Hasta La Creative!

(TrendHunter.com) Long commutes can be incredibly difficult; it doesn’t matter if you’re bored on a train or bus, if you find yourself without a book and/or iPod, you have to somehow make your own fun….

It seems our coverage of Floyd Hayes has apparently been with some disdain over the years but the self-proclaimed “Ideas Man” decided to turn negative into positive in honor of Valentine’s Day. We’ll keep this short since Hayes has touched a nerve or two over time. The man has decided to transform the negative comments he’s received on this here site and create the image above, which we couldn’t help but resist posting. Do you feel the love?

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Samsonite, with help from Saatchi & Saatchi Brussels, is out with a series of comical videos, part of the Samsonite Versus the World campaign, that highlight the luggage brand’s qualities.

In one video, a suitcase undergoes undergoes a monsoon of epic proportion. In another, a suitcase does battle with a chicken. And in a third, the relentless power of gravity unleashes itself.

Stephen J. Kim agreed to serve a 13-month prison sentence for leaking classified C.I.A. information on North Korea to a Fox News reporter.

Classical paintings replace advertisements on Paris billboards in "OMG, Who Stole My Ads?"—a series of provocative photographs by French artist Etienne Lavie.

The project recalls last summer's "Art Everywhere" program in England, led by Innocent Drinks co-founder Richard Reed, which saw reproductions of 57 popular works replace ads on 22,000 out-of-home ad sites, including billboards, bus shelters, tube stations and office buildings. Lavie's initiative operates on a smaller scale, and since it lacks establishment support, can perhaps be more readily parsed as an artistic statement rather than a corporate project that just happens to involve paintings and ads.

Lavie's strikingly composed pictures achieve some amazing juxtapositions—the flowing lines and muted tones of the artwork contrasted against harsh urban geometry and vehicles in blurred motion. The images inspire all sorts of interpretations. On the one hand, they suggest the city and commerce are transient, in a state of flux, while the paintings (and by extension, the deeper concerns of the human spirit) are immutable. Conversely, one could argue that the city continues to live and evolve along with its ever-changing ads for Evian and Peugeot, while the artworks are anachronisms that leave no lasting impression, except perhaps in the images created by the artist.

One especially intriguing aspect of the photo series is whether Lavie actually replaced the billboards or created his images (solely or mainly) by digital means. It's not totally clear. Such debate makes the work more meta and esoteric. It playfully questions "reality," and makes media coverage of the project part of the artistic experience. (For most of us, the images are viewable exclusively online, so maybe their digital dissemination is the true raison d'être, the ultimate reality.)

In the end, Lavie achieves a stirring effect on the canvas of viewers' imaginations and sensibilities. And if my analysis sounds like over-thought "blah blah blah," well, judging from Lavie's website, I don't think the artist will mind.

More images below. Hat tip: @luckthelady.

The New York Times Company said its fourth-quarter drop in print and digital ad revenue was smaller than declines earlier in 2013.

Just as the movie industry hits the boredom wall after New Year’s, the ad industry has really seemed to stall out since the Super Bowl. Makes sense: big budgets used up on Rob Riggle psuedo-celebrity endorsements and Stephen Colbert pistachio suits. What we have now is the calm after the storm, best exemplified by Carmichael Lynch’s new “Best Dad” spot for Subaru.

“Best Dad” is a simple 30-second clip that positions Subaru as the sweater-wearing dad of car brands, which is a fairly accurate representation, but maybe not the most tantalizing choice for an ad campaign. Take this recent video, for example, of a small Subaru sedan towing a Dodge Charger police cruiser out of the snow as one way to uniquely position the brand, especially in the winter. What Carmichael Lynch chose to produce instead is so typical that’s it’s hard to remember what happened 30 seconds ago. All car brands mention awards in their commercials. Motor Trend and J.D. Power and Associates give out awards the way Little Leagues give out trophies. Even if the message stays the same, at least try to present it in a fresh way. Just try, that’s all I ask.

Credits after the jump.

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