Hasta La Creative!

CMOs and marketing automation vendors debated the challenges and opportunities for marketing cloud technology, and while they didn’t agree on much (not even the definition of “marketing cloud”), one thing was clear — marketing cloud technology is complex, and it still has a long way to go in the b-to-b world.

“B-to-b companies have lagged behind a bit in the use of digital marketing technology,” said Neil Wilson, VP-global alliance channels, Oracle Marketing Cloud, pointing to the finding that only 16% of b-to-b marketers are currently using progressive data profiling by tracking prospects’ offline and online behavior, from a new study by SteinIAS and Oracle Marketing Cloud.

“We are at an infancy,” Mr. Wilson said. “The adoption rate in the b-to-b space will be massive and faster than in other industries.”

Continue reading at AdAge.com

DDB Chicago CCO John Maxham has been in his post for nearly a year and a half, since he came back to DDB after four years at Seattle’s Cole & Weber. In Seattle he’d most recently been a managing partner and executive creative director overseeing work on clients including Microsoft. During his second stint at DDB, the agency has turned out a slew of funny work, including Milky Way’s return to TV, an arm-farting-themed spot for Juicy Fruit and the State Farm commercial that brought back Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin to play their classic “SNL” characters, the Coneheads.

But the colorful exploits of Mr. Maxham’s personal life rival those of his professional one, as you’ll see in this week’s edition of Six Things.

1. He was once run over by a New York City taxi while crossing the street. Luckily he went up and over instead of down and under. His bleeding lip did leave quite an impression on the windshield. Not a bucket-list item.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Since Time Inc. became an indepedent publicly traded company last June, executives at the nation’s large magazine publisher have tried to convince Wall Street investors that it’s quickly transforming into a digital-first media company. It’s certainly made strides, introducing video series, increasing traffic to sites like Time and People and, just this week, acquiring sports blogging network FanSided.

But the company remains heavily reliant on print. During the first quarter of 2015, print comprised roughly 80% of the company’s advertising sales, which is responsible for well more than half its overall revenue.

Now, to wring more money from digital, Time Inc. has implemented a paywall for Entertainment Weekly’s website, the first in what will be a series of paywalls across the company’s various sites.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

If playing dress-up–albeit in off-kilter, animalistic fashion–in the name of charity sounds enticing, then mark June 5 on your calendar because that’s when the World Wildlife Fund will kick off its “Wear it Wild” fundraising campaign. To help hype the event, Naked Communications and Pulse Films have launched a digital effort called “The A-Z of Wear it Wild” that not only encourages people to “dress as wild as they dare for the day” but provides alphabetical suggestions on quirky animal wear.

Of course, this isn’t just any fancy schmancy costume party if the film’s soundtrack is any indication as it’s set to the tune of “Hunter” by a band called The Slaves, who sound like a Prodigy/Sex Pistols hybrid. Regarding the punk rock spirit of the visuals and sound, “A-Z” director Alex Haines says,

“On paper, a family-friendly, animal-themed fancy dress party sounds so expected and twee – the fun bit was trying to move away from that expectation; adding a layer of attitude! Music was always going to play a big part in that, and we were really excited when we got sign off on the Slaves track! They embody everything we wanted from this film attitude wise.”

Still, with all the frivolity and fun comes some serious undertones in this campaign from Naked, which signed on as WWF UK’s digital content partner earlier this month. The agency’s creative director Cyrus Vantoch-Wood, who led the project, explains:

“Having a fundraising idea is one thing, but our mission for the film was to drive action and inspire behaviour; like a video flyer to get people involved. We also couldn’t forget that this is a serious issue. Wildlife populations worldwide have declined by 52% since 1970. We needed something that can appeal to school kids, mums and hipsters alike, whilst maintaining some break through. We needed an execution with teeth. The end product is a piece of content that taps into people’s imaginations and shows them that this is an opportunity to have some fun and do some good.”

The hopes of all parties involved are that “Wear it Wild” becomes a major annual event and that UK businesses, schools and organizations will get involved with the cause. To find out more about it, go here.

Agency: Naked Communications
Agency Producer: Lee Charlton
Executive / Creative Director: Cyrus Vantoch-Wood
Creative Team: Catherine Hope, Jonny Palmer and Andy Russel
Production Company: Pulse Films
Director: Alex Haines
Producer: John Bannister
Grade: Ben Rogers @ Gramercy Park Studios
Sound Mix: Michael Powell @ Prodigious
Music Supervision: Pitch and Sync

(TrendHunter.com) Whether to raise money for an important cause or in the interest of testing out a new restaurant concept, pop-up dining experiences are enticing and fun ways to try something new.

Getting a boost…

Nike is pushing back against media reports that have linked the company to the unfolding FIFA scandal.

The marketer was not named in the the 47-count federal indictment the U.S. government issued Wednesday that alleges a vast corruption scheme, including kickbacks and bribes related to marketing rights deals. But Nike has been under a cloud of suspicion as potentially being the unamed sportswear company allegedly involved in a bribery scheme related to a sponsorship deal for the Brazilian national soccer federation.

In a statement issued late Thursday, Nike said: “The charging documents unsealed [Wednesday] in Brooklyn do not allege that Nike engaged in criminal conduct. There is no allegation in the charging documents that any Nike employee was aware of or knowingly participated in any bribery or kickback scheme.”

Continue reading at AdAge.com

En observant les clichés de Chris Lee, on devine que la vapeur s’échappant des égouts, le brouillard épais et les nuages cachant le sommet des buildings à New-York sont pour ce photographe une grande source d’inspiration. Une sélection de ces instants éphémères sont à découvrir en images.

A prototype of the massive solar-powered drone Google plans to build as a platform for delivering Internet service from the sky was destroyed in a crash at a New Mexico test site.

The unmanned Solara 50 fell to the ground shortly after takeoff on May 1 and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, Keith Holloway, an agency spokesman, said in an interview. The accident occurred at a private airstrip east of Albuquerque and no one was injured, he said.

The crash is a setback for Google’s high-altitude vision of how to bring Internet access to areas of the world without sufficient infrastructure on the ground. Google last year bought Titan Aerospace Corp., which is building the unmanned aircraft, for an undisclosed sum.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Media, Outdoor, Promo, Direct Marketing, Design, PR
We Save Lives

With the legalization of marijuana on the rise in the United States (23 states and Washington, DC have all legalized it in some form or another), there is a need to educate legal consumers of the product on the hazards of driving while under its influence. To address this issue we created WEED ADVISOR. A regular rolling paper produced with a non-toxic printed design of a car crash that animates when rolled. Then we headed out to Denver-CO on the week of 4/20 and distributed it to consumers.

Advertising Agency:Bravo/Y&R, Miami, USA
Chief Creative Officer:Claudio Lima
Creative Director:Carmelo Rodríguez, Willy Lomana, Pedro Pinhal
Art Director:Jesselle Valdes, Carmelo Rodríguez
Copywriter:Loipa Ramos, Willy Lomana
Producer:Carmen Navarrete
Post Production:The CutClub
Sound Studio:Elastik Music
Production House:Espirito Santo