The Bits In Between

How to get a Watford place

2011-04-16T11:49:00.015+01:00

So I'm winding up the blog.

This is because I've lost my love for advertising.

I didn't try and fail. I've just changed path...

I did manage to get a place on the Watford course. I just didn't accept the offer. If anyone wants to know roughly how to do it, its all here in the archives. The creative test I used is here. The portfolio I submitted is here...(it only got 6/10 so you should look to do better than this). Tony doesn't really like digital so don't do complex google-maps-treasure-hunt rubbish. If you do digital, do something simple like Subservient Chicken. And before you do anything, I'd read 'Hey Whipple, Squeeze This', 'Advertising is dead, long live advertising' and 'The Idea Writers'.

So yeah. Don't get me wrong, I still think that a lot of the work (especially in the 60s) was great, fresh, exciting, artful, witty, intelligent. But I've realized that I don't like selling. I don't like 'creating want'. And for those who say that advertising can't make people buy something they don't already want or need - that it simply convinces them chose my brand over the competitor's - well, I don't like branding either. Creating something from nothing - adding value which isn't there and getting people to pay more for it. Some people think that stuff is cool, but I'm not one of them. And I'm not so keen on state of advertising today... the phrases crowd-sourcing, multi-platform, user-experience and brand advocacy make me feel empty inside and a little angry.

And while I'm aware that the lifestyle of an adman would be fun - drawing, filming, travelling... If I'm doing something I don't believe in, then deep down inside I'll never really be satisfied. So I'd rather do something meaningful if possible - and if not meaningful, at least something which is appreciated rather than widely hated.

Yes there are your Duncan Marshalls (an ex-Watfordian himself) who do good and meaningful things in the field of advertising, like helping get clean water to millions (see Tap Project) or Obama elected, but these type of people are 1 in a million. And the type of projects those types of individuals initiate are vastly removed from what I'd label advertising. They're simply great ideas.

And you don't have to be in advertising to have one of those.

Think on this

2011-04-16T11:38:00.003+01:00

"The greatest damage done by advertising is precisely that it incessantly demonstrates the prostitution of men and women who lend their intellects, their voices, their artistic skills to purposes in which they themselves do not believe, and …. that it helps to shatter and ultimately destroy our most precious non-material possessions: the confidence in the existence of meaningful purposes of human activity and respect for the integrity of man." - Paul Baran And Paul Sweezy

And more recently...

The Online Intern

2011-02-22T11:04:00.006Z

This is how you get the ad world's attention. This young Manchester based lass has a set up her own site where she will respond to 5 creative briefs set by whichever agencies want to get involved. She practically interns for a week with that agency, but all from the comfort of her own home.

This is a great idea, setting an example for all those Northerners who want a foot in the door with an agency down south but can't afford to travel or move to live down there. She gets to keep the low rent of the North, but work with the best London based agencies there are.

Poke London, digital trailblazers that they are, are the first agency to have gotten on board. I foresee big things - lets just hope, spotlight on, that she has some more good ideas in response to the briefs.

Indecision overcomes me

2011-01-05T20:22:00.006Z

Dear followers and passers-by alike,

Indecision looms like a dark cloud. I'm having serious doubts about my goal of 'getting into advertising'. These doubts can be summed up in the following comment I made on Luke 'Hey Whipple' Sullivan's blog the other day. The post itself is well worth a read, it's a review of a new book he likes called The Idea Writers by Teresa Iezzi.

"I first read your book about a year ago. It was recommended reading for an ad course I’m about to start in Watford, near London, next year. Each time I read from it I was inspired. Among other things, I learnt that simplicity is key. Eventually I put together a book and got offered a place on the course. Since waiting for the course to begin, and saving money for the fees, I’ve gradually become more and more disillusioned with the industry. The more blog posts and articles I read, the more I get the impression that things aren’t as simple as they used to be. I’m overwhelmed by negativity; by people praising ‘codewriting over copywriting’, heralding the death of traditional and such like. Overly complex ‘integrated-online-treasure-hunt-google-maps-tweet-your-confession-then-like-us-on-facebook’ type campaigns proliferate and seem to go straight over my head. I mean who has the time of day to engage with brands like that? I think I’ve maybe engaged with 2 digital campaigns as a consumer (as opposed to an ad student) and I’m a young white male who spends a shit load of of time online. Aren’t I suppose to love this sort of stuff? Anyway, where I used to feel a desire to write simple, witty, yet logical ads, I already feel bitter, and I haven’t even worked in the industry yet. I’m 23 for chrissake! Do you think Teresa Iezzi’s book soothe me woes? Or is it time to re-think the career? I’ve just ordered the thing either way."

To which Luke replied:

"Hey Tom: While I’m glad you like to write clever ads, your assessment of the new advertising world is, in general, correct. It is no longer about ads. Yes, our work today INCLUDES ads, but the world is going toward telling an interesting brand story on many platforms. What was once a pretty clear playing field of print-TV-radio-outdoor has become kaliedoscopic with media opportunities. The new ad people need to be able to work in all platforms. I still think it is one of the best industries for a creative person to be in. It’s just …different. I think reading Teresa’s book will calm you down."

So I sit here in limbo; waiting for the postman to knock (twice), not knowing whether to continue to pursue that ad career or re-think entirely. Hopefully the book will make me think again.

The problem is, anyone entering the industry at this time has likely been taught a trade that may quickly become redundant - like luke says, it isn't TV/Print/Outdoor/Radio anymore. The only tangible skill which you can enter a creative department with is an ability to come up with ideas. To come up with stories for brands in whatever medium might work best. And is that something that can be taught? I don't know.

Hence: woe.

On another note - I like this. It's not really advertising, but it sure made a buzz:

Pleasing colours

2010-09-17T00:33:00.000+01:00

via I Believe in Advertising.

Ikea Cats: Happy Inside

2010-09-10T11:22:00.001+01:00

This doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense, but I like anyway.

I guess if you film anything as well as this and put a solo piano track to it it can seem meaningful.

Nice end line too.

Copywriter No.2

2010-07-30T10:19:00.002+01:00

New weetabix ad it quite good. Very similar to the ad below though...

Two nice visual ads

2010-06-28T19:05:00.002+01:00

Lovely stuff.

(This one is for a gay magazine).

Have you got a pen handy?

2010-06-28T19:04:00.002+01:00

When the Americans do American ads...

2010-06-19T00:15:00.002+01:00

The perfect amount of voiceover.

Genius.

When the French do McDonald's ads...

2010-06-03T01:28:00.003+01:00

Did someone forget we're talking about burgers here? What the hell?

They even manage to fit a subdued version of the jingle in at the end.

The line, 'come as you are' stinks of branding. It's one of those multi-purpose, means very little tag lines.

If anything it suggests, 'we won't judge you'. And why is that relevant? What other places judge me? Classy restaurants? They'd judge me for going to McDonalds, yes, but not for being gay.

I think someone, somewhere, lost the thread here.

Would anyone like to explain it for me?

Holy shit

2010-06-01T23:17:00.003+01:00

So I was trawling Coloribus and found this. Scared the shit out of me:

The ad that restores my faith in copy

2010-05-19T00:54:00.005+01:00

Why visual doesn't always mean good

2010-05-16T18:16:00.011+01:00

At first glance these ads by Young & Rubicam (New York) look quite good. After all, they're visual, simple and pretty eye-catching. But after a little thought, I realized they're pretty bad.

1. They tell you nothing about the product and do nothing to suggest why Protex is better than any other hand wash out there.

2. The copy tells you something you pretty much already know, 'The things you touch stay with you'. Sounds like the fear-mongering strap-line of a crap horror movie.

3. It's not very clear what's under/on the fingers, unless you look pretty closely. And no one spends too much time looking closely at ads (apart from people in advertising).

4. There's no element of mystery to the visual - there's no knowledge gap - if I look at the visual I pretty much know it's an ad for a hand wash, so I've got no reason to look what brand of hand wash it is or even read the copy. And because nothing happens in my mind - no moment of realization, or inner smile, no 'getting it' - it means that it doesn't stay in my mind. (If something occurs in the mind, it tends to stay there; you've got a reason to remember it, it's not just a passive act).

Here's a good example of a 'knowledge gap' in action:

Well that's my rant over. Maybe these ads aren't terrible, but they're not great either.

That said, the typeface is quite nice!

I'm planning on going to see some student work at Lincoln Uni in the coming few weeks. The kind Miss Ruby Rosamund (fellow member of the advertising blogosphere) has invited me to the Creative Advertising final year show. Should be a good chance to see some fresh ideas (and weigh up the competition of course).

Radical Common Sense: an evening with Dave Trott

2010-05-03T00:22:00.005+01:00

An evening with Dave Trott - Part 1 from MIN on Vimeo. (The sound does get better)

A great discussion with the main man Trott (CST). Great to see Dave bring some examples and analogies alive with some great doodles... and all in the flesh (well - pixel flesh)! He also chats about his blogs (which everyone should read) and the loyal folk like gotnoteef, Kevin Gordon, John W and the gang. He's got a great view on the industry at present and how it could benefit from change. If ever the barrage of marketing speak, building brands and focus groups puts you off advertising a little, watch this. His outlook is like the advertising equivalent of Occam's razor.

Leo Burnett's Hippocratic Oath

2010-04-21T01:39:00.002+01:00

Warburtons

2010-04-16T09:29:00.004+01:00

You've probably already seen it, but here's a spot for Warburtons by RKCR/Y&R I find pretty neat.

Simple, well executed and most importantly funny.

Can't help feel that the bloke who cries on the other guy's shoulder has a comedic face which makes it work.

Sorry about the boring post title - I'm off sick and not feeling to puntastic...

In other news, I got through to the last 50 of Saatchi & Saatchi's recruitment scheme they're running via facebook. First round I had to make a facebook group and get as many members as possible, second round was a quiz on the industry, then in the third round you had to re-create an ad and explain why you think it's a goodun.

Looking forward to the next brief.

Also I got offered a new job. More money. More engaging.

Good news indeed.

Ground Rules

2010-04-12T00:22:00.004+01:00

I can't remember where I found this, but it's bloody good.

The ground rules laid down between DDB and Avis.

Certainly worth taking note of.

In other news, I just won £60 off the back of a £6 bet on Phil Mickleson at the Masters. I also bet £3 on Anthony Kim at 35/1 which woulda made me pretty well off - but he came in third. Still, a good day all round.

The Scent of Justice

2010-04-10T13:20:00.009+01:00

I did an illustration for a magazine. Isn't it just a little creepy? I used an image I found on google for inspiration. The article was about the use of sniffer dogs in law enforcement. Here's an extract:

"That the use of detection dogs has removed some of the inadequacies of human judgment in the fight against crime has not ensured the eradication of any error at all. In August of last year, the drugs awareness body Release began legal proceedings against the British Transport Police, claiming that the use of dogs to detect drugs constitutes a fundamental human rights breach. Australian research has shown that 74% of searches carried out on the back of a positive indication by a sniffer dog yield no results; the consequence, according to Release, is that 3/4 of suspects are left with their privacy rights and freedom of movement infringed upon. The case is expected to go to the high court later this year, and victory for Release would mean the permanent cessation of drug detector dogs in public."

Here's a link to the magazine's website, ArticleMagazine.co.uk.

There's been talk of collaboration with Ian Anderson (of The Designer's Republic fame) in the future.

So watch this space!

Pixel Terrorism

2010-04-08T13:37:00.001+01:00

PIXELS by PATRICK JEAN.
Uploaded by onemoreprod. - Watch original web videos.

Courtesy of 'We Love Viral'.

Steve Henry on Anti-consumerism

2010-04-03T09:23:00.006+01:00

Steve Henry (HHCL founder and ad legend) starts to embark upon an ideological analysis of advertising, particularly in post-recession (are we out yet?) Britain. I found this interesting because I too sense the anti-consumerist sentiment which is on the up, and often just try to repress it when I start to think about why I'm trying to get into this industry...

Instead of repressing more, I've starting reading some more political philosophy, namely F.A. Hayek - The Constitution of Liberty. It's basically the defining exposition of classical liberalism. Thatcher reportedly brought this book into an early meeting, slammed it on the desk and said "This is what we believe", getting everyone who hadn't already read it to do so. Essentially, I'm trying to fill myself in on where this country has previously been ideologically and where it's headed. I know that Hayek isn't so fashionable anymore; his work was born out of cold-war suspicion and built on a highly self-interested model of human beings, but (like in advertising) you have to know your history in order to understand your present. (If you haven't seen Adam Curtis' documentary series 'The Trap: What happened to our freedom?' I highly recommend it - its on Youtube in 18 parts. It retells the process by which the Western concept of negative freedom developed here and in the US, and discusses on an ideological level, our govenments' attempts to export an ideology - we ourselves have qualms with - to other countries and cultures).

In other news, after my second interview (I don't think I could have bared one more) I got offered a place at Watford. Score!!!

I decided to defer till next year, though, due to financial reasons mainly. Today, for the first time in about 3 years, my bank balance went back into the black. I'm now on double digits! Still got the £18,000 student loan of course, but no one needs think about that yet.

Right, I'm off to play in a Texas Scramble... google it.

The last thing you want to do is write 'ads'.

2010-03-04T18:32:00.011Z

Tony gave me some great advice on Tuesday. And it hit me like some sort of revelation.

First of all, he gave me some simple tips which I took on board.

My book was too robotic; Brand - Proposition - Executions.

I was simply writing the strategy as a visual ad.

There was no 'vehicle' - no intermediary idea to carry the message.

It needed to be Brand - Proposition - Idea - Executions.

Then, crucially, he said that with it was clear that I was sitting down and trying to write 'ads'.

He said "The last thing you want to do is write ads"

And it hit me... I've been trying to imitate that which I admire, rather than originate.

I've been mimicking the kind of ads that find their way into Luerzer's Archive, the kind of ads you see on I Believe in Adv.

I've been doing things how I think they're done.

Big visual - logo - tag. Or some combination of the three. Product demos. Too formulaic.

At first I thought to myself: didn't VW get the strategy It's small, but it's also tough - and just write visual ads which dramatized it?

Adding the tag 'Small but tough'.

Wasn't the copy simply restating the strategy?

But then I realised: that kind of ad is not what Tony is looking for.

He wants to see something more.

Something that can take on a life of it's own.

Something that looks no ad he's seen before.

Something that looks like nothing he's seen before.

Take pretty much every idea that Droga5 have come up with. Each one looks like no idea they, or anyone else, has ever come up with before.

That's exactly why they picked up 2 black pencils last year.

That's what I need to be aiming for.

Like Vik Kayno, a current student at Watford, told me - I need to push my thinking, get it to the next level. I need to stop writing ads, and start having ideas.

What a revelation to have!

Anyway, I've got more work to do than ever.

Tony said there was such a thing as a third shot (even a fourth and fifth), but he'd let us know how we did next week.

In other news, Uber Agency got back to me. They said I could come in for a crit session with the CD and/or go on a one week placement sometime in April. So that's nice news. Also, the Saatchi & Saatchi facebook recruitment scheme is well under way and after two rounds I'm in the last 250 or so. Excited for the next brief.

There's light at the end of the tunnel.

Chat, Fcuk, Poke

2010-03-03T20:37:00.008Z

Here's a fresh little digital sizzler. Adverblog (source) puts it better than I can:

"As always happens when a new "platform" is being so frequently used, somebody gives it a twist and bring the dynamic into ad world, as the smart guys from Poke London did for French Connection (a so-called high street fashion brand) and its blog called Manifesto. Seduce a woman at Chatroulette! and send the proof of that to win a 250 pounds voucher."

Good idea.

That said, it's near impossible to find to stumble across a female on chat roulette.

Two females talking to each other is even rarer.

And meeting Aston Kutcher on there is the holy grail!

Get Fresh Kicks

2010-02-21T23:38:00.005Z

With one week to go before heading back to Watford I've made a few new ads to go in my book.

They're pretty much all visual.

An image, with a logo, and a tag line if needs be. Like the one above!

What's more, I've displayed each set along side a simple Luke Sullivan style 'Brand = Adjective' explanation. It expresses in words, quite literally, the benefit or selling point I've chosen to dramatize. Hopefully this will make my book much easier to present in the two minutes they give you at Watford.

In other news, I recently discovered that the top billing agency outside London is actually based here in Sheffield! Uber Agency have done work for Netto, DFS, Morphy Richards and some Xbox and Wii games. I dropped them a line, asking if they'd look at my book. They said yes, so I sent it over. Any feedback from them would be just greaaat as I've never sent my book out anywhere. Some respectable criticism is just what it needs. I might get in touch with an agency called digforfire too... they were ranked 5th and are also Sheffield based.

Finally, I did my first ever graffiti session today in my back garden on some wood stolen from a skip. It's slightly illegal to do graffiti, so I'll let you know now... I'm certainly not practicing so I can get up early one morning this week and let loose on this old building they're knocking down in town. Certainly not.

Heg out.

Embrace Life Campaign

2010-02-07T05:26:00.000Z

Beautiful advice

2010-02-06T09:09:00.002Z

Rethink Scholarship at Langara 2010 Call for Entries from Rory O'Sullivan and Simon Bruyn on Vimeo.

Viagra, Watford and Keeping on going

2010-02-02T20:02:00.009Z

(Above: a lovely simple ad for viagra - visual, logo - nothing to do with the post below!)

Hey lovely followers! How are you? As some of you may have heard, Watford have given me another go at the interview on March 2nd. This is great news. Apparently it isn't uncommon to have two goes. The two Watford students whose blogs I've followed had to try twice before getting on, so I'm not the only one.

As of yesterday I'm on a mission to do a million times better this time round. I now know what is expected of me.

Here's my regime for the next month:

1. Watch Luke Sullivan's lecture on simplicity

I did this yesterday, and every time I watch it I'm inspired to write ads. It's like the bible of ad writing condensed into one sermon.

2. Rewrite my portfolio

This means pretty much replacing every campaign if possible. If I write one ad/campaign per night I should have around 25. I'll take the best 12 and put them in my folio.

3. Learn all the agencies/clients/creative directors

As you may know, I really tried this last time, but only got 4/10 on the test. It's hard recalling so much in only one minute. If I record all the info onto an audio file and listen to it on my MP3 I'll be able to memorise it in my lunch breaks.

Which brings me to my next thing to tell you. I got a job.

Its a boring admin job, but it's what you gotta do in a recession.

This makes it very hard not to come home at 5:30pm and just veg out with a beer till bed time.

It's all about self-discipline.

Wish me luck.

Haiti

2010-01-25T19:36:00.003Z

(Source: Osocio)

What do Haiti and phones have in common? Vibrations. (That's not meant to be a tasteless joke - its the idea behind the ad). A lot of good ads take two worlds/ideas, find the overlap, then exploit it's potential. Just like this one.

The other day orange texted me and asked if i wanted to give £2.50 to the cause, so I did... whilst on the toilet.

Charity begins at home!

Anything but mild

2010-01-20T00:46:00.002Z

This ad makes me want to never use a mouse trap again... but doesn't make me want to buy cheese. In fact, food was the last thing on my mind after witnessing the first 30 seconds.

(Source: I believe in advertising)

Zimoun: Sound Sculptures

2009-12-31T13:20:00.005Z

ZIMOUN VIDEO ARCHIVE on Vimeo.

Thanks to New Art for this. (Double click video to view full-screen.)

Ikea: Hard At Work and Play

2009-12-27T15:24:00.020Z

Here I've put together a little collection of super-fantastisch Ikea campaigns.

The first two videos are digital and ambient efforts to push the new catalogue. Above is the fairly well-known 'facebook showroom' idea. Below is the lesser known 'cinema catalogue' idea, where high-powered lights project prices onto film footage while people watch in the cinema.. only two or three tags per film mind, just so it doesn't get too annoying.

Below is the 2009-D&Ad-graphic-design-yellow-pencil-winning 'Bigger Storage' ambient campaign from Ogilvy (Frankfurt). Another beauty!

Next up is a very clever campaign/PR stunt/brand communication of sorts. During the expenses scandal the 'John Lewis List' from which MPs selected their home-ware was replaced with an Ikea one... here's what happened...

Now for a bit of traditional!

First a TV spot that works ever so well - by Publicis (Milan).

And finally we have a lovely couple of print ads. The first (one of a series by DDB) dramatises 'home delivery' just perfectly. The second has already made it into plenty of advertising text books and annuals for its staggering simplicity...

When you have a brand this fun and quirky, it seems you really can go to town.

It must be a joy!

A Unique Perspective

2009-12-21T11:19:00.006Z

There's something very admirable about Rob Ryan's way of thinking.

Particularly in the piece shown above.

He takes a unusual angle on something every-day and thinks it to its conclusions.

This is a valuable skill to have. Especially when generating ideas.

Whether it be in advertising, art, literature, or whatever - what I value most is a unique perspective.

Powerful stuff

2009-12-18T17:26:00.008Z

Nice copy based campaign from M&C Saatchi for Cabwise.

(Source: Browsing the Creative Review Feed)

There's an ad in this somewhere

2009-12-17T21:46:00.003Z

(Found on Reddit frontpage)

Tony on Digital

2009-12-17T11:54:00.023Z

When I went to my Watford interview Tony said 'most digital ideas I see are shit'.

He said that if an idea works in traditional, it will work in digital. Don't start with the medium, start with the idea. That's something Dave Trott's said before, and I fully agree.

But does that mean you shouldn't shape the idea to the kind of media that's being used?

What about CP+B's 'Sacrifice a friend', Forsman & Bodenfors 'Ikea Facebook Showroom', or even Nitro's 'Best Job in the World'? These are all campaigns where the medium was central to the idea and its success.

If want a place on the course, I suppose I'd best learn what Tony wants first and deliver that.

After all, he knows his stuff.

In passing, he mentioned the recent 'Rage against the X-Factor' campaigning.

He said 'is it going to win any awards? No. Is it going to create a lot of publicity? Yes, probably.'

I think his point was that he doesn't want to see ideas which depend on the medium doing all the hard work. Especially not in your book.

There's no idea behind the Rage campaign bar 'sticking it to the man'. Nor is it the kind of campaign you can sit down and write in a room somewhere, expecting people to get on board. When this kind of thing happens, it just happens... it's highly unpredictable.

The Power of Reddit

2009-12-17T11:33:00.004Z

Call me a geek, but I love Reddit and I love internet memes.

They are fun to witness, and tell you a lot about people.

So long as you can plow through the incredibly geeky computer coding, Call of Duty, and engineering posts, Reddit is a great place to spend five minutes.

Half a million people do it every day. This vid is a must see.

Watford: 'the Oxbridge of advertising'

2009-12-17T09:55:00.016Z

So yesterday I went to Watford for my interview.

It was a very interesting experience and I learnt a lot...

Or rather - so much of what I already suspected was brought home, big time.

About originality, simplicity, what to put in my book. It was an awakening of sorts.

At the moment I doubt I got on, but they sometimes give you a second shot at the interview a couple of months down the line. I'm reluctant to go into too much detail just yet, because knowing what to expect is a real advantage, and the last thing I want to do is help someone nab my place on the 2010 course!

Apparently Tony has already given away 10 of the 25 slots to last year's deferees. That was quite a surprise considering this was the first round of interviews.

I'll let you in on the structure of the day though, just so you know what I went through.

It was a bit like masterchef!

I was up against four other candidates (one who worked for JWT Paris and had flown in from France). I think it should have been five, but there was a no-show. Here's what Tony had us do:

1. A quiz on the industry. One minute to answer ten questions.

2. Go away for an hour and a half and prepare:

i. Responses to a live brief (ours was 'Think of ways to make people turn down their mp3 players on public transport'). One minute to present.

ii. A speech on one person from a list (Steve McQueen, Charles Bukowski, Alain Robert to name a few). One minute to present.

iii. Show your portfolio of work. Two minutes to present.

In the quiz, I managed to beat the other four candidates by two clear points with a meagre score of four! I did quite badly, but everyone else did worse.

One of the questions was 'Who is x factor winner Joe McElderry moving into a flat with?'

Despite watching the whole of The X Factor, I hadn't a clue.

The question was to see whether you read the tabloids or not.

Apart from that, I was revising the right sort of thing last week - creative directors names, agency initials, current clients.

As for the presentations, I didn't do so well.

They were done in front of Tony and four current Watford students.

Two candidates scored better than me, two scored worse.

He liked my portfolio and gave that six out of ten; quite positive feed back really.

He said I had lots of good devices and knew how ads worked structurally.

I'm glad about that and I now know exactly what I need to work on.

He's letting us know the verdict by post in January.

As I say, I've got my fingers crossed for a second shot.

I was so nervous I couldn't eat and if I hadn't read snippets of what to expect on other people's blogs, I'd have been even worse. That said, I can see why Tony keeps it a secret. He wants to see what you know and what you're like naturally - not how much you can prepare for what you know is coming. That's another reason I'm not giving too much away!

The Watford Interview

2009-12-17T00:23:00.010Z

EDIT: I originally held this post back but now I'm making it visible on 15/07/11

It's the post you've all been waiting for. (All ten of you - if that).

After sending off my portfolio and creative test last last month, a letter came inviting me to an interview for the BTEC Advertising Copywriting/Art Direction course at West Herts college - commonly known in the industry as 'the watford course.'

The night before the interview, after 4 hours on the road and two bottles of Bud, I kipped at a nearby B&B.

The room was hotter than a sauna, but generally quite nice.

Next morning, I went to the cafe to get my complimentary breakfast.

I turned down the full english and went for a danish pastry and a drink.

I stared at the pastry for a whole hour before getting the bloke to wrap it up in cling film.

I was too damn nervous to eat.

On my way to the college, I called into the news agents and checked the tabloids... I'd heard there'd be a question on The Sun's headline.

After a brief chat with the four other candidates in the foyer, Tony appeared.

He took us to a room, gave us a brief intro speech, then hit us with a quiz. One minute - ten questions.

1. Who is the executive creative director at TBWA London?

2. Who is x factor winner Joe McElderry moving into a flat with?

3. What agency did the recent running jockey TV ad for Weetabix?

4. What agency did the recent Bakers Tweet for Fresh Bread?

5. What does M and C, as in M&CSaatchi, stand for?

6. What agency did the most recent Carling TV campaign?

7. Which of these is not an ad agency: Brooklyn Brothers, Isobel, Poke.

8. What agency handles the above-the-line UK work for Honda cars?

9. Which agency won Campaign's 'Agency of the Decade'?

10. Name three ex-students of this course?

I think one person got 0, two people got 1, another got 2 and I got 4.

A small victory on my part.

(Noticeably, The Sun question was replaced with an X-Factor one... again, something tabloid-based).

As Tony said after the test, you can find the majority of that information through reading Campaign or spending 5 minutes on each of the major agencies' websites.

True - but whether or not the names of every client and every creative director stick in your head after you've looked at over 20 agencies is another question altogether. (The past two weeks I've been memorising what the initials RKCR/Y&R, BMP, DDB, BBH, AMV/BBDO, TBWA and HHCL all stand/stood for, but didn't think to learn Maurice Saatchi's first name. Typical). Given a minute more, I coulda got six, maybe seven right, but I simply wasn't quick enough.

After the test he gave us a really engaging 20 minute talk about what it is to be a creative and about the type of person he was, and the kind of traits he was looking for in us. I'd say it was worth the trip alone.

After that he gave us an hour and a half to:

A. Come up with ways to get people to turn their ipods or MP3 players down on public transport (with one minute to present your ideas).

B. Prepare a minute-long presentation about one of the following people: Alain Robert, Steve McQueen, Charles Bukowski... I can't remember the rest.

C. Present your portfolio - two minutes.

Now, for A, obviously he wanted executions, not just strategies. And of course he wanted as many as possible. (If I could do it again, I'd bring an A3 pad to pop my scamps in. The A4 stuff he gives you is no good when you're standing up and you've got four current students all leaning forward to see your scribbles).

For B, what he wanted wasn't so clear. Crucially, he doesn't want to find out how much you know about your chosen person. Nor does he want the kind of facts you can find on wikipedia. He wants you to make the information interesting. Make it personal, take an angle, be memorable, say something funny if possible...

Whilst I was there, one girl simply re-enacted McQueen's famous scene from the great escape, running round the room making motorcycle noises and eventually jumping up on a chair and falling down.

She got 9 out of 10.

Essentially you've got do anything but the obvious, whilst still remaining relevant.

Unfortunately this only dawned on me afterwards. I was so panicked I forgot that this was part of an interview for a creative course, not an English Lit one. I ended up giving a perfectly friendly, light-hearted presentation on Bukowski, recalling a scene from Factotum and explaining his take on 'creativity'. Ultimately I did nothing inventive with the task. MY BAD.

I got three out of ten. Tony told me that this was mainly for the joke I put in there.

Finally task C. Present your portfolio.

Have you ever flicked through an catalogue in Argos looking for a certain page?

Well that's about the pace at which you had to show your ads.

There is no time for long-copy, and - as I soon found out - Tony cares very little about ideas designed to work through digital media. He wants posters. Simple, visual campaigns expressing a benefit. Your top three executions for each campaign. Ideas you can get in five seconds (without having someone explain them to you). You have to let the ads speak for themselves to an extent. Simply set them up by saying who the ad is for and what the benefit you're dramatizing is. Also, (classic folio advice) avoid ads for big brands like Volkswagen, Heinz, The Economist, Mini, Sony - your stuff is always going to be compared to the work that's already being produced, and that shit's gonna take some beating. (You can throw a few ambient ideas in, so long as they're as simple and as clear as a poster would be).

In short:

NO to long winded virals. NO to long copy ads. NO to big brands.

YES to crisp headlines/straps. YES to visual wit. YES to smaller brands with simple benefits.

I got six out of ten on this one. He said I knew how ads worked, how they're structured, and I had a good range of devices going on. I was quite pleased about that. But, again, if you're presenting to five people, an A3 folio wouldn't go a miss. Mac your ads up too (in photoshop or whatever), as this makes them much more legible.

So - the panel's results came in for the presentations.

Two people did worse than me, and two did better.

I seriously doubt I'll get offered a place straight off, but with any luck I'll be invited back to give the interview another shot in March some time. If so, I'll be a hell of a lot calmer, and I'll know exactly what Tony wants from me.

Grab a Brown paper Bag

2009-12-11T23:18:00.010Z

God. How awful.

Is brand-enduced vomiting a recognised condition? Because I think I have it.

(That's my initial response to this ad. But let's see how it pans out...)

Well, apart from the boring spiel the Volvo fella gives, midway through, the 'sell' is impalpably soft.

Not that that's always a bad thing.

But in this case, the idea in no way stems from the brand or anything Volvo are about. And I hate to say it, but it seems like they're using the blind man for some kind of bizarre sympathy vote. Blind men can't even drive - are they just teasing him?

And don't even get me started on that soundtrack...

They seem to think the line 'There's more to life than a Volvo, that's why you drive one' gives them the go-ahead to make "feel-good" ads about absolutely anything one might encounter in one's life.... other than, of course, a Volvo.

I don't know...

There's something about this kinda of advertising I really don't like.

Maybe it's just branding campaigns in general.

Remember that ad?

2009-12-11T22:46:00.013Z

To get onto the Watford course there's a test. I hear it happens on the interview day. I have no idea what sort of questions will be asked, but I guess they'll be about advertising. So, I've set myself the modest task of learning about every agency in the UK - plus a couple more to boot.

I've written the name of each one down (and what the initials stand for), their current creative directors and most of their major clients. I've also made a list of this year's Cannes Lions and D&Ad winners...

After starting on A3 paper... I realised that I should probably have done a spreadsheet instead.

Oh and there's my cluttered desk... Rubberduckzilla 'n' all.

Oh, who did that ad?

Mother?

I left them off the list too... silly me.

This is a real test of memory. If you spot any errors in my list, please let me know. And if anyone has any interview advice please dispense. It's only five days away!

Walk with John Hegarty

2009-12-10T11:40:00.001Z

The First Elevator Ambient I've Liked

2009-12-09T22:01:00.006Z

When anyone ever uses elevator doors to advertise on, it's always something predictable which plays on the splitting apart/separating function of the doors themselves (divorce lawyers etc.) But this one is bloody cool.

(Found on Reddit frontpage - I spend way too much time there).

Building a Buzz

2009-12-08T23:33:00.005Z

I just noticed this article somewhere or other.

After reading, it occurred to me that if an art gallery had one of the pieces stolen it would generate a lot of free press... especially if it was replaced with a fake and no-one noticed for a good while. What a story!? Just so long as the story got out eventually. People would hear about the exhibition, and might go see what the controversy was about.

If the theft of this brick art (supposedly worth around £3k) wasn't an advertising stunt for the exhibition, it should have been. And even if it was found out to be a hoax theft - the artist could always say it was part of the art! It raises questions about fakes and originals, the made and the found, or whatever kinda waffle you hear on 'School of Saatchi'.

Dave Trott's recent posts have gotten me all mischievous and thinking about how ads work with no budget at all. Create a bit of outrage and you can't go far wrong!

The Future of Google

2009-12-08T12:07:00.002Z

(Source: Digital Buzz blog)

Ever Wanted 3,174 VW Ads?

2009-12-07T15:39:00.009Z

Well here you go!

A gentleman called Roy has catalogued them all - by year, model and country.

Some you'll know well, and others you won't. Here's a beaut:

Hermes: Window Installation

2009-12-07T13:00:00.005Z

Installation from Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka in the window of Hermes House in Japan.

There's something very calming about it. I suppose it's like witnessing slow motion in real life.

Courtesy of We Love Viral.

Ad Strategies: Yo mamma's so fat she X

2009-12-06T23:14:00.013Z

Yo know the type of joke? It goes, "Yo mamma is so fat she X"? Here's a few:

Yo momma's so fat, at a restaurant when they give her the menu she replies " yes Please"

Yo momma's so fat, when she went to the beach Greenpeace tried to drag her back in the water.

Yo momma's so fat, she makes Big Bird look like a rubber duck.

We'll my dear readers, ad land has it's very own version: this product is so X it Y. (Also labelled more simply, by Peter Barry, as the 'exaggeration' strategy).

Here's a few classic examples with the literal (as opposed to lateral) translation underneath:

This knife is so sharp, it cuts through the chopping board too!

This cement dries so quick, you don't even have time to write your name in it!

This marker pen is so permanent, an autograph will stay with you till your old!

Now, as you can no doubt tell, verbalizing the idea behind the visual takes away the magic... if they'd been posters with the same idea in words, they'd have been burnt instantly.

The wit of these ads seems manifest in the 'play' between the product logo and the image itself.

I imagine the writer going on a little journey... coming up with an incredibly short story to dramatize the benefit... eventually arriving at the idea after a long period of time and a lot of lateral scribblings...

The viewer then takes that same journey, but a hell of a lot faster...

Maybe that's what makes you laugh... the G-force in your tummy?!

The result? 'A smile in the mind' as the old book title has it!

Ad Strategies: X looks like Y

2009-12-06T23:00:00.008Z

Looking through the annals of ad history I've found countless visual ads that make me feel a little bit excited inside. A fair few that make me feel a little sick too - sick with envy.

I have, however, noticed a few trends, the first of which I'll talk about here; X looks like Y.

Here are some classic examples:

These are described by Pete Barry as 'visual puns'. Just like Meerkat sounding like Market, or Mental Floss sounding like Dental Floss (an old Mac ad) they simple tax in on the idea that one element of the product resembles one expression of the benefit. To come up with them, it seems you just have to spend hours looking at the product and it's use, waiting for that nugget - that ad gold. Of course, at the end of the day they're still puns and everyone knows that's a low form of wit. Still, visuals works quicker than copy and somehow (don't ask me about the science of it) seem to give more of a laugh.

The visual pun: but one weapon in the copywriter's arsenal.

Keeping busy

2009-12-02T23:01:00.008Z

Last week I sent off my application to the Watford course. Waiting for a reply was like torture (for a neurotic like me), but they decided to invite me to an interview on Dec 16th. This is good news!

In the couple of days spent waiting, I busied myself with some drawing. My friend Louis wanted some artwork designing for his website, so I came up with a nice banner and logo. You can visit his great Techno/Electro blog 'Louis Louis' right here. I also made a little image for stickers/tee-shirts he might be printing. Who knew I could draw so well using Illustrator alone?!

There's lots to be done in preparation for the interview. Learning all the agencies names, creatives, clients, past campaigns. Not to mention improving my portfolio. I'm also trying desperately hard not to think about the Dragon's Den style presentation I'll have to do...

Pressure's on.

Worshiping The Sun

2009-12-01T16:00:00.004Z

One of the best ways to take on your competition is to tackle it head first.

Traditional newspapers face the onslaught of iphones, blackberries and other new media.

So they do this...

(Agency: Glue, London)

Sullivan on Simplicity

2009-11-30T22:14:00.005Z

I've mentioned him before... it's the author of the fantastic 'Hey Whipple, Squeeze This', Luke Sullivan, giving the definitive lesson in the art of the ad.

Luke Sullivan from Mediastash.tv on Vimeo.

Straplines and the holy grail

2009-11-26T19:27:00.004Z

In a recent blog post by Dave Trott over at Brand Republic he discusses including the name of the product or brand in the strapline or ad itself. How, of late, it seems to have become a rather uncool or unsophisticated thing to do. But his point is that linking the message to a brand is something that somehow has to be done - if T-Mobile's flash mobs just sell 'mobile phones' and not T-Mobile mobile phones, then they are doing the competitor's advertising for them!

In the subsequent discussion to the blog post, we hit on some classic straps which contain the name... 'Heinz Meanz Beanz', 'Ooh Ahh Daily Star'. I suggested the following two which have achieved the holy grail of all straplines... to enter common parlance.

Whenever someone overdoes something, hits the golf ball too far, lifts a table exceedingly well or whatever, people often say 'Someone's had their Weetabix'...

That's a strap that will outlive any campaign they happen to run.

It's good that they've gone back to it.

'Shoulda gone to specsavers' is another which if not said out loud, plays in your thoughts whenever you see bad glasses.

Dave is certainly on to something here.

Google Autocomplete Meme

2009-11-21T16:31:00.007Z

If you're like me and spend way too much time on the internet, you'll probably have seen this sort of thing quite a bit:

You can get a whole bunch on AutocompleteMe.com

They COULD be a naturally occurring phenomenon... but then why put a result that has 14,000 views above one that has 1,500,000?

The answer is that everyone of these humorous little screenshots acts as an ad for Google.

Each one gets handed round virally, and people go to the site to try find their own. It's a neat idea - they probably took the whole site to pieces and looked at each bit thinking: how can we make this more interesting/attractive. Obviously with Google's simplicity there wasn't much room for innovation, but they managed it.

Subtle advertising indeed (whether intentional or not).

Rory Sutherland - Lateral solutions

2009-11-02T19:31:00.001Z

Ode to the art director

2009-10-30T21:01:00.005Z

Okay, so the 'glass ceiling' is something we've all heard of . And Ogilvy & Mather (Istanbul) take it literally in this spot about prejudice. But on paper this ad would seem average.... "lets take the glass ceiling metaphor literally - block people's paths to things with CGI glass." It's the art direction that makes the spot work. If I wrote this ad by myself, I'd probably just discard it. I'd say I wasn't thinking enough. But an art director could transform the idea into something like this.

I'm not making excuses for average ideas. 'Think Now, Design Later' taught me that the concept comes first, and a bad idea cant be saved no matter how flashy you make it look. You can't polish a turd.

I think my point is that the copywriter/art director team is crucial to the process.

Not having one to bounce off is proving tough.

I've got no one to save my average ideas and make them great.

And no one to bring my 'great' ideas down to earth.

Advertising ain't solitaire.

Foxkalomaski - Last day

2009-10-17T14:27:00.007+01:00

Yesterday was my last day at Foxkalomaski. It went fairly well. I helped out with some scamps for an A2 board for a company called Star Alliance who were running a competition to win free flights to europe which you enter by handing over your business card. The line I used was 'Your business card could be your ticket' - with a graphic of someone chucking an aeroplane made from a folded business card. Boring stuff really. Then I helped with some scamps for ASK restaurant's new years eve promo. They ended up using a couple of my ideas. (There were some horrible puns flying about for the christmas posters too; Yule love it, Merry Menu, Christmas Pizzaz! It made me feel quite sick.) Then, after a good chat with the chaps in Brik Digital, I went and played with ideas for Yorkshire tourist board...

I know they're a bit silly, but by this point it didn't really matter.

I learnt a lot these two weeks: about how the business works, about how fussy clients can be, about the daily commute and about what not to put in my book. I managed not to go out on the town once in my entire time here which is a bit crap. Looking forward to getting back to sheffield.

H-aardman

2009-10-15T20:31:00.004+01:00

Here's a great new series from Aardman Animations which tackle Erectile Dysfunction (E.D.):

It really tickles me. (Sorry about the pun in the post title)

Foxkalomaski - Quick one

2009-10-15T18:38:00.008+01:00

Quick update. Yesterday Steven and Gary (FK managing partner) had a meeting with a couple of media planners/buyers - the idea was to brainstorm some more ideas for the Thai campaign. Steven presented some of the ideas we came up with (including some rice ones). Anyway, apparently one of the media fellas said that rice idea was a bit 'too one-dimensional'. Gary said that they liked my sky lantern event idea too. Woop! For a moment back there I thought I was going insane.

'Great minds like a think'

2009-10-14T20:32:00.006+01:00

Today I had a good chat with ex-Ogilvy Healthworld Creative Director Selwyn Learner. He recently set up his own agency and shares office space with FK.

Besides discussing our favourite Economist ads, he gave me a few words of advice on putting a book together. Though he studied Pharmacology at Uni and got into advertising via quite an unusual route (without needing a book), he had plenty to tell me. After showing him a few of my creative test responses, I realized that a lot of them needed work and weren't up to scratch (the fact that there we're some I didn't even want to show him told me enough!) I need to go back and rethink a lot of what I have so far. However, he did like the following line I did for lovefilm.com:

I intend to write a few more of these and put them in my book, but I'm having trouble repeating that simple 'setup - twist' formula. Any suggestions are welcome! I'm also thinking of putting some ads in for Dreams (the bed company) because their advertising is damn awful. I also started coming up with some ideas for the D&Ad 'Metro' newspaper brief which I intend to put in my book too. I'm giving myself till January to send off my Watford application.

The race is on!

Modern art, makes me...

2009-10-12T20:59:00.014+01:00

So the weekend rolled around and I went and explored London town. Saturday was an utter failure of a day. After sleeping in, I spent the rest of the day traipsing round looking for small galleries which turned out to be closed, between exhibitions or utterly inaccessible. Sunday, however, was great. I got up early and went to the Tate Modern. Though I didn't shell out for the 'Pop LIfe' exhibition, the free parts of the gallery had more than enough to keep me busy. There was some great work there and I ended up with a big list of pieces to look up later. A couple that stick in the mind:

Salvador Dali, Moutain Lake - Though I'm not usually into surrealist painting, something about this piece just grabbed me. It's like a dream - or nightmare - I've had. Very sinister indeed.

Joesph Beuys, The Pack - This one made me laugh. I'm not sure if it's supposed to illicit that response, but something about the wolves being exchanged for the sled's they pull - and all coming out of the back of a useless looking VW. Apparently it's based on the artist's personal experience of being stranded and rescued; having fat rubbed on him and being wrapped in furs. Either way, I liked it for it's comic absurdity. There should be more laughter in galleries I think - it's not always serious.

Kurt Kern, Leda and the Swan - This short film/video art was pretty erotic. Extreme close-ups of the seemingly horrific rape of young Leda by a bizzare puppet Swan! Egg yolks rolling off breasts, seasonings and cream everywhere, and a beach ball or something in the mix too. All cut in a very jerky manner. It was like a snuff film or something. Hypnotic to watch.

Oh and I also managed to see some work by one of my old favourites, Joseph Cornell. That was quite special; just being in it's presence.

So after that, I made a trip over to Tate Britain. I happened to pass Westminster on the way...

And of course the protests were happening. Personally I reckon I got a great shot here... better than the papers. It was chaos there over the weekend, mind.

The turner prize was on at Tate britain, but I only had an hour before closing and didn't want to shell out a tenner. Instead I absorbed some beautiful Romantic paintings and saw a few other exciting pieces like this one by Anish Kapoor called 'Ishi's Light':

Which is a great thing to behold. When you look inside at certain parts, it's light looking into the sky on an overcast night; pitch black, it seemed to go on forever.

So that's enough for now. Catch up later in the week.

New McDonald's ad? I'm lovin' it!

2009-10-10T21:50:00.005+01:00

Is it wrong to like this new McDonald's ad? I think the tone is spot on. They know exactly who their customers are - passers-by! Most people don't set out to eat their lunch or dinner in McDonalds... people just pass by and think 'go on then'. Okay the repetition is a bit cheesy, but still, for McDonald's its a vast improvement.

Copy-writer No.1

2009-10-10T20:56:00.005+01:00

I envision this becoming a feature. Its called copy-writer and looks at blatant copying in advertising. (A bit like the CopyCunts blog - i realise the irony)

This first one I spotted a good while back. Take a look at this pretty poor ad for Richmond Sausages:

Then check out this great scene from Ratatouille:

The traveling back scene is EXACTLY the same. Agencies should be penalized by the IPA for this kinda shit. Or the writer should get a 2 campaign suspension. Grrr.

Windows 7 and Badvertising

2009-10-09T23:13:00.009+01:00

First time you watch this, you think it's ironic:

Then you remember that Americans don't do irony - this must be for real.

THEN you think: no. Surely this must be ironic - somehow, this time they've managed to grasp it. It's all fine. It's all a big joke - deliberately bad-advertising. A spoof. Phew.

THEN you see this, which found it's way to the Reddit homepage today:

And you realise that they wouldn't have spent money producing all this promo shit for the kind of 'subtle joke' you hope it is. They actually think people will have Microsoft parties. They really have got it that wrong.

I think this must be a case of someone who doesn't actually understand people making ads for a product they imagine everyone is just dying to fall in love with. The inflated ego of someone who is simply out of touch.

The only saving grace is that the ad is SO BAD, it's accidentally gone viral with 1million+ hits.

Shudder.

Foxkalomaski - Rice

2009-10-09T20:43:00.015+01:00

So me and Steven (a junior account executive on placement) have been thrashing out ideas for this Thai airways campaign. We came up with an idea for a microsite (as requested) based on Karma; Thailand being a devoutly Buddhist nation. The idea was if you treat others well, you'll benefit too. You reap what you sow. So basically, users are invited to submit what they believe are worthy journeys. Other users then up-vote the most worthy journeys, and Thai air makes the winners trip possible. A good deed gets rewarded. (I got the idea after hearing about this site called Kickstarter where cool projects request funding, then the best are given cash by the philanthropic visitors.) I figured anyone who submitted a journey would then encourage friends and family to go visit the site and up-vote their journeys so they stood a better chance of winning.

After pitching this and three other ideas in a presentation, the team weren't really sold on any. They said they'd rather we'd gone down the 'rice' or 'thai food' routes - ideas which had been mentioned in our first discussion. They suggested a couple of things: a website with rice based recipes and a competition calling for rice-based art which could then be exhibited in a major gallery - because 'ABC1s', (university educated, with with expendable income) are the type of people who go to galleries (marketing speak). And they said that our ideas were too 'niche' and wanted us to come back with something more commercial. After all, everyone has to eat.

('Of all the people in all the world' - rice based art I remember seeing in Manchester)

Looks like we're back to the drawing board yet again! I guess this is good experience in dealing with clients. As Luke Sullivan says, when one idea gets knocked back, 'there's always another ad'.

Foxkalomaski - Thai Airways

2009-10-07T23:58:00.010+01:00

Today things were a lot better at FK. Steve let me know that I was going to be sitting in on a pre-pre-brainstorming session for a new campaign for Thai Airways. Following their latest campaign for The Bahamas tourist board (see F o u r t e e n I s l a n d s F i l m C h a l l e n g e), FK & Brik are looking to develop something similar for Thai Airways; they want a low-spend, high 'talkability' campaign, which generates web hits, press coverage, user generated content (UGC) etc. Who doesn't eh? (To see how it's really done, check out this year's big award winner The Best Job in the World for the Queensland tourist board).

So anyway, I started thinking... What I knew was that I wanted to get away from imagery like this:

...which seemed to proliferate previous Thai Air work. Nor did I want to feel too restricted by the Thai link; I didn't want to limit the campaign possibilities by having to bring it back to the textile trade which gave rise to the 'Smooth as Silk' strap-line currently in use. We can be a little more liberal, you know? Sony don't sell TVs - they sell colour; BMW don't sell cars either - they sell joy. What do Thai airways sell? Freedom - exploration - escapism? These are all more abstract concepts which can be extrapolated from the product, yet lend wider ad scope.

After a bit of net browsing, I discovered that sky lanterns are big in Thailand; they come out on just about every thai festival or occasion worth talking about. Here:

I know it says Taiwan, but they're big there too. They're just spot on for an air travel company. In Thailand, they even symbolize worries floating away!

So I thought some kind of event, in a major city like London, where thousands of these lanterns (coloured purple and sporting thai logos of course) are let off would create a bit of buzz and be seen from a mile off. I figured it may attract a lot of A. free media coverage B. YouTube uploads and C. Photo sharing and blogging. (Note, the vid above has 420,000 hits in just 7 months, and thats not even set in London!)

Such an event would also be a great photo opportunity - enabling later print executions with images like this:

I raised this idea at the pre-pre-brainstorming session, it didn't exactly fly. (Excuse the pun). While it gave some strong imagery, it didn't have the longevity or depth the team were after. They wanted something which would direct traffic to the site month on month... not just the weekend of the event. I saw their point - it's no 'best job in the world'.

A little dejected, I went off to have another go. When I got home and did a little more internet research, I came across this:

So it looks like the yanks beat me to it. Even if it's not an event/stunt like mine, it's the same idea - just with a corny as hell voice over. I guess I'll need something else. Back to the drawing board as they say.

Foxkalomaski - The Chimes

2009-10-06T23:07:00.011+01:00

Well I made it to London alive. Small town northerner that I am. And, on my first day, I even made it to the Foxkalomaski office early enough to grab a croissant and watch a number of iPhone toting, umbrella wielding commuters commuting.

After an initial bit of confusion - Head of Creative, Steve, being out at a meeting till 11 and me not getting the memo - I was given the office tour and introduced to everyone in the department. (I was pleased to hear that FK also run a small sister company called Brik who specialize in digital. The guys in their seemed cool. I'll have to get pally.)

When Steve got back he gave me a brief to work on. The client, one of their current ones, is a shopping centre called The Chimes. He basically wants an over-arching idea which will lend itself to several print executions.

As far as advertising sectors go, retail has to be one of the less exciting. For many, a shopping centre is really no more than a roof placed over a group of conveniently grouped stores. The task at hand seems mainly to be one of branding - communicating the centre's values, personality etc. and giving the place an overall consistent 'look'.

After reading the relevant lit given to me, I decided that a visit to the shopping centre would be a good way to bring to the project alive (above).

I then visited the nearby (though more central) competitor Westfield London Shopping Mall, a place which, I'll admit, blew my Stockport socks off. It was the most opulent/chic/upmarket places I've ever been with highly decorated window displays and minimally stocked designer outlets everywhere...

This place was miles better than The Chimes, but then again... it cost a lot more. It had chandeliers, touchscreen navigation points and (most importantly) Gregg's wasn't listed in the restaurant section. I certainly have quite a job on my hands. Let's hope I can come up with something tomorrow.

For now, my feet are tired from all that walking. I'll leave you with a fashion tip courtesy of H&M London. Black is in right now:

Ever been to Soundville?

2009-10-02T17:34:00.005+01:00

You're wandering the streets, listening to your MP3 player, and you imagine to yourself a world where there is music played out from speakers all round the city, soundtracking everyone's daily lives. Fleet foxes in the morning, Mum in the evening, Burial at night and Freescha as dawn is breaking. Anyone had this idea before? I imagine it all the time when about town (usually when the reverb on the track is just the right amount for the place your standing). Well someone else has had the same idea and made it into a Sony ad. I'm quite pleased that I'm thinking in a similar way to Juan Cabral - the mastermind behind Sony Balls, Sony Paint and Cadbury's Gorilla. Take a look:

With great direction and choice of music (Mum even got included!) this spot feels just great. The concept sits well with the rest of the sony spots too.

Bravo.

I'm off to London this weekend for my two week placement with Foxkalomaski. Don't have a clue what to expect, but I'm pretty excited. Fingers crossed.

Trillion Dollar Campaign

2009-09-28T19:34:00.002+01:00

A great campaign by TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris for The Zimbabwean. From earlier this year - stormed Cannes - but just won another prize which reminded me about it.

See - it ain't all about selling lard to kids.

Kitties, Piggies and Puppies.

2009-09-24T09:17:00.003+01:00

Cutest ad ever? From DDB (New York). Viral material indeed.

Somebody's not getting it

2009-09-22T10:46:00.003+01:00

Take a look at this ad... clever, but it took me a while to get it. Anyone else? Maybe I'm not dirty minded enough. It serves well highlighting the importance of the allowed 'getting it' time most ads have... whether you, as advertiser, have shown enough information for people to fill in the blanks. For those who got it straight away, mind, it just serves in highlighting how slow I am.

(UPDATE 09/10/09: Incase you dont get it either - the man's made of fabric and because of the softener he can't get stiff - you know how you get stiff shirts and towels? Yeah.)

Monsters grow and grow, apparently.

2009-09-17T00:27:00.003+01:00

Part of me wants to make ads like this one...

But I'd have no idea how to pitch it.

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I'll be with you again soon, honest. I've been cracking on with 'selling tarantulas as the next must have pet' and explaining why you should 'never underestimate a handsome bear'. Next up is a digital idea for a chocolate bar and I want it done or near done by the end of tomorrow!

Do you see what I see?

2009-07-28T15:27:00.006+01:00

Okay, so I heard down the grapevine that my welsh uncle, Tim, knows someone in advertising. Turns out this 'someone' is Creative Director at Fox Kalomaski, an agency down in London with clients including M&S and Thompson Holidays. My uncle called in a favour and asked if this fellow, Steve, would take a look at my CV. He agreed, so I sent him it accompanied by a covering letter and this:

It's an ad I made for myself as part of the Watford creative test. This was the only piece of writing I sent - since I don't have a portfolio yet - but the good news is it was good enough! My uncle also buttered him up a bit and got some drinks down him, but I'd like to think it was my ad that did the trick. So, it's probable that I'll be able to go do a 2 week internship there during October. My friend Phil has said that he'll let me sleep on his floor, since he is down south studying fine art at Goldsmiths. I just hope that if I have a job by then, they'll give me the 2 weeks off.

Joblessness is getting me down a bit, but I've got a sandwich ready for me here, so it's not so bad. Stay tuned.

Sticky Business

2009-07-22T23:13:00.023+01:00

If you're asked to advertise super glue, you know what your selling point is straight from the off: stickiness (obviously). But how do you say your glue is strong, without saying "our glue is dead strong." Well, here for you today are several of the funniest/most interesting attempts I've encountered recently (click images to enlarge):

This has to be my favourite. It's by DDB (Milan) and works without any copy at all.

Then there's this one which, again, works well with virtually no copy.

This one is more of an outdoor/ambient campaign. The ad uses the 'use value' of the bridge (ie. carrying heavy loads) to it's advantage, as well as creating a bit of a spectacle in a high 'traffic' area.

Here's the last one for now. Again no copy, just a witty visual idea.

It seems like a fun product to sell. It reminds me of something I read about 'reductionism' in 'Hey Whipple, Squeeze This' by Luke Sullivan. Take every element and ask 'does it add anything?' If not, you may as well get rid of it - it's just another thing vying for attention; cluttering the place up. Here's the diagram his friend drew for him to get the point across:

It's like the Occam's Razor of advertising (for the more philosophical amongst you), and it's a maxim I'll always keep in mind when doing my own writing.

On the topic of my own writing, I've finished the Cliff ads, and started on the task of coming up with as many posters as I can to sell myself. I've already done one, but won't post it till I've sent everything off. Today I also went down to 'Shelter' (the homelessness charity) to ask about volunteering in admin. That's right, working for no money at all. Good job I'm so noble. They said they'd get back to me start of next week. Stay tuned pals.

Hanging With Cliff

2009-07-18T02:06:00.008+01:00

So today I took on the task of creating a campaign strategy for Cliff Richard as the next UK prime minister. I think it went quite well. I came up with an angle at least, and I feel it is an original one ie. a route that others might not think to go down. I also wrote up my flooding headlines and t-shirt designs into neat PDF and finished off the poem about death.

Here's one of the jokey t-shirt designs I came up with - there are some slogan based ones too, but I thought this visual one was worth posting. It's for global flooding remember. Ho ho ho...

That post on the new VW ad will have to wait till next time when I can be bothered to say something substantial about it. For now though, content yourself with this I found today (on I Asked For A Car). It's another of those absurd japanese ads. From the school of what I have come to call 'bad-vertising'... great...

There is also a hideous remix version HERE combining a terrifying onion man and tomato man.

Sleep tight.

Campaign's Top 10 Surreal Ads

2009-07-16T09:42:00.005+01:00

Campaign recently listed their top ten surreal ads online. While most of us will have noted a bit of a surrealist renaissance of late (Rubberduckzilla and the like), the style goes way back - back to the Halcyon days of HHCL (a big agency in the 90's). Here's my favourite of the bunch, it's by TBWA/Chiat/Day (New York) for Skittles...see it HERE in HD!

In other news - I'm making progress on the creative test, my "funny" poem on death is nearly done. I don't think I'll be posting it on here, but some of my answers I might. Also, my first installment (and 2 weeks back payment) of jobseekers allowance went in to my account today which is good. I'm so desperate that I've started applying for voluntary admin work and internships. One PR company already got back to me, but I'm not sure my CV will interest them too much - plus I may have accidentally offended them in an email, 'cos I said their blog had 'gone cold'. It hadn't been updated since January. Oh well.

What Twits!

2009-07-14T00:33:00.021+01:00

I've just read this article over at BrandRepublic. It's about a 15-year-old kid's report on the teenage demographic - one that happened to cause a bit of a shake up. It sums up some of my intuitions about Twittering and how some marketing/ad folk have kids down in general. Read the article before you read on!

Here's a link to full report which caused all the shock. He's like the Anti-Christ of Web 2.0. The key paragraph for me is this:

"Teenagers do not use twitter. Most have signed up to the service, but then just leave it as they realise that they are not going to update it (mostly because texting twitter uses up credit, and they would rather text friends with that credit). In addition, they realise that no one is viewing their profile, so their 'tweets' are pointless."

Elegantly put.. this kid could go far! Though, I think he could have replaced 'teenagers' with 'people' and he wouldn't have been far off. Discussing this with mates, it seems that other than the ability to follow famous people, there isn't much Twitter offers that facebook doesn't. I'm not saying it's without it's uses; it's ideal for individuals wishing to keep in touch with colleagues and do some industry networking. Some of you may know it worked a treat for Aston Kutcher ('cos people like to feel close to celebrities and following their Tweets lets them do that) - but I think some people may be living in a bubble if they think it is the future of advertising. No one wants to feel close the the manufacturer of their toothbrush for god's sake (see the Phillips Twitter campaign, which despite being a lovely idea, only averaged around 20 tweets a day - a bit of a flop).

Next up let's consider Delicious.com - the social bookmarking site (it lets you bookmark cool sites and the most bookmarked come up on the front page, accessible for others). You'll probably have seen the icon next to any blogs/newspaper articles you've read online, along with a plethora of others like so...

It's that little blue battenburg cake one (awful logo isn't it?). Well, when I went on there today - for what I admit was my first time - out of the top ten most popular sites bookmarked, one was a porn site (the top one at that), one was something about landing on the moon, and the other EIGHT were about either Web Design or Social Networking itself - which, quite frankly, suggests that the only people using this thing are marketing execs and web developers themselves. Take a look:

How bloody ridiculous. It's got some way to go I think. (NB. these aren't just the most popular under the tag 'social media' these were the most popular full stop).

I'm sure this won't by my last say on the matter, and I may well be forced to eat my words, but I suppose untill I get past the doors of an advertising/marketing agency and into the office where the numbers are crunched, I won't know what kinda return clients get on social networking campaigns. And on that suitably hesitant caveat, I shall leave you.

My next post will hopefully be on that new 'positive thinking' VW spot which has been met with a fair bit of confusion!

A bad VW ad by DDB? No way!

A Little Something

2009-07-12T19:35:00.010+01:00

Okay, today I started brainstorming headlines and t-shirts to be worn the day after global flooding happens (part of the Copywriting entry test below). I have a page full of scribblings - some dead end, some okay... but this is one of the questions you can keep adding to while you do the rest, so I'm optimistic I'll stumble on a gem or two soon. The next one I wanna tackle is the funny poem about death. The question reminded me of "The Dead", a poem by one of my favourite poets, Billy Collins. It's not laugh out loud funny, but it's light-hearted, thoughtful and human - like most of his work. Here is a lovely animated version I thought I'd share:

P.S. I take it everyone has seen the new Evian roller-babies viral? My 'Absurd Graphic vs. Dance Classic' prediction is further corroborated!

Watch this space pals!