What can I say? my friends know me too well. It’s nice that when I have limited internet access (still!), I can count on my friends to fill my inbox with the most pertinent, most entertaining, and just plain best stuff out there. And even advertising based, just waiting for me to drop into my blog. Thank you.
and I’m not sure what message this is sending about MSI laptops… and don’t they have a line called “wind”? seems like an odd choice. It’s pretty Cutwater viral-ish and feels pretty Ray-Ban-y, but that doesn’t stop me from digging it.
First off, I realize the regular posting hasn’t resumed yet (for the one or two of you who are paying attention), and for that, I apologize. I am still without a solid internet connection, and to add to that, recently found myself in a job working 60-70 hours a week. A long story… one which I am too tired to elaborate on at the moment.
And just to keep this blog somewhat on track, here are two bits of advertising that have struck me one way or another. I really don’t think any comentary is necessary. I’ll let you decide for yourself what you think of ‘em.
The first piece:
And the second (a bit old, but still worthy of your click. seriously. click the image below):
That is all for the moment. hopefully soon I will be able to provide you with more content. I’ve got a bunch stored up… I just need to find the time and deal with my comcraptic internet.
Piccadilly Circus seems to be a pretty popular spot for advertising lately… whether outdoor interactive (like this McD’s spot) or viral.
This one is right up my alley. Bizarre, crazy, barely makes sense, yet still makes me smile. I know it follows the regular (exhausted?) viral formula, but it’s a bit more blatant and actually pimps a product feature – something most virals kind of fall short on.
and a side note on this blog… posting may still be a bit sporadic, as obtaining internet in southern new mexico is more difficult than I anticipated (and “Comcastic” is quickly becoming a less-than-favorable adjective in my repertoire).
Yesterday, The Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch and Adam Horovitz (more commonly known MCA and Ad Rock) put up a YouTube video as a splash page to the Beastie Boys homepage basically announcing that MCA has cancer of the parotid gland and a lymph node and they would be postponing tour dates and their much-anticipated upcoming new album release.
Fortunately, they didn’t seem all that concerned, so hopefully all will work out well. It’s interesting to see YouTube replacing the traditional press release. The Beastie Boys release their message via YouTube, and the news outlets, including giants like the New York Times, are writing articles entirely based from the video. (NTY article) It’s a unique format in that it offers both information (assuming the creator provides it), and quotes that one can’t extract from a traditional press release. The reporters can comment on mood, atmosphere, setting, and tone, all of which don’t exist in a normal press release. Interesting to see, and certainly speaks volumes for the validity of (at least some) social media outlets.
And as expected, as soon as the news broke, MCA’s Wiki Page was ammended like clockwork.
On a side note I’m amused by the NTY article referring to the guys as Mr. Yauch and Mr. Horovitz. makes me chuckle a bit.
And in other Beastie Boys news, there’s a recently released closer-to-finished version of “Too Many Rappers” featuring Nas. You can check it out here.
And one other Beastie Boys tidbit: Fifteen years have now passed since Spike Jonze directed the video for “Sabatoge” and the Beastie Boys have released a remastered version of Ill Communication, complete with a bonus disc of extra tracks. Definitely worth picking up.
I’m always intrigued when I hear unique and bizarre cell phone ringtones. Some are impressive, and some are just weird. But regardless, there’s a time and a place for (almost) every ringtone. And then there are the times and places when it’s never the right time:
chose your ringtones carefully (and remember to silence your mobile devices when appropriate.
Nike usually does some impressive work across the board. This time around, it’s no different.
The posters, signs, and wall pastings started showing up around Boston last week. Then the blog chronicling the dangers of this hazardous blue lobster showed up, complete with some fairly impressively produced video clips, and the usual smattering of viral-style clips like this one:
Then today, Boston skateshop Concepts announced the release of a limited edition shoe, the Nike SB Dunk Low “Blue Lobster.”
Last summer, the original Concepts Lobster Dunk made quite a splash, without quite this much Nike/Concepts hype.
While a cool concept (no pun intended), it seems a bit overhyped, a bit over-viraled, if you will. And to go from first viral leak to final announcement of the shoe drop in less than 2 weeks feels a bit rushed. They’re still releasing viral concept videos after already announcing the shoe… just seems a bit rushed and not fully put together. The blog is just a simple wordpress blog (not that there’s anything wrong with that… just look at this blog) and a few clicks lead to logos of both the skateshop and Nike SB. Not that I’m not looking forward to the shoe… it should be an interesting drop. It just seems like a ton of faux viral hype that doesn’t really do all that much.
Viral is definitely being pushed, and evolving. or at least being utilized more frequently. evolution may be questionable.
And full detail on the shoe over at real Concepts blog.
This “flash mob” is just too beautiful not to share:
The beauty lies in the chosen location of a trendy skinny-jean boutique on Sunset Blvd. and the extreme determined Hammer-esque attitudes of the dancers. Apparently they’d had practice: here’s a video from a few weeks ago on Santa Monica Blvd. in front of the Troubadour.
The interesting thing is that at the end of the Sunset Blvd. video, there’s a URL, http://www.aetv.com/hammertime/, which takes you to the splash page for Hammer’s new reality TV show, where, among other things, this video is embedded on the site.
I have to question the true flashmob nature of the video clips above, and I can only begin to guess how big of a hand A&E TV had in the whole process. Oh. and in case you were worried, you can follow Hammer on Twitter! (seriously?)
Regardless, it seems to be a pretty effective way to create hype for your new TV series, and it looks like it’s working.
I mean really… who’s thought about Hammer in the past few years?
Alright. I know my birthday is still two months off, but I’m not opposed to an early birthday present.
The Highland Park, Chicago house (or more specifically, the Garage) made famous by Ferris Beuler’s Day Off. This house might be the sole thing that initially got me interested in 20th Century minimalistic architechture. And ferraris.
The house, designed by by architects A. James Speyer and David Haid, and formerly owned by photographer Ben Rose (no relation), is up for only $2,300,000. Click here for more details. So… who’s gonna buy this one for me?
So for those following, my journey to the southwest has concluded, and I am now in New Mexico. Posting may be a bit sporadic as I get settled, but I’ll do my best to continue with the random smattering of cool stuff. Like this piece. Whoever decided to install a few swings on San Francisco’s BART is a genius. And the resultant photos on flickr (among other places) are exquisitely beautiful. All photos from Audrey Penven (and a few more photos after the jump)
There are so many ad campaigns that try to do nifty/kitchy/etc./etc. kinds of executions that usually seem to fall a bit short. This McDonalds’s billboard at London’s Picadilly Citcus acually pulls of a bunch of interactive advertising stuff pretty well. And there’s actual proof… not just hypothetical connections and interactions.
Done by Shiny Red, it proves that every now and then McDonalds can still do some cool stuff. Definitely an interesting use of Flickr. Sure, some of the connections don’t really make much sense, and the YouTube page isn’t quite hitting on all cylinders, but all in all, it’s pretty cool.
