Hasta La Creative!

CEO John Legere and CMO Mike Sievert are driving T-Mobile’s mutinous marketing machine, making the mobile carrier a takeover target. Here’s a look at how its advertising has come of age, from Catherine Zeta-Jones to Shakira.

“Get More,” March 2004

The T-Mobile brand came out of the gates with Catherine Zeta-Jones. The actress signed as the voice of the operator’s “Get More” campaign in 2002, the year the carrier officially launched in the U.S. In 2006, T-Mobile dropped Ms. Zeta-Jones in a bid to turn its marketing toward smartphones, but would bring her back three years later when the carrier returned to a price-focus in its messaging.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Gmunk & Autofuss ont réalisé dans le cadre de la troisième édition du OFFF on Tour cette superbe vidéo introduisant quelques noms des références qui prendront la parole au OFFF de Cincinnati 2014. Un travail incroyable sur les matières et la création à découvrir en vidéo dans la suite.

David Prideaux, the executive creative director of Publicis Chemistry, responds to a suggestion from Bob Greenberg, the R/GA founder, that awards judges should accept “innovative” scam ads.

Controversial advertising by e-cigarette brands has “hurt the industry”, according the boss of leading UK brand Blu.

Agency life on the road is not always filled with swanky hotels and fine dining. Just ask Neil White, president-CEO of BBDO’s Minneapolis office, whose travel agenda is typically highlighted by a night’s sleep at a Holiday Inn and Spamburgers.

Mr. White oversees the Hormel account for BBDO. As such, he routinely makes the 100-mile trip south to Austin, Minn., the headquarters of Hormel Foods, whose brands include Skippy, Jennie-O, and of course, Spam. “Every single restaurant has a Spamburger on the menu,” Mr. White said, and he regularly feasts on them. That is, if he can make it into town. “There can be days where you get halfway down there and you have to turn back because of weather,” he said. “Winter can be particularly tough in this part of the world.”

Austin is one of several small towns that are home to big-time marketing companies. Ad Age recently caught up with agency and company execs to learn the upsides and downsides of working for companies located off the beaten path.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Comparethemarket.com’s meerkat mascots take their adopted son back to his African roots in a campaign from the insurance comparison website.

The term ‘entertainment brand partnerships’ embodies a wide range of opportunities for brands and their products to come together with the power of movie and television content, to create strategic marketing partnerships.

Nederburg, the Distell-owned South African wine brand, will launch its first UK TV campaign in September, starring the presenter and farmer Jimmy Doherty.

A parliamentary group has claimed that beer, wine and spirits brands should be forced to carry cigarette-style health warnings on packaging, as part of efforts to combat liver disease.

Sheel Damani is a communication design consultant.

She loves telling stories. And tell them very fast. At work, she comes wearing a long chain of ‘Whys’ — her favourite pass time is to tell people how design can change the world. Not with Helvetica but with the overused jargon ‘design thinking’ which is another fancy term for thinking in context. She loves editing more than writing. Evidently, OCD to clean/align is one of her natural traits.

Why are you a Graphic Designer?
Because I wanted to be a designer. Graphic design just happened to be the discipline that I started with.

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
Yes. I have a Bachelor in Design (Fashion Communication) from National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi.

You have a distinct style of Design. How long did it take you to develop your style?
I don’t intend to have a distinct style. Its bad if I have one. Design is not meant to communicate about a designer. It is meant for the users. It should be in their style.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
My role models were always people around me. My family and teachers. I always wanted to be like my (elder) sister. I copied her all the time.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in graphic design?
Just one name is insufficient. Words by Michael Wolff have lasted with me since Design yatra 2010. His approach to design, detail and human perceptions add a lot of perspective to a designer’s work. There are two people who made my work more exciting along the way. One used to be my creative head in Goa, Anurashi Shetty. She introduced me to the art and importance of writing. The second one is my current team’s head from New Delhi, Abhishek Rai (@Abhishek_Rai). He has introduced me to design as a discipline like no other. Designing for a user and talking about it are two different things. It is now that I have learnt to design for a user. Long way to go still.

When did you start freelancing?
I started freelancing in 2012 from Ahmedabad.

Was there any time when you wanted to quit graphic design?
Yes. When I had just started working. I always felt I am not good enough. Slowly, I realised the only way out was practicing more. Working on several projects and identifying where I fit in best to help people.

Are many advertising agencies hiring graphic designers? Do you work more with agencies or publishers?
I work with startups and SMEs. My strengths along with visual aesthetics are analysis and writing. I work on projects related to branding, info graphics, communication strategy and marketing for businesses. Currently learning a lot in the field of digital marketing. The team I work with from Delhi has launched a tool for brand managers — www.buildyourcommunity.co

Do you have clients who give you steady work or do you advertise for new clients often?
Fortunately, there has been no time to advertise for new clients. I have to share availability and follow up in most cases to get projects. I have been working with Shack Co. from New Delhi and their tool BuildYourCommunity for nearly two years. They have a fantastic way of working remotely.

Any other Indian graphic designers who you admire?
There are plenty. Orijit Sen, Nina Paley, Amardeep Bahl (Museum design), Kriti Monga, Broti Bhattacharya, Satwik Gade and most of my friends.

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals? Would you advise them to take on graphic design as a career option?
Most of the kids who ask me about design are attracted to some ‘cool’ factor associated with it. As all the people in this world say, it is a lot of hard work — I would say the same. But it’s the kind that gives you great joy. Now, I know why its a cliched. Yes, it is a good career option. Graphic designers are good storytellers and the world needs them

Do you think Clients are opening up to keeping aside a decent respectable budget for design work? Do you think clients are understanding that they need to invest in Design as a communication tool and also to cut the clutter, and that good design comes at a price?
Largely, yes. Startups definitely see value in it. ‘Good design is good business’ — an IBM belief, shared by many more companies now. Thank God

Mac or PC?
Mac. Always.

Who would you like to take out for dinner?
Tough question

What’s on your iPod?
Khichdi of bollywood, soft rock, coke studio, devotional and instrumental. I am not kidding.

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