Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad 1798-2006

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Laboral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial in Gijón has opened a very very good exhibition a few days ago. ‘FEEDFORWARD – The Angel of History’ addresses the current moment in history where the wreckage of political conflict and economic inequality is piling up, while globalized forces–largely enabled by the “progress” of digital information technologies–inexorably feed us forward. I’ll write about it in details in the near future but i’d like to share with you straight away one of the most interesting artworks i’ve discovered there continue

White House Attacks Fox News

WhiteHouseSealIt must be slow in the Capital these days; it seems that although our world is going crazy, the president and his staff have taken time out to wage a media attack on Fox News, making the rounds on all the Sunday morning talk shows, with one glaring exception: Fox. The gloves were certainly off as Obama’s team struck back at Fox News accusing the network of opinionated reporting. Some of the quotes from the barrage include:

Fox is “not really a news station,” said David Axelrod.

Fox, said Rahm Emmanuel, “is is not a news organization so much as it has a perspective.”
They also urged the other networks not to treat Fox News as a news station because the White House certainly did not think of Fox as news-oriented. A week ago, communications director Anita Dunn opened the White House offensive on Fox on a Sunday show: “Let’s not pretend they’re a news organization like CNN is.”  She then stated that Fox was the communications arm for the Republican Party.

President Obama

The troubling part of this whole scenario: Our government is attacking one of our news outlets, thereby risking one of the freedoms America was founded upon: freedom of the press. (No, it’s not freedom of the press as long as we like what you are saying.)

The cable news networks are highly competitive, and Fox is not only the second highest- watched cable TV network, but it carries 9 of the top 10 cable news shows as of Q1 of 2009. Despite the heavy competition, the White House’s attack has actually begun to backfire.

Helen Thomas, the senior White House reporter in Washington (serving from JFK to
Interim Communications Director Dunnpresent) warned the Obama administration: “Stay out of these fights,”  and Washington Post’s blog stated: Where the White House has gone way overboard is in its decision to treat Fox as an outright enemy and to go public with the assault.

Some have even called the attack “Nixonian” in nature. However, the White House has an out. If the strategy fails, Anita Dunn can be tucked away easily, as she is expected to leave the administration by the end of the year.

fox news logoWhile Fox has not attacked Obama directly, they’ve unloaded on his aides, especially Dunn. Her statement naming Mao Tse Tung as one of her favorite politicians did not help nor did her speech explaining the censorship-like control exercised during the election. If team Obama felt they couldn’t control the message, or the press, they would use YouTube, Twitter, or Facebook to communicate.

While America thought that the Obama Campaign was tech-savvy, it was really just an exercise in message management.

Jeff Louis has over ten years of brand-building, media strategy, and new business experience. His passion is writing and his strong suit is sarcasm.  You can follow Jeff on Twitter or become a fan on Examiner.com.







Radio Advertising Still Annoying (and Dangerous?) as Ever

SirensThroughout life, people become programmed to react in certain ways to certain stimuli. Fire drills, car alarms, and air-raid sirens all mean imminent danger and usually make us spring into action. If you are like me, police sirens have a special place in your heart, and you have an uncanny ability to be the person singled out from a group of speeding cars, forced to begrudgingly hand over a license and registration. Anytime I hear a siren closing in, my heart jumps up into my throat and I take my attention off the road in front of me and start looking for those ominous flashing lights.

Just last week as I drove along on my way to a meeting, I heard a shrill siren that almost made me drive off the road into the storefront of a McDonalds. I strained to see a police car or ambulance through the rain, but there was none. The siren was from a commercial on the radio. This brought to mind an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm in which Larry David takes a friend’s new car out for a spin and hears a loud car horn. Thinking the sound came from the driver behind him, he slams on the brakes and is rear-ended. The two drivers holler for a while, and then Larry realizes the car horn was actually from an AAMCO commercial on the radio. It was a funny moment in the show, but it probably really happens to some unlucky drivers.

Seriously, how is putting loud sirens and car honking in radio commercials even legal? Faux sirens or car horns can be extremely unsafe for those on the road, causing unnecessary distraction and serious accidents. Furthermore, scaring the crap out of potential customers is definitely not going to get a company more sales or positive brand recognition. With all the energy the FCC expends fining DJ’s for saying “butts” on the air, it’s surprising the FCC hasn’t focused on an issue that potentially puts people in actual danger while on the road.

Anna Vortmanis a marketing and advertising manager specializing in branding and new media. Contact her at avortman@gmail.com.


Olympic Bid Split Chicago, Local Agency

2016_olympic_logo2In case you were unaware, the competition for the 2016 Olympics host city’s been won and the waiting is over.

It was a controversial ride, but in the end, Chicago got knocked out immediately and Rio de Janiero was bestowed the honor, marking the first time a South American country’s been chosen to host an Olympic Games. The news is bittersweet in Chicago; the city was split 54% For, 46% Against according to recent polls. The city’s debt, added traffic on over-burdened streets, and additional taxes were main contention points that kept Chicagoans from supporting the bid. Plus the knowledge that recent host’s were still paying off Olympic-sized debt.

Skepticism rose to National levels last week when President Barack Obama, and wife Michelle, agreed to attend the final stage of the Olympic pitch in Oslow, adding their political weight to a field filled with political, and royal, notables: A King and Queen (Madrid), Prime Minister (Tokyo), and another President (Rio).

chicagoansforrio2016Competition between Rio and Chicago was especially fierce, and accusations of unfair play were voiced by both sides: One of the larger controversies a website Chicagoans for Rio 2016. The Chicago Olympic Bid team accused Rio of setting up the site (makes sense), but it turned out that it was an inside job…really inside.

Meanwhile, a Chicagoan named Kevin Lynch is confessing that he’s the man behind the cheeky ChicagoansForRio.com, the Web site that’s been anonymously trashing Chicago’s prospects in the past couple of weeks.

Okay, so he was from Chicago. No biggie. The real impact of the story is that Kevin Lynch is one of the top creative execs at Energy BBDO’s Proximity Unit. Energy BBDO, and owner Omnicom, were both in support of Chicago’s bid for the games, providing creative services as part of their endorsement. Plus, there’s the fact that Energy BBDO’s largest client, Wrigley (Wrigley Field, Wrigley Gum, etc), supported the city’s bid.

Which led to “Drama, drama, drama”! Energy BBDO released a statement to Ad Age last week:

“I want to be clear: The agency is and has been fully behind the Chicago 2016 bid,” said Energy BBDO CEO Tonise Paul. “Our clients are aware of our position and understand the situation. The individual acted on his own accord without the agency’s knowledge.”

Kevin Lynch, the “instigator” of the controversy, said he had stopped supporting the Olympic bid for Chicago when Mayor Daley’s statements that Chicagoans wouldn’t be taxed for the games were reversed. (Chicago already carries the heaviest sales tax in the Nation at 10.25%.)

Now that the host city’s been decided, it will be at least a week to discover what becomes of Mr. Lynch…

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Brand Project Manager, blogger, and aspiring writer. Please leave a comment or contact him on Twitter. As always, thanks for reading!

Book Review – Blank Spots on the Map: The Dark Geography of the Pentagons Secret

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Whether it’s from a hotel room in Vegas, secret prisons in Kabul, buried CIA aircraft in Central American jungles, Washington, D.C., suburbs, or a trailer in Shoshone Indian territory, Paglen’s reporting is impassioned, rigorous, relentless–and eye-opening. Blank Spots on the Map is an exposé of a world that, officially, isn’t even there continue

President Obama Spoofed as Socialist ‘Joker’

Obama-Socialism-JokerDuring his rapid ascent from a senator to President of the United States, Barack Obama effectively rewrote the rules of political marketing. By embracing the Internet and relying on strong grassroots fundraising, Obama raised enough money to dominate opponent John McCain with television ads that included an unprecedented 30-minute documentary style ad that delayed the start of the MLB World Series.

Predictably, President Obama’s marketing methods have been embraced by the rest of the Democratic Party (note the similarities between the White House homepage and the Democratic Party’s homepage). Of course, it’s not just friends of the President who have taken to alternative advertising, but his enemies, as well.

Recently, images of President Obama made to resemble Heath Ledger’s Joker from the blockbuster film The Dark Knight have popped up all over Los Angeles.  Illustrated in a style somewhat similar to Shepard Fairey’s famous Obama ‘Hope’ portrait, the poster splashes the word socialism underneath the President’s creepily smiling face.

It is unclear at this point whether the Obama/Joker posters are the work of a lone individual or if they are tied to a formal guerrilla marketing campaign. For some reason, I’m inclined to believe the latter. We’ve seen Astroturfing campaigns from both side of the political aisle, so I wouldn’t be shocked to find out in a month that this was conceived by some Conservative organization. If so, the question is, “Why?”

Why appropriate such a well-known image from The Dark Knight? Is the artist implying that the President, like the Joker in the movie, is a terrorist? That tactic didn’t work in the Presidential campaign, so why would it work now? Furthermore, if these posters are indeed being bankrolled by members of a conservative group, why would these people risk being tied to such a blatant attack?

If Obama/Joker is actually part of a greater campaign, I can’t see how it will be effective. Despite the President’s slipping approval ratings, I believe that in these fragile times, Americans aren’t interested in getting back to divisive politics. What do you think?

Rob Frappier is a marketing copywriter and blogger working in the social media sphere. To reach Rob, visit his blog, or follow him on Twitter.


Advertising is Irrelevant?

noAdsHeeAdWeek and Harris recently released a poll asking those not involved in the advertising trade what they thought of advertising’s “relevancy.”

The results show that most find that our jobs, as a whole, are rather irrelevant.

Advertising’s down, no doubt, and now Adweek’s heaping salt on the wound!

Well, Mr. and Mrs. America, let’s look at a life without advertising. A life of relevance.

TV staticFirst of all, without advertising, we would not have free access to television. Advertisers in essence pay for the shows we watch by running commercials. By the same logic, the web in that state would not be as comprehensive as the one we experience now. Radio would be a paid service with subscribers. Programs and shows with relatively lower ratings would be immediately slashed since they would no longer be able to support themselves.

The cultural art form of advertising would be lost.  The circle of life would be disrupted.  Just as life influences advertising, ads influence culture.

Without advertising, creatives would be cubicle-bound and non-imaginative. Serious. Boring. Sex would not sell, and neither would honesty. No one would fight for the cause. PETA would consist of two guys fighting for animal rights, and no one would care. Animals wouldn’t be cool to wear. Or not wear. Or own.  Times Square would be dimly lit. Your favorite beer would be just “BEER,” as the term ‘generic’ would dominate store shelves. Color would be sparse. Trendsetters would be trend-less. No brands, no logos, no icons or spokespeople. No sexy models, sexy shows, or suggestive commercials. We wouldn’t know who to vote for, or why. Four hour erections? Who’d need the pills, let alone use them? No body-image, no silicone implants, no tummy-tucks. No Jon & Kate. Michael Jackson would just be another singer. No Hollywood trailers, stars, starlets, tramps, red carpets, or blockbuster openings. No E! TV, no TMZ. No Paris, Lindsay, Nicole, or reality TV. No Tila Tequila.

No PSA’s warning that your brain on drugs was scrambled. Or that kids shouldn’t smoke crack and that crack kills. Rather than axing the marketing budget first, corporations would axe employees. And that would be just fine, because there would be no PR effort, no big news story, therefore no downside.

Life would go on, but it would be bland and tasteless. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and MySpace: no need for them.

Take a picture of the Cold War-era Russia and apply it to a life without advertising. Cold. Drizzling. Muddled.

The link to this study is now unavailable.  Was the issue so unimportant that Adweek pulled the article? Or was the study published on the wrong day?

Luckily, I printed it:

In an AdweekMedia/Harris Poll last month, respondents were given a chance to say they don’t feel strongly about the industry one way or another, and nearly half of them took it. Asked to characterize their overall impression of “the advertising industry in general,” 47 percent said it’s “neither negative nor positive.” Predictably, those with a negative view of the business (9 percent “very,” 28 percent “somewhat”) outnumbered those with a positive view (2 percent “very,” 15 percent “somewhat”). (The total exceeds 100 percent due to rounding.)

If such numbers count as not-so-bad news for the ad business, responses were less positive on the question of whether consumers find advertising relevant to their lives (”By relevant,” Harris told respondents, “we mean how it connects to things that are ongoing in your daily life”). Given the effort put into aiming the right ad at the right target, the numbers here were pretty lackluster. Eight percent of respondents said advertising is “very relevant” to their lives, and 42 percent said it’s “somewhat relevant.” Thirty-two percent termed it “not that relevant” and 14 percent “not at all relevant,” with the rest unsure.

Can you say “OUCH!”?

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Account Coordinator. His passion is writing. Reach out and touch him: www.linkedin.com or www.twitter.com.


Clever and Current: Reaching the Information Age

The Internet.  The greatest enabler perhaps ever known.  The ability to acquire and distribute information at a furious and daunting pace has proven to be the downfall of many a business, political candidate, celebrity etc.  However, those who seize control have experienced unprecedented success.  Capturing the minds of those fluent in Internet language proves to be the primary goal of advertisers for the future.

In May, the International Society of Human Rights (ISHR) released a group of 3 ads which succinctly and adroitly summarize both the fears and triumphs of widespread Internet distribution.

The political implications are clear: target and mock those who seek to suppress the free spread of information.  Labeled “To Teach Dictators a Lesson”, the sharp simplicity and wit of the ad depicts perfectly the conflicting opinions of those on both ends of the spectrum.  The brilliance of the ad lies in the subtle usage of the imagery of the stifled flow of information.

Subtlety is an art form lost on many advertisers who often go for gross exaggerations in the name of attention grabbing.  As depicted in my last blog, such strategies often undercut the intended message.  Quite oppositely, the subversive humor of this ad strikes a poignant note.

Delivering a meaningful but catching message to those who can rapidly attain information from a variety of sources proves difficult.  However, those who succeed do so in slight-of-hand subtlety rather than slap-you-in-the-face bravado.

Dan Davis is a Freelance Writer carving out his growing resume, specializing in copy writing, and subjects from sports to the arts.  Contact him on LinkedIn.


Why do people desire walls?

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The audio file of a lecture by Prof. Wendy Brown who explains how the building of walls around the world today is so starkly at odds with images of a world that is ever more connected & unbordered. Bonus! Videos of Shooting Back, the project of an Isreali NGO that gives Palestinian families across the West Bank video cameras to document how they are treated by Israeli soldiers and settlers continue

Does The Ad Industry Need A Scandal, Too?

INTRO
For the 2008/2009 Year in Advertising Review (if there were such a thing), most of the pages would be filled with stories on Social Media Marketing, lay-offs, the automotive industry’s effect on the ad industry, and the economy. With much of the hard news skewing negative, now is not the best time to face a scandal, albeit a small one.

Based on a story released in The St. Petersburg Times (Florida), as well as their website TampaBay.com, it is been reported that a scandal is nearing hurricane force in the Sunshine State. Worse yet, it’s a political scandal. Finally, to top it all off, it involves a prominent Tampa Bay ad agency, a federal inquiry, and the FBI.fbibadge

THE PLAYERS

a4s_buddyfor1a061409_71959cBuddy Johnson was the Hillsborough (County) Elections Supervisor. Reportedly, prior to re-election he hired Schifino Lee to launch a “Voter Education Campaign” to the tune of $40,000. In February of 2008, Mr. Johnson found out that he would be facing “tough competition” on what was purported to be an easy re-election. The Voter Education campaign, scheduled to end in March 2008, was extended.

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Schifino Lee Advertising and Branding, founded in 1993, has a well-rounded client list: Jaguar, AT&T, Mobley, Seminole Hard Rock Casino, Gunn Allen Financial, The Reproductive Medicine Group, and WellCare Health Plans. Absent, however, is political experience; yet, it’s often the best creative that wins, regardless of the competition’s experience. In this case, the agency was awarded the account.

THE STORY
Buddy Johnson realized that he was in the fight of his political life; in February 2008, the former County Commissioner, Phyllis Busansky, filed to run for the same position and had surpassed Johnson in campaign contributions by March. Schifino Lee was retained to keep voter education at a premium. The campaign, paid for by county taxpayers, originally started to “educate voters” about an optical voting system that was idiot-proof. The debut of the system provided Johnson’s office the excuse to hire Schifino Lee.

But getting Johnson’s name and image in front of voters was a main goal from the outset, said the owner of a marketing firm who was hired by the elections office to conduct an outreach campaign for Hispanics.

whoisbuddyj The $40,000 educational campaign turned into a $640,000 re-election campaign, sixteen times the original amount, and ads began to focus on Buddy Johnson, rather than education. The campaign ran the media gamut, from campaign buttons and stickers to television spots and online ads. Few of the ads had anything to do with voter education. The agency claims they simply followed their client’s requests and handed files over to investigators. The agency also  provided copies to The St. Petersburg Times. While all information at this point is speculation, The Times mentions the following:

• Schifino Lee won the contract in a no-bid process
• Many of the ads were political in nature, but about Johnson
• Several pieces were identical [but charged individually]
• Some of the pieces were never used, and had little or no value

An article by Johnson that was ghost-written by the firm was never published. A two-page flier cost $1,854, but there is no indication it was ever used. Another flier told voters how to fill the oval on the ballot. “Completely,” it advised, a tip that cost taxpayers $765.

The Federal investigation was launched to review various aspects of Mr. Johnson’s management of the county’s elections office, and there are estimates that he overspent by $2.35 million before losing the race.

Rather than heaping insult on top of injury, it’s quiet possible that Buddy Johnson will receive  insult on top of felony.

Please remember that all parties are presumed to be innocent until jailed.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you, so leave a comment or follow the links: linkedin.com or twitter.com.

Health Care For Everyone

In the United States, there are currently over 44 million people with no health insurance. HealthJustice is introducing five TV spots featuring B.J. Hunicutt (Mike Farrell) of the hit televisions series M*A*S*H. Mr. Farrell has graduated from TV doctor to author and activist. HealthJustice produced a series of five ads with B.J. speaking to doctors and nurses about “Single Payer” health care.

What is Single Payer Health Care?

Single-payer healthcare is the payment of doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers from a single fund and is one of the systems used to provide Universal Healthcare. A bill has been introduced to Congress, H.R. 676, that outlines the “health care for all” strategy.

The Campaign

There will be five ads in rotation coordinated with a nationwide calling, emailing and faxing campaign to Congress and the White House. As of Friday, May 8th, over 25 thousand faxes, 2000 voicemails/phone messages and numerous emails had been sent to Congress and the White House, all requesting single payer health care.

The campaigns and the TV ads are funded entirely with donations to HealthJustice, typically less than $100 each. Seed money came from Physicians for a National Health Program and from the Leadership Conference for Guaranteed Health Care. 

Who Pays?

In short, we do. Although there are no specifics, the bill does cover where funding would originate:


The bill is hitting at an opportune time as more and more Americans find themselves without jobs and health care. For more information, or to get involved, visit www.1payer.net.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312..

Not Feeling Screwed? You Should Be.

Best Week Ever

Late last week, Chrysler filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Omnicom’s BBDO Detroit was listed as the second-highest unsecured creditor, with some $58+ million in outstanding invoices. Most of the dollars are believed to be for spot TV buys placed when Chrysler opted to dump it’s national advertising to save money. The Chapter 11 filing gives the carmaker time to restructure under government protection from creditors. So, while Chrysler does NOT have to pay their creditors at the moment, they will still receive cash infusions from Uncle Sam. Now that is what I call the American Dream!
chryslerbldgLike a spoiled child whose parents are too weak to say the word, “NO,” Chrysler now finds that they are in great shape: safe from creditors and still receiving their billion dollar allowance. Chrysler, of course, is not celebrating…or are they? The automobile company may not be dancing, but they are acting as if they’ve got America by the short hairs. Sadly, with backing from Obama, they do. Thus it’s no surprise that Chrysler is launching a national, prime-time TV, newspaper, and digital campaign set to hit the public on May 11th, 2009. The tagline for the campaign is, “We’re building a new car company. Come see what we’re building for you.” This move back to the national advertising arena must mean Chrysler does not need to worry about reducing expenses anymore. Whew!

What Do You Mean You Want The Money?

Well, no, that’s not the truth. The real story is that Chrysler does not intend to repay dollars borrowed from private interests priorwebuildad-copy2 
to government intervention. The private “investors” are unlikely sources; the University of Kentucky, Kraft Foods’ retirement fund, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, pension funds, and teachers’ credit unions. The Obama administration is not going to let that happen, and has even berated the companies that were willing to bet on a loser (Chrysler) as “a small group of speculators” who “endanger Chrysler’s future by refusing to sacrifice like everyone else.” This, despite fact that the terms of the agreement state that lenders would be repaid first should bankruptcy became a reality.

The Final Straw

In a last “screw” you from the government and Chrysler, it is now being reported that taxpayers will never see a single dollar of the billions lent to Chrysler. From Monday’s bankruptcy hearings:

“They’re offering financing with a low likelihood of being repaid,” said Robert Manzo, an executive director for Capstone Advisory Group LLC, according to the Associated Press. As part of its Chapter 11 reorganization, Manzo wrote Chrysler expects the U.S. Treasury to forgive a $4 billion bridge loan the automaker received during the Bush administration, a $300 million fee on that loan, and the $3.2 billion in financing the Obama administration approved last week to help the company stay afloat while it is in bankruptcy.

CNN did confirm that the Obama Whitehouse stated that it did not expect Chrysler to repay the money. It’s interesting, but Bernie Madhoff went to prison for less than this.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312..Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312.


Stop Watching Me!

google_earth_car_crashRemember that song, “I always feel like, somebody’s watching me, and I get no privacy…?” Well, stop inviting people to watch you, and maybe they will. George Orwell’s 1984 has gotten a little too close for comfort these days, except that big brother is not the government or the media, it’s “We, the People.”

Think before you write, do, or say anything in the public eye(s)…and that includes on your computer. You can be social, just not too sociable: What you say can and will be used against you in the courtroom of life.
In the latest incident of it’s not reality, its Virtual Reality (VR) a Swiss woman, complaining of a migraine, left work “sick” and was sacked when she showed up on Facebook later that day.

She said the company had created a fictitious Facebook persona which become “friends” with her, allowing the company to monitor her online activity. Her suspicions were raised when the “friend” suddenly disappeared after she was fired, the woman told 20 Minuten daily. But the company says it followed a simple logic: that those who are well enough to use Facebook with a migraine are well enough to work with a migraine.

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If you think about it logically, it’s better to assume that you are being monitored… Every credit transaction, every search result, every phone call…it’s all tracked somewhere. The Man always triangulates off cell signals and pulls data off the hard drive.

This latest incident has generated online warnings from social bloggers regarding the protection of your account. The trick is to separate your real friends (the ones that would help you move a body) from your friends (those that might show up to help you move) from your acquaintances (those that wouldn’t move out of your way on the train). If you want to protect yourself from unwanted scrutiny, read Facebook Fail on Mashable.

Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312.

Coke: Is it the Deadly Thing?

234937-300-0-1Coca Cola, invented in the late 19th century and marketed as a “cure-all” for diseases like morphine addiction, dyspepsia, neurasthenia, headache, and impotence has come a long way in a century. A friend once told me that Coke’s special formula used cocaine. Which is true, although at the time I called him a “lying pooh-pooh head.” In fact, a single glass of Coke contained nine milligrams of blow. The nice thing? No crusty white boogers or mirror checks before going outside. ‘Cola’ was spawned from the Kola nut, which added caffeine to the mix. It’s a wonder Ritalin wasn’t invented sooner.

One thing fair to assume in a company the size of Coke; upper management probably doesn’t have a clue about work in the trenches. So, when a plant worker at a Coke bottling plant in Columbia was gunned down for trying to unionize, no one upstairs was any wiser. (It was actually seven murders…). Well, this week that all changes.

Activist organization “The Campaign to Stop Killer Coke” plans a negative PR blitz in Atlanta against the beverage giant. The group, which claims Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) is guilty of labor, human rights and environmental abuses, will have this week a mobile billboard truck on metro Atlanta streets campaigning against Coke’s alleged abuses. One billboard says “Unthinkable! Undrinkable! Murders in Colombia, Child Labor in El Salvador, Stealing and Polluting Water in India, El Salvador and Mexico.” A second billboard says “Killer-Cola: The Drink that Represses!”

Coca Cola’s response, stunned that a PR blitz consists of a single billboard, has called an agency review.

Jeff Louis is a Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: www.linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or on twitter @jlo0312.

Los Penetrados, Santiago Sierras political porn photography

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Couples are geometrically arranged into compositions of up to 110 bodies with two colours. The Acts feature the various possible combinations of penetrator / penetrated: white man-white woman, white man-white man, white man-black woman, white man-black man, black man-black woman, black man-black man, black man-white woman, black man-white man continue

Get to Know Me First

Filmmaker Gina Levy is working with GetToKnowMeFirst.org, a website that advocates for marriage equality by putting a “face on the issue” with five 30-second commercials to air during inauguration week in the United States.  In an effort to overturn Proposition 8 in California and a number of other anti-gay initiatives, many of these spots will show gays and lesbians as adoptive parents and active community members.

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Volume and the JoAP are out

Two of my favourite mags The Journal of Aesthetics and Protest and Volume are out:

Volume is an architecture and urbanism magazine. It’s neither a highly specialized print that mere mortals like me find hard to approach nor is it one of those glossy Vogue-lookalikes with chichi spreads of fashionably ‘sustainable’ buildings. It’s not ‘something in between’ either.

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This issue presents many trends, people, ideas that might look like they do not directly belong to the world of architecture and urbanism but are perfectly pertinent and relevant to architects and urbanists. And because almost anything architects and urbanists do ends up concerning the hoi polloi (that’s you and me, my friend), there’s much food for thoughts and heated discussions in Volume 17:

The editors explain: At the close of this era of expansion and surplus Volume speculates on one of the period’s emblematic inventions: Content Management, or the collecting, organizing and sharing of digital information. Our retrospective appraisal of recent developments in the managing of information offers inside into the ability of Content Management to serve the current realities of digital abundance and material shortage, and to protect both vast and extremely limited quantities.

Jesse Seegers and Jeffrey Inaba quizz Ken Goldberg on burning dollar bills and other less trivial matters, Chris Anderson about ‘free’ culture and PageRanking on business cards. They also get Julien De Smedt to discuss his views on free-wheel experiementation, the proliferation of ‘post-OMA offices’, why not choosing and mismanaging can be valuable strategies. Benedict Clouette and Forrest Jessee’s interview with publisher Lars Müller (whose Face of Human Rights is on my must read list) evokes books as a form of content management.

Volume dives into almost mainstream US culture with an interview of Rachel Maddow (available online) and another one with Arianna Huffington (best enjoyed after having savoured this article about the so-called death of the blogosphere.)

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Entrance of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Credit: Mari Tefre / Global Crop Diversity Trust (more images)

Those are only a few of the many interviews of smart people by other smart people.

Just to contradict all the above i should add that many of the issues covered in Volume 17
1. are not interviews. C-LAB explores the World Heritage, the content management system for cultural and natural treasures. Easy happiness is at reach in “Architecture is Merciless”, a presentation by Jacques Herzog about Beijing’s Bird Nest and in a short series of photos that display how Vogt Landscape Architects transplant nature into a constructed context. “Seeds of Paranoia” gives the lowdown on the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. This must be one of the rare articles that goes beyond the hype aspect of the project.

2. openly belong to the world of architecture. For example, Professor of Architecture at Columbia University Mark Wigley has a short essay on architecture seen under the lens of content management.

The Journal of Aesthetics and Protest by the same publishers who released the very excellent the book, An Atlas of Radical Cartography.

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Among all paper magazines, JoA&P is probably the one most likely to truly and gently give rise to social changes. Smart, wonderfully edited and available for a mere $15, the magazine is heavily centered on the US scene and i wonder if we have anything similar in Europe. And if we don’t i wonder what we’re waiting for.

The 300 pages of the sixth issue are broken down in three ‘conceptual’ sections.

1. I Love To We is a call for a new terminology to describe the formations of grassroots cultural resistant practices. These “interventions, strategies and tactics in the territory” explore the war on terror and the global order. A quick selection of the many essays featured in this section: LA-based organization Bicicocina (or Bicycle Kitchen) describes its self-assigned mission to teach people to work on their own bikes. Lisa Anne Auerbach wrote an insightful essay on the new “Don’t Do It Yourself” battle triggered by corporations’ avid assault and capitalisation of the D.I.Y. culture. Aimee Le Duc analyzes what happens when an old police station in San Francisco is bought and transformed into a home and office by someone like artist and architect Bruce Tomb.

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Graffiti Wall

2. Antiwar Survey Respondents has almost 20 activists not only describe their antiwar activities but also answer vital questions such as “How do you measure success for this activity?’ and ‘In order to continue and be successful with this or other related activities, what would you do or need?’ The answers should convince readers that activist actions do have an impact and inspire them to join the movements or start their own.

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Center for Tactical Magic collaborating with UC Santa Cruz students on Wells Fargo Embargo

3. Another Theory Section. Under a title which could hardly get any more cloudy and bland are a handful of lessons learnt (sometimes the hard way) by artists and activists: problems encountered when trying to get art in public space, the recent history of the art collective in light of the persecution of the Critcal Art Ensemble, the danger of nostalgia to culture, etc.

Support for peace in Burma O&M and MTV spot

This spot is created by O&M Amsterdam and MTV (whose names does not appear on this sport) as support for peace in Burma. Spot uses footage of warplanes bombing Burma with flowers as an impressive call-to-action, inviting viewers to visit a new Burma Arts Board website, noneofusarefree.org.

Here at the new Burma Arts Board website, you can send messages of support to the people of Burma in honor of their continuing struggles against the notorious practices of their oppressive military government, learn more about the devastating effects caused by the recent cyclone, and find ways to contribute to relief efforts.

“This spot somehow talks directly to the emotions we feel about the current humanitarian crisis in Burma. We know that people desperately need help and we also know it is not reaching them. The narrative conjures up a task force that brings a powerful message of support to the people of Burma, and an urgent appeal to donate to the international relief effort.”

said John Jackson, Director of Social Responsibility, MTV Networks International.

This spot let me silent…

MTV Director of Social Responsibility: John Jackson
Burma Arts Board Founder: Suki Dusanj
Advertising Agency: Ogilvy & Mather (Amsterdam)
Executive Creative Director: Carl Le Blond
Director: ShiloProduction
Company: Shilo (New York, USA)
Creative Director: Andre Stringer
Lead Artists: Andre Stringer, Tamir Sapir, David HillMatte
Painting: Mathieu Reynault and Rodeo FX, Andre Stringer, Marco Giampaolo, Cassidy Gearhart, Noah Conopask
3D Animators: Henning Koczy, Richard Cayton, Ohad Bracha, Bren Wilson, Eugen Sasu, Kiel Figgins
3D Artists: Christina Ku, Richard Kim, Warren Heimall, Craig Kohlemeyer, Scott Denton
Compositors: David Hill, Andre Stringer, Tamir Sapir, Cassidy Gearhart, Noah Conopask, Stieg Retlin
Typography: Evan Dennis
Miniature Design: Willi Patton
Editor: Nathan Caswell
Sound Design: Dante Nou
Coordinator: Danielle Smith
Producer: Lindsay Bodanza
Executive Producer: Tracy Chandler
Executive Producer (UK): Mark Hanrahan
Music production and arrangement: Good Sounds Amsterdam

Saving Danube Delta Biosphere Reservation

Few months ago I was telling you about a new ecological campaign from Romania aiming to save the Danube reservation. That campaign was talking about the ecological problems from Danubian Delta.

Preserving and protecting nature is now the subject of a new campaign.

Three ad prints are asking people to share 2% of the income tax to give a chance to solve the most important problems of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reservation.

Their mission is: “In the battle against people for the sake of nature! And, finally, for the good of our people. ”

The contribution of 2% for the Danube Delta can help rare species to survive.

I good call for many people to react against indifference and natures extinction.

Celebrities care more than the rest of us

You know when I think of troubled third world nations who need our help, I can only think of one celebrity who might be able to adequately convey the pain and suffering of living in a disaster ridden country ruled by a junta.

KIM KARDASHIAN!

Unfortunately, this ill-advised Public Service Announcement does less for the poor people of Burma and more for illiteracy. As. she. remembers. what. was. in. the. script.

I don’t watch their reality show, but I know Mom married Bruce Jenner, former awesome Wheaties spokesman and the man who spawned the “Princes of Malibu” (and “please make famous” Hills “star” Brody Jenner). So it’s like a perfect storm of fame-whoring suck.
. Dad on the other hand, was OJ Simpson’s lawyer. So in other words, everyone has a deal with the Devil

A sack of hammers could beat them all on Jeopardy.

I’m not against celebrity PSA’s per se, just ones where celebrities with no real higher education try to lecture me about stuff (looking at you DiCaprio) and to seem more caring than the common man just because they have more influence.


Here’s
a good primer on what good PSA’s involve.

A good PSA, even if you don’t agree with the content.

Simple, straightforward, to the point, and fairly genuine, which I think is the key to a good PSA. Kim Kardashian couldn’t find Burma on a map with 3 guesses and an encyclopedia.

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