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There's a fantastic post over at C Enrique Ortiz Mobility Blog all about one of 2007 hot trends, the intersection of mobility and social software: mobile social software, virtual communities, messaging and user-generated content. Well worth checking out.
I've only been blogging for 2 months now and I must say, I'm rather enjoying it, although to be totally honest I don't think I've quite got into my stride yet.
I still find it hard to be fully 2.0 Web open and share my thoughts as much as I should do and I still shy away of being as opinionated as I usually am. but I have no doubt both will come.
So, thank you, those of you who visit regularly, it's been very rewarding seeing the growth in readership over such a short time. I hope you come back in 2007.
And finally, I hope you all have the Christmas you want and that 2007 brings you all that you need.
And so we come to the last of our Christmas cracker jokes for this year. (I'm thinking maybe I should do something bigger with these next year, a whole multi-site experience from YouTube to flickr. Then again, I might have come to my sense by then.) So, on to the joke. I'd love to say I've saved the best 'til last, but I can't. Let's be honest they're all as dire as each other. So I bring you a reworded version of a joke that should have retired ages ago.
Now, maybe that's what the number is in the corner, the age of the joke?
Not so much a joke today as a cunning brain teaser of majestic proportions. This obviously awoke my brain, as I was just thinking how surprising it would you be to open a cracker and find a joke that was actually funny? Would that be a good thing, or would it just ruin the whole cracker thing? And that has just lead me to think why hasn't some proper comedian funny bloke done their own range of crackers? Surely the surrealism of Bill Bailey or Eddie Izzard should work well, if only for the little plastic gifts.
It would also give the no.6 in the bottom corner a new significance.
Once again, another from the no nonsense school of design. What they lack in design they make up with double the content; a joke and a tongue twister. It really does make me wonder, who writes these jokes? Is it someones job? Or does the Marketing Manager just pop down to his local charity shop to buy an old copy of My Very First Joke Book and just pinch them.
The world of cracker manufacture is indeed a mystery to me.
Just been sent to Peter Callesen's site by my friend Mark. If you have the time, please visit. Enjoy.
Another no expense-spared joke. This one really working the cracker theme to full effect as well as making full use of the classic seasonal colours of red, green and white.
Yet again they tease us with a number, this time in the top left hand corner. 'Hhmmm', you think. 'There are at least another 31 quality jokes to be found, I must pull more crackers'.
As anyone who has taken even the most casual of glances at the ad industry blogging community will know, planners blog.
Do they blog.
And perhaps that's not surprising, I've often found them to love discussing their theorie, thoughts and ideas. And in the most part have enjoy their company for that very reason. Sure, I also know one or two who are linguistic bullies who only want to show off their smarts, but they've been the exception.
What surprises me though is the lack of creatives blogging. They can be just as smart, original, opinionated and forceful with their views as any planner, after all. So why no blogging?
And if the future of the creative team is one where there is a much closer alliance between these two disciplines, I thought I'd try and start a debate on it and so have asked around a good few of my mates and peers and I've come up with the following reasons;
Well that's for starters anyone want to add to it? Or is everyone reading this too much of a creative?
John Grant, has tagged me with this Five Fings thang that's doing the rounds. Normally I would ignore such tosh. But I felt different to this request. Okay, so there were no threats of looming disaster which was refreshingly honest, but then again nor will I be the recipient of good fortune in 48 hours. Damn.
No it's the blog-thing that makes it different. When I started this blog it was to take an active part in a community, and the more you put into a community the more you get back, right? So, if that means only one person is moderately interested in me, then so be it. I'm in.
I'm now suppose to send this onto new five people. But I've already done that via my alter-ego. So, forgive me for not doing it again.
You know that fake blog from Sony, All I Want For Christmas is a PSP, that has been over the web the last week? Unfortunately, they took it down. Fortunately the wonderful blog, the consumerist have reloaded it, gawd bless em. And so, now you can find it here.
How anyone thought this was going to work when it was implemented so badly smacks of contempt for the intelligence of the consumer. May this be a lesson to you bad marketeers everywhere.
Another 2006 flogs you might want to read about can also be found on the consumerist, McDonald's here
This one is a much improved look on yesterday, it's in colour for a start and it's got not one, not two, not three but four pieces of clip art (from their powerpoint software is my guess) in addition to the snow flakes and then there's the joke itself, a quality 'quack up' joke,
I would also like to draw your attention to the little no.11 in the bottom corner. Can anybody think of any good reason why that's there?
It's Christmas, like you need telling. Of course not. But what to do for people reading this blog, After all I'm not that much of a bah bumbug as to not want to mark the holiday season. First thought was a sprig of holly in the corners of the site or snow a top the lettering, but then, perhaps not .
So, every day between now and the 24th. I will post a genuine christmas cracker joke for your enjoyment. Today's is a classic Doctor Doctor joke. Personally I would have thought that a little more care could have been put into the design, particularly the typeface, but then maybe they ran out of time having decided to include a tongue twister as well.
As a member of BAFTA I get to a vote at the awards.
Which I know, isn't really that interesting. But around this time of year and early 2007, I get invited to a lot of screenings of films, many of which won't be released until later in the year. Most are very good. And all are free.
I also get the option of bringing a guest, so I was thinking, why not offer an open invitation to anyone reading my blog?
So, if you want to see a film, free, send a comment. I'll start with the first person and work my way down the list as films pop up, then go back to the top and start again. Gonna be pretty embarassing if no one is interested. Anyway, first up is Warner Bros Blood Diamonds. 6pm this Sunday night.
Any takers?
It's that time of the year when you go out armed with a presents list for the family. You know the thing;
or even better, a new perfume system. I wonder where I could find one of those
Both posters found at Marble Arch Tube.
Ever wondered what the plastic bits at the end of shoe laces are called? I love it when you find there's a word for something that you didnt know had a name. And here's a list of 33 such words.
Following on from my earlier post on Wii and it's build-in viralability, I have been pointed in the direction of this flickr set, by Russell. As, the man says, create something great and the marketing will be done for you.
At the School of Self Promotion they have a very strict rule when selling your dvd. There is only one position you should adopt and that is
Don't ask me why.
I feel something strange and wonderful developing between me and an illustrator/designer called Stefan G. Bucher. (A brilliantly designed site, by the way).
We've never worked together. We've never met. We've never spoken. I'd say, we don't even know one another.
But he does these wonderful illustrations, using ink, pens and a puffy tubey thingy. He films their creation, which is in itself facinating, and uploads one a day to his blog. One day, Monster No.19, he asked what the monster's personal story was.
As I was sandwiching at my desk at the time I put fingers to keypad and rushed off a back story.
So nice was Stefan about this story that I rashly promised to write one everyday for as long as he uploads a Monster, should he so desire. He, equally rashly said, sure.
I have every intention of keeping to that promise.
What's strange is that I have no idea why I'm doing this. What's wonderful is that someone created something for no other reason than he could. And that something connect with people he never knew were there. And now he's opened it up to anyone who wants tocontribute in the creation of these monster.
The Daily Monsters live.
There's a great article over on the Ad Age site about Martin Sorrell's, WPP Group's CEO, where he says
"Of the many challenges he handles running the world's second-largest advertising-and-marketing services company, the toughest, he said, is staying on top of technological changes. "What keeps me awake at night," he said, "is the thought that somewhere there are software engineers working in a garage, probably in Shanghai, who'll disrupt things as we know it."
WPP, like all companies involved in media and communications, is being buffeted by the continuing growth of the internet. Traditional media -- broadcast and cable TV, print, radio and outdoor -- will not be as profitable in the future as it has been in the past, he said. Digital media, already the fastest-growing sector of all media channels, will continue to take more share. Currently it comprises only 7% of global advertising spending; Mr. Sorrell believes that it should grow to 20%.
"We spend 20% of our time online, according to Google or Yahoo," Mr. Sorrell said, "so by logic, 20% of all dollars should be spent online."
In some countries, such as the U.K., online and search outlays already comprise 14% of total media spending, besting the U.S. and other developed countries.
The web, he said, has democratized access to information that was never before available publicly. "The power is in how you use the information, and analyze it," he said. But the result of widespread internet use is that structures of companies and media will have to change radically. "In our own business, for instance, there's advertising being made by consumers," appearing on sites such as YouTube and Heavy.com and our established agencies are not moving fast enough" to adapt to the change.
You can read the full article here.
Last night I rode down Oxford Street where I came across this queue, which went all the way around the corner
All waiting to be one of the first to get their hands on the Nintendo Wii. And who wouldn't? It's a great toy with one hugely lovely feature. Hell, I don't even play video games, but I so want to now.
And it got to me thinking. I know the remote is fantastic and it was obviously going to always be the hero of any advertising. But there's something else about it, something that they may or may not have realised when developing it. It is the perfect web 2.0 product in so much as the user experience is a wonderful CGC asset.
Which is why we get this
And why I think we're going to see so many more being uploaded in the coming months.
And perhaps why smart manufacturers and their agencies might be looking to incorporate such an asset into future product developments.
According to some research done by the American Marketing Association it's adults over the age of 25 who love companies that ask for consumer generated content, while those under 25 are less than happy.
...compared to a company that uses only professional advertising, most adults feel that a company that uses customer-created advertising is more customer-friendly (68%), creative (56%), and innovative (55%).
Survey respondants between the ages of 18 and 24 are more likely than those between the ages of 25 and 64 to say a company that uses customer-created advertising is less trustworthy (21% versus 10%, respectively), less socially-responsible (20% versus 10%, respectively) and less customer-friendly (13% versus 5%, respectively).
Seems to me to be going in the opposite direction to what we're currently being lead to believe.
So, are the yoof of today really that cynical about advertising, any advertising, even the stuff their peers have created? While those over 25 are suffering from trendy-dad syndrome and liking what they think kids like it?
I don't think so. I think those pesky youngsters just crave authenticity and freedom of expression for their work and yet constantly see brands pretending to offer this while in reality still trying to control the how, what, where and why. Reminds me of a certain brown, fizzy drink manufacturer's handling of the the whole Coke/Mentos phenomenon.
Spent a chunk of the afternoon with Matt and Andy preaching our new agency philosophy at a bunch of third year students on the Central St.Martins advertising course.
One of the great privileges of being a senior anything is the opportunity to help people who want to follow in your footsteps Having listened to us ranting for an hour or so, I set them a brief for one of our clients, teapigs.
I go back next week to see what they come up with. I have no doubt it'll be interesting, intimidating and brilliant.
So Timberland have bought Howies. First thoughts you might think it's a bad idea, but when you look at the deal, it's great for both of them, one benefits through scale the other through credibility.
Nothing changes at Howies, David and Claire retain creative control, the company runs along the same ethical lines and gets to stay in Cardigan, except now they have some proper financial backing.
And Timberland continue their push in becoming a more ethical company, as reported on psfk yesterday.
It couldn't have happened to nicer people, congrats Claire and David, you so deserve it.
Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
Well, it made me laugh.
And it is an original use of an iconic image that has been around for over 2000 years, which just goes to show that all you've got to do is take the time to look at things differently.
Which in turn reminds me of the late and great John Webster. One of his greatest talents was to be able to look at something he'd written as if it were for the first time, this allowed him to rewrite and rewrite a script until it was as good as it could possible.
In Hollywood there's a phrase used amongst writers, If you want to improve your script, kill your babies. It basically means, that if you're stuck and can't move forward the problem is likely to be your favourite scene, so get rid of that bit you've fallen in love as it's likely to be holding you back.
(Alison if you're reading this, it doesn't apply to ones' personal life.)
Just discovered this site, it's a US public radio station that aims to get inside the creative mind. Parts of it are great, not least because some of the interviews with scientists are a bit 'take two test tubes' And parts of it are a bit suspect, in answer to the question are animals creative? they point to the Thai Elephant Orchestra.
Enjoy.
I always thought that mime was a bit like juggling, or riding a unicycle, you can't do it without looking like you're showing-off while at the same time being totally pointless. But then it occurred to me I was wrong. Mime is a hugely impressive and highly useful skill to have. It's just a case of repositioning.
So now, rather than learn Chinese or Russian to go with the Spanish, French and German I don't already speak, I would be better off learning mime. Then, wherever in the world I am, I'll be able to make myself understood.
Mime the language of intrepid travellers.
There's a great post over at Noisy Decent Graphics that talks about the love of being a designer. You don't have to be a designer to appreciate and recognise what he's saying, just someone who is passionate about what you do.
So if you don't recognise yourself in this, shouldn't you be looking for another job?
After all, if you find a job you truly love, you'll never have to work again.
I know it's been featured on several blogs but in case you haven't seen this yet, do find the time to watch it. It's Jeffre jackson talking about interestingness. And he touches upon something I was talking about recently and explains it well. He says at the end, Is it worth thinking about after the communication? As good a way of judging your work as any I've heard.
He also mentions Howard Gossage, a hero of mine too, someone who would of loved the new world of engagemnent communications
This is a great book all about his work which unfortunately is out of print, but a few second-hand copies do pop up from time to time. It's nothing short of brilliance. I read and re-read it constantly.
How many agencies today would attract such talent?
On the way to work today it was dark, wet and cold but I still love the place.
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