(TrendHunter.com) It took some mighty strong Axl grease to finally get this album made. Now is there a market for Guns n’ Roses’ ‘Chinese Democracy’? It’s the most expensive album, the longest and the most over the top–even…
LONDON – The BBC’s radio supremo Tim Davie has been appointed as vice-chairman of the Digital Radio Development Bureau.
LONDON – Regional publisher Newsquest has become the latest newspaper group to suffer the effects of the economic downturn, revealing that its ad revenue tumbled by 23.6% year on year in Q3.
(image: gigdoggy)
When we run out of space for billboards on our roads’ sides, we’ll embed jingles into the pavement.
GigDoggy: “A Japanese engineer by the name of Shizuo Shinoda was the first to come up with the brilliant idea of transforming roads into a playback medium. The system works by cutting thousands of little grooves in the asphalt that produce a sound when a vehicle drives over them. The grooves are a few millimeters deep and 6 to 12 millimeters wide, and the closer you bring them together the higher the pitch will be when driven over. Production cost is about $20 000. Mr Shinoda got the idea by driving his car over markings a bulldozer had previously scraped off a street and realized he was generating a series a tones.”
Video below: music roads in Japan.
From WSJ (thank you, Robert): the making-of video of the Civic Musical Road in Lancaster, CA that played an overture from William Tell until nearby residents complained. It is now being rebuilt elsewhere.
In this commercial for the Volkswagen Routan mini-van, you can identify with the pain these hippies feel as if you lived your life right alongside theirs in the heady days of the sixties.
When it comes to staffing, I've learned that it pays to do without rather than settle. But there are times when you don't know you are settling.
Pedigree, the dog food brand, is to end its 40 year Crufts sponsorship following claims the dog show promotes unhealthy breeding methods.
(TrendHunter.com) Normally I would wonder what the heck is wrong with people, but scientists are claiming that eating insects is good for us and for the environment.
Get ready for the all-bug diet–Violet Glaze (by the…
I haven’t had enough caffeine this morning to wrap my head around this, but Bob Jeffrey, CEO of JWT, writes on the Huffington Post that ideas can truly come from anywhere in today’s global, uh, globe:
Last week, as fears of a prolonged consumer recession multiplied, I spent a challenging day with undergraduates at Brown University, exploring my belief that the future of marketing communications lies in ending what I call “idea racism,” in embracing global collaboration and creative solutions no matter where they originate. This week we’ve begun to see that concept play out on the global stage, as genuine partners join forces to coordinate their response to the financial disasters we’re confronting, no longer certain that the American bailout and the British plan of action are the only programs for positive change.
I’ll bet HighJive would find that an interesting phrase.
More thoughts later…
(TrendHunter.com) Recycled bags have gone from being being popular among the artsy and eco crowds to being high-end fashion must-haves.
Instead of being made of old sails or vintage clothing, English Retreads makes their…
Mos Def joins a whole train wreck of celebrities encouraging everyone in their sphere of influence to get out and vote.
This is the video you’ve been waiting decades for. Ron Howard straps on a wig, pulls Henry Winkler and Andy Griffith together to shill for Barack Obama . But it’s definitely worth a watch, if for nothing else to see Howard with hair one last time.
More: “Japanese Ad-Device Knows Your Age/Sex, Displays Content Acordingly“
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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
(TrendHunter.com) Because India is now the hip and happening place where so many wannabees and Hollywood stars want to be, Posh Spice has agreed to be the cover model for this month’s issue of ‘Vogue’ India.
It really…
And if you’re willing to buy that, consider Anarkon’s Molotov cocktails and concert series DVDs.
JWT Houston is on the lookout for a very special copywriter, but they’re not monkeying around. Specifically, this writer needs to have refined motor skills to help the agency peel away the outer skin of its clients’ brands and get to the true, sweet goodness that lies within.
OK sorry, that’s enough. A source pointed us to a job opening at JWT Houston, on TalentZoo no less, for a copywriter to work “on their Shell Oil & Jiffy Lube accounts concepting [sic] for Broadcast, Print, Interactive, Radio, and various Gorilla efforts.”
Per our source: “Does that mean I would be teaching the gorilla sign language? I wonder if the compensation comes partially in bananas?”
Um, we’re sure the person who wrote the job posting meant to use the word “guerilla”, which refers to a style of warfare, not a primate. Though, we know many silverbacks who would probably be perfect for the job. You know who you are.
Well put. Happy Friday all, stay tuned for more goodies as the day goes on. FYI we’re shooting TWIA for next week today, because our camera guy has scheduling issues, so we’ll be a bit preoccupied this a.m.
More: “JWT, Ogilvy + Mindshare Get Naked“
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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media
(TrendHunter.com) Just when you think there can be no other way to add light, along comes Monolite to combine light and sound! The Monolite has an interactive organ that creates a fascinating display. Fractal patterns are…
We’re attempting a new (and probably infrequent) feature where we interview actors from popular TV ads past and present. For the first installment, we tracked down Jack Ferver, who delivered a memorably unnerving performance as the berries-and-cream-loving Little Lad in last year’s notorious bus-station Starburst spot from TBWA\Chiat\Day. When he’s not shooting ads, Ferver works in experimental dance and theater in New York, and has created several evening-length pieces, including When We Were Young And Filled With Fear and MEAT. He also played Jimmy Tickles in Strangers With Candy. After the jump, he talks about the weirdness of bus stations, whether the Little Lad is evil, and why it’s important to be shocked.
—Posted by Tim Nudd
How did you get the gig? It must have been a bizarre audition.
I have the most amazing commercial agency, CESD. They got me the audition. At the callback I did it at least 10 totally different ways, including crying. But I cry any chance I get anyway.
The Lad is pretty odd. How did he come about?
Well, the writers obviously came up with the Little Lad. Randy Krallman, the director, is a genius and really set everything up in such a perfect way. We all talked about it, and played with different ideas. It was certainly collaborative.
Some people find the ad creepy. Is the Lad evil or just eccentric?
Who are these people? I love it. There was this really great cartoon someone did of the Little Lad where he looks like the spawn of the devil. I live in New York, in the hipster part of Brooklyn, so I see grown men in schoolboy outfits on the subway every day.
What’s he doing at the bus station?
Bus stations are time warps. He is not from this time.
What was most challenging thing about the role?
Doing that for over 12 hours in 80-something-degree heat in a wool costume and a wig.
The Lad has great hair and a nice outfit. Did you spend a lot of time getting the look right?
I can’t even tell you how long.
Were you pleased with how the ad turned out?
I think it is hilarious. Randy and I have a very similar sense of humor, and I think it turned out well.
How do you balance your artistic work and your commercial work?
I make dance theater work in New York. I just closed a show this summer that went really well, and I have a residency at Dance Theater Workshop in January that will have a full production through Dancespace Project at Saint Mark’s Church in April. The fact that I am continually working artistically makes my life better, and in turn keeps my creativity flowing, which is necessary for the fast pace of commercial production. I love shooting commercials. I have been blessed to work with really kind, smart, and conscientious directors, writers, and producers, who have been incredibly good to me and who I regard as friends. It’s different from making my own work—I’m fulfilling someone else’s vision. It’s satisfying in a different way. It also helps sustain me financially.
One YouTube video of the Starburst ad has more than 6 million views. Did you expect it to be that popular?
I had a feeling it might become this popular when I first read it. It has the kind of offbeat humor that makes something a cult hit. You laugh because you are caught off guard. This happens to us in life. You are driving and pass a van full of nuns and they flick you off. It’s shocking but delightful, because it is so refreshing to be shocked in this day and age.
The Rubicon Project tapped its “LA movie friends” to create this spoof vid, in which Channel 3 News goes behind the scenes to pinpoint the company’s awesomeness.
(TrendHunter.com) Ranking highly on the scale of shocking Halloween costumes, this gruesome corpse in a body bag costume is guaranteed to freak people out.
This one-piece body bag costume, complete with savage-looking…
I had no idea that “towel animals” were such a big part of Carnival cruises until this week, when the company unveiled a new Web-video series (running now on ABC.com and eventually at carnival.com/funville) featuring the glorified dishrags. Thanks, Carnival! The animated critters are pretty darn cute, but the thought of crabs in one’s laundry on a lengthy ocean voyage makes me want to take a plane. The campaign, from Arnold, is tagged “Fun for all. All for fun,” a credo that includes crustaceans. Ah well, worse fates can befall cruise-ship passengers, and I’m not talking about those nasty bouts of Norovirus that spread from time to time. Perhaps you’ll recall a commercial Carnival siren named … Kathy Lee Gifford. If they bring her back, cast all hope overboard and abandon ship!
—Posted by David Gianatasio
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
