Where's My Jetpack?

Word of Bumper

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:10:00 +0000

As far as I'm concerned, barbecue is barbecue. You can argue about Memphis, Kansas City, Chicago and any other city that lays claim to barbecue expertise, but I'll eat any of it and like most of it. I have no ties to any of the great barbecue cities nor is my palate sophisticated enough to judge one over the other.

Lately I've been seeing this bumper sticker all over town. It's for a place that opened just over two years ago and only has three locations. I've not seen or heard a commercial for 4 Rivers Smokehouse, no banner ads, no print media or outdoor boards. I just keep seeing these bumper stickers. I don't follow them on Twitter nor they me. I'm not a fan of theirs on Facebook. (1,042 followers and 8,642 fans. Impressive numbers, really.) Apparently they've been reviewed positively plenty of times.

People think enough of this place to ruin the paint jobs on their cars. I have also heard a few people expressing a desire to try 4 Rivers, saying they've heard it's excellent.

That is some seriously effective, low budget advertising, especially in the hard-to-stay-alive-let-alone-compete restaurant category.

Don't Wake Up In a Roadside Ditch

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:42:00 +0000

I like the far-fetchedness of it. Ludicrous, ridiculous, but entertaining. Using that overused announcer who is always called on for "tongue-in-cheek seriousness."

A Commercial Too Far

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:50:00 +0000

Comes a time when you have to get out while the getting's good, otherwise you look like Joe Montana with the Chiefs, or Michael Jordan in his second comeback. Same holds here with the Geico Caveman concept. The "Words with Friends" episode with Brian Orakpo was nominally passable, but in this one we've taken the hipster, sardonic caveman, whose specialty was acting insulted in a resigned, shoulder-shrugging way, and turned him into a silly, shrill character. Didn't they learn anything from the failed sitcom they tried to turn this into?

I observed a few 14-year old boys watching this over the weekend. They all said (in unison) words to this effect: "That was stupid."

No One In Denver Has a Smart Phone

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:08:00 +0000

This shoddy piece of sports journalism jumped out at me in yesterday's paper. Mile High Stadium officials apparently were able to keep Broncos fans in the dark as to the outcome of the Chargers/Raiders game.

Stupid assumption. Filler. Nonsense.

Saturated Street Scenes and Other Odds and Ends

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 17:50:00 +0000

Found this one on Google Maps at Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

More locally, a Salvation Army bell ringer at my local Publix has a style that suggests she has found joy in this volunteer position. She never uses the chair they provide her, and she's always dancing.

I've obviously not been doing much ad blogging. Other things seem to have overtaken this thing in importance. Like work, among other endeavors. I'm so far behind on current events, not to mention the stupid, echo chamber, self-love-fest that is the advertising industry. Here's how far behind I am. I only today discovered Bad Lip Reading's Obama song called "Trick the Bridesmaid," which is pretty good for a silly little song. That ridiculous chorus is stuck in my head. It's got a catchy hook.

Went to the mall yesterday. That was terrifying. Have to go again today. Can't wait.

Taking Your Chuck Norris Love to the Next Level

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:39:00 +0000

Saturated Street Scenes - Seattle

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:18:00 +0000

We're calling this one "Hendrix on His Knees." - Threatening sky sold separately. See the actual Google Street View image here:

Click for a big version and see the rest in the series here, provided the stupid kitchen server doesn't give out, as it is prone to do every half hour.

Hey, NFL - I Was Thinking...

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:29:00 +0000

I was watching football over the Holiday weekend and was amazed at the number of empty seats in the stands. LP Field in Nashville, home of the Tennessee Titans, a decent team with a 6-5 record, was maybe half empty. An optimist might call that stadium half-full, but when you're talking about an NFL venue, you would rather be Lambeau Field, a stadium that would sell out even if the Packers were winless well into the season. Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego also had large sections of empty seats, a strange thing when the Denver Tebows were in town, the hottest topic in all of sports right now.

Television coverage for a football fan can be very frustrating, particularly if you rely on the networks and don't have some pricey premium package. (Let's not even talk about the ridiculous dispute between the NFL Network and the cable giants, who can't come to terms, thus depriving us from even considering a pricey premium package.) So if you live on the East Coast, it will be a rare day when you get to see the Seahawks, the Raiders or the 49ers play. Down here in Florida, we are subjected to Buccaneers, Dolphins or Jaguars games; three teams that make up the Triangle of Suck in the NFL. If we aren't being made to watch them stink up the field, then the networks assume we want to see the Patriots. Recent weekends, I have seen more of Tom Brady and that homeless guy who coaches the Patriots than I have my own dog.

When football is not on, the Sports Centers of TV and the web or the Sports Sections of print and online journalism are talking about football. It is, no one can argue, the new national pastime. We don't give a crap about baseball, in comparison. We eat it up, can't get enough of it, and will watch the sorriest matchup in history if it is the only game on TV.

Which brings me to my point. A football fan will watch any game if it is the only game available. So...WHAT IF...the NFL played six days a week? (My original plan called for seven days a week, but I'm reminded that Saturday is college football day, and that would not sit well with the American football watching public to mix it up like that.)

The season would still be 17 weeks long, you'd just have fewer games per day. There are 32 teams, which makes 15 games a week, allowing for two teams having a bye every week. So, two games on Monday, two on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Sunday you'd have two early games, two late games and one night game. If a team plays on a Monday, to avoid fatigue and allow for jet-lag recovery, that team plays the following week on a Tuesday. It would be a scheduling nightmare, to be sure, but not one that some innovative programmer couldn't overcome. A fan could conceivably watch every game all season long, granted with a little back and forth on the remote control between the games happening simultaneously.

What about the other TV shows that would get bumped if CBS, FOX or NBC were to take this on? Oh, how sad it would be if 2 Broke Girls or Whitney or one more CSI wasn't available. Move it to another night or time. If the networks follow the money, which they will, they know that the NFL is a ratings bonanza. Let ESPN and ESPN 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and The Ocho get in on the bidding. Advertising, dollars, ratings, licensing, perhaps even stadium attendance will be affected. (We all know that a nationally televised game fills seats better than one only available in the local market.)

I'm sure there are too many interests involved in a plan like this for it ever to really happen, the most powerful likely being the NFL and their precious NFL Network, but I'm throwing it out there. Football fans and football haters are invited to weigh in in the comments section. Tell me why I'm wrong, why this won't work, or what we could do to make it happen. If you're a fan of Whitney, just be quiet. That show is getting canceled and you know it.

Ricky Gervais is The King of Comedy

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 01:04:00 +0000

Who else could get Patrick Stewart, David Bowie and now Liam Neeson to do these deadpan skits? The man is a flat-out genius. If you disagree, you're just wrong and that's all there is to it.

Allow Me to Endorse Something

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 13:59:00 +0000

Readers of this blog know I'm not in the habit of praising very many products. I have endorsed a chili sauce once and have likely professed my love of an ice cold Coca-Cola now and again.

So here's a little nine-dollar thing that makes life easier. It's an iPhone bike cradle. Fits the 3 or the 4. If you're doing rough, mountain riding, some reviews say it might slip out, fall and break, thus pissing you off to the point that you will write a scathing one-star review on Amazon. I have not taken it off-road yet, but so far, it stays in nicely. So when you're riding and that song comes up that you can't stand anymore, it's an easy job to skip ahead to the next tune. Or just keep your iPhone on Maps and watch your progress as you navigate through town.

So far, Casa de Jeptpacks has ordered two of these from this place.

No, I am not compensated in any way for mentioning this. Just a friendly tip for my fellow bicyclists.

Saturated Street Scenes: Prague

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 13:18:00 +0000

I'm calling this one "Lo, I Am With You Always"

Across the Vltava River from downtown Prague, Czech Republic, (where there is no shortage of opportunities for western dining, including a TGIF's and nearly a dozen McDonald's) is a nice public park called Letenske Sady. It was in that park one beautiful day on an unknown date that the Google Street View camera came across the scene of an innocent childhood game amongst some girls.

Creepy lurking clown sold separately.

Click for the large

You can view the actual scene here.

And all of the Saturated Street Scenes are here.

The Vet and The Noob

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:36:00 +0000

When I first saw this, I thought, "Wow - a new movie starring Jonah Hill and Sam Worthington that looks like it's based on a video game." Wrong, it's a video game commercial starring Jonah Hill and Sam Worthington.

Some may deride the stars for "selling out." But unlike a guy like Clooney, who only sells out overseas while maintaining the illusion of the pure and noble movie star here at home, these guys said, "You know what? It's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3! How do we say 'No' to this?" And they sell it well. Something tells me Hill is a gamer anyway and the fanboy in him was more than happy to be a part of this promotion. Beautifully shot, acted and directed, this will help sell the hell out of the game, arriving on Tuesday and already the most pre-ordered title in gaming history. Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic makes a brief cameo at the end.

And is this a slimmed down Jonah Hill? Unlike his neo-brat pack brother Seth Rogen, it looks like he didn't lose his comedy skills when he lost weight.

Herman Cain's New Ad: Smokin'

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:56:00 +0000

Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan, which vaulted him to the lead of the pack of 87 Republican hopefuls, was a nice soundbite at first, but has since been quickly gutted by all the other candidates, not to mention the pundits as well as the poor people who can't afford 9% of nothing. But Cain has taken that early jump in popularity to produce the strangest, perhaps coolest ad a presidential hopeful has made in years. It's nearly avant garde, it's so different.

There are no gloriously billowing flags. Cain is not featured with his sleeves rolled up, engaging in tough talk with farmers and laborers or happily mingling with families and babies. The Statue of Liberty is absent, along with the stirring narrative of one man's rise from nothing to a powerful and rich man.

All we get is Cain's Chief of Staff, Mark Block, looking haggard and road-weary, talking to us head-on in a nearly too close close-up in front of a city building. And then! AND THEN he takes a drag from his smoke and exhales. It is the last thing you'd ever expect to see and yet it is perfection. It might even be a subtle dig at the rumors that Obama has never really kicked his nicotine habit.

And they finish the ad with, as expected, an image of Cain himself, and yet it is not at all what you'd expect in the end-of-spot image of the candidate. The background appears to be simple, vertical window blinds, and a slow, nearly eerie smile creeps across Cain's face.

I think Cain's people have just changed the game of political advertising. Shepherd Fairey was a game-changer with his "Hope" poster, but this thing is nearly an indie film. I expect to see some unexpected people taking a fresh look at Cain after this.

Saturated Street Scenes - Madrid, Spain

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 13:28:00 +0000

In front of the US Embassy. Uncle Sam and Aunt Samantha sold separately.

Click for the big.

Workplace Motivational Poster

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:19:00 +0000

Click for bigger. I think Steve Jobs would be proud.

Saturated Street Scenes - Trégastel, France

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:00:00 +0000

It's low tide in the north of France. Click for the bigger.

Here's the map location.

All of these are archived here.

Wow - I Jumped on That Bandwagon Too Early

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:38:00 +0000

David Gianatasio at AdFreak points to this spot to prove that the previously blogged about spot getting so much praise lately is nothing more than a blatant rip-off.

Heart-Stringus Tugus Maximus

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:32:00 +0000

I Don't Copy Other Blogs. Generally, that's my policy. If it's being talked about all over the Internet, I don't want to be one more unoriginal voice in the echo chamber. I'm going to violate that policy by posting this commercial I just saw over at Copyranter. Such a simple premise with a surprise ending. Spot is for a Pro Infirmis, a Switzerland-based company focused on helping people with disabilities. Watch it twice and it's twice as powerful.

Inspired by Iceland

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:21:00 +0000

Inspired by Iceland is a unique concept in an attempt to generate tourism, and being a resident of the Greater Orlando area, I see my fair share of tourism advertising. Icelanders, including the President, here offering you "delicious pancakes with cream and sugar," are getting together to generate interest in their country as they head into what I can only assume are their hibernation months. I suppose the idea is to show the world, "Hey! We live here year round! Come see why!" Dozens of the country's citizens are offering to act as your personal tour guides, taking you for walks, duck hunting, a thermal foot bath, a cup of tea to discuss literature, birthday parties, concerts, trips to see the Northern Lights and other unique and quaint invitations.

Inspired by Iceland Invitations from Inspired By Iceland on Vimeo.

Everyone hoping to act as a guide made a video, well-shot and well-lit, and it's very intriguing. This lady invites you to help milk her cows, and afterward enjoy a meal in her small restaurant located in a cow shed. If you're interested, you simply link up with the person via a Facebook Connect window below each invitation. Pretty cool. Next up, a campaign to change their country's image by replacing the "Ice" part of their name with something more inviting.

See, I don't hate everything.

Where Ya Been, Dave?

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:55:00 +0000

...asked a friendly email query.

Yeah, sorry. The job has been really crazy busy of late. Writing copy for 120 clients in a soon to be launched partnership between the company I'm with and a major airline. I know so much about day spas, kayaks, dog-sledding, salons and four-course dinners with wine pairings now, it's insane. I'm also learning a lot about Chicago and Denver, the two target cities we've been focusing on. It's actually quite fun to write about so many different things, as opposed to previous jobs where I wrote for one client day in and day out, and usually a client whose goods and/or services I had zero confidence in and would never purchase myself. We expect to launch later this month. I'll keep you posted.

Another thing keeping me busy is the sudden "success" of Radio Free Babylon on Facebook. I hovered around 100 "Likes" for months, but somehow one or two of my comics got shared around Facebook and now I've got thumbs-up all over the place. It's pretty cool, but at the same time now I feel pressure to create more of them, and faster, which is stupid since most internet comics release one a week. I've been on a four-a-day pace since I saw the spike in traffic early this week. Somebody once said, "Leave them wanting more." I should take the weekend off. It's not like anyone is paying me to do these, but I do love to do them. Maybe they will turn into something I can't even foresee at this point. Right now I'm just trying to learn to navigate the strange world of Facebook Fans, something I've done for clients in the past but never for myself. "What is the brand voice?" you find yourself asking yourself. "It's your voice, idiot!" yourself responds.

In other news; Fall has arrived in Florida. This is official as the pool is now too cold for swimming. I tried to prolong the inevitable, jumping in early this week. A Canadian might've found it delightful, but we're wimps down here, and it was "bracing." So soon we'll be pulling out the pants with cloth down to the ankle - whatever they call those things that aren't shorts - and putting on those funny things that cover your feet when you have to wear those other kind of shoes that aren't flip-flops.

Football is here and at Casa de Jetpacks we are thrilled. I hope to find a spot or two from the weekend viewing that is worthy of scorn, mocking, ridicule or praise.

Sketchy, Greasy Guy

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:56:00 +0000

I know, I know - child abduction is no laughing matter. So don't laugh.

Abandoned Cities

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:02:00 +0000

Like a hellscape wasteland in a zombie movie, we ditch the glass-walled canyons for the green hills of the suburbs after dark. Here's DC's population by day and by night.

Joe Lertola has more maps. Chicago and Manhattan look just as bleak when the sun goes down, which I'm sure is how the REAL Manhattanites (those who transplanted themselves there) like it.

How to Make a Short, Indie, Post-Apocalyptic Thiller

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:05:00 +0000

A friend I've never met, Josh Oakhurst, let me in on his latest project and gave me some behind-the-scenes details on how he pulled it off.

A brief backstory: "Six months from now, two North American Union Armored Guard Personnel and an electrician find out what it's like to be trapped in a rolling coffin in unfriendly territory. Inspired by a photography project on abandoned homes."

Here's the film:

Chimera from Josh Oakhurst on Vimeo.

And here's how he pulled it off, shared with me after I asked stupid questions like, "How'd you pull that off?"

Josh said finding people to help out, not just actors, was by far the hardest part.

Aside from his wife (the female cop), all of the other actors and crew were just people he knew from the neighborhood.

He catered lunch over two days and tried to pay everyone something, even if it was just a little bit.

My wife obviously worked for free. She was a trooper and I definitely tested her patience.

The Male Cop was a dude from the neighborhood I know. I liked him, he was great.

The electrician guy was a Turkish engineer I befriended in my building. He was awesome, no one ever asked him to do something like this. His wife was so proud.

The kid I found through a post on Craigslist. His mom volunteered him. He was really great as well.

I paid this big Jamaican dude to run security for us on both days. We were in some sketchy neighborhoods.

When we were shooting inside that abandoned drug house, the actual drug dealing (not hyperbole) neighbors next door thought that we were a SWAT team or something. I guess between the car, the uniforms, the big dude with a SECURITY t-shirt and some prop guns, they thought we were raiding the place.

The rest of the people on screen, and the "crew" were all a bunch of drunken, fellow artists from the metal studio who had a free afternoon.

All told, I think if I'm honest I'm in this thing about $7G, including all the metal work and learning how to weld. I think it was worth it, because no one else has ever spent that much money on anything else I've shot. I needed to do it for me, if nothing else.

Nice work. And even though Josh is a creative director at a digital shop in North Carolina, this supports what I've always said about working in our industry; you've got to keep a side project that you have total control over. You're never going to satisfy your need to create by working for clients.

Film Festival time for Josh, I think.

So Social

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:03:00 +0000

(Click.)

Things Could Get Ugly...

noreply@blogger.com (RFB) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:20:00 +0000

I've always said the next Great Depression is going to be very different from the last. And by that I meant that the whole "help a brother out" mentality will have totally disappeared. We'll be holed up in our homes with MREs, bottled water and a stockpile of ammunition. "Trust no one" will be the mantra of many. We'll be scraping resources together to keep our cell phones from being turned off or our cable from being cut. We have our priorities. But those brave souls willing to go down to their local church or homeless shelter when they run out of food are going to face a new kind of horror the people of the 1930s could never have imagined.