Turntablists Unite

Having just come back from Hong Kong and Japan... this unbelievable set from the 2007 China DMC Finals has given me a greater appreciation for the unique vibe that's being thrown down in other parts of the world... particularly in Asia. Their skills and style are sick.

The Music Video as Art... Enjoy these videos from Canadian artist Fiest...

C'mon now... really? Is the Red Bull Air Race Series for real?

What will they think of next? I like extreme sports, but this is just plain ridiculous. How dangerous has this got to be? I like watching a big wipe out just as much as the next guy, but not when that "wipe out" means someone is going to die.

Apparently, they've done one full season of this already. I caught an episode of this on the Outdoor Network this weekend.

http://www.redbullairrace.com/

Before every new business pitch... you need to watch this...

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BUY?

Thanks for being part of the 2nd run of the DDB Lottery pool. Cross your fingers, rub your tummies, do whatever you do to bring us good luck! We're going to be in the money. I can feel it.

What are you going to do with your share?

This is a picture of my luxury tree-house :)

Laugh out Loud Funny

It's been awhile since a commercial has made me laugh out loud...

Agent Zero

Once in awhile there are commercials that are so simple, so truthful, so inspiring, that I just want to cry (well, at least get a little emotional)

This is one of those spots. Move over Don Cheadle and your "NFL - Crazy" spot... Gilbert Arenas and "his story" is now my official favourite.

When does funny become offensive?

Maybe I'm more sensitive because I am an ethnic minority, but I can't help but think Doritos' new "Bollywood" TV spots are a little off-side. I know it's in the name of fun, but c'mon... where do you draw the line?

Whatever I think of the TV spot itself, I have to give kudos to the Doritos clients for fulfilling their brand promise and being BOLD themselves by running these spots!

FYI - I had these chips as part of a Subway value meal... and they're pretty nasty.

Screw LOVE!

Ever wonder how to integrate the launch of chocolate dipped mints and a worldwide holiday? Well, look no further than what Altoids Curious and Original Chocolate Shoppes are doing in New York, Chicago and Miami from Feb 8 - 14 in honour of Valentine's day. They'll be holding various activities, from Therapeutic Crafts for the Broken-Hearted, with free ‘Love Stinks’ needlepoint kits, to Love Lost Readings. The main feature, however, (drum roll please) is letting customers sample new Altoids Dark Chocolate Dipped Mints, accompanied by free lattes.

Product Placement Gone Wrong

With Tivo's and Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) popping up all over the place allowing customers to edit out commercials, marketers have been resorting to different tactics to reach their target markets. Viral online campaigns, guerilla street stunts... and yes... product placement.

But what makes a good product placement? For one, it can't seem contrived. It's got to be natural and seamless. And it should be relevant to the program / storyline. So far, reality shows have been the biggest offenders. Want a good laugh? Just check out what Staples did for this poker TV show.

Sunsilk Viral Video Gets 2.8M views

Unilever has admitted it was behind the 'amateur' Bride Wig-Out youtube video showing a psycho bride chopping off her own hair an hour before her wedding. The video is intended to promote Unilever's Sunsilk brand. Since its Jan. 18 release, the six-minute video, featuring the bridezilla character and her foul-mouthed brides, has been viewed 2.8 million times and spawned vigorous debate about whether it was actual footage of a bride's very bad hair day or an elaborate hoax.

The YouTube video creates a hair problem connected to the term "wig out." In Phase 2 of the campaign, Sunsilk will run television commercials that pick up on the "wig out" phraseology and offer solutions.

Now that Unilever has owned up to the video, will consumers find it funny or will they be turned-off by the hoax? And how many more companies will be able to have success on youtube before this medium starts to grow stale?

LR

MTV - Dolls

MTV has been running a campaign around condom use, with a number of controversial / bizarre ads. Check out a few here and some other really interesting spots by MTV can be found by searching under MTV on http://www.canadianadvertisingclub.com/
LR

Coca-Cola, The Birdman

Who have you shared a coke with lately?
LR

Woman drowns in Radio Station Contest for Nintendo Wii

When does a promotion go too far? In a contest to win Nintendo's new gaming system Wii, Sacramento radio KDND promised to give away a console to the person who could drink the most water and hold it in on air. Sounds innocent enough, right? Wrong.

In a tragic circumstance, Jennifer Strange, 28, drowned 5 hours after the contest at home after drinking over 2 gallons of water. What's even more tragic is that she didn't even win... she finished in 2nd place and received tickets to a Justin Timberlake contest. The station has since fired 10 employees, including three DJs.

With companies fighting harder and harder for consumers' attention (or more appropriately, to prevent them from tuning out to their advertising and messaging) how do you determine what's an brilliant guerilla stunt... and what's down-right dangerous?

Am I sensing a bit of a backlash? They have been acting a little smugly recently...

Random Notes on Blogging from www.gapingvoid.com

Check out Hugh Macleod's blog at www.gapingvoid.com - he's a smart man and has some great thoughts about blogging. Don't just post blindly....

1. The First Rule of Blogging: “Blogs don’t write themselves.” It’s the hardest and most frustrating part of professionally helping others to blog.

2. Most bloggers I have met I would describe as smart, decent, passionate people. This includes bloggers that I don't particularly like on a personal level. I have yet to meet a blogger who I would describe as a "Thoroughbred Scumbag".

3. Blogging is an art, same as any other method of self-expression. Some are better at it than others.

4. Stay as honest as you can, for as long as you can. Once you cross the line it’s hard to go back.

5. A lot of serious bloggers became so because frankly, they had a lot of time on their hands. And often there were good reasons for that.

6. Blogging is a great way to make things happen indirectly. I say that all the time, and will KEEP saying it till people finally get it [I’m not holding my breath].

7. Far too much time and energy is spent watching people make money directly off their blogs [e.g. via advertising revenues etc], as opposed to indirectly [e.g. becoming an authority on something, and using said authority to enhance your already-existing business]. I believe the latter [which Doc Searls call

The "Because" Effect] is a far more pleasant, effective and likely way to succeed.

8. So you a read lot of A-Listers. Congratulations. You now know a lot of stuff everybody else knows.

9. It’s damn hard not to read a lot of A-Listers. They got to where they are for a reason.

10. I hardly ever leave comments on other people’s blogs any more.

11. If somebody makes a harsh remark about me in the comments or somewhere else, usually my first reaction is to ask, “Yeah, and what is it THAT YOU DO that is so fucking interesting, Asshole?”

12. Cube-dwellers-with-attitude are pathetic.

13. When I first started blogging, I was living the Cumbrian boonies, being a bit of a recluse. When business finally picked up, as I started traveling more often and meeting more people, my “audience” became far less abstract to me. Conclusion: It’s far nicer writing for real people that you know personally, than for demographic “eyeballs”. I think when talking about the former, Doc Searls’ embodies this better than any one I know.

14. I agree with Doc Searls' thought that “Wuffie is earned”.

15. Why aren’t there more women bloggers in the circles I travel in? The answer is a three-letter word, beginning with the letter “M”.

16. The day you can write as compellingly and consistently as say, Kathy Sierra, Jeff Jarvis, Guy Kawasaki or Michael Arrington, will be the day I start taking your complaints of low traffic seriously.

17. Corporate America doesn’t really like blogs. Like I care.

18. If your goal is to have a large, influential online readership, I’d say give yourself five years. That's how long it took Om Malik. Some do it in less, of course, but they seem to be quite exceptional.

19. For us serious blog evangelists, it’s tempting to think “Everybody should have a blog”. About as tempting as the thought, “Everybody should be able to write well.” And about as realistic.

20. Blogging will never be a mainstream activity so long as being able to write [A] well, [B] often and [C] about stuff THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT remain the main barriers to entry.

21. Barely a week goes by without me contemplating permanently turning off the comment section.

22. How to know you’ve arrived: When you suddenly realize that to stop blogging would be tantamount to an act of economic suicide. That moment came for me at Les Blogs 1, in Paris back in early 2005.

23. Another way to know you’ve arrived: When you realize that every business relationship you’ve established in the last twelve months was a direct result of blogging.

24. You think A-Listers are arrogant bastards? You should meet the B-List.

25. There is no A-List. If you think there is, you’ve missed the whole point.

26. There is an A-List. Fuck with us and we’ll have you destroyed like stray dogs.

27. The best way to raise you profile in the blogosphere [besides writing good stuff] is to attend the various conferences; the more, the merrier. I am [at least] fifty times more likely to link to you if I’ve already met you in real life. The other good way is to attend the geek dinners.

28. I wish I were better at linking to other people. The list of people I should have linked to, but haven’t, would fill a phone book.

29. Sixty million blogs. Sixty million business models.

30. Yes, the blogosphere is a great place to get laid. No, I’m not telling you how I found this out.

31. If you ever forget your manners, you will pay, and quickly.

32. You are not carving in stone. You die, the blog dies.

33. It’s tempting to think that people read your blog. Sadly, they don’t. They skim them. So always make your content skim-friendly. Write it with “skimmabilty” baked-in.

34. Anybody who harbors the idea that Madison Avenue EVEN SLIGHTLY understands the internet is a fool. I’ve been looking for YEARS for evidence to the contrary and simply can’t find any.

35. In this internet-enabled world of ours, Madison’s Avenue’s loss is PR’s gain. Which is why, as a former advertising hack, I follow the Edelman story very closely.

36. Getting other people to “blog for you” is a big mistake.

37. Z-Listers are every bit as selfish, self-important and psychologically flawed as A-Listers. Except the former don’t have large armies of people with real and imagined incentives for tripping them up.

38. I like and respect Robert Scoble a lot, but I find his high tolerance for trolls in his comments bordering on the clinically insane.

39. If a blog doesn’t allow comments, then yes, it’s still a blog. People who say otherwise are just getting in touch with their "Inner Idealistic Wanker".

40. When people ask me what the future of media is, I always answer, “RSS”. Thank you, Winer & Co. Seriously.

41. Most of the stuff on this list is wrong.

It's not YOU. It's Mii, Mii, Mii!

Heard of Nintendo's new gaming console, Wii? Now check out what you can do with your Mii. A Mii is a user's avatar -- a 3D caricature that can be designed by choosing from a wide variety of facial and body features and colors, which you use as your character when playing games.

Mr Cloud's T-Shirt Emporium (www.mrcloud.com) lets you order a t-shirt with your Mii printed on it. Just beam over your Mii using the Wii's built-in send functionality. Cost is USD 35 and orders are custom-printed and dispatched within a few days. Sounds like a fun and very now example of gravanity.

GRAVANITY: an entire industry catering to the obsession of ordinary citizens wanting to leave ‘something’ behind in print, audio or imagery, preferably in the public domain.

So who's going to try this first?

Can you say CHEESY?

For romantics that can't hold a tune, Canadian TailoredMusic.com now offers the perfect service: customized love songs performed by professional musicians. Customers pick a vocalist and genre, ranging from experimental to folk waltz. The website then shows the default lyrics for the song they selected. While a demo of the song plays in the background, customers edit the lyrics in an easy to use online word processing tool. Some lyrics must be customized (the love object's name), while other fields are written for easy customization, allowing users to add personal experiences, locations, events, colors, etc. Any words or lines can be changed, and TailoredMusic's singers can adapt to varying numbers of syllables and different rhyming schemes. Cost is between $99 to $250 USD.

(from Springwise.com)

All-State Misses the Mark?

Is it memorable? Sure. Is it edgy? Yup. Is it cool? You Bet. But is it relevant to the business of an insurance company like All-State? That's debatable. What is great, is that they've extended the campaign to other areas... like this crazy PR stunt at Chicago's famous "honeycomb" building.

TV



PR STUNT

3 Men Are Killed Every Day

Just Plain Ridiculous

The coolest thing is that this is some Korean kid who wants to remain anonymous and has turned down numerous record deals.

Bookvertising

Not quite what the name suggests, a Brajacket is an advertisement disguised as a dust jacket for a book. According to Trends in Japan, Brajackets are one of the hottest new trends in Japan. Created by an advertising agency (Setup Inc), Brajackets offer consumers a free cover to keep their book nice and neat, and advertisers a space to advertise that goes everywhere readers do.
Made from high-quality, coated paper that makes designs and colours pop, Brajackets come with a built-in bookmark. They're available from stands in bookstores. Free, and no purchase necessary. New designs come out a few times a month, and the most popular ones are gone in a matter of days.

Brands that are already using bookvertising include Perrier and Haagen-Dazs (shown above), Adidas, Canada Dry, Universal Studios, Levi's and famous Japanese rock band Mr. Children and a host of movies and musicals.

A simple idea that gives consumers something useful while creating a playful new space for advertising, this one could be copied to any city that has lots of people reading on subways and trains.

http://www.b-j.jp