Blogbook
Hilarious set of ads from the Effie Awards’ 2016 Call for Entries, of friends and family telling ad people their (cringeworthy) ad ideas. The series is titled ‘Not Every Idea is a Good Idea’, running on Facebook, Youtube and email blasts.
“Everyone who works in this business has been ‘pitched’ ideas by friends and family,” says senior copywriter Kristen Kriisa. “It’s not that they’re bad ideas necessarily. They just wouldn’t stand up to the realities we deal with on a day to day basis.”
More here.
About the Effie Awards
Promoting “Ideas that Work”, the Effie awards are presented in recognition of the year’s best advertising campaigns:
Introduced by the New York American Marketing Association in 1968, the Effie® Awards have since become recognised by advertisers and agencies as the pre-eminent award in the advertising industry. It is now held in 39 countries around the world with 2 regional programmes as well as a global competition.
The Effie Awards honour the most significant achievement in advertising and marketing communications: effectiveness.
The annual awards are presented to recognise the year’s most effective advertising and marketing communications campaigns – campaigns that have delivered superior results in meeting the objectives they were designed to achieve.
Barbie’s new ad is part of its current brand evolution: “designed to encourage parents to reappraise the role Barbie can play in [a] child’s life,” according to Evelyn Mazzocco, global svp and general manager of Barbie. Led by BBDO San Francisco, the ad shows little girls being professionals in real life environments before cutting to the Barbie logo at the end, in a great narrative. We’re not sure if it’ll really help Barbie’s brand image, given the ongoing discussion about how the Barbie dolls’ unrealistic proportions affect the self image of children, but it’s an interesting (and perhaps necessary) step for the iconic brand, ubiquitous as it still is:
Barbie has not colonised girls’ imaginations by accident. Mattel has dedicated itself to promoting Barbie as “a lifestyle, not just a toy”. In addition to selling the dolls, Mattel licenses Barbie in 30 different product categories, from furniture to make-up. A girl can sleep in Barbie pyjamas, under a Barbie duvet-cover, her head on a Barbie pillow-case, surrounded by Barbie wall-paper, and on, and on. There are Barbie conventions, fan clubs, web sites, magazines and collectors’ events. “She’s so much more than a character brand,” enthuses a Mattel publicity person, “she’s a fashion statement, a way of life.”
(via The Economist)
This 16 lens pocket camera, the Light L16, is designed to replace a DSLR. When you take a photo, the lenses fire at multiple fixed lengths at the same time, to fuse together a high resolution photo at up to 52 megapixels, and uses depth-mapping tech to allow you to adjust focus and depth of field even after a photograph is taken. Will it actually replace the DSLR? We can only wait and see. But it’s certainly a great idea! Some thoughts:
The L16 runs on Android and has built-in WiFi, allowing you to post pictures directly from the device. It comes with an integrated 35mm-150mm optical zoom and a five-inch touchscreen display. If you think you’ll be able to save money switching to this from an entry-level or mid-range DSLR, though, you’re sadly mistaken. It might not cost as much as high-end cameras, but it’ll still set you back $1,299 when you pre-order from today until November 6th from Light’s website. When it starts shipping in the summer of 2016, you’ll have to shell out $1,699 to get one.
(via Endgaget)
“The L16 is actually providing all the functionality of a $6,000 DSLR camera gear,” said Dave Grannan, cofounder and CEO of Light. “It’s like having a full-frame DSLR with a zooms lens and prime lens. […] What we’re really doing is repurposing technology found in cell phones,” said Grannan. “We’re taking multiple small, inexpensive camera modules and putting them into a high-quality camera that’s a fraction of the cost of traditional big glass optics.”
Light did a survey of 28,000 owners of DSLR cameras and found that half of them don’t even use them anymore, because they’re too big and inconvenient to lug them around. Instead, their phones have taken over that role.
(via Forbes)
Incredible photography series ‘Impermanent Sculptures’ by Vitor Schietti seems to show light dripping off trees – long exposure photos which combine in-camera light painting and post processing. Schietti says:
The series is the result of several years of research on long exposure photography, and the usage of ND filters was vital to find a perfect balance between the fading twilight and the brightness of the fireworks. Only a few attempts were allowed per day, since the time frame during which this balance is possible is very narrow (30 to 50 minutes). The Brazilian central plateau, in a kind of savanna called “Cerrado” was the scenery for most of these experimentations. The margins of the lake Paranoa, the streets and some iconic monuments from Brasilia were also locations for some of the light paintings. It’s important to say the series is an ongoing process, and more will follow in the coming year or so.
About Vitor Schietti
Brazilian photographer Scietti’s love of photography began at 10 years old, when he got a Polaroid camera for Christmas. At 14 he received his first proper film camera, a Canon 500V, going on to do a basic photography course. He worked as an art director in Montreal for a while before he felt that working in a photography studio was more interesting, and worked as an assistant until 2010, then launched his solo career.
Happy Friday! Mark Zemel’s short film The Purrtraitist follows renowned, eccentric cat portrait photographer Larry Johnson around the Central Jersey Cat Fanciers show in Parisppany, New Jersey. Based in Louisiana, Larry Johnson is considered the “Bruce Weber” of cat photography, and flies around the world to take cat pictures, charging hundreds of dollars each time. Sounds like a dream job for certain people in the agency.
New York-based director Mark Zemel has said that: “We chatted a bit and I watched him work, and that’s when I knew I wanted to make a doc about Larry. Initially, I was just surprised [the job of a cat photographer] existed. But, of course, it makes perfect sense if you think about it. Show cats need glamor shots. Larry is definitely well known. People would ask me what I was shooting, I’d say a doc about Larry Johnson, and they all knew him, had had photos done by him, and loved his work. He is definitely a cat whisperer.”
Vice interviewed Larry Johnson after the film:
When I called Johnson up from his home in Baton Rouge to find out more about the life of a top cat photographer, one thing shone through: His absolute, unabiding passion for what he does. He reels off the list of the characteristics of individual cat breeds like health nuts can recite the E numbers in candy. He has a whole sound bank of feline sounds to communicate with his subjects: Soft approving purring, a tsk-ing clack of the tongue, and a breathy sibilant whirr that I can only assume means, in cat-language, Look right here for the money shot, honey.
“It’s an art in of itself,” Johnson said. “You need to have a rapport with the animals, otherwise they won’t cooperate with you. They have to like you, and you have to like them. Naturally though, I’m good with animals.” Controversially, he grew up with a dog, though he now admits that he prefers photographing cats. “They have these very subtle personalities to them. Not like dogs, who are like, ‘HERE I AM!'”
In this great PSA by Aardman Animation for Bristol Ageing Better, animals illustrate the experience of growing old and growing socially isolated – and what the elderly can do to be less lonely.
More on Aardman’s website:
Judith Brown, Deputy Chair of BAB and Chair of Bristol Older People’s Forum said: “BAB partnership has over 130 organisations with all sorts of activities to make life more enjoyable. We wanted to reach out in a fun way to people who may not be in contact with anyone else, and invite them to contact us. Aardman used the voices of local people, and I think the film is brilliant, and will help people to be less lonely.”
Heather Wright, Executive Producer at Aardman added: “Hearing the voices of older people in Bristol talking about loneliness, helped us to understand just how easy it is for people to become lonely. They gave us real stories that touched our hearts and minds. Our job was simply to bring them to life in a memorable way whilst addressing what is undoubtedly a serious issue for us all.”
Jackie Prescott, one of the volunteers whose voices were used for the animation said following the premiere: “I was excited and very comfortable with it, it was lovely, it was really fun. Joan Owens, also starring in the animation added: “If I can make people laugh I’m happy and I think if we can laugh with older people we’ll live longer.”
This impressive interactive ad for Swedish pension company SPP imagines two versions of the world in 2045: viewers can move the slider across at any time to ‘swipe’ between the worlds. Love how the sound overlays to give the ads a different atmospheric feel. Great detail in the scenes! Created by M&C Saatchi Stockholm, the film was directed by Patrik Gyllström:
The beauty of interactive advertising is that users can control the story, thereby affecting the outcome. This new film builds on the progress made by campaigns such as the D&AD Yellow Pencil Winning Honda R – The Other Side which invited users to see two sides of the story by pressing their keyboard during the film. This time, the concept is taken a step further, as we can swipe part or all of the way across the screen, essentially experiencing the two stories simultaneously.
We’re left with a compelling argument that we should look after our planet by investing in sustainable practices. And of course, pension company SPP remind us that the same applies to our money – “Saving sustainably pays off.” For the world and your finances, SPP pride themselves on being one of the world’s most sustainable businesses — funds are only invested in environmentally and ethically sound ways.
We do love our Wes Anderson style ads, with their iconic pastel colour choices, their distinct design minimalism, that unique aesthetic. Here’s a hilarious one for an optician, from Design Army, telling the story of an imaginary optician family:
Some behind the scenes via How Design:
The promotion shows the whimsical story of the eyewear retail store, Georgetown Optician, which consists of a family who loves fashionable eyewear.
“The goal of the Georgetown Optician film was to tell the story of the Voorthuis family — three generations of optometrists and eyewear specialists — in a quirky, creative way with a high-fashion sensibility,” says Design Army.
From storyboarding, to props and to post-production color grading, Design Army’s video production and direction led to a delightful representation of the Voorthuis family and their shared passion for frames. The video also depicts the intense family rivalry over who wears the most fashionable spectacles.
“To complete the rebrand, Design Army completed a six-month social media takeover, aligning the company’s social media channels with the new fashion voice and giving them a uniquely creative, ownable feel — with shareable original content — that helps the company position itself as an arbiter of style and taste.”
NotDOBA is a beautiful looking game inspired by the Saul Bass aesthetic, particularly from his title sequence for the Stephen Spielberg film credits for Catch Me If You Can. Via FastCoDesign:
The legendary Saul Bass was one of the most influential graphic designers of the 20th century, lending his unique unique vision to everything from corporate logos to motion picture title sequences. About the only thing the man didn’t design during his career was video game. Now, thanks to NotDoba, you can now get an idea of what that would be like: it’s a fun, frantic indie game that plays like a Saul Bass title sequence brought to life.
According to designer Adam Curtis, the initial inspiration for NotDoba’s look and feel was the opening credits to Stephen Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can, which was, in itself, a pastiche of Bass’s title sequences. After learning more about his work, Curtis decided to base his game’s audio-visual look and feel upon some of Bass’s best Hollywood design work.
Tongue firmly in cheek, NotDoba Curtis describes the game as a “near-literal deconstruction with chess. Only with rectangles. And guns.” More seriously, he says the gameplay was inspired by the game industry’s increased interest in couch co-op gaming.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxunzQQNgQM
Nike’s latest ad, ‘Last’, celebrates the last marathon runner in a race, the latest in their series of inspirational ads for everyday people, following their previous ‘The Jogger’ ad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JnYcuRW_qo
‘Last’ and ‘Jogger’ are both by Wieden+Kennedy, with director Lance Acord. Like ‘Jogger’, ‘Last’ even has a slow backward tracking shot, and is aspirational, though a little less starkly so as ‘Jogger’, which is a far more provocative (and in our opinion, powerful) ad.
Credits
Client: Nike
Spot: “Last”
Format: :60/:30
Launch Date: Oct. 11, 2015, North America TV
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Portland, Ore.
Global Creative Directors: Alberto Ponte, Ryan O’Rourke
Interactive Director: Dan Viens
Interactive Producer: Evelyn Loomis
Global Executive Producer: Matt Hunnicutt
Writer: Heather Ryder, Darcie Burrell
Art Director: Patty Orlando
Producer: Shelley Eisner
Associate Producer: Julie Gursha
Strategic Planning: Henry Lambert
Business Affairs: Anna Beth Nagel
Account Team: Alyssa Ramsey, Marisa Weber, Molly Rugg
Executive Creative Directors: Mark Fitzloff, Joe Staples
Production Company: Park Pictures
Director: Lance Acord
Executive Producer: Jackie Kelman Bisbee
Executive Producer: Mary Ann Marino
Line Producer: Caroline Kousidonis
Director of Photography: Lance Acord
Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors
Editor: Angus Wall
Post Producer: Angela Dorian
Post Executive Producer: Angela Dorian
VFX Company: A52
VFX Supervisor: Pat Murphy
Flame Artist: Pat Murphy
VFX Producer: Michael Steinmann
Titles/Graphics: Just Do It+ Nike title cards – Artwork from Patty Orlando
Music+Sound Company: Walker Music/Barking Owl
Composer: Edited track
Sound Designer: Michael Anastasi
Song: “Every Little Bit Hurts” – Aretha Franklin Album “Running out of Fools” 1964
Producer: Sara Matarazzo/Abbey Hickman, Walker / Kelly Bayett, Barking Owl
Mix Company: Eleven Sound
Mixer: Jeff Payne
Producer: Dawn Redmann