Hasta La Creative!

I hate running. My knees ache just thinking about it. A new campaign from athletic shoe maker Saucony, which purportedly targets “serious runners,” reinforces every negative impression I have about the sport. Consider the images: A runner trains by pumping iron. Hurts just to look at. Why’s she building her upper body? Is she planning to sprint on her hands? Then, in this ad, there’s a line of unhappy-looking people at the Port-a-Potties. I don’t want to get graphic, but I live on the Boston Marathon route and I can assure you, the runners aren’t nearly so polite. Heaven forbid they add 50 seconds to their precious “time” by using the proper facilities. Good hygiene is always a personal best, jerks. And check out the guy riding the escalator in that ad. You’d think he’d cheat on the uphill stretches of the race. Downhill’s the easy part!

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Advertising Agency: RPA, Santa Monica, USA
Creative Directors: David Smith, Joe Baratelli, Pat Mendelson
Associate Creative Director/AD: Curt Johnson
Associate Creative Director/CW: Todd Carey
Photographer: Markku Lahdesmaki
Agency Senior Producer: Shelley Eisner
Published: October 2008

Advertising Agency: RPA, Santa Monica, USA
Creative Directors: David Smith, Joe Baratelli, Pat Mendelson
Associate Creative Director/AD: Curt Johnson
Associate Creative Director/CW: Todd Carey
Photographers: Treavor Pearson, Markku Lahdesmaki
Agency Senior Producer: Shelley Eisner
Production Co: Digital Domain
Executive Producer: Karen Anderson
Director: Eric Barba, Brad Parker
Editorial Company: Spot Welders
Editor: Michael Heldman
Music Company: Elias Arts
Composers: Jonathan Elias, David Wittman
Sound Design Company: 740 Sound Design
Sound Designer: Eddie Kim
Animation & Visual Effects Company: Digital Domain
Visual Effects Supervisors: Eric Barba, Brad Parker
Sound Mix Company: Lime Studios
Sound Mixer: Loren Silber
Aired: September 2008

Advertising Agency: RPA, Santa Monica, USA
Creative Directors: David Smith, Joe Baratelli, Pat Mendelson
Associate Creative Director/AD: Curt Johnson
Associate Creative Director/CW: Todd Carey
Photographer: Markku Lahdesmaki
Agency Senior Producer: Shelley Eisner
Production Co: Digital Domain
Executive Producer: Karen Anderson
Director: Eric Barba, Brad Parker
Editorial Company: Spot Welders
Editor: Michael Heldman
Music Company: Elias Arts
Composers: Jonathan Elias, Nate Morgan
Sound Design Company: 740 Sound Design
Sound Designer: Eddie Kim
Animation & Visual Effects Company: Digital Domain
Visual Effects Supervisors: Eric Barba, Brad Parker
Sound Mix Company: Lime Studios
Sound Mixer: Loren Silber
Aired: September 2008

Driving costs more than you think. Take the bus.

Advertising Agency: Rao Barrett and Welsh, Toronto, Canada
Photographer: Garth Grosjean
Retoucher: Doug Shimizu
Designer: Deb Cochrane, Patrick Stolk-Ramaker
Executive Creative Directors: Gavin Barrett, Mike Welsh
Creative Director / Art Director: Mike Welsh
Creative Director / Copywriter: Gavin Barrett
Via: Bestadsontv

Advertising Agency: Jung von Matt, Stockholm, Sweden
Art Directors: Max Larsson von Reybekiel, Jacob von Corswant
Copywriter: Magnus Andersson
Planner: Leon Phang
Account director: Pernilla Babtist
Account manager: Ida Modin
Clients: Michael Persson, Louise Stehn

Advertising Agency: Jung von Matt, Stockholm, Sweden
Art Directors: Max Larsson von Reybekiel, Jacob von Corswant
Copywriter: Magnus Andersson
Planner: Leon Phang
Account director: Pernilla Babtist
Account manager: Ida Modin
Clients: Michael Persson, Louise Stehn

As the global financial crisis worsens, and we all stand on the brink of joblessness, homelessness and hopelessness, Citizens Bank in Massachusetts chooses to turn back the clock a few months to when people actually gave a crap about the environment with its new “Green$ense” campaign. Yes, it uses a “$” instead of an “s.” And things go downhill from there. According to the press release: “Those enrolled in Green$ense receive 10 cents for each electronic transaction they make, up to $10 per month and $120 per year.” Full disclosure: I bank at Citizens, and I’d prefer they focus on waiving that $39 insufficient-funds fee. Banks like paperless transactions not because they love the environment but because it saves them money and eliminates physical records to support consumer disputes. From now on, I’m demanding not one but two transaction slips whenever I go to Citizens, just like I make Whole Foods double-paper-bag my groceries. Screw the Earth, it makes me feel better. And in these trying times, to quote Green$ense’s own tagline, “Every little bit helps.” UPDATE: This kind of thing is hardly limited to the Northeast.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

LONDON – Bmi has handed its interim marketing director, Katherine Gershon, the expanded role of sales and marketing director in a permanent capacity.

LONDON – Magazine publishers will soon be able to publish official half-yearly website figures alongside their print circulation figures, following a change in operations by industry auditor ABC.