Caffeinated posts from a copywriter/adgrunt. I write about advertising, design, astronomy, cooking, and pretty much anything else that strikes my fancy, including random bits of reference info for work purposes. You may also know me as 'that other gal' who helps run Adland. | make contact | RSS Feed | ATOM
Monday, November 17, 2008
[ This and That: 11.17.08 ]
+ Lots of interesting reads this morning. Afraid my Firefox is going to have a fit if I try opening a new tab.
Times Square getting first green billboard - The billboard construction starts this month and will be for Ricoh. It will powered by 16 wind turbines and 64 solar panels. Interesting.
Are logos as powerful or effective as ads?
Epoch Films to launch new venture Dandelion which will be dedicated to programming and entertainment sponsored by brands.
IBM study shows some interesting stats, including: "respondents prefer ad-supported models for accessing digital content services at a rate of "three-to-one" vs. consumer-paid models, presenting a distinct opportunity for advertisers"; "More than three-quarters (76%) of consumers surveyed have already watched video on their PC, up 27% from last year, while 32% indicated they have viewed video on a portable device or mobile phone, up 45% from last year."
An interesting article on Why Yahoo Still Matters for You.
A nicely written piece on the paragraph in web typography and design. Sadly I think quite often typography is overlooked on the web. But if you're building experiences and sites to hold content, it is a necessary piece of the puzzle. Not just how the headline or copy in graphics will look, but also the way in which you style html text.
Adweek celebrates 30 - just don't tell them it's the new 20. ;) Lots of interesting articles and lists and such in honor of the event over there, including one on consumer's media use and behavior and how technology has changed the way agencies spin a brand's story.
Need to follow your client's brand online? Check out Addictomatic, looks like it could be a handy little tool for that.
[ Motrin causes web and self headache ]
+ A new campaign for Motrin that launched recently targets Moms, and attempts to be funny, but instead has angered quite a few.
This spot was on their website until it got pulled last night/today (no idea if it's intended to be web only):
Read more about it and the reactions at Mashable.com, marketingpilgrim.com, and of course, on Twitter.
I also came across this video of snippets of people's tweets from the weekend:
Motrin has already done the apology email. You can check it out here.The reactions range between thinking the apology is a good first step to those who feel they knew what they were doing and the email was just lip-service.
I can see how the video might offend. The VO's tone is somewhat irritating to me, like she's trying to be super smug or whatever. Plus the tone of some of the lines could have been shifted to be more tongue in cheek and probably get more across the initial concept that the CW & AD had in mind. I have to wonder how much the words got modified that might have effected the way it was interpreted by the target audience. Was there an earlier draft that wouldn't have caused such a hubbub? Possibly. Only the client and agency would know.
In the end, we'll have to see if this baby-carrying, motrin storm will quickly blow over, and what effect it will have on the brand ever trying to do some ads with attitude again. Hopefully they won't give up but be more mindful - which will most likely result in over-testing of creative and putting on the cautionary blinders.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
[ WTF: Rain water and carpooling ]
+ Did you know that in Utah, you don't own the rain that falls on your property? And in fact, collecting it could result in a fine. Check out this video and news report.
Did you know that in Ontario, they have a very specific and ridiculous definition of carpooling? Carpooling startup site PickupPal was sued and the Ontario Highway Transportation Board took the side of the buses so PickupPal lost and was fined $11,000CA. That's super green of you Ontario!
[ Alton Brown for Welch's ]
+ My favorite Food Network cheflebrity, Alton Brown, has become the spokesperson for a new Welch's campaign. One of the spots is viewable on Welch's website. There is also a section on the site dedicated to videos where Alton expounds on the health benefits and talks up the "complex food topic". Check the vids out here.
Sadly, one of the best things about Alton's "Good Eats" show is his inventive and fun-loving use of props, which none of these videos make use of. They could have made them much more fun and enlightening by following more of the format that he uses for technical explanations on his show - which seemed to be part of their reasoning for choosing him. Boo.
The campaign by VIA Group launched Monday and runs through March and is intended to reach Gen X moms and push the polyphenol antioxidant benefits of the product.
*Fun Fact: Before going to cooking school, Alton Brown was a commercial director. Wonder if it's funny to him to be the talent in an ad now. :)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
[ This and That: 11.12.08 ]
+ A few random things...
In the WTF category, the mayor of an oil-producing city in southeastern Turkey, named Batman, is supposedly suing helmer Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. for royalties from mega-grosser "The Dark Knight."
This news from the weekend is just horrifying!
Nice idea for Sprint from Goodby Silverstein, Sprint NOW is a microsite filled with widgets using rss feeds to show what's going on now.
Take a break and check out some cool (pun intended, been one of those days!) photos of Antarctica.
Just so you know, good ideas don't just come from anywhere.
Monday, November 10, 2008
[ Shift from luxury to value ]
+ As Spending Plunges, Ads Emphasize Value Over Luxury - Article from the NYTimes which takes a look at a shift from luxury and "I-want-it-ism" to value.
[ Email Standards Project ]
Useful stuff at the Email Standards Project.
[ This and That: 11.17.08 ]
+ Lots of interesting reads this morning. Afraid my Firefox is going to have a fit if I try opening a new tab.
Times Square getting first green billboard - The billboard construction starts this month and will be for Ricoh. It will powered by 16 wind turbines and 64 solar panels. Interesting.
Are logos as powerful or effective as ads?
Epoch Films to launch new venture Dandelion which will be dedicated to programming and entertainment sponsored by brands.
IBM study shows some interesting stats, including: "respondents prefer ad-supported models for accessing digital content services at a rate of "three-to-one" vs. consumer-paid models, presenting a distinct opportunity for advertisers"; "More than three-quarters (76%) of consumers surveyed have already watched video on their PC, up 27% from last year, while 32% indicated they have viewed video on a portable device or mobile phone, up 45% from last year."
An interesting article on Why Yahoo Still Matters for You.
A nicely written piece on the paragraph in web typography and design. Sadly I think quite often typography is overlooked on the web. But if you're building experiences and sites to hold content, it is a necessary piece of the puzzle. Not just how the headline or copy in graphics will look, but also the way in which you style html text.
Adweek celebrates 30 - just don't tell them it's the new 20. ;) Lots of interesting articles and lists and such in honor of the event over there, including one on consumer's media use and behavior and how technology has changed the way agencies spin a brand's story.
Need to follow your client's brand online? Check out Addictomatic, looks like it could be a handy little tool for that.
Labels: ad news, adgruntie, links, reference, social media, this and that, trends, web, wisdom, work
[ Motrin causes web and self headache ]
+ A new campaign for Motrin that launched recently targets Moms, and attempts to be funny, but instead has angered quite a few.
This spot was on their website until it got pulled last night/today (no idea if it's intended to be web only):
Read more about it and the reactions at Mashable.com, marketingpilgrim.com, and of course, on Twitter.
I also came across this video of snippets of people's tweets from the weekend:
Motrin has already done the apology email. You can check it out here.The reactions range between thinking the apology is a good first step to those who feel they knew what they were doing and the email was just lip-service.
I can see how the video might offend. The VO's tone is somewhat irritating to me, like she's trying to be super smug or whatever. Plus the tone of some of the lines could have been shifted to be more tongue in cheek and probably get more across the initial concept that the CW & AD had in mind. I have to wonder how much the words got modified that might have effected the way it was interpreted by the target audience. Was there an earlier draft that wouldn't have caused such a hubbub? Possibly. Only the client and agency would know.
In the end, we'll have to see if this baby-carrying, motrin storm will quickly blow over, and what effect it will have on the brand ever trying to do some ads with attitude again. Hopefully they won't give up but be more mindful - which will most likely result in over-testing of creative and putting on the cautionary blinders.
Labels: ad news, adgruntie, campaign, controversy, social media, twitter, work
Thursday, November 13, 2008
[ WTF: Rain water and carpooling ]
+ Did you know that in Utah, you don't own the rain that falls on your property? And in fact, collecting it could result in a fine. Check out this video and news report.
Did you know that in Ontario, they have a very specific and ridiculous definition of carpooling? Carpooling startup site PickupPal was sued and the Ontario Highway Transportation Board took the side of the buses so PickupPal lost and was fined $11,000CA. That's super green of you Ontario!
The only way you can ride with someone is if you meet ALL of the following extremely impractical set of specific criteria:If you want more info, check out PickupPal's site.
* You must travel from home to work only – (Not Home to School, or Home to the Hospital or the Airport)
* You cannot cross municipal boundaries – (Live outside the city and drive in – sorry you cannot share the ride with your neighbor)
* You must ride with the same driver each day – (Want to mix it up go with one person one day and another person another day – no sorry cannot do that – must be same person each day)
* You must pay the driver no more frequently than weekly – (Neighbour drives you to work better not pay her right away just in case she drives you later on in the week)
[ Alton Brown for Welch's ]
+ My favorite Food Network cheflebrity, Alton Brown, has become the spokesperson for a new Welch's campaign. One of the spots is viewable on Welch's website. There is also a section on the site dedicated to videos where Alton expounds on the health benefits and talks up the "complex food topic". Check the vids out here.
Sadly, one of the best things about Alton's "Good Eats" show is his inventive and fun-loving use of props, which none of these videos make use of. They could have made them much more fun and enlightening by following more of the format that he uses for technical explanations on his show - which seemed to be part of their reasoning for choosing him. Boo.
The campaign by VIA Group launched Monday and runs through March and is intended to reach Gen X moms and push the polyphenol antioxidant benefits of the product.
*Fun Fact: Before going to cooking school, Alton Brown was a commercial director. Wonder if it's funny to him to be the talent in an ad now. :)
Labels: ad review, adgruntie, campaign, commercial, food, web
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
[ This and That: 11.12.08 ]
+ A few random things...
In the WTF category, the mayor of an oil-producing city in southeastern Turkey, named Batman, is supposedly suing helmer Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. for royalties from mega-grosser "The Dark Knight."
Huseyin Kalkan, the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party mayor of Batman, has accused "The Dark Knight" producers of using the city's name without permission.
"There is only one Batman in the world," Kalkan said. "The American producers used the name of our city without informing us."
This news from the weekend is just horrifying!
Nice idea for Sprint from Goodby Silverstein, Sprint NOW is a microsite filled with widgets using rss feeds to show what's going on now.
Take a break and check out some cool (pun intended, been one of those days!) photos of Antarctica.
Just so you know, good ideas don't just come from anywhere.
Labels: adgruntie, agency, creative, inspiration, news, web
Monday, November 10, 2008
[ Shift from luxury to value ]
+ As Spending Plunges, Ads Emphasize Value Over Luxury - Article from the NYTimes which takes a look at a shift from luxury and "I-want-it-ism" to value.
Labels: adgruntie, news, trends, work
[ Email Standards Project ]
Useful stuff at the Email Standards Project.
Labels: adgruntie, email, trends, wisdom, work
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