Hasta La Creative!

Just how many advertising messages are we exposed to on a daily basis? In Data Smog, author David Skenk writes that the average American’s exposure to advertising has grown from “560 daily advertising messages in 1971. By 1997, that number had increased to over 3,000 per day.”

While the figures are controversial due to the definition of the word “advertising,” even 200 hundred messages a day is more than we’ll remember. Be thankful for that, because most of them are crap that shouldn’t have made it past the concept stage.

While the number of victims stricken by “Crapvertising” is unknown, there is a place where those who have fallen prey can expose the offender(s): The Tracy Awards.  Based on the premise that advertisers produce a lot of  ”bad ads,” the First Annual Tracy Awards are accepting submissions for the Worst in Advertising 2009. Its call to action:

“There’s a lot of bad advertising out there. Let’s make fun of it.”

Noted as the first competition of its kind, The Tracy’s provide those exposed to terrible advertising an opportunity “strike back” at advertisers who produce crap. The press release goes on to explain:

Every ad we receive will be judged. Harshly. And if it’s bad enough, it will win a Tracy, which will be sent to the people responsible for creating the abomination in the first place. Plus, all ads that win Tracy’s will be nationally publicized as the Worst Advertising of 2009.

The Tracy Awards were conceived by Salt Lake City ad agency Crowell Advertising and are named for agency founder, Tracy Crowell.

Take a few minutes to view the crap or submit some. If you are like me, making fun of others’ work will make the day so much better.

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

LONDON – Coca-Cola has rolled out a new advertising campaign aimed at getting the UK to recycle more.

Une vidéo construite avec plus de 400 images de l’artiste islandais Siggi Eggertsson, entre 2003 et 2009. Des travaux personnels, commandités ou rejetés, à redécouvrir de manière animé. Une réalisation de plusieurs centaines de calques sous After Effects à découvrir dans la suite.

Bande son de Johnny Sexual.

Previously on Fubiz

• Nearness
• Manchester Music Hall
• OMA Residential Complex

LONDON – CNN International is unveiling a new prime-time line-up that brings six hours of new programming to the network, broadcast daily from New York, London, Atlanta, Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong.

LONDON – FutureBrand has designed the identity for Race for Change, an initiative to inspire action on climate change while simultaneously highlighting the UK sailing team, Teamorigin, in its bid to win the America’s Cup.

Em dois Braincasts passados sobre marketing político (um em áudio em 2006, e outro em vídeo no ano passado), um dos assuntos recorrentes foi quanto ao uso da internet e meios digitais em campanhas eleitorais. Há 3 anos, as restrições pareciam distantes de serem até mesmo discutidas, mas em 2008, depois do case Obama, o tema entrou na pauta do Senado.

Lembro que nos Braincasts #7.1 e #7.2, Marcelo Tas chegou a dizer que “um dia teríamos vergonha de ter vivido essa época da política brasileira”, e classificou as restrições de pré-história, leis primitivas e burras. Já Soninha, destacou a internet como uma ferramenta em que o poder econômico não faz diferença, e que exatamente por isso as proibições não faziam sentido.

Mas depois da noite de ontem, podemos dizer que algumas coisas começaram a mudar. O Senado aprovou a liberação do uso da internet em campanhas eleitorais, começando pela corrida presidencial em 2010.

O texto, de autoria do senadores Aloizio Mercadante (PT-SP) e Eduardo Azeredo (PSDB-MG), determina a livre manifestação do pensamento na internet, além de permitir que os sites dos candidatos possam ficar no ar até o momento da eleição (até então, tinham que ser retirados até 48 antes da abertura das urnas).

Para debates, a internet vai seguir as regras de rádio e TV. Para participar de um debate, em qualquer uma das três mídias, o partido ou coligação precisa contar com pelo menos 10 deputados federais. Uma restrição que o senador Mercadante classificou de equívoco.

Agora, essa reforma da lei eleitoral vai voltar à Câmara para ser votada novamente, se aprovada, terá de ser sancionada pelo presidente até 2 de outubro.

Para o bem ou para o mal, as mudanças foram finalmente feitas e devem entrar em vigor para as próximas eleições. Resta saber como será o comportamento dos candidatos tendo em mãos toda a miríade de ferramentas e possibilidades da internet. Políticos com perfis no Twitter (vários já estão lá), comunidades em redes sociais, canais no YouTube, lado a lado com aquilo que você vê e produz atualmente.

A queda das restrições é um ato de bom-senso, mas lembre-se, ferramentas são só ferramentas. Sendo assim, não fique já imaginando um Obaminha brasileiro revolucionando as eleições só porque tem internet a seu favor. Você já conhece muito bem o que temos por aí.

Post originalmente publicado no Brainstorm #9
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All across the country, the lingering economic recession has caused businesses of all shapes and sizes to rethink their marketing efforts. More often than not, this has meant cutting overall advertising budgets while investing more heavily in free and low-cost social media marketing.

Even the United States Army has had to cut back on marketing, but not for the reasons you might expect. As detailed in a recent article from the Associated Press, the Army has cut its marketing spending not because it’s been ineffective in drawing recruits, but rather because the recession itself has created so many new enlistees that spending on advertising is superfluous.

While the increase in recruitment is certainly compelling, it is by no means surprising. Since the very inception of the armed forces, the honor of serving one’s country and the lure of steady pay and government benefits have drawn countless men and women to the military. What I find more interesting in the AP story is the type of high-cost marketing efforts the army is considering shutting down.

Last year, the Army began a pilot program for a new immersive marketing initiative called the Army Experience Center. Based in Philadelphia’s Franklin Mills Mall, the Army Experience Center was designed specifically to appeal to teen boys, combining walls of video game consoles with army combat simulators and video exhibits of military life. In total, the program costs $4 million a year to run.

While the marketer in me lauds the Army’s ingenuity, I find myself questioning the ethics of mixing video games and combat simulation programs under the same roof. It’s no wonder that peace activists staged protests against the center, claiming children are being “desensitized to violence.”

On the other hand, I have immense respect for the men and women of the military, and the idea that young men could be duped into enlistment through video games alone is insulting to the integrity of our armed services. In order to visit the center, individuals must be at least 13 years-old. Furthermore, visitors must opt-in to receive information about recruiting from the Army Experience Center, something the majority of teens choose not to do. Are these not sufficient protective measures? If the Army is not allowed to experiment with new marketing tactics, how are they expected to maintain an all-volunteer military?

What do you think? Despite the fact that the recession has rendered the Army Experience Center unnecessary for the time being, do you have a problem with the Army’s increasingly integrated marketing efforts?  Whether the answer is yes or no, I’d love to hear your reasons in the comments.

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.

LONDON – Chelsea Football Club CEO Peter Kenyon has resigned from the role after five years.

LONDON – Marks 8 Spencer is launching a beer and cider range to complement its wine selection.

LONDON – Peugeot is pushing its best selling 207 model with a mailer that uses cosmetic surgery as a theme to promote enhancements to the car and encourage test drives.