Can you imagine if agencies recycled their ideas internally the way Disney does?
Oh. Wait.
RespondEmail Article Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 at 01:35pm Mack Simpson
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Good use of the medium (YouTube) to surprise and engage you with a relevant message.
Steve Hall over at AdRants really likes a different one, instead. If you ask me, it’s a little like Homer preferring “Man Getting Hit By Football” in the Springfield Film Festival.
Different strokes.
Stroke it yourself: go vote for your favorite Young Lion.
RespondEmail Article Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 at 10:39am Mack Simpson
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Believe it or not, both Adverb and I live.
The last few weeks have been filled with fourteen-hour days working on a new business pitch (we didn’t get it), pre-production for a massive Gatorade shoot I’ll be leaving for in early January, an add-on print shoot that de-evolved into a stop-drop-and-roll process, a full-on agency presentation, an agency holiday party (which I passed on), a fussy baby at home and about a million other things, the algebra of which left X minus infinity for blogging time.
Even today, when the agency closed at 2:00 PM, I’m waiting around for client feedback on a pressing job. There’s never a dull moment in the ad jungle.
Things are looking up, though.
In January, look for me to start posting a blow-by-blow of what it’s like to sweat through a two million dollar film production outside the country.
I promise not to gloat (too much).
In the meantime, I hope you all have a happy, safe and prosperous Holiday and New Year and I hope to catch you all visiting my little corner of the ad jungle after Dick Clark goes to bed.
8 commentsEmail Article Friday, December 22nd, 2006 at 03:32pm Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Monkeys, Ad Jungle, No Really, A Life, Ad Nauseam, Monkey Town, Monkey Travel | add this post to del.icio.us
Technorati Tags: Advertising
We’re in the middle of editing a spot for one of my group’s clients, Chiquita Banana, that was shot in Miami when I was in the middle of my whole I’m-having-a-baby thing. Except for the overages caused by a weather day, and the problems with the production company, and the problem with the director and the… I’m sorry I missed the shoot.
Half sorry is more appropriate. There’s no way I would have/could have missed out on the screaming throes that come with new Daddy-hood and, even though I’ve never shot in Miami, this would have been my sixty-something’th film production and “been there, done that” has taken on a whole new meaning.
Still, you pay for it on the back end. Our agency closed for the Holidays at 2:00 P.M. yesterday, which, because of the editing, meant I was home by 7:00. Good times.
And that’s my Thanksgiving Holiday Stuffing.
Happy Thanksgiving, all– at least those of you who are here in the U.S.– and I hope everyone else has a safe weekend that sees you spending quality time with your families.
RespondEmail Article Thursday, November 23rd, 2006 at 10:34am Mack Simpson
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Technorati Tags: Advertising, Thanksgiving, Chiquita
See Wal-Mart. See Wal-Mart come under fire for keeping downward pressure on employee wages… and health care… and paid leave… and even lunch breaks.
See Wal-Mart hire mega-P.R. firm Edelman to handle the problem.
See Edelman create “Jim & Laura,” two bloggers who were supposedly traveling across the country and parking their R.V. in Wal-Mart parking lots.
See Edelman being outed as having created, almost whole-cloth, “Jim & Laura” as part of Wal-Mart’s P.R. effort, under the guise of “Working Families for Wal-Mart“– a breach of WOMMA ethics.
See Edelman not register the “Working Families for Wal-Mart” domain name.
3 commentsEmail Article Saturday, November 18th, 2006 at 04:41pm Mack Simpson
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Technorati Tags: Wal-Mart, Edelman, Public Relations, Marketing, Jim and Laura, Working Families for Wal-Mart
I’ve made my opinions on Consumer Generated Content pretty clear. Specifically, I’ve made my opinions clear on unfiltered consumer generated content and on, well, off-brand consumer generated content. (And even on stupid positions taken to advance the consumer generated warwagon.) And I have to admit that, when I made those posts, I felt somewhat alone in the wilderness, surrounded by the glowing eyes and strange hooting of the Marketing 2.0 monkeys invading the ad jungle.
So it’s nice to see the conversation has begun to balance somewhat.
I’m speaking about the AdAge article, “About Consumer-Generated Ads: Have We Gone Mad? Why Our Agency Has Decided to Pass on This Fad,” by Marc Brownstein, an article that’s made even more interesting by the flood of comments it’s generated.
Now I have a feeling of community. I just don’t think it’s the community the Marketing 2.0 drum-bangers had in mind.
(Click on the image to see the cartoon in a readable size.)
4 commentsEmail Article Saturday, November 18th, 2006 at 12:39pm Mack Simpson
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Technorati Tags: Advertising, Marketing, Consumer Generated Content, CGC, CGM
This is Part One of a short series of posts I hope to make that will fill those of you who are interested (read: the flack at Omnicom who’s assigned to read my blog, making sure I don’t spill the beans on anything of any real import) in on what’s been happening in monkeyville for the last month. I’ll try to work through it all as sequentially as possible. I’ve fried a few brain cells in the last month; it might be difficult.
Production calendars are a staple of the ad jungle; they tell us what’s coming up, what’s going on and where we need to be– hopefully months in advance. And, as a Creative Director who’s been pigeonholed as a broadcast guy, production calendars are my friend as the process tends to be long, involved, time intensive and massively expensive. I want to know what needs to be done and by when, as I need to throw bodies into the breach as needed, making sure our agency-side magic is pulled off as seamlessly as possible. Any little hiccup in the process can create an avalanche of shit downstream.
So, when the Labor Day Holidays passed and one of the writers on one of my teams, Chava, failed to return from holiday without warning– and as my many production calendars began to coalesce into a giant blob of ink centering on the following few weeks– I was left scrambling to find a replacement.
So, welcome Juan Camilo Moore. I hired Juan Camilo (or J.C. to me– as opposed to J.D., a Writer/ACD on another of my teams) direct from University, grabbing him even before he’d completed his Senior year. I felt bad about keeping him from earning his degree for about fifteen seconds because, one second later, we formulated a plan whereby he’ll spend a few half-days doing coursework to finish out the semester and will transfer his credits to a Uni closer to the office thereafter. So congratulations S.M.U., you’ve just gained a future graduate who’s destined for great things.
J.C. comes to the team with tremendous potential, boundless energy and the benefit of having worked within my group for the past two summers as an intern.
The only downside is both of my groups are broadcast production heavy– and we’re in the middle of the heaviest part of our schedule– and, as a Junior, he’ll need to do some serious, sink or swim, on the job training.
Fortunately, he’s partnered with Jose (who’s recently celebrated a milestone birthday), in whom I place a tremendous amount of faith– not only in his innate ability as a creative but also in his expanding depths as a manager (and mentor)– having worked with him previously when we were assigned to the PepsiCo business.
So that’s the bedrock of the “Dark Days” story; everything else (over)flows from there. Stay tuned. Good times.
To lighten things up a bit, I’ve added a new track to “Music for Monkeys” (right sidebar) sitting at #58: Röyksopp’s “Remind Me.” The track is from 2001 but has gained recent acclaim as the backing track to a Geico “Caveman” spot here in the US. If you like it, say so– I’ve got several hours worth of their music in my iTunes and can add more.
9 commentsEmail Article Saturday, October 21st, 2006 at 01:42pm Mack Simpson
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Technorati Tags: Advertising, Management
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Four weeks of 5:00 A.M. alarm clocks and more than a few Midnight drives home are beginning to give way to a still-hectic-but-manageable schedule that should persist through, oh, February. Believe me, though, it’s an improvement.
Slowly, ever so slowly, I’ll try to tell as much of the story as I can but a lot of it will have to be left on the cutting room floor.
For now, let’s see if we can get the monkey ball rolling again.
3 commentsEmail Article Friday, October 20th, 2006 at 07:08pm Mack Simpson
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Sorry I’ve been a little out-of-pocket as of late.
If I told you how crazy-hectic things have been at work, you wouldn’t believe me or wouldn’t care, so I’ve just said nothing at all.
And did I mention “new baby time” is coming down to the wire?
Yeah, there’s been a lot of crap. In fact, there’s been so much of it I can declare that I’ve actually seen the crap squat and make more crap of its own.
But that’s the way it goes in the ad jungle. Keep checking back. I promise I’ll be able to devote more time to witty repartee and juicy ad jungle tidbits one of these days.
Like when I retire.
10 commentsEmail Article Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006 at 08:47pm Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Jungle, No Really, A Life, Ad Nauseam | add this post to del.icio.us
Technorati Tags: Advertising, Hectic
The lovely creature to the left is a Madagascar hissing cockroach. The image you see is at 2/3rds scale; the damn things are actually 3-inches in length, can run at speeds of up to three miles per hour and, true to their name, will drown out your screams with a hissing noise while chasing you around your house (and, being faster than you are, they will catch you).
They are also to be, according to a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article, the featured snack at an upcoming Six Flags promotion. And, yes, I said snack.
It seems the Dallas-area park is buying out the supply of grotesquely large, mutant cockroaches from regional pet stores and will offer up their nature’s bounty to the public during the first weekend of its annual Halloween festival.
Those who successfully down a live cockroach will be given a “Flash Pass,” allowing the holder to skip to the front of any line at the park’s various rides. Additionally, they may wish to consider allowing the pass holders to skip to the head of the line at bathrooms as well.
The cockroaches, which taste “just like chicken,” albeit creepy-crawly, hissing chicken, “were chosen because they are considered a delicacy in many Asian and African cultures.” Huzzah. Education and culture sharing has reached a new high-water mark in Dallas. Next up, receive a free enema at all public libraries when signing up for a library card.
Overheard at the promotion: “Dude. That is so not what I thought when I read they were passing out free roaches.”
7 commentsEmail Article Sunday, September 17th, 2006 at 04:41pm Mack Simpson
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Technorati Tags: Advertising, Promotions, Six Flags, Cockroach
Today’s my birthday but before any of my six loyal visitors hit “leave reply,” you should know I’m not big on birthdays and do absolutely nothing to celebrate them. Ever.
I can recall three birthdays off the top of my head: when I turned six and my family took me to Six Flags, when I turned sixteen and was able to drive and when I turned twenty-one and was able to drink… legally. (I don’t actually remember-remember that last one but I’m certain I must have had a good time.)
The rest? Meh. Not so much.
This is a notable birthday though for a reason only other ad monkeys can appreciate: it’s the first– and I’m serious, here, the first– birthday I’ve had while working at an agency where I haven’t been on the road traveling. Seriously. The first.
It actually became somewhat of a joke at one of the places I worked. “Hey– Mack’s birthday is coming up; we need to send him to Chicago for a client meeting.” I would have been on the road this year, too, but a client meeting (in Chicago, no less) was postponed by a week.
So happy-happy-joy-joy, I get to spend a birthday at home. Sort of.
It seems my beloved she monkey has conspired with Michel and Tamara to make some sort of mischief this evening and I’m not entirely certain what the plans are.
Whatever they are, they should know I’m not big on birthdays and do absolutely nothing to celebrate them. Ever.
13 commentsEmail Article Friday, September 15th, 2006 at 02:22pm Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Jungle, No Really, A Life, Ad Nauseam, Monkey Travel | add this post to del.icio.us
Technorati Tags: Advertising, Birthday Bah-hum-bug
I guess it’s a good month for handing out advice.
Ernie Schenck, a living ad guru and writer for Communication Arts and Hill Holiday’s blog (among other things), serves as the conduit for writer Ted McCagg’s story about working on the AT&T “Carrot Top” campaign while at Y&R.
In it he recounts the tale of how Jim Ferguson (who now resides at Dallas’ Lee Harvey’s, by the way, if anyone wishes to make contact) leaned on his team to take on the account.
The task was clear from the first sentence out of then CCO Jim Ferguson’s, mouth. “I need you boys to do something I like to call, ‘Polish The Turd.’”
The resulting high gloss shine he and his partner (the hilariously pseudonym’d, “Lee Clow”) put on it resulted in their being pigeonholed as the Carrot Top team and the rest was advertising infamy.
It’s worth the read. So much so, in fact, I handed out copies of the article to my team today.
Let’s just hope I never have to call on them for any turd polishing favors.
Thanks to the guys over at American Copywriter for the heads up.
RespondEmail Article Thursday, September 14th, 2006 at 09:42pm Mack Simpson
Entry Filed under: Ad Monkeys, Ad Jungle, Ad Nauseam, Blogroll | add this post to del.icio.us
Technorati Tags: Advertising, Advice, Jim Ferguson
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