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Agency Weirdness on #AdDesk

The Toronto Egotist — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:29:43 +0000

Local

Started by a Toronto ex-pat now living in The Big Apple, #AdDesk compiles Instagram photos hashtagged with (you guessed it) #AdDesk.

So check it out and then go take some pictures of you co-worker's weird shit.

AmoebaCorp, Apparatus Inc, Oxygen Design Agency Join to Create Jacknife

The Toronto Egotist — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:16:59 +0000

Local

The three companies have merged to produce a single agency focused on producing design and marketing communications.

You can find their website here and watch a promotional video below that features a moustached wrestler who looks like he is from the 1950's, for some reason. We don't know.

Here's hoping they can back up some of the lofty claims from their press release.

Jacknife Design Launch Video from Jacknife Design on Vimeo.

Bob's Your Uncle

The Toronto Egotist — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:36:22 +0000

Local

Great spot from Blammo Worldwide, Toronto for Questchat.

Directed by Untitled Films' Curtis Wehrfritz and edited by Chris Parkins from Rooster Post Production, the steamy spot calls into question if one night stands are really worth it, and the benefits for getting to know someone a bit before hooking up.

QuestChat - 'Uncle Bob' from Rooster Post on Vimeo.

Do Not Touch - A Crowdsourced Music Video

The Toronto Egotist — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:10:40 +0000

National

Dutch band, Light Light have released Do Not Touch, a potentially NSFW music video which you participate in by answering questions and following along with your mouse pointer.

Check it out.

Passive Aggressive Tumblr of the Day

The Toronto Egotist — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:34:12 +0000

Local

'I Hope your Bag is Comfortable, Asshole' compiles mostly crowd sourced photos of people who think their bags need their own, personal seat on the TTC.

Unfortunately, there's a very small chance that any of the people featured will actually visit the site and see their almost-public shaming.

Toronto Company Creates $450 3D Scanner

The Toronto Egotist — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:29:50 +0000

Local

Toronto-based company, Matterform have created one of the most inexpensive 3D scanners currently on the market.

The Photon 3D can scan objects up to 190mm × 190mm × 250mm. Matterform started off as a pair, and has just added their 3rd employee. They note that they may be growing in the very near future.

Here's a video explaining the technology.

Via ars technica.

Stop Saying 'Awesome'

The Toronto Egotist — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 20:44:18 +0000

National

Instead, use "Instead of Awesome" to find alternatives because you probably use that word WAY too often.

We think this site is spectacular.

J-DAR Calculates How Jewish Your Favourite Movies Are

The Toronto Egotist — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:14:43 +0000

Local

In order to dispel the (oddly) popular myth that The Jewish Film Festival (TJFF) shows mainly exclusively religious or traditional films, DDB Canada with TJFF created the J-DAR.

The online tool calculates exactly how Jewish favourite Hollywood films are. The results are accompanied by contextualized TJFF film recommendations along with a link to get tickets.

Nicely done.

Showing Silent Films on Instagram

The Toronto Egotist — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 14:53:50 +0000

Local

For the Toronto Silent Film Festival, Cossette Toronto updated the silent film, making it relevant for a new generation of moviegoers.

They created several Instagram accounts that acted as trailers for silent films. You can find them here, here and here.

The Toronto Silent Film Festival runs from April 4th to the 9th.

And, check out the case study below.

Via glossy.

Website of the Day

The Toronto Egotist — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 19:42:13 +0000

National

Right here.

While this is safe for work, it is fucking insane and might cause seizures. View at own risk.

Taking a Road Trip With Nova Scotia Tourism

The Toronto Egotist — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:39:48 +0000

National

Nova Scotia Tourism teamed up with Extreme Group for this wistful, nostalgic spot romancing the road trip.

Makes us want to check out of the office early and hit the road.

Via Stimulant.

Ontario Government Takes Shot at Social Smokers

The Toronto Egotist — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:25:33 +0000

Local

As part of their ongoing efforts against smoking, the Ontario Government is calling out social smokers in an attempt to stigmatize their behaviour.

BBDO Canada and Proximity were responsible for creative and media buying was by ZenithOptimedia.

The campaign drives traffic to the Government's Facebook Page. The campaign is targeted at younger people with pre-roll in cineplex theatres and ad placements on muchmusic.com and MTV.com as well as OOH placements across university campuses.

Via strategy.

A Google Chrome Experiment

The Toronto Egotist — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:15:37 +0000

Local

While not necessarily related to advertising, we'll be damned if this isn't incredibly fun.

Turn any website into a Google Chrome Maze controlled by your smartphone.

The Perfect Night to Commit A Crime

The Toronto Egotist — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:55:53 +0000

Local

The Annual Policeman's Ball is an annual fundraiser attended by Toronto's Chief of Police and other high-ranking officials. With Toronto's top crime fighting talent in one room, it's the perfect night for criminals to get some loot.

Creative from DDB Toronto.

Via Ads of the World.

Oh, The Infantilization of it All! Or, I’m An Old Grump

The Toronto Egotist — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 16:31:43 +0000

By Cameron Reed

I’ve been kicking around this thought lately. It’s not a profound one, and it’s most certainly something that’s been written about at length, only I haven’t read it yet. Anyways, I was thinking about two things, really:

1. Growing older on the Internet / Social Media, and

2. Adults unwittingly acting like children by mimicking Internet / Social Media trends.

1. Growing older on Social Media

I’d argue that I’m part of the first generation that has to consider what it means to grow older on social media. Since I was 20, I’ve been on message boards and proto-social networking sites like Makeout Club (shouts!), then LiveJournal, then Friendster, and then Myspace, and then… oh god this is actually just really sad. Ten years later, I’m starting to wonder whether if, or when, this is a thing to grow out of. This is not something that other generations have had to consider.

I think it comes down to whether it’s something you value or not. Recently, I’ve found that I do not and this is obviously a personal choice. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with someone who stays on Facebook until they die. I don’t really care. Rest in peace.
My question is: Should we grow out of social media? As adults, do we really need this weird instant gratification? Shouldn’t we be more confident? We probably don’t need to check in on our friends and acquaintances every single day. It’s the difference between keeping “in touch” versus keeping “up to date.”

For example: my brother told me that his friends announced via Facebook that they were having a baby. Their plan was to sit there with a glass of wine to watch the likes and congratulations roll in. Alternatively, a friend told me that someone they went to high school with announced they had a miscarriage via Facebook. In my opinion, this represents a very bizarre transformation of the public and private spaces. And, this certainly isn’t something that an adult should engage in.

If all the trend pieces are to be believed (and these “trends” don’t extend outside of our privileged Western view of the world), there’s a new phase in life known as “extended adolescence.” This generally takes place during the ten years between high school Graduation until your late-20s/early-30s. If this is a real thing (it’s not), maybe social media is facilitating this phase and quitting these sites is part of growing up and moving on.

I started thinking about this because I noticed…

2. Adults unwittingly acting like children by mimicking Internet / Social Media trends

This is a half-assed theory, but I think that most Internet trends come from teens. From Tumblr to 4chan, teens rule. Exactly how many online platforms are used is shaped by the early adopters (see: Teens.) And so it follows that our behaviour and the way we engage with each other online is largely determined by people still going through puberty.

After an acquaintance of mine, feminist writer Meghan Murphy, wrote about the absurdity of the “selfie,” I started thinking about how the selfie became a thing and what taking one actually means.

I think taking a selfie reflects the worst part of us and social media. It speaks to both our own insecurities and narcissism. You post a picture of yourself, you get likes, and then you feel better. Except that it’s fleeting and meaningless and both superficially inflates one’s self-worth while also ignoring the roots of an insecurity.

It makes sense for a teen to do this. Teens are idiots and still trying to figure out who they are. They’re still forming an identity. Building the confidence needed so they eventually won’t require Likes to feel good about themselves. Grown-ass adults shouldn’t be feeding their egos the same way that teens do. In fact, when adults mimic these types of behaviours it shows teens that this type of instant gratification is enough.

It’s not. Stop it.

* I should note that I’ve been guilty of everything I’m mentioning here. I’m not some old man (I hate the term “digital immigrant”) that’s never fully embraced social media and doesn’t get why these kids waste so much time on it. I have been one of those kids for a decade, I’m only now starting to reflect on it more.

Originally appeared on Cameron Reed's Tumblr.

Silly Stuff, It Matters

The Toronto Egotist — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:30:08 +0000

National

Keep in Internetting, a friendly message from UK Mobile Company Three.

Make your own here.

Via The Denver Egotist.

john st. Acquired by WPP

The Toronto Egotist — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:26:50 +0000

Local

john st., whose work has frequently been featured on The Toronto Egotist, has been acquired by the WPP network.

According to Arthur Fleischmann, the acquisition allows john st. to extend its offerings “But now we will be able to offer services in areas that clients are asking for such as media, direct and public relations.”

The financial details of the transaction have not yet been disclosed.

Via Marketing Mag.

Crime Stoppers

The Toronto Egotist — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:56:43 +0000

Local

Great work from DDB Canada for Crime Stoppers.

The ad distills the fundamental proposition of Crime Stoppers: Report crime anonymously.

For Sale: $950,000 Frank Lloyd Wright House

The Toronto Egotist — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:14:43 +0000

National

Owners Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino are putting their New Jersey Frank Lloyd Wright designed home on the market. The nearby frequently flooding river threatens to eventually destroy the home.

Priced at $950,000 USD, the listing stipulates that the buyer must also agree to move relocate the home. Apparently an architect has expressed interest in relocating the home piece-by-piece to Florence.

Via Huh.

Tattoo Shop Uses QR Code To Test Potential Hires

The Toronto Egotist — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 18:45:47 +0000

National

Who said QR Codes are useless? Well we certainly have. We think they're one of the biggest turds created by digital advertising (and that's saying a lot). But maybe we're wrong.

To cut down on time spent screening resumes, interviewing and testing artists, this tattoo shop in Turkey along with agency BÜRO, launched a campaign to test participants' skills.

Berrge Tattoo used a print campaign to screen applications. Interested artists would have to fill in a QR code by hand which they would then scan, giving them access to details about the job.

Via PSFK.

Open Season at Sid Lee Toronto

The Toronto Egotist — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:37:52 +0000

Local

If you're an aspiring copywriter, graphic designer, art director or account executive you could do a hell of a lot worse than cutting your teeth at Sid Lee Toronto.

They're having an open house at their Toronto office on March 7.

Check out this extremely well-produced 'homemade' video below for details on how to get your invite.

Best Bus Stop Ever

The Toronto Egotist — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:24:27 +0000

National

This fun spot from Denizen for Qualcomm uses mobile tech to provide instant gratification to users at a bus stop who are in a hurry, bored, or are suffering from a number of other bus stop-related malaise. See what happens when users visit the site on their phones, below. Cute.

Don't Text and Drive

The Toronto Egotist — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:33:57 +0000

National

Created from smashed car parts welded together, this sculpture from TBWA/RAAD for Nissan aims to stop young people to stop texting and actually pay attention behind the wheel.

The sculpture reads 'FYI' and is puncuated by a QR code. This is possibly one of the few instances that we think a QR might actually be effective. Nice work.

Via The Dubai Egotist.

Jon Finkelstein Leaves Grip

The Toronto Egotist — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:18:52 +0000

Local

After 8 years of working with Grip as both a Partner and Creative, Finkelstein has left the agency.

There's been no confirmed word of what's next for him, but both Finkelstein and Harvey Carroll, Agency President both confirm that the he has left on "great terms."

Finkelstein was responsible for helping found Grip Ltd's interactive team. We look forward to hearing what's next for Jon.

Via Marketing Mag.

The Cassies: Don't Care

The Toronto Egotist — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 19:59:48 +0000

Local

Every year, the Cassies award agency work that drives tangible results for clients. For some reason, clients seem to really like the Cassies.

Toronto's john st. created a series of 3 promo videos for the Cassies, all directed by Aleysa Young from Untitled Films.

Here is "Teenager" and "Cop".

Via glossy.