video was quite a leap. More daunting was, "How do you tell a story that began in 1607 and track it through time to today - in just 15 minutes? The Library has 97 million documents, books, photos, maps, works of art and newspapers housed in 55 miles of shelving plus an off-site Records Center."

Govoni developed an outline for the production. Martin and Mary Beth McIntire and others on the staff of the library then wrote the narrative. Govoni directed the production. The principal source was "The Common Wealth: The Treasures of the Library of Virginia" edited by Sandra Gioia Treadway and Edward D.C. Campbell Jr.

"The tricky part was using still images from the book in ways that would keep things moving and sustain interest for 15 minutes," Govoni says. The solution involved hours of work in After Effects with Brian Harrell and other production people at the Park Group. Author David Baldacci did the voice-over narration. "It looks like a film and it sounds like a film, but it's all digital," she says.

"Virginia's Collective Experience: The Story of The Library of Virginia" took a year to complete. "For me, someone who has lived away from Virginia for most of my adult life, it makes me proud to be a Virginian," Govoni says.

How to Write a Newspaper Ad

Four people that I admire - Lee Clow, Mike Hughes, Luke Sullivan, and Neil French. All four different personalities, some controversial but one thing is for sure, they are talented copywriters. We have much to learn from them. You can see these larger at www.naa.org/adcampaign/htw_ads.cfm.