Archive for April, 2006
This just in:
Dieste Harmel & Partners has taken Gold at the 2006 FIAP show in Buenos Aires for an Anheuser-Busch spot titled “Mini Mouth.”
FIAP is one of the largest advertising shows in the world and we couldn’t be more excited.
The creative team involved includes Aldo Quevedo (ECD), Jaime Andrade (CD), Jose Suaste (AD) and Alex Toedtli (CW).
The spot can be found here:
Anheuser-Busch - Mini Mouth - :45
The file is 3.2 megs and please don’t hotlink directly to it (thanks).
Email Article
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006 at 06:32pm
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Jungle, Video | add this post to del.icio.us
Technorati Tags: Advertising, Bud, FIAP
I’ll be taking a few days off from work starting tomorrow in order to drive down to the Padre Island National Seashore for a little camping trip.
It’s a college reunion, of sorts, and I’ll be following ad monkey Omar (and crashing at his sister’s place in Austin on Thursday), happily behind the wheel of Matilda.
The object is to drink as much beer as possible. We’ll set a goal, try to reach that goal, then set the goal higher the next day. Simple guy stuff.
The Seashore is only accessible with 4-wheel drive vehicles (which immediately sets the mood and tone for a guy’s weekend) and we should be camping 20 or 30 miles north of the end of any paved surfaces. Plus, the island is nearly 500 miles away from Dallas (hey, we live in a big state), so it should be a fun road trip.
The She Monkey and Omar’s she monkey Heather are driving to the Texas Hill Country over the weekend for a girls’ pampering trip of day spas and tickle parties.
If all goes well (read: if I survive), I’ll see you on Tuesday.
Email Article
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006 at 02:01pm
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Monkeys, No Really, A Life, Monkey Travel | add this post to del.icio.us
American Express is running a contest, excuse me– I forgot to use the appropriate “now” marketing buzzword– a consumer generated content campaign where the public-at-large can submit fifteen-second clips of how AmEx makes their lives special.
And they’re already doing a 200% better job than Chevy.
Unlike the Chevy Tahoe fiasco (no, really, you should click that link), this one is filtered and contains a very important clause within the Terms and Conditions policy that went curiously missing from the Chevy Tahoe clusterfuck campaign (emphasis, mine):
Upon submission, all clips will be reviewed by the Sponsor to determine if the clip will be posted on the website based on the following criteria:
- Is there any inappropriate content (nudity, foul language, violence)?
- Does the clip answer one of the 13 “My Life My Card” questions provided?
- Does the clip meet the basic technology requirements?
- Does the clip hold the viewers interest?
- Is the clip brand appropriate?
- Would card members and the Tribeca Film Festival audience enjoy viewing the clip?
- Does the clip have appropriate viral “buzz” value?
Hint: sunny, happy videos are brand appropriate. Raking American Express over the coals for facilitating ever-expanding consumer debt? Not so much.
Why didn’t Chevy’s brand managers include this clause? They’re, uh, supposed to be looking out for the brand, right?
Steve Rubel over at Micro Persuasion seems to think the Chevy Tahoe campaign was a success based solely on the fact “we’re still talking about” it.
He couldn’t be more off-base.
For starters, having a bunch of marketing and ad wonks talking about your campaign does not equate to success (it’s about the consumer, remember– oh, and sales).
Think the public’s still talking about it? Ignoring for a minute that the blogosphere is not the public-at-large, check out the mentions of “Chevy Tahoe” on Technorati. Looks like even the blogosphere mentions are right back where they were before the campaign broke.
Secondly, assuming the public is talking about it (and they’re not), and what they’re saying could best be described in the simple equation, “Chevy = Suckers,” would you consider that a success for the brand?
Not on this planet.
Email Article
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006 at 11:27am
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Jungle, Ad Nauseam | add this post to del.icio.us
Technorati Tags: Advertising, Marketing, Chevy, Consumer Generated Content, CGC
I guess we’re doing o.k.
This, from a Morningstar alert email this morning:
Omnicom Group (OMC) reported first-quarter results Tuesday that were, as usual, quite strong. We’re maintaining our $90 fair value estimate, which is a few dollars above Omnicom’s closing price Monday. We’ve long considered Omnicom the leader in marketing services, thanks to its consistent ability to win new business–largely due to the strength of its individual agencies–and increase profits for shareholders. Internal growth in the first quarter was 8.7%, which will probably exceed the internal growth rates of Omnicom’s closest rivals. Thanks to a strengthened dollar, currency movements hurt results in the quarter. However, Omnicom still boosted earnings per share more than 13%. We’re expecting a strong year from Omnicom, and the first quarter was a step in that direction.
Email Article
Tuesday, April 25th, 2006 at 12:26pm
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Jungle | add this post to del.icio.us
Thanks to Steve over at AdRants, I’ve been alerted to Eva Longoria’s upcoming role as an ad exec at a multicultural agency in San Antonio (Texas).
I’ve passed the article around our multicultural ad agency office, here, and we all think it’s very interesting.
You see, up until this past January when my agency partner and I split our group and our accounts, I had worked on, and been the CD of, the Pepsi account for several years (even prior to being teamed with Roberto as my Art Director).
Roberto and I brought Eva into the Pepsi fold when we shot a spot called “New Neighbor” in 2004. (This was before big-hair Eva appeared in the BBDO “Pepsi Trucks Are Cool” spot.)
And now she’s playing one of us. Fantastic.
I told Steve maybe they’d shoot a scene that pans over her shoulder while she’s surfing AdRants. She seems to possess qualities he admires (namely, two X chromosomes), so I think he could die a happy man after that.
If you want to see the spot, here it is:
Pepsi - New Neighbor - :60
It’s the only version I could find on my computer (it’s been a couple of years) and appears to still have rough audio and a rough V.O. in place (which means it was a version for client approval prior to final mix and layback), but you’ll get the picture. The file is 8.8 megs, so pretty-please with sugar on top– don’t link directly to it.
In addition to Eva Longoria, the spot also co-stars Suddenly Susan’s Nestor Carbonell (who also happens to be related to someone at PepsiCo’s HQ, along with being exceptionally nice to work with).
It was directed by Simon West via Saville Productions and edited by Brent Herrington at Frames Per Second. The music, “Mucha Muchacha,” was purchased from the estate of the late, still ever-so-great, Esquivel.
I get a CD/CW credit on the spot (though I’m happily giving a CW credit to the client for the “spice up..” line at the end of the spot :cough:), Roberto gets a CD credit, Pablo Reyes was the AD and, as always, Aldo Quevedo is our ECD.
I agree with Steve that the movie will likely muck up our already pretty badly mucked up industry, but he’ll have to admit she’s still easy on the eyes.
Roberto recently finished shooting another spot for Pepsi with Eva (without me, after we split the group) where she actually gets all wet dancing in the rain. If Steve begs, I’ll see if I can get a copy to post when it airs.
Email Article
Monday, April 24th, 2006 at 04:07pm
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Monkeys, Ad Jungle, Video | add this post to del.icio.us
Technorati Tags: Advertising, Pepsi, Eva, Longoria
Nielson is reporting that an amazing 82% of Americans say television advertising is the most influential, a figure that’s way, way, way above the paltry scores for any other medium (the internet rings in at an anemic 4%).
Furthermore, 51% of them say television advertising is the most authoritative (newspapers, in 2nd, scored 24% and the internet, on rear-guard duty again, pulled 5%).
A mere twenty-four hours before the study was released, Jaffe posted a link to a story from India and said he “was looking forward to proof why the 30-second spot is ‘alive and kicking’, but this proof wasn’t consumer-centric at all in terms of receptivity or recall.”
Maybe this very-much-consumer-centric Nielson survey will change his mind, but I doubt it.
Like admitting unfiltered consumer-generated content has, uh, serious flaws, it would be so inconvenient.
A tip o’the hat to Adpunch for alerting me to the story.
Email Article
Saturday, April 22nd, 2006 at 04:20pm
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Jungle, Blogroll | add this post to del.icio.us
I’ve had a slow period in the blogosphere the last couple of days, a forced retreat due to the constant swinging from vine to vine in the ad jungle.
Despite being hella-busy, the week was at least capped off in high style last night with a dinner at Abacus with the She Monkey, her mother and her company’s CFO, who invited me along to celebrate the recently completed, full retirement of their corporate debt. A good time was had by all, and I expect to be fully functional for my regular poker game this evening.
I came this close to writing up a thinly veiled account of the last few days’ experiences with a particular client (or, rather, the last few months’ experiences as the last two days have seen a hectic, helter-skelter conclusion to an assignment that’s been four months in the making), but prudent self-interest prevents it.
Oh well. It will just have to wait, like my story about Jimmy Dean, until the client is a distant memory.
Besides, I wouldn’t want to imply to any up-and-coming young ad monkeys out there that ours is an industry that’s anything other than a blissful echo of Eden where bananas are plentiful and the other monkeys in the jungle ever so eager to help pick fleas out of your fur.
Right.
Email Article
Saturday, April 22nd, 2006 at 12:27pm
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Jungle, No Really, A Life, Ad Nauseam | add this post to del.icio.us
Via the nice folks over at the Fallon Planning Blog, I give you “FUH2.com,” a delightful little exercise in consumer-generated content.
To quote Fallon, “And you thought Chevy Tahoe had it bad.”
Oh, I know so.
Now, don’t all you CMOs out there want to rush out and launch a new whiz-bang (emphasis on the whiz) unfiltered consumer-generated content campaign?
Uh-huh. Yeah.
Email Article
Wednesday, April 19th, 2006 at 08:58pm
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Jungle, Blogroll | add this post to del.icio.us
That’s my name.
4,263 tiny little fires had to put out today– including a near-miss on a stop-drop-and-roll trip to Chicago tomorrow. I took so many calls on my cell today I literally ran a full charge out in under twelve hours.
Awesome.
But all’s well that ends drinks well.
Time for another beer. Can I get an amen, brothers and sisters!
Email Article
Wednesday, April 19th, 2006 at 08:26pm
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Jungle | add this post to del.icio.us
First, I want to give a shout-out to Brainstorm9, an advertising blog in Brazil, for picking up on the release of our new Gatorade spot, “Skyscraper,” that I shot in downtown São Paulo. Agradecimentos, irmão!
Now on to business.
A new Podcast from Dieste Harmel & Partners, “Directo To The Point,” discusses the what, where, when, and hows of direct marketing to Hispanics. The moderator and guests are all fellow ad monkeys here at the agency. Have a listen.
You can find it on iTunes (search for “Dieste”) or by downloading it from our web.mac.com repository.
Email Article
Tuesday, April 18th, 2006 at 08:04pm
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Jungle, Blogroll, Audio, Grupo Gringo | add this post to del.icio.us
It’s a really good day in the Ad Jungle.
We have a new spot breaking for Gatorade that features an intense soccer match being played in a jaw-dropping location (atop a 54-story skyscraper in downtown São Paulo, Brazil) with interesting results.
Check out some of the stills from the shoot over in my photoblog, “Advantage.”
The spot was directed by Josh Taft (HSI) and edited by Jonathan Edwards (Red Car). My partner at the time, Roberto Saucedo, and I get the CD credits, Juan Daniel Navas was the CW/ACD and Jason Tisser was the AD. As always, Aldo Quevedo is our ECD. The awesome CGI work was lovingly crafted by ReelFX and the music and sound design is by The Listening Chair.
The spot represents the second half of a broadcast effort for Gatorade that began with an agency internal shoot-out back in September and first rolled out with a spot featuring Rolando Cantu.
Yeah, today’s spot was seven months in the making and was one of the more technically challenging productions I’ve been involved with in my 13 years in the business. So here it is in three forms (if you have a highspeed connection and are interested in seeing the details in the groovy effects, skip to the hi-res version at the bottom of this post):
First, there’s a small file, “Gatorade - Skyscraper - :30.” The file is 7 megs and, I beg of you, please don’t link directly to it.
Or, if you prefer su publicidad en español, you can view this version.
Finally, because there are some really cool effects in the spot that were intended to be viewed on a large screen (and not as tiny files on your computer), you might want to watch it in hi-res. If you do, I’ve got one more file for you, but be warned that it’s 40 megs (that’s four zero). You may want to launch it in a new window so you can continue to browse while it loads (it will take a while). It’s a hi-res pass of the spot made prior to having final music and sound design in place (it has sound, just not the final-final-final version), but you’ll get a better feel for the visual details in the spot.
You can download the hi-res version here but again, for god’s sake, please don’t link directly to it.
By the way, the goal-scoring move at the end of the spot is called a “scorpion.” The most famous example of the kick happened in a World Cup tune-up match between England and Colombia and you can view the video of it here. It’s pretty spectacular.
UPDATE: Skyscraper just took Silver at the International Eagle Awards.
Email Article
Monday, April 17th, 2006 at 01:20pm
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Monkeys, Ad Jungle, Video | add this post to del.icio.us
Technorati Tags: Advertising, Gatorade, Soccer, Football, Brazil
Yeah, yeah. I know I said I wouldn’t be back until Monday, but I couldn’t pass this one up for Easter.
From the guest bloggers over at Media Orchard, I give you this quote (emphasis, mine):
“God made me cancel my own crucifixion”
A British broadcaster who traveled to the Philippines to be crucified on Good Friday for a television programme pulled out of the stunt in tears yesterday and blamed God for his decision.
Dominik Diamond broke down and wept after watching nine Filipinos take their turn to be whipped and nailed on crosses and realising that his turn was next. God wanted me only to pray at the foot of my cross, he sobbed, sinking to his knees and praying as local people and tourists started to boo.
Five, the television channel, denied it was disappointed that Diamond, a radio and TV presenter and outspoken Daily Star columnist, had decided against being crucified. No date has been set for the broadcast of the programme. If shown, it may have to change its original working title, Crucify Me. (The Times)
Setting aside the comedically bizarre, far-too-easy-to-take-a-swipe-at notion of the whole event itself, lets reflect on this quote for a minute: God wanted me only to pray at the foot of my cross.”
God wanted me only to pray at the foot of my cross”? No, I think after desiring to turn the event into a broadcast media spectacle of sensationalistic self-promotion, what God really wanted was for Mr. Diamond to make a pathetic, sniveling ass of himself in front of the international news media.
God: 1, Dominik Diamond: 0.
Email Article
Sunday, April 16th, 2006 at 09:58am
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Nauseam, Blogroll | add this post to del.icio.us
After a much needed decompression period Thursday evening (read: drunken bacchanalia), I’m maintaining a low profile over this long weekend (read: slowly recuperating). Look for my daily posts to be resurrected on Monday.
Email Article
Saturday, April 15th, 2006 at 08:06pm
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: No Really, A Life | add this post to del.icio.us
I’m going to get so many porn search hits off of that headline.
Our agency will be closed on Friday and we’re cutting everyone free at 2:00 P.M. on Thursday to get a jumpstart on the long weekend.
This leads me to the conclusion that ad monkeys could have confirmed one of Einstein’s theories years ago. No need for messy chalkboards filled with indecipherable quantum equations, either.
What do I mean? Closing early on one day and having the next day off not only means you have a 3 1/2 day weekend, it means that time and space actually compresses, forcing the need to complete six days of work in the 3 1/2 days that precede it.
Account Service knows time is short, Creative Management knows time is short (yeah, that would be me) and, worse, the Clients know it as well.
E.O.D. and E.O.W. means Thursday at 2:00. It’s a perverse form of daylight savings time where the sleep you lose is measured in multiple hours spread over a few days as you cram in every tiny job known to man.
Einstein was right: time and space compress as you enter the event horizon.
Hopefully we’ll all squeeze through the Black Asshole into an alternate dimension where deadlines are long, the budgets are large, and the clients, accommodating.
Email Article
Wednesday, April 12th, 2006 at 07:57pm
Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Jungle, Ad Nauseam | add this post to del.icio.us
Previous Posts
