Tonight, sort of spontaneously but at the mention from my friend Andrew, I attended the Capital Slam Poetry semi-finals. I haven’t been immersed in an artistic culture in as long as I can remember…business is more about thinking logically and through academia. I didn’t really know what to expect going to this competition, but it sounded like fun so my friend Steph and I went.
I ended up being a judge, as the Slammaster pawned off whiteboards to who was willing…naturally, I was willing. Confessed I had never been to one of these before, but apparently that’s a non-issue. Phew. We saw 26 poems performed by 14 poets (only 12 were competitors). I have never had so many goosebumps in my life.
Being in business I have been taught to say exactly what I’m trying to say without using ‘fluffy’ words or for lack of a better phrase, ‘beating around the bush.’ Then, through all the crafty words and unmistakable imagery, it hit me: this needs to apply to advertising. My favourite ads are the ones that give me goosebumps…clearly this is an overlap from crafty poetry into the world of marketing and advertising. I can’t wait to go to my next slam poetry event because, for an artsy event, I have never been so inspired to do advertising…with the type of imagery and empathetic thought that these poems were slammed with.
So thank you, Capital Slam, for reminding me what creativity is.
So somewhere in Europe, someone decided to create a show where kids would test brand-name products and say how it made them feel. Then, a group of colourful spandex-clad dancers would interpret this “feeling” into a fun dance. Oh, did I mention there’s a green screen too? Here’s the video for Gushers.
When making a logo, it’s uber important that one keeps in mind the ease of branding. As in, how much shit will I be able to put this logo on? If your logo has fine details, you can’t have it embroidered on clothing easily, and it must be printed in a large size to be recognizable (this is my promo products side talking!). And, as Starbucks has done…if you can make a cake out of your logo and make it still look good – you’ve got a good logo. These “moon cakes” are available in China only, so don’t think you can throw some candles on it and make it your next birthday cake, you Starbucks addicts!
So this seafood restaurant in Germany hired a clearly genius ad agency who came up with the best transit ad I might have ever seen. They took the side of a bus hut, filled it with water, and put in some fish.
Good, eh?
Your local steakhouse can’t do this kind of advertising. My only thought is…who’s monitoring the fish in case one dies? That could turn a good ad bad.
So the NYC Atheists launched a bus bench ad campaign that is done in a very tasteful, appropriate way.
As an atheist, I appreciate these ads. They do not attack religion, because that is not the point of not believing. The ad sends a clear statement, the message of the group. Two thumbs up.
According to their new ad campaign, anyway. Here’s one of the videos titled “Life”…
Here’s the second video, titled “You”…
I still have no idea what Scient-lol-ogy is all about. These videos do make it look cool though. Would’ve been way better if their budget allowed them to get new images for the second video…reusability is transparent.
Also, is Scientology supposed to be edible? Cause umm…chocolate could be good…
Just caught a commercial from Nationwide insurance. It was a plug for their new iPhone app. I must admit, it’s a brilliant idea for an insurance company and definitely puts them in a better light. The bad thing about iPhone apps, is that not everyone has an iPhone. These applications/software needs to be adaptable to all smartphones…then it’s a for sure winning combination.
So I hope you all know ShamWow!, the phenomenon brought to us by Vince, the crazy white guy with incredible energy. Well back in March, our dear Vince Shlomi was arrested for beating a prostitute in Miami. Well tonight, this gem came to my attention: The Slap Chop. And who’s selling it in the infomercial? VINCE SHLOMI! Hell yessssss. You must watch it and join in the joy of the irony and humour of the ad. I know this ad is pretty old, but I was unaware of its existence until tonight. Enjoy.
…and how they’re being creatively used in advertising. Doritos just launched this ad campaign in Australia. Apparently when you eat Doritos, you should be dreaming of fat, hairy, naked Mexican men.
This campaign reminds me of one of my favourite campaigns…the Subaru sumo wrestler car wash. Remember that one folks? If you didn’t find it hilariously awesome, you probably found it disgusting. Disgustingly AWESOME! Honestly, I preferred the Subaru one better…especially to the musical stylings of High Voltage.
When making a logo, it’s uber important that one keeps in mind the ease of branding. As in, how much shit will I be able to put this logo on? If your logo has fine details, you can’t have it embroidered on clothing easily, and it must be printed in a large size to be recognizable (this is my promo products side talking!). And, as Starbucks has done…if you can make a cake out of your logo and make it still look good – you’ve got a good logo. These “moon cakes” are available in China only, so don’t think you can throw some candles on it and make it your next birthday cake, you Starbucks addicts!
