Tuesday, November 27, 2007

dutch advertising


This one takes me back... could this be what inspired me back in the 6th grade to be so interested in advertising?

When I discovered this ad, it didn't make me want to learn English, but rather it fueled my desire to learn more about The Outhere Brothers.

Now if only I can get clients to approve advertising using this kind of music...

Monday, November 26, 2007

backwards-ass blogging?

Bloggers write about new products that they're interested in or passionate about... take all the Apple evangelists and their respective blogs for example.

Companies also want to promote their new products and stir up conversation, opinion and debate among influential bloggers to spread the word about their latest and greatest.

But here's a blurb from The Wall Street Journal:
Marketing site uses pay-per-click model to reward bloggers
"French Web site BlogBang, whose major investor is Publicis, is a new channel for marketers that rewards bloggers who write about particular ads with a commission based on the number of times users click on the ads."

This sounds like pretty touchy ground here... experimenting with the whole nature and existence of blogs being individual, user-generated content, opinions and reviews. To what extent will the advertising go? And will it ruin the whole blogging atmosphere by making it just another paid advertisement online?

Read the whole article here.

Monday, November 19, 2007

tv online

Here's 3 cool way I've found to watch real, broadcast TV on your on your computer.

1. Joost
A free, downloadable player where you can see tons content from around the world including music, sports, news, and cartoons. It has a contract with Viacom to show things like MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central.

2. Hulu
A joint venture between the parent companies of NBC and Fox, which offers full episodes of their programming including the Simpsons, Family Guy, Saturday Night Live and The Office. You watch it in your internet browser and it's got an embed feature like YouTube. But it's available by invite only for now.


3. Slingbox
Slingbox allows you to watch your home TV from anywhere. Buy the box (which may cost you a bit) and download the free browser. Then you have access to your local, personalized home programming from anywhere in the world, including your recorded programs. Pretty cool for watching your team or favorite shows while traveling.

Which one of these will be the next YouTube? None. YouTube still provides free, user-generated content. But these new programs (especially Hulu and Joost) are trying to figure out the best way to get network or copyrighted programming online where people demand it... and of course, trying to make the money for themselves by removing any middlemen, like NBC did with iTunes. All of these programs do require an internet connection and this is where downloadable content still trumps the competition. You can watch it anywhere at anytime and it will never skip, freeze or be taken offline. Regardless, this is still some pretty cool technology and high-quality content.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

no oranges allowed


Who gave orange juice the right to be called orange?

There's plenty of other fruit and vegetable concoctions out there with an orange color. And many of these don't involve Orange as a crucial element. Just take anything with carrots in it for example. There's also orange drink, Fanta and Hi-C, all of which are made with no oranges.

And what about Pumpkin. Didn't anyone remember that he's orange too?

Now, you tell me who came first: Orange or Carrot? It's been widely disputed throughout the ages, and I think we can agree that both have been around for a pretty long time.

Let's look at the facts. Not all oranges are even orange. Oranges cover the whole red to yellow spectrum. From blood to Sunny D. And when you look at the juice, a lot of the time the color is not even a TRUE orange. Often, it toes the orange line, looking more like it has been diluted with some pee yellow rendering it only a light orange. Now carrot juice... that my friend is a TRUE DEEP, RICH ORANGE that you can get lost in.

Take a look into any Carrot's family root. Let's just see how many of them are orange. EVERY SINGLE DAMN ONE. Every brother, sister, mother, father, grandfather, and great-grandmother is ORANGE. We're all orange. So who gave orange the right to be called orange?!?!

Sincerely,

Caviling Carrot

Monday, November 12, 2007

seeing into the future


Whoa, this is cool. This reminds me every futuristic movie I've ever seen from Demolition Man to Judge Dredd to something else starring Stallone.


If I had this, I'd be... Part man. Part machine. All cop. The future of law enforcement. I'm gonna get out my rapid fire Nerf machine gun and start mowing down civilians while I'm waiting in line at the post office watching Terminator. I know now why you cry, but this is something you will never own.

But seriously, this would be pretty nice for trips, and it seems to have received very good reviews. Check it out.

free music from artists

Do musicians approve of giving away their music on the internet now?

Many artists post new or demo songs, live performances, or other free music downloads their websites. Record labels are teaming up with magazines, like the Bloc Party vs NME CD where their new single "Flux" is remixed and the CD is attached to the cover of the magazine.

It's a great way to promote unknown artists and get cheap exposure. Everything from famous to obscure is posted on Spinner.com.

And Radiohead has the clout to subvert iTunes or any record label to sell their album by themselves on the internet. They even let fans pay whatever they want for the album.

So Saul Williams is following suit. But Saul doesn't have the reputation of Thom Yorke and Co., so you can get it for free... or 5 bucks.


Saul does create a cool hip-hop/rock fusion that is backed by producer Trent Reznor and features him on vocals in several songs. This is the most involved Trent has been in an project outside of NIN for a long time, so it's worth a listen for any fans out there. Plus, it's got a kick ass cover of Trent singing "Sunday Bloody Sunday."

Now I'd like to know the return on an endeavor like this. How many people pay upfront? How many download for free? How many pay after-the-fact because they liked the album so much? You decide. And in the meantime, check out Saul Williams... for free or throw him a couples bones.

Here's another innovative promotional piece that I grabbed from Saul's website. The content changes and you can download the album right here.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

this is advertising



Now here's a campaign with infinite possibilities. Imagine this OOH? Or maybe guerilla... with a guy live on the street? But that'd just kinda be like the Party Boy from Jackass. Anyways, I like this. His hair and outfit are way cooler and I'd wouldn't mind working with that production team.

Here we go again:


Thanks for reading. It was worth your time.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

toothpaste

Dear Crest,

As an innovator in toothpaste technology and futuristic toothpaste formula, why mess with something when you already got it right? Why change the packaging design? Why change the formula?

On to the Crest Pro-Health formula:
#1 Why change the tried and true packaging that has served consumers for years to this new-fangled design? I like my toothpaste on my brush, not on the inside of the cap. This new design is just a mess, and there's toothpaste everywhere.

#2 The Crest Pro-Health formula is too thick. I can hardly squeeze it out of the tube. And it's difficult as hell to push that extra little bit up from the bottom of the tube. It's got a funny texture too... kinda grainy, like sand in my mouth. But I guess it does leave my mouth feeling clean, if not a bit odd or different than normal.

I understand that you're trying to be innovative, find a new niche in the toothpaste market, differentiate your brand from every other toothpaste brand that tries to accomplish the same exact thing as you. You want to be the dentists' number one recommended brand. We all do.

But for Crest, or anyone else for that matter, it's about building brand loyalty. That's what separates a Crest buyer from a Colgate or even store-brand buyer. I like Crest, I've used it forever. Why? I couldn't tell ya. I guess it's what my parents bought or it's the brand they sold at the dentist's office. Am I strictly loyal to Crest? Nope. While living abroad, I tried some other brands that were cheaper or more readily available. Do I like Crest? Yep. But stick to the original formula... this new one is just not for me.