Hasta La Creative!

Miljöpartiet de gröna in Sweden ran a full page ad in Dagens Nyheter (morning newspaper) today highlighting the fact that money with females on it, is worth less than money with males on it – and with this they want to draw attention to the fact that women still make less money than men.

– “The salary level is a symptom on how women are valued and what position they are in at work and in soceity at large. The systematic salary discrimination of women is an explanation to that the structural inequality exists.” says Esabelle Dingizian (Miljöpartiet).
“It is unacceptable with gender-based irrelevant salary differences. With our ad the topic can get more exposure.”

Large ad inside folks, click on.

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A Japanese crochet doll loses a street fight to a little rubber thumb figure in this animated milk commercial for the BC Dairy Foundation. The thumb guy reminds me of Gumby, but not in a good way. The ad’s pretty ho-hum, but it reminded me of the epic, insanely violent and un-P.C. Jimmy vs. Timmy “Cripple Fight” on South Park some years back. Why do people keep adding speed-metal to that clip on YouTube?

—Posted by David Gianatasio

The left-leaning Service Employees International Union demonizes—well, monster-izes, actually—buyout firms that receive sweet tax breaks, in a new spot that uses Japanese monster-movie footage. The skyline-smashing creatures are likened to John McCain, who probably views the comparison as a compliment. Most media reports identify the saurians in the spot as multiple Godzillas. However, anyone who wasted their youth watching The 4:30 Movie on Channel 7 in New York—and geeks and kaiju fans the world over—will recognize the scaly beasts as the cheap Big-G knockoffs from 1967’s Gappa, the Triphibian Monster. In the film, they weren’t evil monsters. They became enraged and bent on destroying civilization only after being misunderstood by mankind. Just like John McCain. UPDATE: Dennis Kucinich, by the way, is the Gamera the Giant Flying Turtle of the political scene: well intentioned, but forever fated to retreat back inside his shell.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Previously in the Converse “connectivity” – outdoor billboard released in march.

From left to right: Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Santogold and Pharrell Williams

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Brazilian Web portal iG would like you to know that the Internet is an interesting, educational, unspeakably horrific resource for your children. For example, its cow, monkey, and teddy bear print ads suggest that your kids are just a few mouse clicks away from becoming amateur taxidermists. Or possibly furries. Either way, it’s not something to which they should be exposed. You’re better off showing them wholesome Disney movies. Via Ads of the World.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

My long-running crusade (see here and here) against CRN’s radio spots is apparently an abject failure, since they’re still on the air, and still trying to sound official with deceptive advertising techniques. The newest king of gimmick-radio, though, is Ty Coughlin, who’s selling the Internet marketing scheme du jour, something called the “Reverse Funnel System,” which will make you lots of cash fast. His AM radio spots begin with his goofy laughter, as if the spots were being broadcast live, then Coughlin describing himself as a “beach bum from Hawaii” and affecting the laid-back attitude of one who is above advertising in any medium. Like the CRN spots, there’s the odd reverse psychology: You want financial advice from me because I’m such a goof, and I obviously don’t believe in, you know, advertising, so you can believe my ad. Hopefully, Coughlin can put his easily earned millions a year toward solving the technical problem that, apparently, radio spots can no longer be trimmed for outtakes or rerecorded.

—Posted by Gregory Solman

San Francisco-based advertising agency BuderEngel (BE) has created a new campaign to showcase the renovation of, Splash Zone: Ocean Homes at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, one of the nations top attractions, it’s all based around the tagline “Some Experiences Follow You Home”.

The campaign included stunts, like the one on July 10th when for six hours, ten cabs and police escorts of two bike cops made stops at tourist spots throughout San Francisco with a character in a penguin suit to give out tickets to kids and families. Also, there were penguin-clad cabs driving around San Fran. There’s even a competition on: “CBS Sacramento will be hosting a contest where finalists are given a Flip Video Camera and tickets to the Monterey Bay Aquarium to tape their experiences at the Aquarium” – the grand prize? “one week for four to the Monterey Bay Aquarium including accommodation, $100 in gas, VIP tour of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and dinner”. I have no idea how to even begin to spend a week in a Aquarium – that place must be huge.

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Ward 6, Sydney, did this campaign for lifetimehealth.com.au highlighting when to use primrose oil – only when little storm centers gather above your house. Oh good, that never happens around here so I won’t need to get that rubbish.

Hugh Fitzhardinge (Creative Director)
Grant Foster (Creative Director)
Richard Price (Art Director)
Grant Foster (Art Director)
Hamish Grieve (Copywriter & Art Director)

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The Wall street journal reports that TBWA Worldwide has gotten into trouble for the bronze Lion winning Amnesty International campaign “after the olympics“. (if anyone here reckons that campaign is similar to the Swedish Red Cross campaign which compares human rights violations to olympic sports it’s ‘cuz, well they are kind of similar) – or rather attracted the ire of Chinese netheads. Why? Well, while TBWA in China do chest-thumping olympic sports ads for Adidas with a Chinese twist, TBWA Paris do ads for Amnesty International highlighting the countries poor human rights record. Conflicting accounts are pretty much unavoidable when you’re in a global network of “258 offices in 75 countries world-wide”.

Chinese bloggers, spurred by a report in state-run media of the Amnesty campaign last week, are now calling for a boycott of all TBWA ads, among other measures.

“I suggest that all Chinese employees in TBWA resign from this company,” wrote one blogger on Netease.com

Uh, yeah, that’ll happen.

TBWA’s headquarters in New York said it wasn’t aware of the campaign. “Had TBWA management known about this ad, not only would the ad not have been entered into an award show, but it would not have been produced,” said Tom Carroll, chief executive of TBWA Worldwide. “This is the action of one individual at our agency working on a pro bono account.” He said the agency is investigating the matter and will take appropriate action to “ensure this never happens again.”

Say, what? The Amnesty campaign wasn’t a one-man job, there were five people credited both here and at the Cannes Lions.

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Men who are not Mel Gibson can never make heads or tails about what women want. Now, there’s a Web site designed to help us out: StuffChicksWant.com. The site explains: “We started StuffChicksWant.com to showcase products women want, need and deserve. It’s a place for chicks to find the stuff they want, handpicked by other women. We’re also hoping this site becomes a resource for the men and significant others that buy us gifts. (Why leave them in the dark when we can give them one perfect resource?)” I’m already nervous about that italicized deserve. Here are some items the site recommends: Baggu reusable shopping tote; crotchless panties; The Elements of Style—Illustrated Edition; Incognito Lipstick Vive Vibrator; NAOT sandals; Dolce & Gabanna sunglasses. Speaking as a man, I am more confused—horrified, actually—than ever. Is “crotchless” one word? I’ll have to check my Elements of Style. (And can’t wait to see the illustration!)

—Posted by David Gianatasio