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Nike Using Data to Help Ahthletes Compete Harder, Stronger, Faster

The Denver Egotist — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 21:04:33 +0000

National

Nike has unveiled Nike+ Basketball and Nike+ Training — two new experiences connecting digitally enabled footwear with interactive mobile applications that together deliver a revolutionary sport experience.

Nike+ Training is your new personal trainer that delivers challenges and tracks your performance. Make your training experience inspirational, full of variety, competitive, and fun. The new Nike+ Basketball experience breaks down the user’s game to deliver information and measurement, which in turn provides motivation. Nike+ Basketball measures how high, how hard and how quick players play each game.

Wow.

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Petrol Muscle

The Denver Egotist — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 21:40:49 +0000

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Sonic Phases the "Two Guys" Back In

The Denver Egotist — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:00:30 +0000

National

Sonic Drive In has officially rehired the “Two Guys” who were their ad spokesmen for several years over the past decade. It's always interesting to see campaigns revert to what they were, even after a new agency takes over an account. Wonder how Goodby (Sonic's current AOR) is feeling about all this? At least they've handled the transition with a solid piece of humor.

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Best Feature of the New BMW: It Helps You Avoid Your Mother-in-Law

The Denver Egotist — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:44:55 +0000

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The Scotty Pippens Strum their Pubes in Latest Video 'F**k & Fall (In Love)'

The Denver Egotist — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:17:26 +0000

National

The band gained fame in the underground scene in Montreal, Canada that birthed electro favorites DJ Tyga, A-trak and Chromeo. Perhaps The Scotty Pippens encapsulate this video best, noting "It's like having sex with a girl you thought you could never have." Directed by Caviar Amsterdam's Elwin Bas.

Watch it once. Then when you realize what's going on, go back and watch the opening scene again. Dude, no.

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The Ride's More Fun at Inception Park

The Denver Egotist — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:40:32 +0000

National

Director Fernando Livschitz's nod to the movie Inception, set in Buenos Aires. Loads of fun.

Buenos Aires - Inception Park from Black Sheep Films on Vimeo.

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How To Outrun The Inevitable - Robert Campbell

The Dubai Egotist — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 17:12:52 +0000

There are a lot of agencies out there.

In China alone, there’s said to be tens of thousands.

TENS OF THOUSANDS!!!

However amongst all those – not in China, but generally – there’s a few that have a ‘global’ name.

Traditionally, they fall into 2 camps:

Those who are living off their legacy and those creating it.

Yes, that’s harsh – and there’s a whole host of reasons for it – but that’s pretty much how it feels.

Of course, these two states are in a constant state of motion … one good campaign can lift an agency from the past to the present and vice versa … however the agencies that tend to have the greatest momentum are the ones that seemingly are continuously creating their legacy rather than riding on their past.

Now in no way am I suggesting an agency purposefully ‘takes a back seat’ – there are many reasons why that can happen – however the point of this post is that as much as there are many agencies out there who are grabbing a bunch of the headlines right now, there’s 2 that are seemingly always at the forefront of commercial creativity.

BBH and W+K

Now without doubt there are some fundamental differences between the 2 companies – some good, some not so good – however the thing I find fascinating are their commonalities, of which a number of them, I believe, have directly enabled them to succeed while others have fallen.

I should point out that what I’m about to write is my perception.

The fact is I’ve never worked at BBH and while I know many of the guys there very well – I am still basing my views on observation and here-say.

And as for W+K. Well while I have had the pleasure of meeting Dan and his senior management team, we’ve not really talked about this sort of thing … most of the time I’m getting bollocked for something.

But that aside, here are 5 things that have made these agencies so creatively influential for so long.

1. Consistent Management.

The guys who run both these agencies have been at these agencies a long time.

Better yet, they are the people who founded these agencies – so they have a vested interest in maintaining the culture of the place rather than just go after the profit, regardless of the implication.

That said, they are constantly introducing new people into positions of influence and power.

Younger people. Talented people.

People who bring new perspectives and thinking to the table so while the principals of the company will stay the same, the expression of it is at the forefront of the times.

2. Control, Not Controlled.

In short, when you own your company rather than a holding company with masses of shareholders, you can control how your company grows and where your company goes.

Basically, control means you can focus on the longer-term, bigger play rather than purely focusing on hitting the next quarterly target.

It’s probably the best ad for communism you could have, ha.

3. A Willingness To Fail.

Both agencies try stuff.

Better yet, the want to try stuff.

There is a reluctance to rest on their laurels.

This isn’t just because they believe to stick with what you know is the surest way to future failure, but because they are adventurous by nature and they believe great things happen from experimentation, even if on first impressions, the result is not quite what they hoped.

They also put their money where their mouth is.

They don’t expect clients to fund their adventures into the unknown, they’ll pay for it … be it in the activities they do or the people they hire.

For both, failure is NOT trying stuff.

4. Culture, Not Function

When I first joined W+K, people talked about it’s unique culture.

To be honest, I’ve heard this sort of thing before and almost always it’s turned into a crock of shit … because the culture that was there was because of the people in the place rather than the company.

But in W+K and BBH’s case, I believe it’s true.

Sure, the people that work there enhance and develop that culture, but there’s a strong philosophical view that permeates every element of both companies.

It’s not about the press releases or the credentials deck … it’s about their standards … their expectations … their beliefs.

They actively encourage trying new things … exploring new approaches … not going for the lowest-common-denominator or the category convention … standing up for what they believe in …

In short, it’s about filling their company with interesting and creative people who share their beliefs [even if they express it in radically different ways], rather than simply those who can perform a specific job function at the lowest price.

5. Involvement, Not Observation.

Northern wrote a blog post recently where he said he was convinced the reason older, senior people lose their dynamism and originality is because no one challenges them and they don’t get in enough situations to be told something they don’t know.

Very true.

However one thing I really like about W+K is that while the senior guys are ridiculously talented and smart and experienced … they welcome opinion, debate and challenge. From everyone. Literally everyone.

I remember the first time I met Dan and John and had an ‘out of body experience’ where I saw myself telling, arguably 2 of the most respected ad guys in history a bunch of stuff I think we should be doing.

OK, so Dan said, “you’re fired” … but he listened and that’s more than many would do.

The other thing is they are all deeply involved in what’s going on.

Not in the sense of dictating outcomes or decisions, but being part of the chaos – contributing, listening, exploring.

Sure that doesn’t happen on every single piece of business on every single campaign, but you’d be amazed how knowledgable about what’s going on. Seriously, you just need 2 minutes in the company of Dan or John or Dave etc and you know that they are absolutely bursting with dynamism and originality, even though by the protocol adopted by many agencies, they should be put out to pasture by now.

Why are they like this?

Because they still care. I honestly think it’s that simple.

They still want to learn. They still want to do stuff. They still want to push boundaries.

It’s fantastic and I honestly believe that one of the reasons this is the case is because they seek out people they regard as talented and interesting … people who can push them … their colleagues … their clients … and their agency to a different place.

Not being scared of change or youth or provocation shows people who are very confident with who they are … which for all the ego and posturing that goes on in this industry, is very rare indeed.

Of course you might think this is all bollocks … and maybe it is, however I can tell you from my time at W+K and my relationship with BBH that I see all this time and time again.

Sure it’s not always perfect, sure there have been some bad mistakes – but that aside – the fact they have been at the forefront of mass market commercial creativity means they must be doing something right … something few other companies have been able to pull off over 30 odd years which is why I honestly believe these are things we could all benefit from following or learning – whether we work in a company or want to start our own.

Making money is not hard.

Being the creative industry darling for a moment in time, is not out of the reach for all.

However making money while sticking to your principals and being an acknowledged leader in [effective] creativity for 3 decades is, and that’s why W+K and BBH stand out from the crowd.

While both agencies shun propriety processes in favour of being judged by what they do [rather than what they say they do] … the reality is you can’t ignore how their principals, philosophies and approach have directly contributed and impacted to the work that so many of us [general public, not just adland] hold in the highest esteem.

Saying “it’s all about the work”, might make a nice headline that people can gravitate to, but a great creative legacy starts way before the brief lands on the table.

----------

By Robert Campbell, W+K's Asia Regional Head of Planning. Reposted with permission. Read the original blog post here (and don't miss the delicious comments.)

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A Brand that Lives Up to Its Name, The Heart Attack Grill

The Denver Egotist — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:17:26 +0000

National

The most disturbing part of this is that it'll probably lead to even more popularity for the place. Americans are a little sick.

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Important Edubeercation from Shiner's Wild Hair

The Denver Egotist — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:49:19 +0000

National

Nicely done. Agency: McGarrah Jessee.

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Introducing The Dallas Egotist

The Denver Egotist — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:37:18 +0000

Local

Today, we're proud to announce our second Egotist site in Texas. Follow all of the big state's best work on The Dallas Egotist — the 28th site in our plan for total world domination. Pay 'em a visit, subscribe to their feed, follow them on Twitter.

Read The Network.
Launch your own city site.
Get in the know.

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The Latest Social Media Trend: We Get Likes, Will Happen

The Denver Egotist — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:56:25 +0000

National

We've seen this trick from the likes of Mini and several other brands recently. Now, it's being brought to you in X-rated form by "erotic dubstep" musician Dirty Deeds. His latest album, Let’s Be Friends, will be available at dirtydeeds.tv (and iTunes) on March 6.

In the meantime, he's launched a social media campaign to get people using the hashtag #letsbefriends and to get Twitter followers @dirtydeedsdottv. Each of the videos below will be released in uncensored form at Dirtydeeds.tv when Dirty's goal of Likes and shares is reached.

Shouldn't take long.

PS. If you want to cheat, you can see the dirty version of the first video here now. (Obviously not safe for work, kids.)

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Timmy Lunsford Mashes Up Growing Pains with The Walking Dead

The Denver Egotist — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:42:14 +0000

National

This brought us a lot of joy.

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Street Mapping in Paris

The Denver Egotist — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:48:04 +0000

National

Taking projection mapping mobile. Dig it. Created by Le3.

Golden Tiger from le3paris on Vimeo.

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Want Your Boyfriend to Bring it Like a Tantric Porn Star?

The Denver Egotist — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:21:17 +0000

National

All over the world, regular guys are choosing a vegan diet, unaware of the erotic consequences. As a result, an epidemic is spreading among their "loved" ones: BWVAKTBOOM, "Boyfriend Went Vegan and Knocked the Bottom out of Me."

Happy Valentine's Day from PETA. Agency: Matter.

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Shoot a Machine Gun at a Truck Sitting at Your Computer

The Denver Egotist — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:11:38 +0000

National

If this is not what the internet was invented for, we'd like to see what is. SF production company Kontent Films along with Sony Playstation (client), Deustch LA (creative), is allowing some lucky people the chance to shoot 100,000 machine gun bullets at a truck over 2 days via the web.

You can sign up here and hope you get the chance to take out some frustrations on this soon-to-be-scrap-metal ice cream truck.

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Future Hipsters Make Us Feel Dumb

The Denver Egotist — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:28:51 +0000

National

This promo for Social Media Week makes a pretty good point. There's a lot of stuff going on today that we're going to look back on in a few years and think of as a load of cow pucky. Doesn't your job feel important?

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The First Car to Create a Music Video

The Denver Egotist — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:13:53 +0000

National

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners teamed up with alt rock band/music video pioneers OK Go to create yet another “first” for the Chevy Sonic — the first car to create a music video. A specially designed Sonic, a two mile track made with 1,157 homemade instruments and a few stunt driving classes for the lead singer made it possible. Check out the behind-the-scenes piece to see how they pulled it off.

This is advertising in the year 2012, people.

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Camera Phone Love

The Orlando Egotist — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Local

Do you like taking and sharing photos using apps from your camera phone?

That's what the Orlando camera phone show Depixtions is asking camera phone enthusiasts. Participants can use whatever apps on their phones they want, as long as the photo was originally taken with a cell phone.

All of the approved submissions will be printed and displayed at the gallery show to be held on March 10, 2012 at the Orange Studio. Each print will be for sale and with all proceeds going to New Hope for Kids.

Submission deadline is February 17th.

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Swap-o-Matic

The Denver Egotist — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:32:59 +0000

National

The Swap-o-Matic — currently set up in New York — inspires people to swap objects, instead of buying them, to fight the consumerism frenzy.

Swap-o-matic - Promotional Video #1 from Lina Fenequito on Vimeo.

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Obi Wan Effs with Darth Vader

The Denver Egotist — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:20:16 +0000

National

Agency: AKQA.

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Welcome to the First Day of the Rest of Your Life of Kicking More A$$

The Denver Egotist — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:07:48 +0000

National

Activision's Call of Duty continues their hot streak with the new campaign by 72andSunny for the game's Elite downloadable content subscription service which will release assets for online gameplay monthly throughout the year. Directed by Caviar's Ruben Fleischer of Zombieland fame, the two debut spots — a long-form brand video and the January content drop — feature comedian Rob Riggle taking you on a killer tour of the new DLC content.

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Wilson Miner: When We Build

The Denver Egotist — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:17:49 +0000

National

Wilson Miner - When We Build from Build on Vimeo.

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Sterling Cooper Vader Price

The Denver Egotist — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:55:23 +0000

National

Dann Matthews, the creator of this mashup, is selling t-shirts, hoodies, iPhone and iPod cases if you want to don yourself or your accessories in Sterling Cooper Vader Price.

sterling cooper vader price from Dann Matthews on Vimeo.

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Trends of 2012: Solitude

CTJDorsey — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:02:55 +0000

The “always on” culture that has abruptly emerged as the new norm is here to stay for some time. A recent piece from The New York Times demonstratively stated, “Solitude is out of fashion,” elaborating with analysis of the trending open-space work environments and team-based strategies. This contemporary approach is counter to extensive research touting the benefits of privacy in creative thinking. This culture has been fiercely fueled by the (my) millennial generation and has gained significant acceptance by baby boomers. We have grown up in an age of digital collaboration; now we’re applying these same tendencies to the office place despite making ourselves susceptible to real-life distractions.

We all know the natural, yet rude, tendency to prioritize instant information from our smartphones over the people actually in the room. This was never more evident to me than Christmas this year. I never thought I would see the day my parents were playing Words with Friends before me. I certainly didn’t expect they would become addicted to the game instantaneously. Prior to this, my mom was notorious for leaving her cell phone in the bottom of her purse - for days on end. To her, it was a device to make calls; not for her to be alert for incoming calls. It’s becoming ever-apparent those days are over and never to be seen again. She’s texting, emailing, playing games, reading books, and verifying bets with my father through Google.

Despite the added convenience at our fingertips, it can become overwhelming – like a menu at The Cheesecake Factory. Thus, people are increasingly more than willing to pay a premium for solitude – the ability to escape the constant draining buzz. Trend Watching explains,

This isn’t about consumers rejecting everything that brought them to the city, but about a temporary breather. Remember, no trend applies all of the time. People will forever crave the excitement and choice available in cities; yet still want to escape for a moment.

In 2011 some brands were ahead of the curve in offering a moment of solace to their consumers. These early adopters compete in industries where such services are appreciated due to the high stress in their corresponding environments. Some examples:

• In July 2011, Telia, a Swedish telecom provider, launched a free app that enabled customers to disable internet for set period of time at home. They also set up internet-free zones in several public locations across Sweden. (Trendwatching.com)

• In September 2011, at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, Sleepbox launched a small self-contained cabin designed to give users a quiet place to get some rest. (Trendwatching.com)

• From July to September 2011, the Marriott Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel offered “Zen and the Art of Detox” – a weekend package that obliged visitors to surrender any digital devices when checking-in. Also, rooms were stocked with books instead of televisions. (Trendwatching.com)

Brands that, by virtue of their product or service, must compete in a mentally fatiguing space, can embrace the opportunity by providing a counter experience like the examples above. However, most brands do not need to provide such overt forms of relief; they can bake it in to the actual product. Pandora Radio is an example of a highly appreciated, passive user interface. Listeners have one less thing to think about as the stream is designed to anticipate their tastes. Pinterest, with an extremely intuitive user experience and strong social integration, provides a similar release. The mindless nature of pinning offers a pleasurable distraction from daily stressors.

Facebook, in the short term, offers a similar mental release. In fact, thirty-year psychology veteran, Susan Weinschenk, found that the brain releases dopamine upon receiving notifications of Facebook updates or status changes. In contrast, Facebook has become an eclectic badge of social currency - check-in’s, relationships, flattering pictures, and job title changes; thus truly adding up to social noise. As we become desensitized to social updates we look for other sources of immediate reward like Twitter, Reddit, and sites like Wimp and YouTube.

At the agency I work for, we have a former Buddhist monk who spent six years on a silent sabbatical in Burma. You read that right…he didn’t speak for six years. He trains employees to practice mindfulness and stress-relieving routines they can implement on a daily basis. In one session, he explained that humans are naturally hard-wired to respond in a “fight or flight” manner. This was an essential tool for survival when humans first roamed the earth. Despite our evolution over time, we still react in a similar manner to alerts, texts, emails, calls, green lights, our significant other calling our name, and so on. We’ve been conditioned to believe that an immediate response is expected, and a delayed response has become an indication of a lower priority. In this new social norm we’ve set ourselves up to strive, long-term, toward solitude…or pay a lofty price to have it right here, right now, between our 2:00 and 2:45 meetings. Regardless, this will be something to watch in 2012 – an opportunity to make your brand the hero.

As an account manager in Boulder, Dorsey has worked on global and national campaigns for brands like Microsoft and Groupon. Read more of his posts where he blogs at And this....

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Tropicana Gives Londoners a Rude Awakening

The Denver Egotist — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:29:00 +0000

National

This idea of Tropicana bringing people a brighter morning started in the frigid, remote, godforsaken Arctic town of Inuvik, Northwest Territories — where there is no sun in the winter and people would appreciate anything that slightly resembles it. Now the idea has popped up in the heart of London — where it's inevitably just an 'advert stunt' — in a busy metropolitan area already buzzing with activity.

"The Trafalgar Sun which took six months to create is 30,000 times bigger than a football, has a surface area of 200m2 and weighs over 2,500kgs. Its internal light source produces 4-million lumens of light, the equivalent of 60,000 light bulbs, making the artwork visible from space."

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Nike Using Data to Help Ahthletes Compete Harder, Stronger, Faster

Petrol Muscle

Sonic Phases the "Two Guys" Back In

Best Feature of the New BMW: It Helps You Avoid Your Mother-in-Law

The Scotty Pippens Strum their Pubes in Latest Video 'F**k & Fall (In Love)'

The Ride's More Fun at Inception Park

How To Outrun The Inevitable - Robert Campbell

A Brand that Lives Up to Its Name, The Heart Attack Grill

Important Edubeercation from Shiner's Wild Hair

Introducing The Dallas Egotist

The Latest Social Media Trend: We Get ______ Likes, ______ Will Happen

Timmy Lunsford Mashes Up Growing Pains with The Walking Dead

Street Mapping in Paris

Want Your Boyfriend to Bring it Like a Tantric Porn Star?

Shoot a Machine Gun at a Truck Sitting at Your Computer

Future Hipsters Make Us Feel Dumb

The First Car to Create a Music Video

Camera Phone Love

Swap-o-Matic

Obi Wan Effs with Darth Vader

Welcome to the First Day of the Rest of Your Life of Kicking More A$$

Wilson Miner: When We Build

Sterling Cooper Vader Price

Trends of 2012: Solitude

Tropicana Gives Londoners a Rude Awakening

The Latest Social Media Trend: We Get Likes, Will Happen