Hasta La Creative!

Nike has said it will sell its products directly on Amazon for the first time.

Is there anyone out there reading this? It’s hard to tell, because the agency world is pretty much closed for business. Apparently you’re all still sleeping off your Cannes hangovers and prepping for the Fourth of July, when Americans celebrate their country’s independence with top 100 countdowns and $1,776 discounts on Toyotas. No one even seems to be busy churning out those stirring local “Be a patriot, buy a dining room set!” spots.

Those of you who are working seem to be solely focused on sending out press releases telling us that you won a Grand Prix at Cannes or a Gold, or many of them. Quit it. We know.

We ourselves are very busy, getting ready for our Small Agency Conference in Awards in Nashville July 18-19 — buy your tickets here– but in the meantime we managed to dig up a few news nuggets for this Agency Brief.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Many marketers and even some agency employees are quick to admit that the advertising industry invests too much time and money on awards. In an industry facing rampant upheaval and client dissatisfaction, clients’ business growth should be the primary concern. Yet many agencies spend seven-figure budgets and months of their team’s time preparing for awards shows.

So it was refreshing to see Publicis announce that it would be investing in technology over awards in the year ahead. However, the solution does not require shunning Cannes or all award investments, but rather a more balanced approach. Agency awards still hold weight, and play an important role in an industry undergoing enormous change. Here’s why:

Continue reading at AdAge.com

(TrendHunter.com) The Common room Ari location is a laid back, inviting space combining the experience of cafe and bar. Designed by firm party/space/design, the minimalist cafe-bar is right at home in the evolving…

Category: Beyond Madison Avenue
Summary: No great marketing goal was ever achieved without hand-wringing. If you’re not lying awake at night in a pool of sweat the night before a campaign launch, you’re not doing it right. Great marketing takes great ideas takes great courage takes great Xanax.

The problem with business is that nervousness is never a good thing. Comfort is the corporate resting state. Anything that disrupts comfort leads to downsizing.

Every weekday, we bring you the Ad Age/iSpot Hot Spots, new and trending TV commercials tracked by iSpot.tv, the real-time TV ad measurement company with attention and conversion analytics from 10 million smart TVs. The New Releases here ran on TV for the first time yesterday. The Most Engaging ads are ranked by digital activity (including online views and social shares) over the past week.

Among the new releases, a couple of new-to-camping campers realize that the peace and quiet of nature is a bit too peaceful and quiet, so they put a T-Mobile-connected smartphone to good use. Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt shows up in a fresh cut of a continuing Gatorate campaign that encourages you to “Rehydrate, replenish, refuel.” And AT&T serves up another one of its ads starring Mark Wahlberg — this one featuring a surprise cameo appearance at the end by the “more handsome and talented and British” Patrick Stewart.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

Apple is back with another one of its “shot on iPhone” ads just in time for the device’s 10th anniversary and a whole bunch of fanboy takes about how This One Product Has Totally Changed the World.

This time, however, the theme is a bit more specific than usual. It’s about Canada, and how that country is suddenly an island of inclusiveness in an increasingly hostile world!

This is particularly topical given that the U.S. has witnessed a sharp decline in international opinion over the past six-plus months for some completely unknown reason. Who needs to collaborate with Germany anyway?

“My vision as a professional photographer, and as a Canadian, was to personally seek out and explore the stories of this vast country through the unique lens of iPhone,” said Caitlin Cronenberg, who played a dual role here as both the picture-taker and the daughter of David Cronenberg. “We saw the people, we met the people, we shot the people and places.”

Humble the Poet, who narrated the whole thing, added, “Canada now represents an unparalleled freedom. We’re not simply tolerant, we celebrate and live diversity on our own terms.”

The ad was created by Media Arts Lab in coordination with Apple’s in-house team and the music was by A Tribe Called Red, which mixes contemporary styles with those of indigenous Canadians.

In conclusion, Eastern Promises was a great movie and a cool glimpse into our future membership in the Russian mob.

-Richards/Lerma launched a “#CloserThanEver” UFC-themed campaign for T-Mobile (video above).

-David&Goliath introduces the Turbo Soul with a new baby hamster named Turbo.

-Japanese agency Asatsu-DK created this bizarre spot for Tsuruya Co.’s kawara roof tiles.

-This online NRA ad featuring conservative extremist television and radio host Dana Loesch has met with widespread backlash, with some citing it as ‘an open call to violence.’”

-Jalopnik explores “How Volvo Lost The Plot.”

-Creative agency enso hosted a #PassTheERA hackathon in which creative from other shops including 72andSunny came up with shareable stuff related to the Equal Rights Amendment assuring pay equality. (It never passed.)

-Richmond, Virginia agency NBD created a series of fake products like “Box of Rocks” and “Blades of Grass” for client Maymont, a local nonprofit attraction.

-Colle + McVoy made some print ads for Swim Today.