LONDON – BBC One’s ‘New Tricks’ is going from strength to strength, reaching a record high of 8.9m last night while ‘The Hairy Bakers’ made a strong return on BBC Two with 3.7m viewers, according to unofficial overnight figures.
LONDON – Nokia and Lonely Planet have teamed up to distribute Lonely Planet content via Nokia Maps.
Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection is back with a new ad in its “We” campaign, created by The Martin Agency. From the press release: “The tone of this spot is much different than what you’ve seen in the campaign so far.” True enough. Where the earlier stuff was soft and ineffectual, and roundly panned by most media observers, this commercial is just whiny and oddly worded. Bidding politicians to “use the wind” is an unfortunate turn of phrase in at least two ways. The line “We demand that we repower America” is just confusing. Stop forcing the word “we” into every sentence! There’s no “we” in America, by the way, just a “me” and an “I.” Think about that next time your hemp-powered buggy runs out of juice 20 miles from home. Also check out this earlier ad from the campaign, where “we” all behave like the monolith-worshiping apes in 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the spot, “we” all appear to be moving giant power switches. Does that make Gore an emissary from a technologically advanced, extraterrestrial civilization? You know, in his mind—and some others—I think it does. Wake up, people: The man’s from Tennessee.
—Posted by David Gianatasio
LONDON – The debate over moves to brand children’s books with age bands has arisen once again, this time at the Edinburgh Book Festival, with authors saying that it is a marketing ploy that “oversteps the mark”.
LONDON – An inquiry has begun after a Swedish nurse took pictures of brain surgery and back operations on her mobile phone and posted them on her Facebook page.
Who will win the gold for crappiest commercial airing during the Olympics? Probably Subway, whose Scrabble spot isn’t tied to the Games but has been airing on NBC anyway, in a seemingly endless loop. The ad shows people emerging from Subway restaurants dripping wet, and seeming refreshed and happy. The source of their joy, it turns out, is that they’re covered in soda—having been splashed by other gleeful patrons who’ve been excitedly peeling Scrabble game pieces off their drinks. The ad is Wendy’s-esque in its presentation of anti-social behavior as lighthearted fun. And it’s not even a new spot. Subway liked it so much in 2007 that it’s brought it back for an encore.
—Posted by Tim Nudd
This is a sneak peek on the 2008 D&AD annual as designed by Neville Brody. See what he’s done there? See the pencil shapes? So undeniably Brody, so perfectly D&AD themed. Don’t you just want to lick it? Ok, fine, so tht’s just me but the best design & advertising in the world will be immortalised with the publication of the D&AD Annual 2008 on the 18th of September. This book is themed ‘Digital vs Anti Digital’ and for the first time this year, all of the work will be published online, as well as in the iconic book.
D&AD President Simon Waterfall said, “The theme of ‘Digital vs Anti Digital’ represents the evolution of the digital industry. Clients and creatives are moving away from ‘Can we do this technically?’ to ‘Should we do this for the brand?’. Digital design today is more joined up, more integrated and more about brand behavior than bits and bytes – what a great time to be a part of this industry.”
I don’t know about you but I can’t wait to get my grubby little hands on this book and run my fingers across the pencil-polygon pattern. And then lick it.
LONDON – While Becky Adlington broke the record for the 800 metres freestyle world record at the Beijing Olympics, record numbers of sports fans have been tuning in to the BBC’s online coverage of events.
LONDON – Seatwave, the fan-to-fan ticket marketplace, has hired Google Europe marketer Karl Krainer as senior vice-president and managing director for Northern Europe.
LONDON – BBC Three kicks off its autumn schedule with ‘Massive’, a comedy series about Manchester’s hottest new record label, starring ‘The Royle Family’ actor Ralf Little and comedian Johnny Vegas.
LONDON – Efforts to find £100m in sponsorship for Britain’s athletes has failed to materialise, leaving them short of essential funding in the run up to 2012, it has been revealed.
LONDON – McDonald’s has launched a range of educational Happy Meals following its decision to rely less on film tie-ups. The first promotion will focus on preserving endangered species and will run across Europe.
LONDON – The Body Shop has unveiled a fresh global positioning for its first major marketing campaign designed to re-establish its ethical heritage after its takeover by L’Oreal.
LONDON – Budget airline easyJet may have to cut back its non-flight activities after becoming embroiled in a bitter dispute with the owner of the ‘easy’ brand, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.
LONDON – InBev has started a hunt for a global advertising agency for its Stella Artois brand ending a 26-year relationship with Lowe London.
LONDON – Media agency Carat, whose clients include the AA, Adidas and Smirnoff, is to cease all advertising in Dennis Publishing’s Maxim following its ABC results.
LONDON – Coca-Cola has been awarded the award for the most effectively-marketed Olympic brand within China.
LONDON – M&C Saatchi has created a campaign to highlight new Home Office immigration rules.
LONDON – Japanese car manufacturer Mazda is to run a phased marketing campaign to introduce its revamped brand identity to UK consumers over the next three months.
The REACTIVATE!! exhibition at the at the Espai d’ Art Contemporani de Castelló, near Valencia (Spain), being an almost endless source of wonders (see REACTIVATE!! Part 1, Urban reanimations and the minimal intervention and REACTIVATE!! Part 2, Instant urbanism), i still have one last story in my magic bag to share with you:
Some of the projects presented in Castellon were commissioned by the contemporary art center to engage in a site-specific fashion with the theme of ‘remodeled spaces and minimal interventions.’
The most poetical installation was created by ex.studio, two Barcelona-based Mexican architects Patricia Meneses and Iván Juárez with an impressive portfolio chock-full of projects that investigate and experiment with new ways of relating space with society.
Designed as minimal spaces for auto-reflexion, the Refugios Urbanos are 6 suspended semi-transparent pods that temporarily invade the building of the EACC and its public space.
Looking like chrysalids, the flexible structure can only contain one person. Its very delicate walls allow the inhabitant to enjoy privacy as well as a softly blurred view of the surrounding world.
Refugios Urbanos proposes new ways to inhabit and imagine space where people are both part and parcel of the city and isolated from it in order to better contemplate it.
A second project worth its weight in blog ink is María Navascues, Ramón Francos and Celia García‘s Atomish Garden
It all starts with the Pet Garden! At the opening of the Reactivate!! exhibition, visitors were invited to adopt a piece of garden. Each of them would take home a plant or plot of land to take care of it. Like real pets, owners can take them along for a walk in the street. They also require a lot of care and attention.
The flower pot comes with a code giving pet owners access to the Petgarden website that gives them all the necessary instruction to pamper their botanical pet. Besides, they can share with other woners the story, health news and adventure of the plant on a blog. Current technologies enable thus the various parts of this ‘atomized garden’ to form a community able to stay in virtual but close proximity.
All images courtesy of Espai d’ Art Contemporani de Castelló.
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