Here Be Monsters|blog

Just had this sent to me by a mate (thank you JB) and thought it amazing. Can't tell you anymore about it, (who, why when etc) but if any of you can do share

Otherwise enjoy

Worth the wait?

Here it is, the long awaited Shell F1 ad. Technically, you can't fault it. Personally, I think it's just Honda without the wit but with a huge flashing dollar sign.

worth sharing

This does more to convince me that just maybe riding the Underground isn't the second worst experience known to Londoners than any number of posters I've seen them do. They really should encourage their staff to  express themselves more. After all they are the face of the company and if they're happy, personable, witty and interesting, then....

You get the idea.

(Photo via The Londonist.)

Something for the weekend

Turns out to be a good week for work. Here's an impressive online game full of wit and style from a partnership between North Kingdom and Goodby Silverstein and Partners. I love the attention to detail and the depth of the experience. This was obviously put together by people who cared. Full credit should go to the California Milk Processing Board for stumping up the cash.

rock n roll

I don't know much about Nine Inch Nails. I know I don't like their music. I know I love their marketing  skills.

To launch their new album, Year Zero, they included URL clues on their tour t-shirts which lead fans to websites that described an apocalyptic vision of the US. Memory sticks were found in toilets with tracks on them. Samples of tracks were played on radio stations unannounced in the wee small hours. Telephone numbers appeared on fan sites. All very clandestine, all very brilliant. All very I love Bees.

I wish I'd done it.

there's more than one funny

I was watching TV on Sunday night, Channel 4, all about the 100 best stand ups, it was okay, just like all those of other 100 best programmes, but what did strike me was that there is an awful lot of different comedy out there. I mean, a massive variety in comedy tone. And a lot of it is very funny. Maybe all of it.

Then it occurred to me that in ads, with very few exceptions, there's only one type of humour, spruced up in different clothing for different markets, but it's still only the one type of humour - the sliced white loaf of humour. At best it's funny at worse (most radio ads) it's awful, but it's all from the same vein. Even when comedians are used to appear in ads or voice them, they're very seldom do 'their humour'.

I wonder if there's a comedian's version of Groucho House Club, and if there is I wonder what they say about the ad jobs they're doing?

THAT VIDEO

Everybody has been talking about this video, so what's the point me sticking it up here too?  Well, I've also come across an interview with Michael Wesch, the video's maker, which you can read here.

Coke to sue Coke

Crispin Porter + Bogusky have done it again it would seem.  The joke goes, Coke Zero tastes so much like regular Coke that two representatives for Coke set out to question actual lawyers on hidden camera to gauge their chances of bringing a successful lawsuit against Coke Zero for taste infringement.

Personally the longer edits work best but nice joke none the less.

The blowing of Trumpets owned by us.

Our latest work for adidas has just broke and it made the morning papers today. More pictures can be seen here. Or you can visit the site we did for it here.

I'd love to hear what you think of it all. Anyone?

It's what you need, not what you want

Been traveling and giving talks again, this time it was Finland and Sweden. This time minus my camera as it broke.  (Just ordered my third Ixus today which is interesting in itself - although two have already broken on me, I'm still loyal to the product and haven't even considered the option of something else.)

Anyway, stuck in Stockholm with 5 hours spare I had a nice lunch before setting off to see the VasaMuseet. The Vasa, was a 17th century warship that sunk 200 meters into its maiden journey.

Hugely impressive sight it was too, and should you find yourself in Stockholm I can recommend it whole-heartedly.

What I wanted to post about is why the Vasa sunk, not least because of a particulalry tough time we've just come through with a client.

The story goes that the Vasa was never going to be sea worthy because while the plans had been signed off by the King of Sweden by the time the building was underway the King went about modifying the spec - adding another deck, adding more guns, adding even more guns. And insisting the same deadlines be met.

As a result of these tighter deadlines but much more importantly, because of  the fear of displeasing the King, the answer to every change was yes, of course, no problem. Even when it became apparent to one or two people that the ship was now top heavy, its hull too narrow and the the ballast too light, the project continued.

Even when one brave individual demonstrated to his bosses the problem by getting 30 sailors to run from one side of the ship to the other a couple of times causing it to sway dangerously, the project continued because no one wanted to tell the King he was wrong.

Sometimes what clients want and what they need are two different things and by not saying something outloud leads to disaster for the project.

A breath of Fresh Air

Above is a freebie magazine from Vice. It's for students and while I most certainly can't claim to be one of them I dis pick it up and had a read. And I'm so glad I did.

Not since the first time I picked up an Innocent bottle have I been so impressed by the writing - no lazy adspeak here, no lame jokes, no pandering to the lowest common denominator. No siree, this was a joy; original, funny and risk-taking.

And before you start, well of course, it's for students, it's a niche brand, they can get away with murder  blah blah blah- that's simply bollocks and I'll produce any number of student, niche brand marketing material to prove it.

Sure it's not a tone that's suitable or desirable for a lot of brands (although it is one that's exactly right for them and their audience). But that's not what I was excited by. It was the freshness of picking something up and actually being engaged enough to read more.

Vice writers. I salute you.