The Pothole

Introducing Lowe's First Agony Aunt

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 09:18:31 -0500

“I got back to my desk this afternoon and discovered a knife in my back. Now I know that in this dog-eat-dog ad world this isn’t uncommon, but what’s the best way for me to remove it?”

Do you have a question? Any question? Best route to Singapore from New York? Which is best for kissing ass: lipstick, gloss or lip balm? How do I make my boss notice me? Is Duty-free really cheaper?

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Lowe’s first, very own Agony Aunt. “He” stepped into our New York agency this morning with a daredevilish mission in mind: “Let’s invite the Lowe world to ask me anything. There’s nothing that I can’t answer. No subject is off limits.”

Hmmm. What makes him so sure?

Our Agony Aunt is a man who lives out of a suitcase. Knows his way around every minibar in the world. And is a household name in every airport lounge. And yes, he’s globe trotted, fire fought, dibble-dabbled in just about every nuke and cranny in the world. But will his claim to know the answers to just about any rant, injustice, world exploration conundrum that you - Lowe - might have, be true?

Who is this international man of mystery?

Can we trust him?

Let’s put our Agony Aunt in The Pothole and see what he stirs up.

How To Defuse A Ticking Bomb

Mon, 13 Dec 2010 10:41:00 -0500

For a closer read and to download this PDF, go to Lowe Go or click on the images below.

Let's put crowdsourcing to the test

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:06:00 -0500

written by Peter Preisler

The task

Electrolux is re-launching the brand based on a new brand platform and a new range of products (the premium category).

Brand platform and range

The new brand platform leverages the professional experience within Electrolux (Electrolux Professional Division is the leading supplier to the worlds best restaurants and hotels) and the Scandinavian mentality summarized in four values (empathy, insightful, progressive, ingenious).

- The brand promise (note: not message but the internal mantra):”We give you freedom to accomplish more through thoughtful design innovation”.

- The proposition for the new range: ”For the first time, there is a consistently designed range made for the contemporary home, with a clever user interface you can personalise and professionally endorsed short cuts, that deliver the result you aspire to achieve.”

Who are we communicating to

People that delights in creating “social moments that matter” with confidence and certainty. They revel in the recognition received from those they care about

A target group film

https://www.senditsafe.com/d/3c40f5fa337a2e7cca8b68d5c88e94a3

The brief

Three conceptual territories have been identified.

# 1 ” Electrolux gives you more time do to more things you like to do"

This thought is not about saving time but about getting time. Think of it in terms of Electrolux provides the 25th hours for you to explore new things, try new recipes, try on more clothes you would like to wear when you would like to wear them etc.

Insight: Today, time is more than just money – it is something fantastic. It is what we do of it and the more we had of it, the more fantastic things we would do with it. What if someone could give you more time, more time to explore new things?

# 2 ”Electrolux look after the things you love”

This thought is not about Electrolux taking care of the chores but about the things you love, your favourite clothes, your friends or your favourite time of the day. If Electrolux can be your partner for this you can focus on being yourself and expressing who you are instead of being worried about your appearance or hospitality.

Insight: You are what you wear, what you serve and how your home looks like. It´s almost like an obsession and the more we focus on it, the more we get restrained by actually being who we are. What if someone understood this and could partner with you to take care of the things that make the real you shine through, so you get the freedom to accomplish more.

# 3 ”Electrolux expands your comfort zone, and lets you be curious of life”

With Electrolux products you can finally dare to be curios about testing new recipes, being more spontaneous or trying that outfit you so seldom wear because you are afraid of washing it.

Insight: Today we are expected to know all, do all and surprise all. But we are not that creative, or at least we don´t always dare to be creative when it comes to cooking a new meal for your cynical friends or wear that special vintage t-shirts afraid of it smelling chemicals. What if someone could help you to relief the anxiety through short cuts that could validate a perfect result since it already used by professionals today.

Rules of engagements:

Please use this space to post your ideas.

You are free to explore any formats or executions you wish and that you think is relevant.

All ideas will be channelled through Rickard Villard (ECD) and Allan Fraser-Rush (Communication Planner) at Lowe Brindfors.

All ideas need to be submitted this week.

For questions on the brief, please don´t hesitate to contact Peter Preisler (

peter.preisler@lowebrindfors.se) or Allan Fraser-Rush (allan.fraser-rush@lowebrindfors.se).

Good Luck!

The Dinner Game

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 08:36:00 -0500

by samina.

Picture this: Sight is but a figment of our imagination.

If food had no visual references, how would we stimulate and process our tastebuds? An avocado soufflé might be mistaken for a banana shake, and the decadence of a melting dark chocolate cake perhaps perceived as a gooey sticky cream mousse.

Does the sound of crunching carrots stimulate your tastebuds? Can you decipher the difference between white and red wine? What about a chilled Tapena Rose, and a white Albariño?

Last week, I attended a dinner game. Created by blind people, and served by the blind, the dinner game called Dans Le Noir is a dining experience inviting the complete re-evaluation of the notion of taste and smell through a gastronomic and pedagogical process.

The concept is simple. Diners enter a pitch-black room, lead by blind servers to whom they must trust entirely with their 3-course mystery food offering. Everything is eaten with one’s hands, foods are deliberately confusing, and nothing is revealed until after the meal is complete.

Aside from the obvious initiation into a sensory shifting paradigm, I had many other surprise observations.

The first was the power dynamics that developed between the blind and the sighted. The blind waiters were animated, leading our experience with complete confidence and charisma, whereas we were – at first – hesitant, suspicious, vulnerable. It was as though a magic switch occurred between both parties; a transference of trust as the blind became the eyes for the sighted.

As we developed a jovial rapport with the wait staff, it was only when our meal was over did it fully resonate that this was not a game for them. Our dynamic with them would shift as we entered the light, however they would remain with the same experience of our interaction in both environments.

Another powerful insight was that although we couldn’t see objects, I found myself spotting waves created by energy movements of my boyfriend’s hands. Although pitch black, it was possible to know exactly where his hands where and what they were doing. We were even able to successfully toast with our wine glasses.

Finally, there was the sheer confusion we faced when tasting foods and wines that were entirely unrecognizable. Kiwis, avocado and duck were almost impossible to decipher, where as anchovies, carrots and coconut ice cream were sharper and more obvious to the taste.

Dans Le Noir is an exceptional insight into the exploration of our senses, the relationships we have to our bodies, and how we can relate this in a consumer context. With restaurants in Barcelona, London and Paris, and one slated to open in New York in the coming months, it seems apparent that there is a dire interest for this sensory stimulation.

In fact, last month Lowe Counsel published their latest trend “Extreme Sensory Stimulation” positing that people crave new, more memorable experiences, and a need to push physical sensations to the limit.

Do you have any examples of sensory stimulation from your markets?

Have you entered a dinner game before?

www.danslenoir.com

Cloud Power

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

“Cloud power gives you the power to think big. And be small. It’s going to change your definition of power. The power to play like an optimist and pay like a realist.”

These fine lines are part of Deutsch’s latest content driven campaign for new mega client, Microsoft. The work includes Digital, Print, Poster and TV and aims to specifically convince CIOs and senior IT workers about what “cloud power” is, and why it even matters.

What is Cloud Power and how does it work?

According to webopedia “cloud power is a type of computing that relies on sharing computing resources rather than having local servers or personal devices to handle applications.”

To do this,cloud computing networks large groups of servers with specialized connections to spread data-processing across them.

Here’s where it gets interesting:

Systems offered by companies, like IBM’s “Blue Cloud” technologies for example, are based on open standards and open source software which link computers together. While some embrace open sourcing, others are simply petrified.

As with every technology idea, product, even evolution, a series of questions arise that trigger unsettlement of our current behavioral practices. This time, it’s about trust. How can we trust where our information is stored? What about privacy?

The Economist’s featured debate on Cloud Power lay out some of the key concerns businesses face as they steer into the “All In” mindset. Principally, it’s whether or not to trust a public space over one’s hard drive.

One the one hand, computers simply conk out, so Google’s cloud is much more trustworthy than the windows operating system. Then there’s the question of whether or not all data and applications fit in the cloud.

President of Microsoft Business Division Stephen Elop suggests, “The reality is that some scenarios are ideal for the cloud, and some are not, while others still are best served by a hybrid environment.”

“Microsoft is approaching cloud computing with interoperability in mind. We are giving customers a solution that is agile, not closed behind an impenetrable cloud.”

How does Cloud Power impact the advertising industry?

We are becoming a non-tangible world where importance on physical collections is replaced with band width and easy access to data. That device that connects us to all our possessions will become increasingly important, opening a huge opportunity for furthur sophistication and reliance on mobile devices.

Our need for less physical stuff means that we are indeed saving our resources, becoming more sustainable. Some economist see the move towards de-materialism as providing the next step in human evolution, as well as a solution to the issue of sustainability and growth.

Got an opinion about Cloud Power?

Send us an email here and we will start a debate of our own on The Pothole.

Crystal Waters

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 09:43:00 -0400

by samina.

Last night I had the incredible honor of dining with Dr. Masuru Emoto.

Referenced as the world’s water guru, Emoto brought the magic life of water to the world stage in 2005 at a United Nations Conference called the Spiritual Dimensions of Science and Consciousness.

Japanese born, Dr. Masaru Emoto’s principle ethos is that our intentional thoughts directly impact the patterns formed when water is frozen. Both author and scientist, his discovery of crystals formed in frozen water reveals changes when specific, concentrated thoughts were directed toward them. For example, water from clear springs and water exposed to peaceful words show complex, and colorful snowflake patterns, while polluted water, or water exposed to negative vibrations presented asymmetrical patterns with dull colors.

Since 1999 Emoto has published several volumes of a work titled Messages from Water. He is also part of the United Nation’s International Decade for Action, contributing actively to this in an effort called “ The Emoto Peace Project.” (http://www.emotoproject.org/)

The implications of this research is poignant in affirming how each of us can positively impact the earth, as well as our personal world.

I met Dr. Emoto in a non descript vegetarian hideout in Barcelona’s Raval quarter. There we chatted about his upcoming lecture at the University of Barcelona, made some small talk about his nostalgia for a lost Spanish love, before I was finally able to nail his sporadic free flowing mind with 3 short talking points:

Three questions for Dr. Emoto:

You work principally with water, as the subject of vibrational energy. What about other matters and forms in the universe that can transform and affect this?

ME: Everything is water. Light, snow, air. Even diamonds have extracts of water. Everything contains particles of water so water is the fundamental element of everything in the dimension that we live.

How do we transform the water in areas that do not create beautiful particles? Do they have the potential of also becoming elegant and dazzling creations?

ME: First you must understand who you are. And understand the world. And understand water. Most of the world doesn’t understand water, mainly because of capitalism. We haven’t been educated to understand water.

I feel very unhappy that we don’t have enough education about water even though it’s the most important thing. I also believe the scientists in the world are not very serious about researching or studying water and that’s why I feel discouraged and disappointed. Learning about water is the most important responsibility we human beings have.

Water can heal everything. Water can transform us, and can shift our consciousness but we don’t understand or know about it.

Hi I am water. Nice to meet you. We are water. We are surrounded by it and the world is made of this.

So how do the small groups that want to transform and change things do so?

Only 1 out of 10 people need to understand water and this will bring a vibrational energy shift. Out of every 10% of bad bacteria, there is 90% good. So we always have a chance of this.

The images that we see from your work, is this is reflection or a projection? Is this real or is this a manifestation of magic?

It’s both. We are living in a 3.5 dimension. I believe in a 3.5 dimension where things are in between. What’s to come is the animals will start to question the humans and a plague could even break out. We have to recognize this. We have to understand water. This is the key to our shift in consciousness.

What an inspiring guy. At the end of the dinner, he was singing spanish tunes in the rain outside, and talking about time being only and completely in one moment.

While some think the work of Dr. Emoto is just a scam to attract new age floozies, the back end of which is a huge money making scheme, his central point seems valid and obvious: vibrational energy.

Thoughts?

Rage against carrots

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:13:00 -0400

by samina

“Munch your face off, “Baby carrots eat ‘em like junk food,” “Crunchier than chips, orang-ier than cheese puffs”

Introducing a 25 million dollar experiment in advertising.

Agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky launches a campaign that pitches carrots as little orange, crunch snacks that are daring, fun and naughty.

It’s the industry’s first ever marketing campaign. “This campaign is about turning baby carrots into a brand,” said Jeff Dunn, CEO of Bolthouse Farms, the nation’s top baby carrot producer with 50 percent of the market, and the most to gain if the market grows. “We think ultimately long-term here we’re going to turn it into a very vital brand in the mind of consumers.”

On their agenda are carrot vending machines, Scarrots as trick or treat delights for Halloween, and the website www.babycarrots.com which features metal music and some dark futuristic voice that chants “baby. Carrots. Extreme”

While marketing reviews have raved about this initiative that entices consumers - mainly school kids - to munch on something nutritious, there is certainly another perspective to this debate.

Why are carrots posing to be junk snacks in the first place? Frankly this seems like an enormous fallacy, even a bastardization of vegetables. Why are we trying to “junkify” vegetables?

And what’s next?

Chocolate covered carrots? Soon they will be artificialized to tantalize our tastebuds in some way. In fact, baby carrots are already oddly slimy.

What is a baby carrot anyway?

It’s not the youngest carrots of the bunch, but rather it’s a grown up carrot that has been cut up into something bite size.

The broader question is whether or not health food will ever stand on its own merit, particularly for school kids.

Instead of feeding the junk food beast perhaps we can approach goodness from a different perspective, treating the root attitude around it. Instead of making carrots a bad bunch, how about showing all the cool stuff that goes on inside our bodies when we eat healthy food?

How about creating a campaign that shows how happy our insides are eating healthy food? How cool we look from the inside, rather than the outside.

Thoughts? Ideas? Opinions? What country examples do you have that illuminates any different perspectives?

Fancy some sliced up dolphin with your tuna sashimi?

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:59:00 -0400

by samina

Courtesy of Lowe Bull for South Africa’s Sustainable Seafood Initiative.

This is what happens when a fish is taken out of the water in a careless environmentally unfriendly way - one big mess. This poignant print ad from our Cape Town agency aims to navigate consumers around the wishy-washy waters of fish consumption.

It’s about awareness, education, and a call to action.

Creative Director of Lowe Bull Cape Town, Kirk Gainsford says “This campaign is essentially a call to action – urging consumers to take ownership of a global issue. As a result, the print ad had to convey the direct impact of irresponsible fishing practices and evoke a strong emotional reaction.”

Did you know?

The ocean supplies food or income for 2.6 billion people worldwide.

80% of the world´s fish stocks are either overexploited or exploited to their maximum

Bluefin tuna is an endangered species

Only a tenth of the catch in long line tuna fishing is actually tuna.

An enormous resource base found on their website, our client the South African Sustainable Seafood Foundation (SASSI) has taken some brilliant initiatives to inform and educate everyone involved in the seafood trade - especially us sushi junkies - about the harmful practises of fishing.

Introducing Fish SMS.

Users SMS the name of a fish to a specific hotline, and the service replies to say whether the fish is a green light, orange light, or red light.

Green light species are those that have well-managed populations:

examples: hake, yellowtail

Orange light species are prone to over-fishing

examples: jacopever, kingklip

Red light species are protected and cannot be legally sold

Examples: bluefin tuna and galjoen

Lowe Bull Cape Town really proves how advertising - even a simple print ad - can bring awareness and a call to action. Do we have any other examples of this around our network? Fishing? Gaming? Global Warming? What has worked? Hasn’t worked?

painting vs. poster: art vs. commerce

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:14:00 -0400

Meet Georgia Taglietti. She’s Head Honcho International PR and Media Boss for Sonar Music Festival, (www.sonar.es) and has been helping to build Sonar in Barcelona for 14 years.

Georgia and I often meet for lunch conspiring about what it is that creates sound, what inspires new creative movements in the experience of sound – and silence - and how Sonar has reinvented itself and its programs to maintain its creatively stimulating agenda.

Since we’ve been talking about the creativity crisis faced in the US, I invited Georgia to be our first guest speaker on The Pothole, talking about creativity trends in sound.

Sonar is credited as a bastion in sound creations. What is Sonar’s approach for keeping creativity spinning in this area?

“What we do at Sonar is we study sound, the invention of sounds, and the many different platforms that create sound. Even using silence is a type of sound at Sonar. All the sounds that we showcase have to be original and inspiring, and ones that create sound in a deep artistic way. For example, sound created from a plastic sculpture, or sound created by using the human body.

From this pursuit of authentically discovering sound, we are successful in creating trends in this industry. For example, there was no electronic music culture back in 1994 and now it’s very popular. There was no multimedia performance in 1998 and we did it and now it’s very popular. There were no electronic music performances - such as in a mass presentation - not being a rave, and now it’s all over the map. We always have to set the pace. This means that we never repeat ourselves, and we never get back to the past. We feel the responsibility of having to project creativity in the future.“

You talk about creating sound in a deep artistic way. This is an interesting point related to all aspects of creativity. Sometimes there is a confusion between the commercial representation of creativity, and the artist conception of it. What are your thoughts on how that is related to sound?

“There is a mass conception of sound and an artistic conception of sound. It’s the difference between a painting and a poster. The artist that works with sounds just to play to the audience - that’s a poster, and you can see many posters. However, you can just see one painting. That is an artist that creates one sound in that moment, for you.

We work with this concept in a special section of Sonar called Sonarama. It is the presentation of installations of sound for that moment. They are not performances or songs. These are creations of sound that you can even see through lasers, or images, or playing with tables to create sound. This is art of sound. It’s like being in a museum. That’s the proposition of art.

Music is a composition of sound, however these installations are a structure of sound, how to deconstruct sound, how to manipulate it in lots of ways.

There is sound as material, and then there is getting sound out for the masses.”

How has Sonar adapted its agenda to keep the experience of sound creatively inspiring and evolving?

“We introduced Sonar Kids to the agenda last year. Making the experience for kids. There are workshops on how to play sounds, and how electronic music can be played with computers. And we have a dance school. We try to mix the human touch of dance with the game and computer intervention. If you feed kids only with computers, it’s too passive. However, in order to really learn something actively, there has to be a balance of both.“

Thoughts on the creation of sound, the experience of sound, painting vs poster, how kids learn creatively?

Share your ideas here!

Creative Diminuendo

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:09:00 -0400

by samina virani.

America is facing a “creativity crisis”. Well, the US publication Newsweek declares it so! In a recent article revealing all sorts of alarming statistics such as, since 1990, creativity scores (CQ) in schools have plummeted – particularly amongst kids from kindergarten through 6^th grade.

Here is a link to that article: http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html

What’s going on?

Distractions. Well, that’s my opinion. We are living in a matrix of distractions - bombarded with stimulations and choices that superficially entice us but, for the most part, unnecessarily over exercise part of our brain, while numbing the other.

Our minds invaded by ice cream choices, senseless TV shows, FACEBOOK snooping, too much of stuff that doesn’t mean anything. No wonder there’s no time for creativity. These distraction have seeped into the US schooling systems too where institutions actually open attest that there is no room for a creative curriculum!

What is creativity anyway?

For me, creativity is a wobbly line between irrational inspiration, and its synthesis into a form, any form. It comes from passion, silence, taking a step back from the world and decoding it to reach into a little portal of something sparkly.

According to our Newsweek article “The accepted definition of creativity is production of something original and useful. Creativity is both divergent thinking (generating many unique ideas) and then convergent thinking (combining those ideas into the best result).”

Why is it important?

Around the world, governments have woken up to this thing called “creative consciousness” and the potential of that in solving the world’s disorder. It might not be high art that they are rallying for, but at least someone is figuring out that our brains have a wonderful capacity for more than paper pushing and hyperactive consumption.

In 2008 British secondary-school curricula—from science to foreign language—was revamped to emphasize idea generation. The European Union designated 2009 as the European Year of Creativity and Innovation, holding conferences on the neuroscience of creativity, financing teacher training, and instituting problem-based learning programs—curricula driven by real-world inquiry—for both children and adults. http://create2009.europa.eu/

This creative drought can be a really interesting space to get creative: to inspire and provoke people’s internal creative inferences and build platforms to synthesize them.

Thoughts on any of the above?

How does your country measure on the creative scales?

Have you yourself lost the elusive muse?

Any tips on how to find the trickster?

imagine this: thailand’s image correction.

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:30:00 -0400

by samina

In the pothole, we’ve had quite the ‘worldly’ natter, first deliberating platforms that stimulate a newfound sense of nationhood – Matthew’s World Cup piece from South Africa - and others that blatantly force country PR – Kitty’s opinion from Shanghai on the World Expo.

In keeping with our national inquiries, here’s another thought bender for the pothole: tourism.

Tourism – perhaps the epitome of country objectification. The outside looking in; a country getting their story straight; and getting the world to pay it a visit. What symbols create and equally destroy this objectification process? Cheap airflights, foreign press propaganda, glossy magazine rave reviews, a country advisory? What happens when these symbols shift due to political unrest?

Meet Thailand.

Celebrated as one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations, with tourism accounting for 7% of it GDP, Thailand suffered an enormous plummet around mid-March with visitors who arrive into Bangkok’s International airport down from 30,000 to 20,000 per day. WIth the country in a considerable tourism low, official initiatives to revive the alluring qualities of Thailand have begun.

Here’s one:

Our Bangkok agency has been invited to pitch an “image correction exercise” by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thailand in an initiative to “negate all the distortions of the country.”

Thailand’s image shifted around 2008 when political unrest became so volatile that Bangkok’s two key airports were closed. Many embassies had shut their doors and warned their citizens against travel to Bangkok as violence in the city continued. The United States elevated its travel warning to advise its citizens to defer all travel to Bangkok and defer all non-essential travel to the rest of Thailand. Other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada advised against all but essential travel to Bangkok.

Now, the move to promote positive objectification of the country follows the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s plan to inject 1.6 billion baht to restore both domestic and foreign tourism, with the priority to recreate confidence among international tourists and tour operators.

A peek at the tourism website is interesting to say the least, a rather glamorous presentation, with statements proving that the country has still received a high rate of tourism, despite what the papers say. It also posts international press articles that celebrate Thailand’s enticing treasures with headlines like ‘Bangkok on a Discount’, ‘The World’s Best Hotel Revealed’, ‘Put the Bustle Back in Bangkok’, Bangkok Voted World’s Best City, from sources ranging from the high gloss UK Travel and Leisure magazine to magazines in India, the UAE, and Australia.

As the country embarks on this “image correction exercise” I started to think about what lures and deters me towards a country. It’s definitely not reading the news, nor taking in a ounce of official warnings. Rather, it’s word of mouth. Chatting to like-minded people with similar ideas about travel, and the risk if any that is entailed.

What about you? What are the factors that steer your journey and how vulnerable are you to these factors?’ How easily can your sense of objectification towards a country change?

from another south african

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:44:12 -0400

by murray wallace

The FIFA Soccer World Cup in South Africa has been indescribable – electrifying to say the least. Walking through a shopping mall, having dinner at a restaurant or just grabbing a cup of coffee whilst on-the-move, has all felt like a world tour. I know very little about the game of soccer but one thing I do know is that it’s united a country once again and invited the world to share in the beauty and diversity of the South African culture. Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu said it best at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, “God made us all different to know our need for one another”. These words rang so true to me as I witnessed different people from all over the world connecting, total strangers practicing tolerance with one another. It honestly has felt like world peace. One thing is clearly evident, sport really does unit people.

From the Gautrain ride I experienced, (an 80-kilometre mass rapid transit railway system in Gauteng province which links Johannesburg, Pretoria and OR Tambo international Airport) to witnessing a live match, Germany vs. Ghana at soccer city, to meeting many, many Americans at various hot spots around “Jozi”, I have been in a continued state of euphoria over the past five weeks.

The FIFA Soccer World cup has definitely been an opportunity for our people to showcase their protean talent. One example is The Halakasha! Soccer art exhibition, a tribute to Africa and its boundless love for football. It celebrates the historic hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup on African soil for the first time with an energetic showcase of continental art that reflects its flamboyant soccer culture. The exhibition includes a display of original badges made by hand by political prisoners who were imprisoned on Robben Island during apartheid. Soccer was an important pastime for the prisoners who were later granted permission to establish their own football club, Makana FA. This retrospective explores the theme of soccer on Robben Island during those turbulent years. Halakasha! Soccer art exhibition is a riot of paintings, posters, sculptures and film dedicated to Africa’s robust football heritage and culture. Coinciding with the 2010 FIFA World Cup TM, it also features the unique paraphernalia that personifies the African soccer experience.

I would also like to touch on the fashion as this country exploded with colour!

The coaches in their snazzy tailored suits, the recession-inspired toned down approach of the players’ wives and girlfriends and Bafana Bafana’s bright yellow soccer shirts have World Cup fashionistas talking. Since kickoff on the 11^th of June, the tournament has become a platform for designers to show off their latest creations. Local designer Gavin Rajah says South Africa, through its use of yellow and bright colours, is basking in its international reputation as “a sunshine country”. Despite the event being hosted over winter, which tends to inspire dull and dark dressing, the event has shown that Africans are “irreverent” of seasons in their approach to colour. “People will remember the bright colours and the mood of celebration when they think of South Africa. That will be a big attraction in the future.” Rajah also said the World Cup has broken down the fashion stereotypes foreigners hold of South Africa. “We dress a lot better than lots expected us to”. Rajah said the tournament had instilled a “great pride” in the national teams and this had had a major effect on dress code. One of the best parts of the tournament from a fashion perspective has been the collaboration between international brands, such as Puma, Nike and Adidas, to create sport orientated merchandise. The styling is better and the clothes fit better. Designers around the world have produced these clothes. It is more contemporary and more relevant to the man on the street. Everybody has taken on a sportier look. People are going out in soccer shirts. One top designer from Milan shot his entire show on the side of Table Mountain. Even Gucci at Cape Town’s Waterfront has merchandise which is soccer inspired. Louis Vuitton was another designing company that had produced a football inspired monogram duffel bag in celebration of the tournament.

Dion Chang, the founder of the Flux Trends trends analysis company, said the World Cup had through fashion and tourism dispelled a slew of myths about South Africa and the country can enjoy a new image in the future. “The question is whether all the World Cup tourists coming here are going to be brand builders for South Africa,” Chang said.

We’ve also seen more Twitter action around certain World Cup groups where the matches have been more competitive. And interestingly, some of the most-tweeted teams are not the best ones. Often, they’re teams that have been eliminated from competition, followed by waves of disappointed tweets from heartbroken fans.

Everyone has been flying the South African flag or blowing their lungs out with a vuvuzela. One thing is for sure and that is that the vuvuzela has replaced the wooden giraffe as the tourist symbol of the country.

A national campaign - to keep up the high spirits by continuing the wave the flag for 30 more days after the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup - was launched by Draftfcb South Africa on Friday, 2 July 2010. Its group CEO, John Dixon, said, “The agency and its staff in our three biggest cities have committed to wave our flags for 30 days after the final world cup whistle has blown and we’re challenging our clients, our suppliers and our countrymen to do likewise until we all - at the same time - stop, pause and create a ‘Minute of Noise for South Africa’ by trumpeting with our famous vuvuzelas, hooting the horns on our 'chorries’, whistling, yelling and shouting.

"This will send a clear and loud message to the rest of the world: Africa’s time has come, South Africa’s time has come.” Check out www.keepflyingtheflag.co.za.

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear” ~ Nelson Mandela

As “Madiba” entered soccer city last night the crowds erupted with inconsolable emotion, it brought me and many South Africa’s to tears, tears of joy and of pride at the acknowledgment and realization of Madiba’s dream coming true. The world breathes easier because Nelson Mandela lives.

let's get the ball rolling....

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:53:00 -0400

by matthew bull

Tonight they play the world cup soccer final in Johannesburg – actually Soweto. Soweto is short for “South Western Township” so named by the apartheid government many years back, and situated a good hour’s drive from central Johannesburg. Soweto is where black people lived when I was a little Pikinin (small child) running around a pretty but humble whites-only suburb called Parkhurst – about half an hour on the whites-only bus to the centre of town. My house was on the border of a river and a wide open space of land (Veld) alongside the river. I use to spend many an hour at that riverside with my buddies building forts free of fear, free to wander around the streets of Parkhurst, even central Johannesburg, in the knowledge that I was completely and utterly safe from harm. Meanwhile, little black Pikinins would be doing exactly the same in Soweto only difference being I had a river that I played in whilst they, if they were incredibly lucky, had a river they bathed in. Oh, and of course they knew all about crime, and assault, and murder and rape.

And then they set Madiba free. And the barricades came down for all of us. Suddenly, little black Pikinins could play by the river with me. And everyone could walk where they wanted to walk without fear – fear of being stopped by a policeman and asked for their pass. Which if they didn’t have would result in them being put in jail for, well, for as long as the commander of the police station wanted them there. These were black people of course. We didn’t need a pass us whiteys. Nor for that matter, a passport, seeing as though no-one wanted us visiting their countries.

And for a while, everything was beautiful. And then of course, a new fear emerged. And once again we were afraid to walk the streets for fear of being accosted by men with guns. This time though, they wouldn’t have uniforms and they wouldn’t be asking you for your pass – regardless of what colour you were.

And then it just got worse. Our beautiful Madiba, the father of our nation and receded into the background and out came all the guys the apartheid government had warned us about. Corrupt policeman (our ex head of police and head of Interpol has just been found guilty of massive corruption and colluding with the country’s biggest gangster), politicians who believed the people served them and not the other way around. And, worst of all, a morally questionable man under significant investigation of corruption, becomes the President of our country. Madiba’s country. How the blue blazes did that happen?

And worms kept crawling out the woodwork. ANC Youth leaders who says all the right things if you are poor and have nothing, not even hope. And all the wrong things if you have hope. And integrity. Then two black youths murder the leader of the right wing AWB – a reprehensible man and organization. Now a martyr.

Meanwhile over in the UK and in many other places they watch and wait for South Africa to implode into the disaster they all predicted it would – even in the days where they, the free press, so stood for liberty from the tyranny of apartheid. (that was written with a sneer).

And, because of all the crap raining down on us with corruption and scum bag politicians we start to believe them. Maybe even some people hope they’re right. Just to prove the old African cliché right.

And finally, finally, the World Cup arrives. And one month later, the barricades have gone again. Little things like demonstrating to the world that, if you want a party, there is no better place in the world to have one; that South Africans have the greatest gift God can give one – hope; that all colours, creeds, religions love this country and what it stands for and has achieved; that we can take the toughest task imaginable and make it work wonderfully – not as a replica of someone else’s success, like Germany. But in our own way, with our own flavour.

But most importantly of all, what South Africans have shown (imagine William Wallace on his horse in front of his men before beating the crap out of the English), is that no vicious criminal with a callous disregard for life, no immoral politician, no “hate myself so I’ll hate you” English journalist, will suppress the indomitable spirit of progress forged in us, and between us, by the greatest man who lived in modern times. Nelson Mandela.

Tonight is not a soccer game. It’s much more important than that.

mlc

Expose the World: The World of Expos

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:41:00 -0400

by samina and kitty lun, ceo lowe china

“The world through a fun house mirror”, “a mix between the U.N and Walmart,” everyone has something to say about the World Expo Shanghai 2010, from the snippy Christian Science Monitor, to U.S centric Ad Age, to Shanghai’s guerrilla bloggers.

It’s the grand gathering of the worlds’ cultures; a gallery of human inspiration and thoughts; a marketplace to exchange economic, scientific, technological and cultural exchanges of our world. It all started in 1851 when the Great Exhibition of Industries of All Nations was held in London. Now over a century and a half later, the Shanghai World Expo 2010 is expected to be the largest participated World Expo in its history, attracting over 200 nations and international organizations to take part, as well as an estimated 70 million visitors from China and abroad.

Things kicked off on May 1, and today the visitor count topped 5 million, with a total of 306,100 visitors entering the expo site by 7:30pm on the expo’s 23rd day.

With all the pomp and circumstance expected from a World Expo, principally an enormous opportunity to experience the world in a flash - including never before revealed North Korea - Lowe Go considers how the advertising industry takes on the challenge of country representation.

What does the expo mean for advertisers?

Let’s take a look at some country examples, get some fairly radical opinions from others, and finally chat to our Shanghai expert, author of “Advertising with no Lipstick” and CEO of Lowe China Kitty Lun for her special taps on this global gathering.

Some country examples:

Belgium is giving away chocolate and …diamonds.

Hungary built a two-meter tall silver plexiglass geometric curiosity in the center of a 1000 square meter building called the Hungarian Gömböc. The French are performing wedding ceremonies - how romantic.

The Chinese provincial pavilions are getting in the act. Remote Southwestern Guizhou - a Chinese province - has built a replica of its most famous waterfall to encourage tourism and mixed it with Mao Tai baijiu, a distilled spirit which is also one of the province’s biggest brands.

North Korea built a miniature version of the Juche Tower on Pyongyang, the major monument to Juche Idea, which happens to be the principle ideology of the DPRK. They have also included many video projections of Korean War footage, including news reels of burning villages.

What are critics saying?

Talking Points from Ad Age:

Ad Age applauds Shanghai for its potent branding of the city, Usually an “Expos’ historic obsession with technology is disappointing, just a futuristic legacy of useless monorails and soulless suburban kitchen displays. Didn’t they promise us flying cars by 2010? But the technology featured at this year’s Expo is inspiring, because it showcases what’s being done right now. There’s a strong emphasis on everyday, behind-the-scenes marvels."  Ad Age also mentions that although they are competing against each other for the attention of tens of millions of future tourists, business partners and investors, "the result is a mix between the U.N. and Walmart, with a combination of stripped-down brand messaging and frantic promotions.”

The Christian Monitor refers to the Expo as “The Olympic-Expo Combo”:

“China’s use of back-to-back mega-events calls to mind what regional rival Japan did successfully a few decades ago amid its economic ascent. Japan’s first Olympics (Tokyo in 1964) and its first world’s fair (Osaka in 1970) imprinted a new image of the nation as a thoroughly modern country, light years removed from the exotic land whose pavilions at old fairs were, like China’s, showcases for quaint objects, not state-of-the-art technologies. This is just the sort of two-part rebranding move that China’s leaders began in Beijing last August and hope to carry forward in Shanghai a year from now.”

The Globe and Mail’s “fun house mirror” analogy.

Finally, a most interesting opinion is that of The Globe and Mail, which claims that pavilions of North Korea and Iran offer “distorted views of life in those countries. Cuba, Myanmar, Belarus and Zimbabwe are all here with pavilions that say little about the realities of daily existence in those countries. So is war-torn Sudan, with its bizarrely themed "city and peace” pavilion. In the easternmost corner of the sprawling Expo site, the pavilions of North Korea and Iran sit side by side in what some have dubbed “Axis of Evil Square.”

This slew of fascinating perspective is joined by our Shanghai expert CEO Lowe China Kitty Lun’s exquisite opinions of the global gathering featured on this space in the coming days.

Face to Face with Kitty Lun:

“The Expo is more a PR exercise than advertising. Weber Shandwick and many other PR agencies are experiencing a record year. The exhibitors and sponsors have not done a lot of standard advertising. Having visited the Expo 3 times so far (more to come), I would like to use the analogy of advertising. The Expo is an extravaganza of a lot of different ideas. Some brilliant, mostly mediocre. The best ones are really enjoyable and the ideas are used to express a strong point of view. The best ones I have experienced so far are the Italian pavilion and the British pavilion. And they are just the opposite to each other. The Italians showcased all the BEST things from their country from food to fashion to history to architecture to technology. Everything was done so exquisitely and with a lot of attention to detail. It is a feast of an experience. However, the British pavilion is so single minded and bold and courageous. There is only ONE idea – tens of thousands of seeds embedded in plastic tubes like amber forming a cocoon of filaments, which looks like it has just been unwrapped. Inside the cocoon, nothing but the seed filaments. No laborious extra efforts, no fancy presentations. One thought. About nature, about life and about the preservation of the environment. If Italy is a piece of loud and exquisite ad, Britain is a quiet ad with subtle strength. They are next to each other and are direct opposites. Both are amazing.

"One thing to add of course is the China pavilion. It took me 4 hours to line up (with reservation already) to go in. The imposing architecture is probably the most impressive part of it, probably the best design among all. The centre piece is a computer animated ancient painting blown up 30 times. Seeing such a familiar treasure coming alive is an emotional experience. The other exhibits were not as impressive but overall, it is worth the wait. "

What’s your take on the Expo and how is your country/agency exposing the world?

Instigating Urban Communities: The Soho House Berlin

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:24:13 -0400

by samina

Who instigates urban communities? the people? the brand? the city?

Last weekend, I had a tour of the Soho House in Berlin. The members club, coveted for creative well-to-do hipsters, opened its Berlin edition two weeks ago. Saturday night, the hotel was full, the lounge was bustling, and its newly selected patrons found themselves rubbing shoulders with familiar faces of friends, colleagues and acquaintances from a very specific Berlin.

Those trademarked Soho House touches – the unmarked entrance in a rather established trendy part of the city, the exquisite rooftop pool, the somewhat authentically arty farty crowd with a sprinkling of posers – was coupled by something that only Berlin could provide: space.

Unlike the boxy and tiny London and New York spots, Berlin’s Soho House is a rather generous-sized industrial space, with plenty of nukes and crannies to get lost, as well as an open field for plenty of people watching.

A point of fascinating controversy is the question of what exactly the Soho House is doing in Berlin? A brand that prides itself in its niche community and exclusivity opens in a city that is completely anti-establishment, and extremely laid back about defining and distinguishing clout.

After interviewing its general manager, along with a spokesperson from their head office in London, the reasoning became clearer. As the Soho House has struggled to repurpose and rebrand its community – typically attracting advertising, journalists, and thinkers of the creative class, but now drifting towards corporate executives - the members club is looking to go back to its roots. Berlin is exactly the sort of authentic artiness that repurposes it.

Although the Soho House targets that specific niche within Berlin - apparently there was a founding committee of over 40 people who were invited to a board meeting to establish the network - one journalist who is also a member says that the place will simply attract out of towners, and international jet setters who search for a trendy spot in Berlin. Another perspective from some local members is that they are excited that they can work and have a nice space in the city for meeting like-minded people, that is not a rave out night at Panorama Bar.

A broader question is whether urbanites are searching for a sense of community, and if so, what are the parameters of these communities?

One Berlin sociologist suggests that single creative professionals between 28-40 in Berlin are lonely. Although they crave for an individual search of sorts, they are also searching for a place to belong, to work, and to call home. A community is one that enables freedom and nurtures individual space, but that also provides a platform for a group of like-minded people to come together for both work and play.

So Lowe lives, what’s your take on urban community building?

What do you have to say about the need, interest, or lack thereof for communities within the myriad of global spots we represent? What examples of community building have been created in your agency? Have they worked, failed?

the ipad inquisition

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 05:39:00 -0400

by samina

apparently it looks more like this….

Apple calls it “magical,” “revolutionary” “the most significant product launch in its history” “the making or breaking of an entirely new class of computer.”

Love it? Hate it? Obsessed? Manipulated? Is this a revolution? Or a revolution in mesmerizing, and marketing more technology with clever buzzwords and fancy packaging tactics?

Isn’t this simply a bigger version of the iPod touch?

Let’s have a look:

What is it?

According to Wikipedia, the ipad is a tablet computer designed and marketed by Apple, meant for internet browsing, media consumption, gaming, and light content creation. Unlike many older tablets, it uses fingertips for input instead of a stylus. Released in April 2010, it introduced a class of devices between smartphones and laptops.

Like the older iPod Touch and iPhone devices, the larger iPad runs the iPhone OS and uses a multi-touch LCD for most user interactions. It runs iPad-specific applications as well as those written for the iPhone and iPod touch, including e-book readers.

The iPad uses WiFi or Wireless WAN to browse the Internet, load and stream media, and install software.

Some key things to note is that there are no files or folders in the universe of the iPad, and apparently 10 hours and 43 minutes of battery life!

Sure we can sift through the user reviews and rummage around the internet for people’s winges and praises of the device, however more central to the pothole’s inquiry are the behaviours that this device provokes.

Apparently this year is the year of the tablet revolution: “This year is going to be the beginning of the tablet revolution,“ said video-chip maker Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Jen-Hsun Huang at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month.

What the hell does that mean? How many revolutions, devices do we need?

Here’s what Mr Jobs has to say about authenticity regarding new categories: "In order to really create a new category of devices, those devices are going to have to be far better at doing some key tasks,” Mr. Jobs said. “We think we’ve got the goods. We think we’ve done it.”

What has been pegged as “revolutionary technology” certainly lends itself to an plethora of questions. How do we define revolutionary? Do we really need more stuff? Do we need to be more efficient? And where is all this going anyway? Let’s hear from our global columnists:

For some insights on the subject, check:

The Wall Street Journal’s Geoffrey Fowler’s debate: “The unveiling of Apple Inc.’s iPad renews a classic gadget debate: Do consumers want purpose-built devices that do one thing and one thing well, or all-in-one wonders that try to accomplish many different tasks http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703410004575029493429772572.html

Engadget’s Joshua Topolsky in-depth analysis reveals “There’s no question that the route Apple has taken is genius; they’ve built a “computer” that’s so obvious and easy to use that anyone can pick it up and understand it immediately.” http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/03/apple-ipad-review/

Bull Pens

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 16:55:00 -0400

by matthew bull

When two extreme idiologies collide. That’s the way I view China vs Google. In my opinion, both are as bad as the other – both try to control as much information as they can under the guise of a quasi democracy, and both want to be the dominant force and control what information we get and what information we give.

I am no fan of Google. They haven’t really done anything to impress me – their campus which is so revered is really a blinged up version of what Phil Knight and Nike created in the 80’s. Their technology is on a par with many other search engines, and they weren’t even the first. But somehow, (brilliant branding and the PR love fest that comes with 20 year olds starting a business) , they have grown enormously. They remind me very much of Microsoft – they take other people’s inventions and muscle them out there better. Just look at what they’re doing in the mobile phone category. And these are the guys with a slogan which says: “Do no evil”. Well, in our business, plagiarism is evil personified.

I was chatting with our glorious global digital creative director Tom Markham the other day and he said to me that the true force of the future, perhaps even the present, is Facebook. And he’s right. I just look how my 15 year old daughters life revolves around it. I mean, I don’t think a minute, and I mean a minute, goes by without her checking her Facebook interface, as I like to call it. Either on her mac or on her iphone. Yes, yes, she’s spoilt. The other day, I was sitting in my 11 year old son’s new Ferrari……

Anyway, my point is, no matter what age you are in our business, it’s vital that we truly understand the heart of social communication – technology wise. If you look at agencies from days gone by, you’ll see the best build their reputations around being the best communicators in the dominant media of that time. So early on Y&R (yes Y&R) were dominant because of their press and radio. As television began to dominate our lives, companies such as CDP in the UK and DDB in the US began to dominate. Indeed Lowe in the 80’s and 90’s thrived because of it’s brilliance on TV. Now, digital is the medium with momentum, with all it’s outposts – mobile phones, computers, tablets (electronic one’s you junkies), even TV itself. So the agency that best understands how that technology affects society today and onwards will reap the rewards. Crispin Porter have demonstrated that, and I believe Droga 5, with their brilliance with Interactive executions, will also grow significantly over the next few years.

And what of the purely digital shops such as Gloo, RGA etc? Well to me, they will need to evolve as quickly as mainstream agencies, simply because, I feel they are too much about the technology and not enough about the societies that use it. I, may be wrong, but I haven’t seen any evidence that says otherwise from the work they’ve produced.

So spend as much time as you can exploring and understanding social networks. Lose yourselves in them for a couple of days. If you have kids, don’t fight with them about how much time they spend on Facebook, find out why they’re spending so much time on FB. It’s such an invigorating world out there now. Embrace it.

Anyone want a new friend?

mlc

Talking teens

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:46:00 -0500

by samina

Teens are one of the world’s most mysterious and misunderstood groups. They are our future, they remind us of our own pasts and they certainly can’t be defined through cultural or generation specific lenses.

Lowe Counsel, Worldwide Planning Director Teresa Alpert and the planners at our Madrid agency LOLA put their heads together to develop a pioneering, somewhat controversial and extremely insightful study about the misinterpreted lives of teens.

They challenge the stereotype, debunk teenage myths, and deconstruct that lens of subjectivity defined by personal retro experiences.

Introducing WOT:

Window on Teens (WOT) is a new global teen insight research tool. About 250 teens in 10 key cities around the world were put under the microscope, and wrung dry for exquisite intelligence.

WOT challenges everything using a fascinating new approach called “myth busting" It is based upon how we think of teens, through our own experience, and how we must deconstruct this.

"Kids these days are slipping into a virtual world’ - adults think this because they didn’t have online social media, gaming etc so they assume this to be the case. However it’s not. We used the research to bust these myths." Richard Welch.

So let’s get this teen talk going. What is defined as a teenager these days anyway, and who is a teenager exactly? Is this just semantics in the end? Or is there actually a teen identity out there?

is the super bowl still ready to rumble?

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:38:00 -0500

by samina

Super bowl Sunday - this year, it was the most watched television program in history (according to Nielsen company research), drawing an audience of over 106 million viewers. That’s a considerable amount of eyeballs; an enormous wishing well of ad space and a huge fortune of advertising money. Last year, a whopping $213 million was spent exclusively on advertising for the Super Bowl.

As the Super Bowl tackles its 44th year, is this gigantic happening in American popular culture still considered the wishing well for advertisers? Or h ave the acrobatics within our industry in recent years affected its magnetism as a pulling force in popular culture?

The Pothole chats to Deutsch Los Angeles CEO’s Mike Sheldon and Eric Hirshberg for their unique perspectives on whether the Super Bowl is a growing opportunity or a shrinking margin for advertisers? A lost cause or a new populist platform?

The Pothole: Historically, what does the Super Bowl quintessentially mean for advertisers?

Eric: The central premise of the Super Bowl is this: It is truly one of the only mass media events in the TV year, particularly because there are so few truly mass media TV events these days.

Mike:The Super Bowl is the one place that the entire population goes. This is not TV; this is not print. This is the Super Bowl. We don’t treat it like anything else that we do. The creative has to be different. The way the audience responds it going to be different. The Super Bowl is its own beast.

The Pothole: Amid economic acrobatics in the past few years, has anything changed for the games and the way it relates to advertising?

Eric: One thing that has changed is that there is a little eco system of public relations surrounding Super Bowl, so playing around that is important. Shows that preview the ads, and shows that reviews them after the game. These are essential components to involve starting with the creative process. Part of the appeal to clients is not just to run the spot on the day but also to participate in it pre-game and post game.

Mike: I think it is getting more and more interesting. For a long time, the Super Bowl was about football. Then about football and an advertising showcase. It’s really a place where people go to see the most important things happening in popular culture. I’m calling it the “Controversy Bowl.” It’s a big microphone for special interest groups to get their message out. It is also a flashpoint for everything that is going on in popular culture.

The Pothole: Any observations about this year’s ads?

Eric: It seems like a lot of marketers are struggling to find the tonal sweet spot that is right for the day, and that is right for 2010, particularly for the struggles that people are going through. There is an interesting dance going on when brands like Budweiser wrote the spot for the Super Bowl. Struggling to find those spots that everyone laughs and remembers. Before the economic slowdown, it was such a clear formula. Now that is changing.

let's get the ball rolling....

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:53:00 -0500

by samina

mark this space; in a few months, the world’s attention will focus on this playing field; our global population will peer into this fishbowl; a showcase of the most important happenings in popular culture; an enormous microphone.

has this become the world’s populist platform? or is this merely a contrived form of populism?

have televised entertainment sports like football replaced political forums, religious podiums, as the central platform to represent “the people.”

is advertising the instrument for this expression?

as south africa gears up for the 2010 world cup, advertising campaigns with strong esoteric messaging are streaming in. this week, lowe bull launches its latest campaign for omo. ”dirt is good” the unifying agent that weaves through the country’s social fabric by embracing the philosophy “ubuntu”

Ubuntu is an ethic, or rather humanist philosophy, focusing on people’s allegiances and relations with each other. Originating from the Bantu languages of southern Africa, the term is a classical African concept used to describe humanity, compassion, and a collective participation to achieve a common good.

For our Omo team, the Ubuntu philosophy became an integral part of this campaign. Lowe Bull developed the campaign on the key insight that dirt is temporary (thanks to Omo’s efficacy) but the lessons left behind are forever. “We developed the campaign idea of dirt’s biggest lessons based on the insight that learning values through getting dirty is just as useful for a child as learning a physical activity (like riding a bike). And it was something that would stay with the child for a lifetime (long after the dirt has gone due to OMO’s efficacy). It is the idea that South Africans need to work together if they are going to achieve anything significant in the future.” - Rui Alves, Executive Creative Director, Lowe Bull.