FLYING OVER MANHATTAN

This video was shot to promote The new action film Chronicle.  Simple, smart and awesome. Everything you look for in a successful viral campaign.

HOW FACEBOOK AFFECTS YOUR RELATIONSHIP

Ever wonder what Facebook is doing to your real-world relationships? Here’s the answer to all of those questions in one handy place.

OLD SPICE POWER

This is a fun meta-take on advertising. The new Old Spice spokesperson busting his way into other ads.

SLEEVELESS / THE TRUNK

If you ever find yourself in Nashville (or, more likely, shopping on line) Sleeveless and The Trunk are the jam. Sleelevess is an amazing fashion line created by designer Kyah Hillis. The trunk is a traveling retail space like no other. Both are much worth looking into. Follow them on Twitter @Sleeveless and @TheTrunkNash,  and/or like them on Facebook: Sleeveless and The Trunk Nashville!

TRACY BROSNAN is an ASSOC CREATIVE DIRECTOR for OLAY at SaatchiNY. For more info on her background, head over to her website, TracyBrosnan.com.  The above photo comes courtesy of her 4-year old daughter, Angelene Cronin

WHAT DO YOU DO AT SAATCHI & SAATCHI? 
I’m an Assoc. Creative Director on Olay, currently working on developing content to reach younger users and 360 projects for Olay Body products.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
I was a switchboard operator at Sears

WHAT LED YOU ON THE PATH YOU’RE ON TODAY?
I once thought I was not creative enough to fit into any art profession, but in my first design class we were tasked with designing a newspaper campaign to stop teenage suicide.  I was fortunate to be one of the five chosen designs and it was all the encouragement I needed. A few years later I won a $10,000 prize and a paid internship at Citibank Marketing in Long Island City.  It was during my first week, when I saw Citibank’s advertising agencies’ ideas that I knew what I wanted to do. I finally had a good plan. Eat sushi every day and stay out later than ever. Work hard on my portfolio when the summer is over.

WHAT ARE YOUR LOVEMARKS?
Livestrong, Rutherford Winery, Lori’s Shoes, and my AAdvantage miles card

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE AD (ALL TIME OR CURRENTLY)?
This changes every single day. Today I love this one . . . it’s a tear jerker:

Now, stop crying . . . this one is funny . . .

IF YOU NEVER HAD TO WORK AGAIN, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO DO?
Whoah . . .

First, learn to sail.

Next, make my own chocolate truffles.

I’d stop rushing!

Write a book about growing up with a crazy father.

Drive cross country in a convertible with my family.

Photograph everybody I like (that’s a lot of people).

Trek the Himalayas.

Meet more people to photograph.

Probably look for a job after that!

FAVORITE PLACE YOU’VE BEEN TO? 
I love Buenos Aires.  The food, the language, the attitude of the people . . .

WHAT’S YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION?

I can’t decide. My shoes or my camera? Shoes? Camera? 

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE YOUTUBE VIDEO?
Hip-hop and Jimmy Fallon. What is better than this?

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU MAKE REALLY WELL? 
Turkey chili

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WARM-WEATHER NYC ACTIVITY?
Outdoor concerts and having a glass of wine on the balcony and watching the boats on the Hudson. 

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHTIME SPOT NEAR THE OFFICE? 
Not telling . . .

WHAT’S YOUR GO TO KARAOKE SONG? (COME ON, WE KNOW YOU HAVE ONE). 
Gotta be Billy Squier. Lonely is the Night or Everybody Wants You.

WHAT’S THE BEST MEAL YOU’VE EVER HAD? 
Waterlot Inn in Bermuda. The best steak I’ve ever had.

Another was my first Shabu shabu in Kosugi, Japan. I love any kind of meal that takes time. The table is filled with chopped pieces of everything fresh and raw. The experience was magnified just by sitting on the tatami in a traditional Japanese farmhouse.

IF YOU COULD BE THE WORLD RECORD HOLDER OF ANYTHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE? 
I want to live the longest. There are simply too many things I want to do!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CREATIVE PURSUIT? 
I love photography. And I love journaling; it makes me calm.  Since switching to digital photography (a few years after most people), I missed the darkroom so much I started to work with silver clay to make jewelry using tiny versions of my photographs.

WHAT BLOGS/MAGAZINES/BOOKS/PAPERS/WEBSITES CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT? 
I’m very fickle when it comes to this. But at least a few times a week I breeze through brainpickings.org, kickstarter.com and psfk.com.

I actually have subscriptions to Real Simple (quietly hoping that one day my life will feel like one of these uncluttered, calm-feeling photos), New York, Fast Company and Self.

As an art director, I make a monthly stop at the global magazine stores to refill my brain with new images. Books and magazines are my addiction.

WHAT’S THE LAST GREAT EVENT YOU WENT TO?
My daughter’s dance recital. She started when she was 3 and a year later knows passe’, plie’, arabesque and an awesome curtsy. 

WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
Last month while I was telling my father a story (and getting a little bit mad) he said, “You gotta turn down your Irish.” 

WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE STORY?
I’ve had a few . . . but today the my “nothing is impossible” challenge is making sure I raise good kids (at-their-core-kind-of-good) while at the same time making sure my Mom & Dad are doing alright as they step into retirement.

As with most creative companies in NYC, we’re not short on employees with an amazing (and sometimes bold) sense of style. To celebrate the fashion-forward among us, we’ve created 375 Style – a feature replete with photos and insights into their style. This week: AAE Courtney Griffin (@courtgriffin)

What are you wearing (brands)?
No particular brands that anyone would recognize. I found all the pieces at various thrift shops around Florida and New Jersey. Oh and then the tights are from Target. They have a fantastic selection of colorful tights.

What’s your favorite piece and is there a story/good deal behind it?
I don’t really have or wear a lot of jewelry, but this necklace is one of my favorite pieces. I found it in one of those small, knick-knack-type shops back in Tallahassee, FL where I went to school (and where there are a lot of small, knick-knack-type shops).

It’s kind of whimsical and different and has a bird– all traits I’m drawn to. It’s much like tiny watering can and pair of glasses necklaces that I own, although those are sadly bird-less. I also think it was around $20 which makes me love it even more.

What/who inspires your style?
I’ve always loved the styles of the 1950s/60s because there was so much color and such interesting design. I guess I try to incorporate the same ideas in much of what I wear; mixing in both older and more modern pieces. A lot of inspiration comes from the things I see, whether it be on the subway, on a store rack or in photos online. Recently, Pinterest has become a wonderful source of clothing inspiration.

How would you describe your style?
I would describe it as somewhat all over the place, but in a way that comes together as just “me.” Many of my things might look questionable on the hanger, but I like to bring them to life with other pieces in a way that makes them great again (or at least great to me).

Floral, lace and obnoxiously patterned dresses are definitely a staple of mine. I am often compared to both a Kindergarten teacher and a Kindergarten student (I believe this is in part due to my overuse of cardigans). My mom doesn’t like a lot of my clothes. She says they’re very “unique.”

Any good deal behind anything you wore in the shoot?
I got these boots for $4 in Asbury Park. My sister calls them my Helen Keller boots. I’m assuming because they are really, really old and Helen Keller was similarly really, really fashionable. Regardless, they were quite a bargain and I wear them a lot. Everything I have on was a good deal though. I believe this dress was only $8.

SAATCHI EATS is a casual insider’s guide to cool food finds around the neighborhood.    This week –Sullivan Street temple of all things PB-related, Peanut Butter & Co. Courtney Winegar offers her full report.

Whether you love it or hate it, Peanut Butter is an American culinary icon.  Though traditionally the faithful companion of Jelly, Peanut Butter has of course been known to trot out on its own and play the field. That’s why some H/H regulars (@mtnewman, @rockstarbiscuit, @cristina_simone & myself- @iamkinners) visited an eatery where Peanut Butter gets friendly with some rather unlikely ingredients, Peanut Butter & Co. 

The restaurant was fairly small, and every table was taken … a promising sign.  There was no line, so we were able to place our orders right away & we each selected a sandwich to share among the group.  As luck would have it, we managed to snag a table by the time our food was ready—so, we settled in and braced our taste buds for a bumpy (and smooth) ride. Let’s break down the sandwiches in descending order (from favorite to least favorite IMHO):

1: THE ELVIS

Wow. A grilled PB sandwich with bananas, honey and bacon. The Elvis was the siren call that drew us to PB & Co. in the first place and it did not disappoint.  Like its namesake, this sandwich turned out to be kind of a big deal.  We loved that the bread was toasted because it made the PB, honey and bananas warm and gooey inside the crispy confines of the toast.  We chose to add bacon, which felt like a no-brainer, and it added the perfect salty crunch.

2. THE PREGNANT LADY

This was my selection and a close second favorite.  I thought I was going to love this sandwich because, duh, it has pickles in it, but when I took my first bite I was disappointed.  I don’t particularly LOVE salt, but I really missed it in this sandwich.  That is until I added a sprinkling of PB & Co. potato chips (a bag comes with every order).  The potato chips turned everything around and launched this last minute miracle to 2nd place status.

3:  THE MIGHTY MAPLE

plus potato chips!

Made with Maple PB and crispy bacon, it was easily the most boring of the four sandwiches we tried.  Finding it to be a very “been there, done that” combo, I threw a couple of potato chips on this one as well.  Boom. Yahtzee. We have a (3rd place) winner.

4: THE HEAT IS ON

When you hear the ingredients of this sandwich- Spicy peanut butter and chilled grilled chicken with a little bit of pineapple jam-you might be as surprised as I (still) am that I didn’t love this sandwich.  To be honest, I found its smoky flavor (maybe it was the chicken?) overbearing and I couldn’t enjoy any of the other flavors in this sandwich.   That being said, half of our group enjoyed this one; so, as they say, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Overall assessment:  A whimsical lunchtime spot that I would visit again (perhaps to try the “Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedy Special” or even just the “Peanut Butter BLT”), but I’d need a little break first.

Go to Peanut Butter & Co. if you want to feed your inner child.  Don’t go if you’re expecting PB to be something that its not…fancy.   It’s not a drool worthy menu, it’s just plain fun.

Tip #1:  Chips = game changer.
Tip #2:  Milk. Order it.

Check out the full menu, like Peanut Butter & Co on Facebook and follow@PeanutButterCo!

Can you believe we’ve already ticked off the first month of 2012? The month has flown by, with almost nobody being more busy than our Lenovo team here at SaatchiNY. That’s why we’re especially happy they’ve found some time to follow up their Lenovo-specific CES report with the first contribution to a new column we’re calling “Get Digital.” Three guesses about what sort of trends will be covered here. Today’s post comes from Aisha Washington and Snigdha Gollamudi. Read it, like it, tweet it. Thanks!

Each year at CES, there’s a big event hosted by CNET in which they announce the next big thing.  This year’s announcement was all about the “ecosystem.”  What exactly does that mean?

The ecosystem is defined as connecting all of the content that is currently stored on multiple hardware devices so that it works seamlessly with one another. The average consumer, like you I’m sure has over 30 devices in their home from the standard laptops, tablets and smartphones to the evolving internet TVs, and GPS devices.  This year’s reported trend is to unite multiple devices together for seamless functionality.

Meet Andrew to understand where the future is headed:

Andrew logs off of his work laptop and leaves his office for the day.  His work computer sends a signal to his car, which starts the engine, warms the seats and cues up Andrew’s favorite digital radio program.  As Andrew gets closer to home the GPS in his car speaks to his house, turning on lights and heating in preparation for his arrival.  Once Andrew steps inside, he heads to the bedroom to get changed. His bedroom TV turns on and gives him a quick summary of the latest headlines.  Andrew then heads to the kitchen to begin prepping dinner.  The oven is already pre-heating and the refrigerator has ordered groceries for the next two weeks. Andrew uses his tablet recipe app, which has anticipated the ingredients available in the fridge, to cook his dinner.

One brand that is on the cutting edge of this new revolution is LG.  They have started creating smart products that can identify and anticipate your needs.  From a refrigerator that helps you diet and keeps track of your groceries, to a robot that vacuums via smartphone control, LG is giving the household a whole new tech makeover.

The LG line of appliances is being called, Smart ThinQ.  At the forefront of its new line is its refrigerator, which just got a lot smarter with a health manager feature that allows you to maintain your diet, send recipes to your smart oven and even keeps you posted when you run out of certain groceries.

The health manager also customizes family member profiles to cater to each person in the house and can be controlled by voice recognition.  LG’s new concept closet virtually eliminates the need for dry cleaning and ironing since it emits steam to help sanitize and de-wrinkle your clothes.

Check out these images of the cool new LG technology:

What does all this mean for us? As a consumer, it’ll hopefully make our lives a lot easier but as marketers we will have to consider the whole consumer journey. Purchasing decisions won’t be based solely on product benefits, but also on how a product functions as a part of the larger system. What we produce will be judged on how seamlessly it fits into the consumer’s life. As devices become platforms for content, and consumers want to move with ease between different mediums to consume this content, we must keep in mind that the “ecosystem” is very quickly becoming an important part of the consumer journey.

We're just like the office (except more fun, and we make ads instead of paper. OK, we're nothing like the office, but you should come to intern here anyway.)

Calling all aspiring Don Draper’s, Peggy Olsen’s and Pete Campbell’s! This is the last week our talent team is accepting applications for Summer 2012 paid internships at Saatchi NY. Interested? Good. We’ve provided some of the details for you below, but for full information on the application process, jump over to the SaatchiNY site for the nitty gritty.

PROGRAM DYNAMICS
The internship is paid and includes hands-on experience, project work and a weekly seminar series.  The program runs from June 4^th – August 8^th and interns are placed in the following areas:

Account Management – competitive analyses and client support
Strategic Planning – research, consumer insights, briefs
Creative – support creative teams, copywriting, art direction

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS
Students must be enrolled in an accredited University or College program as a rising senior or recent graduate (as of May/June 2012).  GPA must be higher than 3.0.

All interns must be available to work at least 8 hours per day and within the time structure of our program.

Foreign students must have proper documentation that will allow them to work in the United States. Saatchi & Saatchi will not sponsor a visa for an intern.

WHAT’S GOOGLE KNOW ABOUT YOU?

Thanks to Google’s new privacy policy, you can now see exactly how old they think you are, where you live, and what your interests are.

SURI’S BURN BOOK
This Tumblr is a thing of beauty. Spoken in the voice and attitude of what we all assume Suri Cruise speaks in, this blog is a compilation of the children of Hollywood, and Suri’s take on them. Her commentary on a photo of her and her father, Tom Cruise, at Disneyland? “I don’t particularly like going to Disneyland with Tom, but I needed someone to carry my bag.” Enough said.

S#*T NEW YORKERS SAY

By now you’ve all seen the endless videos of “S#*t ____  Say”. The original, S#*t Girls Say, is still the best. HOWEVER, a close second took the internet by storm this month. In the spirit of … well actually in the spirit of nothing. We’re New Yorkers and don’t need a reason to laugh at ourselves. Or the amazing, dirty, beautiful city we live in.

STICKYGRAM

All of those cool Instagram photos you take that make your life look way cooler than it actually is can now be turned into real-life magnets!

Jacob Perez is VP, Strategic Planning Director at SaatchiNY. For more info on his world travels, opinions and race car driving, be sure to check him out on Twitter at @jakepr79.

WHAT DO YOU DO AT SAATCHI & SAATCHI?
I’m the Strategic Planning Director, sharing an office with the lovely Tish Valles.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB?
I spent my first summer in college working at the art library of my school.

WHAT LED YOU ON THE PATH YOU’RE ON TODAY?
Curiosity

WHAT ARE YOUR LOVEMARKS?

Zappos (you can’t beat their customer service)
BMW (If you are intro driving you know why)
Apple (I own every single one of their products)

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE AD (ALL TIME OR CURRENTLY)?
Seriously? I’m a library of ads and it’s impossible to choose one. So here is a sampling …

Johnnie Walker Evolution

Fedex Fast Talking Guy

Apple Think Different (I think it’s better than 1984)

Lynx Getting Dressed

Cadbury Gorilla and Eyebrows

Nike Joga Bonito and Write the Future

And the list goes on.

IF YOU NEVER HAD TO WORK AGAIN, WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO DO?
It’s between teaching/playing tennis and racing cars. I love both. Although I have to say that when I’m actually doing planning I don’t feel like I’m working.

FAVORITE PLACE YOU’VE BEEN TO?
Another silly question, each place is tied to a specific memory.

If you want to feel like you are in another world the Galapagos are amazing. If you are into history and religion Israel and Jordan are the place to be. And if you like fun, beach and laid back people a tour of Northern Brazil starting in Rio.

WHAT’S YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION?
I have a Orbea Orca Road Bike that I’ve put a lot of time and money into. I ride it almost every day in the summer, I love the feeling I get when I’m on the road.  And my dogs, but I wouldn’t categorize them as possessions.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE YOUTUBE VIDEO?
Charlie bit my finger.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE YOUTUBE VIDEO?
Charlie bit my finger.

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU MAKE REALLY WELL?
I make the best tortilla espanola.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WARM-WEATHER NYC ACTIVITY?
Riding my bike to Nyack.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHTIME SPOT NEAR THE OFFICE?
Mexicana Mamma. They are cash only but the food is great.

 WHAT’S YOUR GO TO KARAOKE SONG? (COME ON, WE KNOW YOU HAVE ONE).
Hmmm. You can’t judge me for this one …

It’s my life (Bon Jovi).

WHAT’S THE BEST MEAL YOU’VE EVER HAD?
It’s a tossup between El Bulli in Catalonia and French Laundry in Napa. Completely different experiences, both equally amazing. Too bad El Bulli is closed. Everyone should experience food by chef Adria.

IF YOU COULD BE THE WORLD RECORD HOLDER OF ANYTHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I would say eating the most cherry Starburst in one hour. People who know me would say most shoes.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CREATIVE PURSUIT?
I love design. Geometry and proportion has always come easy to me so my parents were cool enough to let me drive the design of their new place (together with their trusted architect of course). And I have to say it’s looking cool.

WHAT BLOGS/MAGAZINES/BOOKS/PAPERS/WEBSITES CAN YOU NOT LIVE WITHOUT?
The standard issued New York Mags: The Economist, The New Yorker, Time-Out and Wired. I also love Scientific American; I can be a bit of a nerd.

WHAT’S THE LAST GREAT EVENT YOU WENT TO?
Rockin Rio, it’s hard to beat and if you get a chance to go you should. It takes days to come down from the high you get.

WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
A quote by John Wooden from my uncle:

Talent is God-given. Be humble.
Fame is man-given. Be grateful.
Conceit is self-given. Be careful.

WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE STORY?
TBD, I’m sure something more trying that what I’ve experienced so far will come and then I’ll tell you.