Is This the Creepiest Father's Day Ad Ever?


Ahead of Father’s Day, an absolutely bizarre ad appeared in a Sri Lankan newspaper offering a 15% discount off Triumph, the international lingerie brand. And it’s a cautionary tale of how one ad — appearing in one print newspaper, promoting a one-day sale at one mall in Sri Lanka — can go viral internationally for the wrong reasons.

Next to a photo of a model in a purple push-up bra, the copy in Ceylon Today newspaper read: “For the ladies who pamper their dads.” Let’s pause for a moment to let the creepiness of that sink in — and to ponder what message the brand was possibly trying to get at.

The reaction on Twitter was merciless.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

AKQA Announces Winners of 2015 Future Lions


The contest honored another team from Miami Ad School San Francisco, Divya Seshadri and Meghan D. O’Neill, who created a fun safe-driving solution for Heineken. The “Safe Stamp” is a flat microchip applied with temporary tattoo paper that gets placed on the bodies of bar or clubgoers and measures their blood alcohol content through their skin. Once the stamp glows blue, it shows the drinkers have surpassed the legal driving limit.

Andrea Raia, Andrea Zanino, Pierpaolo Bivio and Francesco Sguinzi of Italy’s Fondazione Accademia di Comunicazione came up with another safety-minded innovation. “Uber First-Aid” utilized the popular car-on-demand service to bring rapid care to those in emergencies. It addresses the fact that in large metropolitan areas, the average wait time for emergency services to arrive surpasses seven minutes, but the new Uber service would shrink that to three. The idea provides Uber drivers certification with first-aid training and emergency kits, and they’d be dispatched through 911 to provide quick help until an ambulance arrives.

Yusol Shim of South Korea’s KyungHee University/Bigant Academy also conceived another innovative social-minded idea for Snapchat called Snaphelp. The idea gives kids suffering from bullying quick access to professional counselors on Snapchat, a platform that might be more approachable for kids too embarrassed to go to their parents or school authorities.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Like a cat on the prowl

alive, alert and a still a little wild

From Adbusters #120: Manifesto for World Revolution PT.III

Direct action is a proclamation of personal independence.

It happens, for the first time, at the intersection of your self-consciousness and your tolerance for being screwed over. You act. You thrust yourself forward and intervene. And then you hang loose and deal with whatever comes. In that moment of decision, in that leap into the unknown, you come to life. Your interior world is suddenly vivid.

You’re like a cat on the prowl:

alive, alert and still a little wild.

Kalle Lasn

Source

Haiti Photographed Through an iPhone Lens

En janvier 2011, un an après que le tremblement de terre ait dévasté Haïti, le photographe américain Jeremy Cowart s’y est rendu pour un voyage humanitaire qu’il a choisi d’immortaliser en photographiant uniquement à l’aide de son iPhone 4. Celui-ci lui permettait une plus grande discrétion et donc de capter des instants qu’il n’aurait peut-être pas pu saisir avec son appareil photo professionnel. Le résultat offre des clichés étonnants et lumineux qui nous rapprochent de la vie locale de l’époque.

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Aluminium-Made Futuristic Motorcycle

Thrive Motorcycles a créé un modèle de moto, basée sur la 1984 Yamaha Scorpio, fait d’aluminium pour lui offrir un aspect industriel mais également pour garantir un poids moindre. La géométrie de la conception apporte une apparence futuriste à cette nouvelle vision du modèle initial.

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Apple Signs Thousands of Independent Labels in Royalty Deal

The Beggars Group, a powerful independent record company, and Merlin, a trade group, announced that they reached a licensing deal with Apple.




Optical Illusion Furniture – Studio Isabell Gatzen Designs a Collection Inspired by M.C. Escher (GALLERY)

(TrendHunter.com) Studio Isabell Gatzen pays tribute to Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher, who is known for his mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs and mezzotints. Its latest collection of furniture…

Of Message Strategy

Category: Beyond Madison Avenue

From Cry to Buy

Category: Beyond Madison Avenue
Summary: I just read an article on DesignTaxi.com about the latest guerilla tactic from McCann Mexico and wanted to share with all of you. The advertising agency invited 100 women to cry as they watch Titanic. Why? To promote L’Oreal’s latest mascara campaign: The Waterproof Experience.

Pure Foosball Table

Le designer Alain Gilles a signé la création de « The Pure », version contemporaine d’une table de babyfoot pour Debuchy by Toulet, marque spécialisée dans la création de table de babyfoot revisitées. Le design de « The Pure » est comme son nom l’indique : épuré et élégant.

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How to Be Hip: Big Banks Can Market to Millennials


Do you want to be hip? Tell young people you don’t like big banks. The way some talk, our largest financial institutions are as fashionable as flared collars and stonewashed jeans.

They’re not alone. Just about every company is trying to figure out millennials. It’s not surprising. Millennials will become the nation’s largest living generation this year. That’s more than 75 million people ages 18 to 34, who spend $1.3 trillion annually. They’re also one of the most influential generations in decades and have an impact on everything from new technology to cultural touchstones.

With roughly 9 million millennial households as customers, Bank of America has a big stake in being relevant to the selfie generation, which begins with being authentic. More than any other generation, millennials want to do things on their own terms. It’s not new to reject institutions, but that thirst to discover their own path is amplified in an age of seemingly limitless choices. Consider that Pinterest, Instagram and Buzzfeed didn’t exist five years ago, and that people spend twice as much time online as they did three years ago.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Sports Illustrated and WebMD Team Up for Editorial Series on Sports Injuries


Sports loving hypochondriacs, this media partnership is for you.

Sports Illustrated and WebMD — the place you invariably land when you Google health symptoms — are teaming up on an editorial series called “The Comeback,” which packages a story on an athlete’s return from injury with service-y information about the ailment. Part one of the series about Los Angeles Angels pitcher Garrett Richards rolls out today on the Sports Illustrated and WebMD sites and includes video and text.

The tie-up is part of each media company’s strategy at attracting more readers, executives said.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Unilever Gets in Touch With Vice's Feminine Side


Unilever is getting in touch with Vice’s feminine side as the marketer gets in on the ground floor of Broadly, an offering for women set to launch in August.

The wide-ranging deal will include some conventional advertising but focus heavily on content, initially covering the U.S., U.K. and Canada and four global Unilever brands Dove, Tresemme, Vaseline and Degree (the last of which goes by Rexona and Sure outside the U.S.)

Vice’s edgy style has made it one of the hottest media properties for men, and Unilever is hoping to tap into a similar phenomenon for women. In a press briefing during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Tuesday, Unilever Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Keith Weed said Unilever similarly got in on the ground floor of Vice’s development five years ago. If anything, Broadly holds more promise for Unilever, which also markets Axe, but gets 77% of purchases overall from women, he said.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Hello, Newman! Hulu Lets New Yorkers Become Master of 'Seinfeld' Domain


Jerry Seinfeld’s infamous Upper West Side 81st St. apartment has been brought to life (and moved downtown) for fans of the “show about nothing,” thanks to Hulu and Magnetic Collaborative.

The streaming company, with New York-based Magnetic and sponsorship from Toyota, opened the 3,500-square-foot exhibit, which features an apartment replica and miniature “Seinfeld” museum, to honor Hulu’s release of the show today. It’s the first time viewers can stream all 180 episodes of the ’90s TV hit.

The pop-up of the apartment is open to the public from Wednesday to Sunday at 451 W. 14th St. in New York, each day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for free.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Adobe Creative Meet-Up Paris

L’édition parisienne de la « Creative Meet-Up » d’Adobe, dédiée à la créativité, aura lieu le 25 juin à partir de 19h. Rendez-vous sur le site de l’événement afin de le suivre en live stream. Il sera possible d’échanger avec les artistes présentés ci-après, comme l’illustrateur Nairone, le photographe Cal Redback et le studio Akatre.


Color Block by Akatre.

Entrepart by Akatre.

Entrepart by Akatre.

Là Haut by Akatre.

Paradise by Nairone.

Thuglife by Nairone.

One Fire by Pascal Dupont (aka Cal Redback).

Treebeard by Pascal Dupont (aka Cal Redback).

Treebeard by Pascal Dupont (aka Cal Redback).

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Adland Live at Central Saint Martins – Show Two

The Central Saint Martins Graphic Design Show opens to the public today, sponsored by Mullen-Lowe Group who will be revealing the winner of this year’s Lowe Nova Prize later in the month. I went to the opening night viewing, and saw some intelligent, sophisticated and inspiring work. And there was such a vast amount of projects on show – encompassing Narrative Environments, Character Animation, Graphic Design, Illustration, Material Futures, Fashion Design, Architecture… and much, much more. (Much more. Halls of more).

I asked Kate Wildblood, Head of Design at Lowe Profero and a Lowe Nova judge what she thought of Show Two.

“It’s an amazing experience made by hugely talented people. I wish I was half as talented at them”.

Kate Wildblood, drinking

And what was she looking for in the winning projects?

“Tits and arse and cash under the table.”

Is she absolutely sure she wants me to write that?

“We were looking for creativity, personality, craft, execution, all rolled together with passion and confidence.” She describes her favourite works animatedly, using the word ‘amazing’ in every sentence.

From CSM:

Based in the heart of Kings Cross, Central Saint Martins is well known for being a unique, creative space that plays host to this year’s soon-to-be graduates. The university’s design students aim to redevelop and challenge people’s perceptions of what graphic design is and what it can do. The degree show last year saw in excess of 75,000 visitors and this year’s show attendance is expected to exceed this.

A bold fashion statement.

Alternate reality tombstones.

D&AD Pencil Winners, Ben Silvertown and Sidney Lim with their Young Blood idea: BBC Surge

What is communication design?

Every office should have one of these.

Caroline Chidiac with her Narrative Environment project to share the sound of Lebanon.

More architectural models than you can shake a stick at.

Agelene Fenuta with her Materials Future project to create modular transforming textiles.

CSM Show Two is open to the public until Sunday.

There was no ‘theme’ as such, but I certainly noticed an unofficial one. A great many of the projects from Illustration to Narrative Environments, explored the notion of analogue vs digital. Many examined bringing digital concepts into the physical world or visa versa. Many considered the relationship between the two and how they can impact on each other in exciting and unconsidered ways.

If you’re in London, do yourself a favour and check it out.

Read my coverage of Show One here.

New Dior Boutique in Seoul

Les architectes Christian de Portzamparc et Peter Marino sont à l’origine de la conception de la nouvelle boutique Dior à Séoul, dans le quartier de Gangnam-Gu. Le bâtiment de six étages abrite les créations de la Maison Française de Haute Couture mais également un espace d’exposition et un « Dior Café » dirigé par le pâtissier français Pierre Hermé.

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Drill Bit Buildings – The United Tower in Bahrain Bay is a Striking Spiralling Structure

(TrendHunter.com) Once the United Tower is compared to a drill bit, it’s hard to see anything else. In fact, save for a few points of perspective in the immediate surroundings, a person might very well mistake…

Want to Look 20 Years Older Than You Are? This Amazing Product Can Make It Happen

Yesterday we saw a skin cream specially designed to give you wrinkles. In that same vein, check out the spot below for “The Wrinkler,” a product that will help you look 20-30 years older than you actually are, without the hassle and expense of moving to Arizona and letting the sun bake you into a husk.

At first I thought this was an unprompted homage to the “varicose veins” ad from Ren & Stimpy until everything fell into place at the end. I really like the approach, for the record, and wish more ad parodies would attempt it.

For more information and pictures of people who look like Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, check out The Wrinkler’s website.

CREDITS
Dean Hacohen: Copywriter/CD
Hank Kosinski: Art Director/CD



Favorite Places in Poster

La start-up suédoise Mapiful a proposé de concevoir un poster de vos villes favorites. Après avoir renseigné le nom de la localisation souhaitée sur le site Internet, une création monochrome et épurée est générée et différents designs sont possibles. Les principaux détails de la géométrie des villes sont fidèlement représentés sous forme de croquis. Une manière originale de garder une fenêtre ouverte sur cette destination.

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