CP+B... Holy Mother of Jebus, Another Mind Blow

Okay, caught this just after it went live. Played for a an hour or so.... everything I needed and a few surprises.

Sure to be the "Buzz" for the next few days. Too bad it's the Canada Day holiday tomorrow and so many of us will be away from their computers.

Crispin Porter & Bogusky joined and may have rewritten the Web 2.0 landscape today with its revamped site. As Alex Bogusky says in the introduction video it will be a "giant digital fishing net" of all things CP+B. Yes, there is always digital static and noise about the Miami and Boulder shop.

It's part social web and traditional agency promo except the new CP+B home page, you get both the good and the bad of what everyone's saying about the agency and its clients.

CP+B is the latest agency to revamp its Web site with an eye toward aggregating content and letting others around the Web tell its (CP+B) story. The site, collects videos, Tweets, news headlines and blog entries that mention the agency or its work, yes it has all "the good, the bad, the mildly unnerving," as a large-afro-ed Alex Bogusky says in the video below.

Click on a Twitter feed and see people tweeting about "I'm a PC." Click on a Microsoft tab and see a Newsweek article about Microsoft "Laptop Hunters" campaign. Click on contact, and it takes you to a map of Crispin's Boulder office courtesy Google Maps instead of a Bing map... oops isn't that the Microsoft search engine. Oh wait, Crispin may not be responsible for Bing's advertising (that's JWT), but CP+B is Microsoft's consumer agency of record -- and one of the biggest shops on its roster, paid some $300 million to promote the brand. You'd think the least they could do is help a struggling new search engine out via all those clicks from hungry young job-seeking creatives. Not sure that is what the this site is about, but then again I can see an assistant to the CMO making it an issue.

Check out the work by client. Check out Alex and his hello. Check out the Twitter and Facebook links... and join the fun and education in what is going on in creative thinking today by linking off site to changethethought.com.

This will be the first of I am sure a few post I will deliver on the site as it finds its way through the bugs and snakes of a beta launch.

Stay tuned folks... the fun has just begun, for all that is the "the good, the bad and the ugly (mildly unnerving)".

I am sure as more folks hit the site the ugly will follow... it always does for CP+B.



PS. It took less then 30 seconds for my tweet to appear on the site and 5 minutes for my blog post to appear. It's part magic and voodoo I am sure.

PPS. Oh and Gawker called him That Ad Guy... hey BTW, I am the AdGuy.

AdBailout Plan and Great Agency Promo... It Ain't Obama!

YES WE CAN. YES WE CAN.

I started this blog well after the great collapse or whatever you want to call these times in the advertising business, now don't go thinking I've lost my mind when this came across my inbox... "a fake ceramic carpet crawler smoking a big, fat cigarette".

This particular "baby popped up" as a teaser for Elemental, a Toronto ad agency, accompanied by the following line of copy: “Advertisers have done a lot of wrong.”

“The whole idea was to create a sense of curiosity,” says Elemental founder Brent Wardrop.

As it happens, the baby is the front for a microsite, "whatsinyourbudget.ca", which invites CMO's Mhief marketing Officers) and their like to submit a business problem. If selected, Elemental will provide all strategies and creative services free of charge.

The opening video at the site features Mr. Wardrop giving his best "Yes We Can"... and "it's not about Blue Agecnies, Red Agencies or Purple Agencies...", great stuff and an interesting approach to self-promote.

“We think there's a better way to do marketing,” Mr. Wardrop says. “As a small agency, we've always been very budget respective of our clients.”

Translation: Do you really want to pay $300 an hour for that creative director? If not, Mr. Wardrop's marketing budget bailout may be just the thing for you.

I love the innovation and simplicity of the idea and "kitchiness".

From iPod to Billboard

I love touchscreen technology.

I saw this video online for a multi-user touchscreen that was on display at the Cannes Lions last week.

Last Monday, delegates at the Cannes Lions Festival streamed out of a seminar and walked past a large interactive touch screen -- a sort of festival guide -- that was positioned nearby. As one woman stepped close to it, her name appeared there.

She uncertainly extended a hand and was quickly joined by Trevor Kaufman, CEO of WPP-owned Schematic. Schematic designed the "Touchwall," an interactive guide to the festival and its environs in Cannes. Schematic is an interactive agency that creates branded experiences (see their website for a crazy-great interface).

The operation and look is very cool in the sell... hope its execution is as good. I can see the future of the engagement being endless and with everyone loving the idea of touch-technology (see iPod/iPhone). For example, the Coke touch-screens at Cannes let people spin a large, 3D bottle left or right, watch videos, or rub a simulated wall of ice. All in 3D and high definition.

To build its Coke machines, Cannes worked with Samsung, BMW Designs, and interactive agency Sapient. The machines will be distributed around the world in the next year or so.

Quick thought: the social aspects of this are intriguing, but if it's too successful, you'll see lineups of people waiting to get their messages.

Who will be first to go "major mainstream" with this?

Trust me, I'll be checking

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Michael Jackson - The Ad Years

True or False Michael Jackson's best-known ad moment involved a freak accident?

True.

In 1984, at the height of his mega-fame in the wake of Thriller, Jacko's hair caught on fire while he was filming a Pepsi commercial for BBDO. Ironically, it eventually inspired the title of Phil Dusenberry's brilliant book - "Then We Set His Hair on Fire: Insights and Accidents from a Hall of Fame Career in Advertising". Such was MJ's blessing and curse.

For a time, his celebrity rivaled that of Sinatra, Elvis or the Beatles. He was by many measures the biggest star of his generation. He was give the title of "King of Pop", the man embraced the role, seeking to remake himself in a pale, childlike image only he could understand. The endless cosmetic surgeries, the reclusive years at the Neverland Ranch and the bizarre pronouncements and behaviors are the stuff of legend... and without question sent the advertising executives running for the hills. He did connect to the industry by selling his own and Beatles songs through the years.

In terms of traditional advertising, Jackson went to bat for two brands: Pepsi and L.A. Gear.

I don't know if many realize how big a deal this Pepsi commercial was. It actually received mainstream media news coverage at a time when the mainstream media didn't spend that much time talking about silly old commercials. (BTW, the kids starring in the spot is Alfonso Ribeiro, who played Carlton in "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.")

L.A. Gear is sort of a forgotten footnote. L.A. Gear ended up suing Jackson for not delivery on the contract.

Michael Jackson died last Thursday in Los Angeles at age 50.

Here are a few of Jackson's advertising efforts:

Cannes Young Lions Silver for Canadian Team

The Young Lions competition at Cannes has be dubbed the "Advertising Olympics" and Canada has brought home silver in the Film category.

The team of copywriter Chris Booth and AD Joel Pylypiw both of DDB Canada in Toronto where challenged to create a spot for FilmAid International.

The two creatives had two days to shoot and edit a 30-second commercial, created entirely on a mobile phone. The teams will received the brief from an "NFP organization" chosen by the Festival with the teams then having two days to produce their film. The work was then judged by the Film Lions jury.

They entered in Canada through the Globe and Mail Young Lions competition. The brief called for a :30 second spot for Doctors Without Borders. Here is their Young Lions Canada winning entry:

"You make these phone calls and you just expect somebody to pick up, but for millions around the world, they don't have that luxury," says Booth. "So, you're able to demonstrate how lucky we are in a really simple way, and at the same time create empathy for the rest of the people around the world that might not be so lucky."

At Cannes the brief called for a :60 second spot for FilmAid International. FilmAid International uses the power of film and video to reach the world’s most vulnerable communities with messages that inspire them, address their critical shared needs, and effect social change.

Here is the Silver Winning entry from Chris and Joel:

Cannes Young Lions and YouTube... And The Winners are...

YouTube and The Cannes Young Lions competition has announced the winners that will compete on the world stage among the other under 28 years of age talent from around the world.

According to the YouTube Young Lions site, it was a difficult choice for the judges and a close-run finish. the sheer quality of the entries received, both in terms of creativity and execution, as well as the work and time that went into getting votes and views was nothing short of outstanding. The competition received 692 entries and over 100,000 votes in two weeks.

Adeline Chew (27) from Malaysia and Guy Dayan (27) from Israel have won the viral ad competition to promote Oxfam's climate change campaign and will now become 'Team YouTube', the 39th team competing in the 2009 Young Lions Film Competition.

Rory Sutherland, Vice-chairman, Ogilvy Group UK and one of the contest judges, said: "It is chastening to all of us to see that good ideas and excellent executions can be created in 48 hours."

Creatives were given 48 hours to submit their one-minute ad and then had a further two weeks to make their YouTube ad go viral by any means necessary.

A panel of worldwide creative leaders have been assessing the quality of the ads over the last week and have selected Adeline and Guy as the winners based upon their ads' creativity, number of views and video ratings. They will now unite as 'Team YouTube' and will receive an all expenses paid trip to Cannes to attend the International Advertising Festival and compete as the 38th team in the prestigious Young Lions Film competition.

Anna Bateson, head of marketing for YouTube in EMEA, said: "We are delighted with the creative community's response to this competition. Around 700 young creatives from across the world used YouTube as a way to create innovative and powerful ads for Oxfam's climate change campaign and then made it go viral. We are now sending a unique YouTube team to the Young Lions Film Competition where they will be competing with the finest young creative minds."

Nicky Wimble, Oxfam's Creative Communications Specialist, said: "We at Oxfam were amazed by the overwhelming participation of creatives from around the world. This once again shows that citizens in every country recognise the urgency and importance that leaders sign an ambitious, fair and safe climate deal at Copenhagen."

Both winning entries have creative qualities, except I have seen the Bob Dylan inspired "flashcard" solution and there were so many that used this execution that the concept of the message was never clear. Adeline's entry fell short for me in that way.

I am a much bigger fan of Guy's entry. I truly think the engagement factor you have when the video plays and asks you to click for change and you are then taken to the Oxfam UK site were you engage in the many stories that need our attention. (Please go to the link provided for the full effect of the click through)

Here are the winners:

Adeline's video entitled 'Listen, Don't Watch'



Guy's video (and A View From An AdGuy Winner) entitled 'The YouTube Climate Thermometer"