Manic Friday

Dear Wieden + Kennedy,
Thank you for the reminder of all the reasons why I won't be venturing into Target this Black Friday. Since being trampled by crazed, sleep-deprived hausfraus isn't on my Christmas list, I'll be sure to spend my day at home with the leftover turkey and get that external hard drive I need next week from Best Buy. Or, you know, Walmart.

Happy Holidays!

Drink Responsibly

I recently visited Starbucks, and noticed that they no longer automatically give you the cardboard sleeves... a step away from gratuitous waste that I was happy to see. But the Betacup project is taking the idea much further: they have created a virtual space where aspiring designers can submit ideas for a sustainable alternatives to the disposable paper cup. The prize is funded by the community at the moment (currently $2,842) and the site functions as a platform for constructive criticism and feedback that the designers can access and incorporate into ongoing modifications in their designs. The project seems like a win-win: a sustainable goal achieved through independent/grassroots creativity, funded by social philanthropy and facilitated through a community-building application of social media. I am looking forward to the day that the cup will no longer be a Betacup but a Starbucks cup, an office kitchen cup, a summer snow cone cup. Thanks Denuology for the tip!

P.S. For an example of a sustainable cup in action, visit the Fair Bean Coffee shop in Austin TX and sip some of their Red Espresso™ from a cup made of corn!

Awww, ouch! Awwww.

1. This commercial gave me the warm and fuzzies.
2. Then I thought the bird was dead, and was infuriated by the emotional betrayal.
3. At the end I got the warm and fuzzies again, with a laugh for no extra charge!

Unemployment Blues

There was a period over the summer when I began reading the blogs and visiting the sites of people in the ad industry who are unemployed as a result of the economic downturn. My fascination makes no sense, because I was employed at the time (and am currently, despite being a full-time student). Anyway, reading about the woes of the advertising unemployed made me anxious and depressed for awhile! That's what made me so happy to discover The Sack: a video blog about the activities of a copywriter and art director who are, shall we say, living a life of leisure. I find the site somewhat incomprehensible, but entertaining...and perhaps the best part is that the two have joined talents to accomplish a project and fill their time with something productive and creative. Cheers, Dawson and Birchall.

Slightly Dumber than a Dog

So Catherine Zeta-Jones is back in new T-Mobile ads, but I can't derive even the dubious enjoyment from them that I did before, because they perpetuate the suddenly prevalent cliche of the stupid husband. As Sarah Haskins pointed out in a Target:Women episode dedicated to the subject, women apparently "do it all without a shred of help from those lumbering man-beast known as 'husbands'". Indeed, according to pop culture as reimagined through the eyes of unimaginative TV spots. So for the crime of furthering an unrealistic, unfunny stereotype, I'm going to label this a T-Mobile fail.

Walkin' Round the World

Johnnie Walker is a brand whose advertising has caught my attention before, and the newest effort by BBH London caught it and held it (for 6:28 minutes, to be precise). I've never tasted Johnny Walker whiskey, but I might make the effort after seeing this mini-movie: narrated by Robert Carlyle, whose craggy face and rolling brogue match the stark Inverlochlarig landscape featured as the canvas on which the single continuous take paints its story. In addition to this brand history given legs, I also enjoyed watching the credits and seeing how many heads and hands were needed to make this spot (even an animal handler for the cow!).
I have included one of my favorite older Johnnie Walker ads...the one that first piqued my interest in the brand, all those months ago.
Keep walking, Johnnie.

Hey, it's almost Friday!

In honor of that fact, here is an ad series that made me laugh (continuously, helplessly, publicly). Perhaps my sense of humor leaves something to be desired, but I found these ingenious and enjoyable. Created by Ogilvy Brazil, found on AdFreak.