Ah, to be a child again.

Check out those moves! Is that the moonwalk?!

Our very own Jed Sweigard got down with his bad self at the VWAG Christmas party last Saturday. Turns out, put a drink or seven in him and the white boy’s got some rhythm. Who could have guessed?

Also turns out that he’s more of a party animal than we realized. After tearing up the dance floor at the Riverside Country Club, he made appearances at a few other parties. And we have proof. Check it, y’all!

It IS the moonwalk!

Whoa, Gingee. That's no Christmas party!

Now that's kickin' it Old Skool!

This move's called the Camel Toe.

For those who know us Kinetics, you’ll know that we do what we do because of love. Love for design,
writing, advertising and this company. Shameless self-aggrandizing and braggery aren’t usually our
thing. But that just makes a little recognition, when it comes, that much more appreciated.

Kinetic was recently honoured by the Marcom Awards with three gold awards and another three
honourable mentions. Not too shabby, if we do say so ourselves.

Gold Medals:

RADIO  Jubilee Ford – “Ransom”

CAMPAIGN  Saskatoon Mitsubishi – Captive Poster Series

GREETING CARD  Porsche of Saskatchewan – 2010 Xmas Card

Honourable Mentions:

BRANDING  EarthWorks Equipment – rebrand

POSTERS  Airdrie Dodge Jeep – employee recognition posters

WEBSITE  Butler Byers Insurance – website design

It’s the Devil!!! BWAAAA!!!

Whether it’s the music, the sound effects or the cinematography, creating a truly immersive TV ad is all about the ambience. And, if you’re clever enough, it’s a fantastic way to mislead your audience.

With this piece, everything tells you to not trust what you’re watching… that the world they’re creating is a façade. How many times did you anticipate the reveal? And each time they didn’t deliver the expected diversion, you get plunged deeper into the creepiness. Despite all of your conviction, you can’t help but be a little nervous and creeped out right up until the end. The punch line, then, is a slap in the face. Like being plunged into icy water.

Ahhh. Refreshing and rewarding.

http://www.humanworldwide.com/#commercials

This howrealtorshelp.ca commercial is a great example of a clever idea that is executed wonderfully. Check it out.

Language is rotting.

“Hold on, stop right there,” you say. “Another English major ranting about the malicious massacre of language? *Yawn* How very pedestrian.”

No wait! Bear with me, dear reader. I promise to get to the point in short order.

As a life-long writer, I can’t deny that the perpetually accelerating degradation of language terrifies me. LOLspeak, Textese, online writing behaviours and general language laziness are systematically tearing down thousands of years of carefully evolved language structure.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a language evolutionist. It’s only fair that language should continue to evolve alongside society and technology. Until quite recently, however, literacy was a matter of pride – a sign of class and education. That meant the people defining its use and steering its evolution (at least in the written form), were schooled and practiced in the art of the wordsmith.

Now, with computers giving keyboard access to the masses and the internet offering a forum to share the subsequent creations with the world, the history of our language rests squarely (and somewhat precariously) in the hands of babes.

See, here’s the thing. No matter how many of us freakishly anal English majors are out there trying to tell people what to do, the nature of language is descriptive, not prescriptive. That means language is defined by what people actually say, rather than what they should say.

So, phrases like “I could care less,” due to common misuse, often replace the less cited but more correct version – in this case, “I couldn’t care less,” meaning you care so little it’s impossible to care any less.

“Alright, get to the point already! You promised me this wasn’t going to be another one of those English lessons telling me how everything I say is wrong!”

Yes, you’re right. Apologies.

How about an example then. Here’s an ad I found one Monday morning… spot anything off?

But here’s the beauty of the internet. Either someone complained (or maybe someone at the agency decided to read the ad for a change), because a scant few hours later, the same ad suddenly looked like:

I won’t even go into critiquing the concept here (trust me, I’m tempted), but for businesses and professionals, this laziness looks amateur and uneducated. A major international brand should look polished and intelligent. And flubs like this have FAIL written all over them.

“Okay, they fixed it fast. No big deal. Everyone makes mistakes.”

Of course! I’ve made PLENTY in my day (and I’m sure I’ll make many more before I retire to a rocking chair on the front porch of the senior’s home). But how about typos like this then?

Did you spot it? Not exactly a huge deal, but not a short-lived advertisement either. And Apple isn’t exactly a mom-and-pop shop. Still didn’t get it? I have faith in you.

Okay, tired of the English lesson by now I’m sure. Well, as they say, “if you can’t beat ‘em, make lemonade…” or something like that. And on that note, here’s one final funny to send you on your way.