Hasta La Creative!

Who doesn’t love the attention of a doting mother every once in a while? And the loving attention of a doting mother becomes ever more important when you’re one of the 24% or so of 20-34 year olds living at home.

Deutsch LA gives nod to this statistic in a new Taco Bell commercial — perfectly titled Smothering Mother — which promotes the brand’s Smothered Burrito. In the ad, mom buzzes about tending to her son’s every need with rapid fire questions and commentary.

Dish Network and Charter Communications have posted second-quarter results hurt by video-subscriber losses and programming costs.

Dish Network, the third-largest pay-TV company by customers, and Charter, the eighth-biggest, both may look to combine with competitors as a way to gain leverage in negotiations with TV networks to carry their programming, according to Paul Sweeney, an analyst at Bloomberg Industries. Both companies reported second-quarter losses today.

“The logic seems to be that challenging subscriber trends only highlight the need for consolidation to drive down costs in a mature industry,” Mr. Sweeney said.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

I’m the Rooster guy apparently and I’m back to cover some more irreverent Rooster shenanigans. The above video, “How to Take a Punch,” epitomizes what a side project should be: easily digestible, fun to watch, and humorous. A slow-mo gif of James Franco taking a punch to the face has been making the blogging rounds before his Comedy Central roast airs on Labor Day. Vice co-founder/Rooster boss Gavin McInnes decided to join in on the slow-mo fun and take a harder punch to the face. The result is a side-by-side 13-second video comparison of the punches that is probably too stupid for its own good. Something makes me think Rooster likes that. These guys seem to have fun in the office.

After the jump, you can watch a longer video of people getting punched in the face slowed down to 1000 frames per second. It’s violently elegant and directed by Cody Kern, a man who has no relation to Rooster. As you watch, feel free to let the catharsis of watching others get walloped improve your day. Jiggling jowls have the affect on people.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Liberty, the civil liberties and human rights campaign group, has launched a mobile billboard to hit back at
the Home Office’s anti-illegal immigration mobile campaign.

Récemment diplomée en Media and Graphic Design à l’Indiana Wesleyan University, Rachel Krueger a imaginé une série de visuels reprenant des repliques célèbres tirées des différents films d’animation Pixar. Des créations typographiques très réussies à découvrir dans la suite.

Yo quiero breakfast?

Taco Bell is expanding its test of breakfast — including a waffle taco — on Aug. 8 in Chattanooga, Tenn., and Omaha, Neb., bringing it a step closer to a potential national rollout. And, for the first time, the company is planning on advertising its “First Meal” menu.

The waffle taco, until now testing at only a handful of locations in California, garnered a lot of attention on social media earlier this year. The breakfast menu will also contain less exotic-sounding fare, including a fruit-topped yogurt parfait and fruit-topped oatmeal.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Domino's has joined the chorus of voices praising tech and innovation and start-ups (three of the key squares in Media Buzzword Bingo) with its “Powered by Pizza” campaign. It posits that most creative endeavors are fueled by pizza. To that end, the brand is sending $500 gift cards to a handful of startups. It's also partnering with fundraisers on Indiegogo to offer smaller gift cards as rewards to donors if and when selected projects reach their respective goals. Gotta say, the brand is absolutely right about pizza being a staple food of people sacrificing sleep and nutrition in the name of progress. Not Domino's Pizza though—it's awful. Photos of the brand's "Pizzavestment" kit after the jump. Agency: Crispin Porter + Bogusky.

Hmm, well, we’ve received a few tips about this today, and now a phone call has confirmed that Danny Gregory, who has spent nearly a decade at McGarryBowen and most recently served as executive creative director/managing partner, is no longer with the Dentsu-owned agency. You can read his blog post after the fact here.

We’re awaiting some official comment on this, but in the meantime, along with Gregory’s departure, you can see on the leadership board of McGB’s New York office that Erik Vukmirovich is no longer with the agency. Vukmirovich has spent the last eight years at McGarryBowen, worked out of the NYC branch and served as partner/CFO/COO. According to the site, he’s now been replaced by global CFO, Christine Moore. During Gregory’s time at McGarryBowen, the 30-year ad vet, who’s also a published author, created campaigns for a range of clients including Pfizer, JPMorgan Chase, The Wall Street Journal and Chevron. Prior to his lengthy stint at McGB, Gregory served as a copywriter for the likes of Ogilvy and Y&R.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Le photographe américain Marc Shur a toujours été attiré par les vieux panneaux et différentes enseignes qu’il a pu rencontrer. Avec de superbes clichés, ce dernier immortalise des créations typographiques ayant pour certaines plusieurs décennies. Une sélection d’images issue d’une série « Sign Language » toujours en cours.