Hasta La Creative!

LONDON – TNT Post has appointed Charles Neilson as divisional managing director of its regional business and promoted Mark Davies to Neilson’s former role of managing director of TNT Post Doordrop Media.

LONDON – Marketers are expecting to cut budgets by 3% on average this year, with advertising and traditional media expected to be hit the most, according to a global survey by Forrester.

(TrendHunter.com) Geeks have been getting a lot of love in the cufflink design department lately. The latest awesome addition is the Wiimote Cufflinks.

They are perfect for those addicted gamers who suffer from withdrawal when they are away from their Nintendo Wii. Whenever you have the urge, caress these sterling …

After finding some traction with its swipe at the “Get a Mac” ads, Greenpeace has returned to the parody trough. This time, the group riffs on Dove’s “Onslaught” ad with its own “Onslaught(er)” commercial, in which it criticizes Dove parent company Unilever’s use of Indonesian palm oil. Though I wasn’t even a big fan of the real “Onslaught” ad, I actually like this parody. It points out a specific issue for debate, rather than offering the usual vague Greenpeace or WWF message of “Help the planet.” However, the spot doesn’t really connect all the dots, so here’s a brief rundown: Palm oil has long been the base ingredient in modern soaps (Palmolive was named for its original combination of palm and olive oils). Today, it’s a vital, profitable crop that has brought stability and growth to several countries. But that success comes at a price—namely, the clearing of tropical forests for new palm plantations. The clear-cutting threatens wildlife such as orangutans, which is why Greenpeace has also pulled some monkey shenanigans on Unilever. But obviously, this isn’t a simple issue with one clear bad guy. So, the real question is, can Greenpeace continue to push this message in a productive way, or will it just drift out of memory while they work on their stinging parody of that spot where the lizards dance to “Thriller”? Via Osocio.

—Posted by David Griner

Advertising Agency: JWT, Hong Kong
Executive Creative Director: Steven Lee
Creative Directors: Neil Leslie, Gerard Or
Art Directors: Thomas Chung, Frankin Chan
Copywriter: Robert Chen
Photographer: Franklin Lau
Retoucher: In-Between
Account Servicing: Desmond So, Ruby Or, Theo Hui
Published/: April, 2008

You know Hillary Clinton is getting desperate if she’s putting Osama Bin Laden in a campaign ad. His popularity numbers are probably lower than George Bush’s. (Key word: probably.) From CNN.com’s Political Ticker: “With only one day left until voters in Pennsylvania head to the polls, Hillary Clinton launched a television ad that includes images from the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the Cuban Missile Crisis and Osama Bin Laden.” She’s against all three—an astute political strategy. According to the spot: “Harry Truman said it best. ‘If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen,’ ” most likely a reference to Barack Obama’s discomfort with being asked tough questions at a recent debate. Truman also said “the buck stop here.” The New York senator may also have to slam on the brakes if she doesn’t come up big in the Keystone State.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

It’s Earth Day! Did you know that, did you know? (I sound like Spike Lee: “Do you know? Do you know?”) Starbucks, one of many corporation that are marking the occasion with good deeds, is donating a nickel to Conservation International for every purchase made today with one of the store’s credit cards. For every $10 donated, the company will plant 10 trees in Chiapas, Mexico, where they grow lots of coffee beans, and shady trees would presumably be much appreciated. Here’s a press release from 2004 that blasts Starbucks and CI for “eco-imperialism” and attempting to “control the market.” That was four years ago. Ancient history. Starbucks sells Paul McCartney CDs now. And they’re planting trees in Mexico. It’s all good. I bought three lattes this morning! I’m stoked! It’s Earth Day! Let’s plant tree in Chiapas! I’m crashing hard when this coffee buzz fades, but who cares!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

BT has signed up Dragon’s Den business tycoon Peter Jones to replace Gordon Ramsey as the star of its Business TV ad campaign.

LONDON – Conde Nast has ploughed money into a major overhaul of flagship fashion website Vogue.com, introducing a raft of features aimed at attracting new users and increasing its use by existing ones.

(TrendHunter.com) This year’s Milan furniture fair has produced really beautiful work by different design studies, including Front Design Studio. The Swedish company exhibited their “Shade” project at Spazio Rossana Orlandi using standard silhouettes of household items to produce really beautiful paper shading. E…