Proctor & Gamble: Rejoice Conditioner

An interesting ad for for Proctor & Gamble's Rejoice Conditioner .



cred:
Leo Burnett Thailand

seen @ ADWEEK & Agency Spy

Windolene: Bling

"Brings out the best in glass."





cred:
Euro RSCG South Africa
Creative Director: James Daniels
Art Directors: Romy Lunz, Laura May Vale
Photographer: Clive Stewart
Copywriter: Sarah Keevy

Alpha-Bits Commercial: Jackson Five

I don't remember these spots at all. But that makes them all the tastier now.



This last one is my favorite.

Unicef: Bad Water Kills

cred:
Jung von Matt, Sweden
Art Directors: Johan Jäger, Max Larsson von Reybekiel
Copywriters: Magnus Andersson, Fredric Thunholm
Photographers: Henrik Halvarsson, Marina Kereklidou

TSA Poster Series: "The Place I Live"

by Givan L?tz

TSA004

High quality print on thick 100# Titan, bright white stock.

Measures 11.75 in x 17.75 in

For sale available here.

AMC MadMen: MadMen yourself

AMC has added a new section to their site. Now you can MadMen yourself. And it comes with all different skin colors (oh, those jokers at AMC). I did mine now you can get yours! MadMen returns August 16.


(the copy in the talk bubbles near the characters were created by kmba and is no way affiliated or underwritten by amc, madmen, the producers, writers and meant to in no way cast no aspersion on the kind-hearted, talented, hardworking people within or associated with the advertising industry)

Tide: Cold Water (Cool like Dat)

Me says, "If ya gotta use Hip Hop in your spot, this is not a bad way to do it."

Slang Rap Democracy says;

I’m not mad at the above Tide Coldwater commercial which uses the music from one of my personal fav Hip-Hop tracks; Digable Planets’ “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat).”

The trio of Butterfly, Mecca the Ladybug and Doodlebug get their due nowadays, but I distinctly remember them getting called ATCQ hacks because of their heavy use of Jazz samples. People also got a little flustered when “Rebirth of Slick” won a 1993 Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Duo or Group in the Rap category. All good save for the fact that they beat out fellow nominees including Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin But a G Thang” and Naughty By Nature’s “Hip Hop Hooray.”




Both of Digable’s albums, Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) and Blowout Comb are excellent 90’s Hip-Hop gems. Every year or so since their initial break up around ‘95 there’s talk of a reunion (they did tour in ‘05). And to their credit, each member has dropped solo projects, though none has reached the acclaim of their previous group work.


I was gonna post about it but Slang Rap Democracy was all over this joint like a Yezzy sample, so I sat this one out.

AT&T: Shedding Styles MJB

Mary J could sell just about anything and look good doing it.

Ad Fad: Mime

Every now and then ad agencies lose their minds and begin with a rash of serial advertisements that they just can't seem to help themselves. It's like when Frat-boys go wild or something, an inside joke that's not even funny to the insiders. I don't think they are copying each other but, it is weird how often it happens. We've seen gnomes and bears and oh yeah, there's always poorly used exaggerated ebonics to take the place of humor (I know you not puttin' no yak up in my weave). It seems the latest "Trending Topic" is the lovable misunderstood mime.

"If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking."
--George S. Patton Jr.,
World War II general

Gatorade: Michael Jordan Series

To honor Michael Jordans induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Gatorade created the Jordan Series, a set of six limited-edition labels commemorating his legendary career. Gatorade then used over 14,000 bottles to re-create one of Jordans greatest G Moments.


cred:
The a-- kicking TBWA

BBDO Düsseldorf Recruiting: Join us

Headline: "BBDO is looking for some kick-ass creatives."

Now, if this guy were to walk through the door of any BBDO office... I'm just sayin'.






cred:
BBDO Dusseldorf, Germany
Creative Director: Toygar Bazarkaya
Art Directors: Jake Shaw, Sven Kösling
Copywriter: Anno Thenenbach
Photographer: Klaus Merz

Getty Images: Brands

cred:
Shalmor Avnon Amichay/ Y&R Interactive Tel Aviv, Israel
Chief Creative Director: Gideon Amichay
Executive Creative Director: Tzur Golan
Group Creative Director / Art director: Tal Ben-Ari
Copywriter: Matan Yedidya

Movie Trailer: Tron Legacy

Some movies I really want to see. Some movies I really want to be in! Black Nerds Unite! Tron 2 looks like it will satisfy all your sci-fi nerd-geek fetishes. I must see this!
Trailer for Tron Legacy (aka Tron 2, Tr2n). Coming in Disney 3D in 2010. Starring Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wild, Bruce Boxleitner. Directed by Joseph Kosinski.

Tiantian Pocket-sized Air Freshner: Lift, Metro

tee-hee.




cred:
DDB, Shanghai, China
Executive Creative Director: Michael Dee
Creative Director: Jody Xiong
Art Directors: Jody Xiong, Jacky Xiao
Copywriter: Jason Jin
Photographer: Song Bo

Mini: Minimalism

Cool.

cred:
Webguerillas GmbH, Munich, Germany
Creative Director: Colin Conrad
Project Manager: Moritz Capelle
Other additional credits: Jochen Hirschfeld

Palm Creep-Pre

Why does this feel like one of those fake ads in a movie? You know for the "Psuedo-Mega-corporation" that's plotting to control the world in order to keep their home planet supplied with fresh human brain steaks. They cook up an ingenious plot to give every person in the world a portable hand held and operated device that keeps you distracted with music, games and P-Diddy sightings while it slowly makes you feels really hip and arrogant to the point where you never see them coming. Hey wait a minute...

Union Bank of India: Currency, Gandhi, Lincoln, Mao

"Joint account"

I like money!

cred:
Mudra Communications, Mumbai, India
Chief Creative Officer: Bobby Pawar
Creative Director: Parag Shahane
Art Director: Kiran Parihar
Copywriter: RK Johnson
Illustrator: Sahebrao Hare
Account Supervisors: Dominic Savio
Retouching: Mangesh Kadam

Typecut:

see cool sh*t


www.typecut.com

SIS by Barbie

Product Description:
Smart, talented and stylish too, the big sister dolls are best friends that love to share their favorite activities with their 'little sisters' too! Choose from three big sister/little sister doll combinations, with their flair for fashion and favorite classes: science & cheerleading, math & music or journalism & art. Each doll comes with fun accessories included.

I think it would be nice if one black Barbie had natural hair. It really is about the hottest trend in black hair care today.

( I don't know why I posted this, it's an advertisment with fictional black people, I guess)

Pepsi: Slam Dunk Contest

Nike: Sportswear Air Maxim 1

All sorts of hand drawn goodness.

Filter Mag Cover: Mos Def

Honkies & Homies

You just gotta see it. It takes just a minute but worth it!

Found and shared by my homie (or is that my honkie) @ stuff white people do.

The Kitchen: Amber Carroll Photographer

Fall 2008
Digital Prints
Images Copyrighted by Amber Carroll, all rights reserved.

"-... most black people refer to the area of hair on the back of the neck as the "kitchen." If a woman has straight hair there she has a clean kitchen, if the hair course or nappy she has a "dirty" kitchen. This work is just a look at the wide range of "kitchens." it was an attempt to remove all the other politics of the female body to focus strictly on the hair, and it's affects on femininity, sexuality, beauty and race."

Is this an an ad campaign in the making or what!?

Paper Mag Cover: Janelle Monaé

I love her sensibilities, her music, her style. I love that she's in the flippy Coke commercial with Cee-Lo. I love that she graced the Gap spots. I love the clarity of her bell like tone in her voice. I need more of this type of artistry in my media life. She needs more endorsement deals. She's smart, funky, fun and talented as hell.

LendingTree: Old Chum

TV's Adam West, the original Batman is the voice within in this new spot for LendingTree from Mullen.

Beat Street: DVD

by BNN

In 1984 when this film was released for many people it was the beginning of HIP HOP CULTURE as we know it. With a who's who of HIP HOP pioneers the cast includes: Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa and the soul sonic force, Doug E. Fresh, Grandmaster Melle Mel and the Furious Five, Fantastic Duo, Kool Moe Dee and the legendary Rock Steady Crew.




Black blokes blogging @ Black Nerds Network aka BNN

Nike SB

Nice spot! Worth watching for the cameo at the end.

Advertising and morality. Would you?

James Othmer's new book examines advertising today and the choices aren't pretty.


from Daily Obsessional

(Official) McDonald's: McCafe featuring Dwele

Hot vs Cool. Me digs.

Thanks Ad Fairy!!!

cred:

Burrell!

KGB: Natural Weave w/ Guest Commentary

This is not offensive so much as it is old. kinda corny and just wrong. It's not wrong entirely, but the creative teams seems to be unaware that this one actor in the spot is an anachronism. Somehow she has been time-warped from the early 1990's and her flippant stereotypical attitude and actions survived the trip. There is a good and interesting if not old premise; the sisters in the salon black advertising 101 concept (you are required to do at least one of these in your "black" advertising life, I've done many *sheds a tear* and for that I'm sorry, sob). As the spot progresses the women seem to regress, almost twenty years or so.

Where there no Black people in the office that day? No one to inquire about the accuracy or "realness" of the final punch-line reaction? Maybe not but the a basket full of cliches were were handy and must have begged to be on TV in this century. You see most women with weave, Black, White, Latino, know exactly where their hair came from and is made of. As a matter of fact Black women are so well rehearsed in hair care and hair products their knowledge is nothing short of encyclopedic! This question would rarely is ever arise. The response well, it's just something imagined they saw in one of the myriad "Beauty Shop" genre movies of the 90's. For full disclosure I called it a mess when a kind friend sent it to me. She replied this:

Come onnnnn, Cleetus. Mess is right!

The first woman, presents well, can speak English, okay...

The second, obviously it smarts a little because we have an "in" to the unkempt world of hair in between stages of coif but she's intelligent enough that she uses her smart phone to ask a question vs. "I dunno'", okay...and then the third.

First off, YAK?! I get the gist and why they were trying to be funny with using animal hair, implying we Americans have no idea where anything comes from but what's with all the extras...the head rolling and the "I don't speak English but I speak stereotype" speech pattern? Especially because she started off knowing how to speak English and so did the hairdresser!

And pay attention to the fact that girl #2 said extensions on her text but ol' girl yells weave. Keep it consistent, people, I still know what you're implying when you make sure black women's extensions are referred to as weave yet non-black women always have the luxury of saying "extensions." Like one is better than the other. Hmmph.

I know there's truth to this set-up and it would've actually been comical...but it's all about the presentation and this my friends is an epic FAIL.

*steps off, soap box*

Thank you guest commenter: Ayiko (You rocked it!)


At least they are equally opportunistic in their offenses. Ladies, this ones for you...

Random House: Girlfriend: Man Trap

Girlfriend. Random house has published a step-by-step guide that helps you get the man you want – 150 ideas for dates, conversation and fun. You can diet, wax and workout. You can be the perfect date. You can learn all about how men work, what they are looking for in a relationship, and how to make sure the man you want sees you. Or, you could just trap the guy using a sixpack of beer as bait.


cred:
Colenso BBDO, Auckland, New Zealand
Nick Worthington – Executive Creative Director
Jonathan McMahon – Copywriter / Art Director
Lisa Fedyszyn – Art Director / Copywriter
Kevin Hyde _ Retoucher
Gabrielle Buckle – Agency Producer

Illustrator: Blake Hicks

"e. blake hicks /// post-mortem portraits from the ultra-hype hbo series the wire
note:: this project is an ongoing way for me [Blake] to combat cubicle insanity and keep the loving relationship between my pen hand and my wacom tablet wide open."

more Blake Hicks here.

Child Abuse Ad: Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson must be stopped.

cred:
Energy

whipped that ass over @ Prostituted Thoughts

Fischer: Space Pens

cred:
Kastner & Partners, Sydney, Australia
Executive Creative Director: Darryn Devlin
Art Directors: Dan Foster, Darryn Devlin
Copywriters: Dan Foster, Darryn Devlin
Photographer: Sean Izzard
Retoucher: Cream

Baskin-Robbins: Ice Cream and Cake

This is a great pick up on a song that's been bubbling under for a few years now. Yes, a few years! Never heard it? Me either, but the KMBA research Labs (Google) has done some snooping around and found that this spot has music from a group called "The Buckwheat Boyz." I'm not crazy about the name. I know that's going to start a long comment war with my friend Todd. Yeah I said it. But I think the song is mindlessly funny and the commercial is shockingly cool. The music is a rip on a few very popular "Too Live Crew, Luther Campbell, Poison Clan" song(s). This music was the very underbelly of rap music in it's day. These were strip club anthems that no one could ever imagine in a general market TV spot. But now, here they are all shiny and sanitized for you ice cream licking protection. ( Is this what Dan Wieden meant when he said, "...in this business I essentially hire a bunch of white, middle-class kids, pay them enormous, enormous sums of money to do what? To create messages to the inner-city kids who create the culture the white kids are trying like hell to emulate”?)

All that aside, I say, 'well did!' Little kids will love it, singing will commence, parents will hate it, ice cream will be purchased, little kids will consume and singing will cease (wipe kid, rinse kid, repeat purchase). Look, I see that it's incredibly stupid, but that's the appeal and for a major agency to pick up on it and the client to buy it is even more mind-numbingly hip. Well, it's hip for adults in an agency. The teen kids on the streets have all but abandoned this and moved on to the "Peanut Butter Jelly" song. The song even comes with a built in dance that came about pretty organically and while not corporately sponsored and can take on a life of it's own, this dance craps all over the potty dance. The spot doesn't talk down or patronize anyone, it simply whole-heartedly takes on the buzz, the cool, the kooky, the crazy, underground nature of the song and let's it breathe new life into and long standing brand. I say good work. Look for Skippy or Jif to get the "PBJ song" campaign going about 2013.

cred:
Hey AOR tell me who you are...
(CLIFF FREEMAN & PARTNERS??)

Bermuda: Gridlock to Sunblock

Nice headline!



cred:
GlobalHue

Behind the Scene: The making of Coca-Cola's "Open Happiness"

Open Happiness: The Story with Brendon Urie, Patrick Stump, Cee-Lo, Travis McCoy & Janelle Monae

Design Inspiration: Elena Lloveria

more @ the colornaut

Diversions – Apparently, Michael Jackson Had Other Talents…

By Tambay, on July 17th, 2009
Margena Christian of Ebony mag posted the below image on Twitter; apparently it’s one of many illustrations created by Michael Jackson! Who knew the man had print skills like this? Certainly not I. I’ll expect that, at some point in the future, some of these works will be exhibited.



h/t Tracy Nguyen

Inside The ADCOLOR® Awards - The Making of the 2009 ADCOLOR® Awards Ad Campaign

Thanks Tyff




cred:
Chair - Sallie Mars - McCann NY
Vice Chair - Gary Mack - NBA
Toni Thompson - McCann NY
Archie Bell - Arnold Worldwide
Kenji Summers - GroupM
Victor Velez - Arnold Worldwide
Johnny Nguyen - McCann NY
Mikal Cook - McCann NY
Beny Ashburn - McCann NY
Eric Tao - McCann NY

AGENCY - McCANN NY:
Groups CDs: Sallie Mars
Art Director: John Nguyen
Copywriter: Mikal Cook
Producer: Beny Ashburn, Co-Produced by Eric Tao
Production Assistant: Chandler Simms
Business Manager: Ken Krausgill

PRODUCTION - PICTURE PARK:
Director: Benny Boom
Executive Producer: Mark Hankey
Line Producer: Roger Ubina

Rock the Bells: Poster

cred:
You tell me

MonkeyFist Clothing & Apparel: Bar fight, Mob, Jailbreak

I think these are just supposed to be cute/funny. I think.







cred:
Hill Holliday
Creative Director / Art Director / Illustrator: Kevin Daley
Copywriter: Tim Cawley

Music I'd like To See in a Commercial: Part IX: MPHO

Kate Bush has long been an odd favorite of mine. Nerdy to the tenth power, right. Sorry but my blackness belies the soul of all forms of geekiness and frowned upon navel gazer interests. MPHO reintroduces us to "Running Up That Hill" while taking Kate's more soulful undertones and hangs them a scosh closer to the auditory door for us all to enjoy. It puts me in the mind of an insurance commercial, although they may frown on so much running up hills, roads and buildings.


I had seent'it at SoulBounce. Thanks Mami, Stay strong sis!

**UPDATE**

There is a very eerie version of this same song already in this commercial (trailer).

Taco Bell: It's all about the Roosevelts (Baby?)

The minstrel show has gone white. What's up with all the blackface as done in boldface and blatant in advertising these days? There has been a slew of commercials with the same premise of white people acting out, mocking, replicating, biting, pretending to be black people. I suppose it's a homage to make Puffy proud as opposed to just a culture grab, but it's still over done. This 2:00 spot takes every rap video cliche and casted a few white guys and some iron thighed white women to shake their best video garden tool parts to cause a stir in the young white male hearts. At least I believe that's who the target is and these days it doesn't hurt to get a little negative press to mask insensitivity as edgy. See Burger King's square butts for children video and a myriad of burb babies-cum-hoody.

But hey it's not like Black people don't borrow from White culture sometimes too. It just seems that when Black people do it we own it. We change it, we know it implicitly, dare I say we master it. In a sense there is an unspoken respect and adherence to the codified language of whiteness. I think if general market agencies want to continue to borrow so heavily from Black culture it's fine, but do something greater with it. Flip it, change it. Take it somewhere new, like many other cultures do. See M.I.A. and her brand of rap music. She implores us to listen by loving hip hop and her own culture so much that the marriage feels genuine and authentic. Not just as shallow or thin as a dusky coat of black face make-up. Not just to repeatedly say, "Look at me, I'm doing something sorta like what Black people do, duh, aint I funny?" Hip Hop culture is not funny just because it has a White face spitting into a mic. The key is to truly appreciate, honor and respect the culture. Study it to see and understand it's virtues. I guarantee the homework will show up on the test, that is to say; the earnest appreciation will translate well in your final advertising work. Oh and by the way, not meaning to harp here, well yes I do, hiring a more diverse advertising team would not hurt you. In fact it may save you a few hospital trips if the wrong people find out who keeps making these ads. But I jest, like a jester, not a minstrel.

cred:
Draft FCB

McDonald's McCafe: Dwele part duex

This is an addition to the Dwele McD's McCafé campaign. I've been searching for it (a version I could show love to here) for a while now. I guess they have an aversion to youtube and are trying to maintain control of the spots even after they are aired. It is available at 365 Black however. But some little YouTube pirate picked up their camcorder (and all kinds of copyright violations) and grabbed it right from the old fashioned TV screen complete with warped moiré pattern and all. This is what happens when technology goes wild, but no fault of the agency. I wish they would release this to more public media like YouTube sooner – or at least give your boy a copy?

For what it is and its intended audience it is pretty good. The commercial is a great continuation of the smart branding and promotion of the Mcsweet stuff. I'm not mad at the "Dualing Dweles" concept and the exclusion of 70's voiced MC from the last spot. Although I have noticed dude got his Don Cornelius like rousing rhythmic rapping introduction to a cup of coffee spot out too, "Introducing an Indulgent Interlude..." there's some intense illustrative ill iteration going on there! The cast of Dwele is so perfect for this product. Is talent off the meter, he has enough cool minus the edginess of some performers. Dwele also posses the perfect blend of hot and cool sounds that make this spot work. Good job. Keep pushing it Burrell!!!

Little Stars Pavement School: Site, Box

cred:
Bates 141, Calcutta, India
Creative Director / Copywriter: Arjun Mukherjee
Art Director: Diptanshu Roy
Photographer: Sanjib Ghosh

Mentos: Beat It

“Killa enters into a beatboxing battle with a local, which soon becomes a battle for the affections of a girl.
The pair almost run out of steam before Killa’s competitor recharges with a stick of Mentos gum and promptly beats him and wins the girl.”

"...and wins the girl" As if she were lottery?!




cred:
BBH London
Agency Producer: Sam Robinson
Creative Director: Rik Brown; Jon Fox
Creative: Dan Bailey; Brad Wolff
Director: Guy Manwaring
Production: Sonny
Director of Photography: John Lynch
Editor: Mark Edinoff

MLK Jr. Posthumously Sides with the GOP

[Borrowed from Agency Spy]



Billboard ads can say the darndest things. A conservative group dubbed the Raging Elephants is sponsoring new outdoor signage that was unveiled in Houston over July 4th weekend which reads, "Martin Luther King Jr. Was a Republican!"

Led by Apostle Claver T. Kamaur-Imani, the group as expected is causing controversy in the neighborhood and getting into spats with community activists who argue that the late civil rights leader should be held above political affiliation. Kamaur-Imani, whose video promoting the billboard can be viewed here, is "leading America's 2nd emancipation" as the slogan says.

But community activist Quannell X argues, "The party of Tom Delay, the party of Rush Limbaugh, the party of Sean Hannity, the party of Michael Savage would not be the party of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior!"

MLK's political leanings, though, were already heatedly discussed back in 2006, when the National Black Republican Association launched a radio ad that irked quite a few people.

While there apparently is no tangible proof of Martin Luther King's pro-GOP stance, the billboard has seemingly served its purpose by raising eyebrows and making one's highway commute a bit more interesting.


__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Maybe MLK was a republican, maybe he was a klansmen, maybe he was water buffalo lodge member. It doesn't matter. He saw the light. He saw the truth, he spoke the truth into power. I would looooooooooooooooooooove for the republican party to follow the Kingian example! If this were anything more than a stunt I would be concerned, no happy. I would be happy if the GOP began to emulate the precepts of Doctor Martin Luther King. I would join today!!!

Unicef / Tap Project: Dirty water

“Thirsty? So are millions of people around the world with no access to clean drinking water. 4,200 children die of water-related diseases everyday. Help provide safe drinking water to developing countries. Donate today. You wouldn’t drink dirty water. No one should. Donate now by texting TAP to 864233 (UNICEF) or visit tapproject.org. Just a dollar provides a child with 40 days of clean drinking water.”






Advertising Agency: Casanova Pendrill, NY, USA
Executive Creative Director: Elias Weinstock
Creative Director: Alejandro Ortiz
Copywriters: Beto Arévalo, Dámaso Crespo
Art Directors: Dámaso Crespo, Beto Arévalo
Photographers: Dámaso Crespo, Gustavo Villanueva
Producer: Daniel Luna, Anne Rodriguez
Editor: James Long from Proton
Post-production supervisor: Keith Olwell from Proton
Videographer: Edgar Andrade
Group Account Director: Melissa Ebanks
Account Executives: Ismael Leon, Angela Carrasco

Soleterre: Spit up

“All children should be allowed to be children.”

I love the humor hate the hut! The backdrop seems so expected. Or should I say, it's a cliche straight out of the 70's. Does the woman have to be in a thatch roof/wall dwelling? Over all I think is good.


cred:
JWT, Milan, Italy
Executive Creative Director: Pietro Maestri
Creative Director: Bruno Bertelli
Art Director: Stefano Carli Ballola
Copywriter: Cristiano Tonnarelli
Photographer: Zona 13

Spanish Red Cross: Water, Terrace, Child

“Perhaps you can’t see us, but we are there.”

Does anybody get this? I finally see it!

Do you???




cred:
Publicis Dialog, Madrid, Spain
Creative Director: David Cavanilles
Art Directors: Jaime Campiña, Juan Hernanz
Copywriter: Alfonso Cuenca
Chief Creative Officer: Arturo Lopez

GCAP: Press the 8

mc cafe commercial and race

**Posted @ estewartartist THURSDAY, JUNE 04, 2009**
do me a favor, watch this commercial:



i've seen this commercial a lot lately, and somewhere in there i started to really think about the commercial and what i was seeing. the subtle things. the little things. maybe it's because i teach sociology. maybe it's something else. i don't know. maybe i'm seeing things that aren't there, or blowing things out of proportion. what i see in this commercial is a common theme in a lot of movies.

let me throw this out there: we see an african american woman waiting at the bus stop, dissatisfied. next, we see a caucasian male show up with the mc cafe and it's all good for him. cut scene, now we have the african american woman on the bus, all disjointed. who's satisfied? it's a white woman with a mc cafe. scene three, we again have the african american woman toiling away in her cubicle. thankfully, the caucasians arrive, bringing her a mc cafe, saving her day.

it's not overt racism. i don't think the makers of the commercial intended it. but, in some ways it's the same message that gets put out into the media. it's an especially common plot in movies: the lives of minorities are messed up and the whites bring the answer to the problem.

it's very subtle in the commercial. and maybe that makes it worse.

or maybe it really isn't there and i'm reading too much into a commercial.

Photographer: Hannan Saleh

I may have a new favorite photographer Hannan Saleh's work is enthralling! She conjures deeply emotive imagery that uses blurs and harsh washes of grain. It would be interesting see more edgy photography used in ethnic advertising. I think I've seen Cliff Franklin's very smart Fuse agency use photography like this. But that's about it. Any-who this lady does really nice work.

"Photography is stronger than words.It is a visionary voice that takes you to a place and time. With my photographs,I try to bring out the truest essence of my subjects.
My inspiration comes from the people i photograph and their reality;whether it be a beautiful cultural environment or the harshness of urban landscapes."

http://www.hannansaleh.com

Illustrator: Christa Palazzolo

More here: http://www.christapalazzolo.com

Miller HighLife: Horse Track

Nandos: Confederation poster

This poster was created around the hosting of the confed cup by south africa. At south african soccer matches, fans wear a hat called a makarapa. These hats are a purely SA thing and are hand made out of the miner's hard hats. It's a culturally SA thing. We've exaggerated the hats to comment on South Africa, politically, socially and culturally. "Mzanzi" is vernacular for South Africa.

cred:

Blackriver FC, South Africa

Creative Director: Ahmed Tilly

Art Director: Justin Joshua
Copywriter: Iain Thomas
Illustrators: Peet Pienaar, Jono Garrett, Justin Joshua, Meryke Naude.
Producer/Art Buyer: Hilary Simpson

Soulful Six Degrees

Thanks Shaun.

Fiat: See what’s really there

“See what’s really there. Fiat Stilo with Xenon headlights.”





cred:
Leo Burnett Brasil, São Paulo, Brazil
Creative Director: Ruy Lindenberg
Art Director: Breno Balbino
Copywriter: Fabio Nagano

[Agency Spy post] Levi's: This Country Was Built By Slaves

The above Levi's campaign, which was lauded by AdWeek and lambasted by AdAge, is summed up by one black magic marker and the unknown source of the scrawled words, "by slaves".




On her site, Director of Global Trends at Global Hue Christine Huang put it like this. "Levis (or rather W+K) is glorifying these centuries old American ideals — Optimism! Egoism! Manifest Destiny! — while making paltry gestures towards the reality of American history and what America is today. Besides the few ethnic actors in the video, their print campaign is disappointingly monochromatic and seems almost unapologetically alienating. It would have been really amazing to see Levis pay homage to the symbols of true individuality from our past — the Freedom riders, abolitionists, Suffragists, veterans. 'The Frontier' is sexy and all, but how about some real American heroes?"

Now you go.

Note: The "by slaves" remark was not part of the original poster. Someone passing by added it, we presume.

I saw the spot and was frankly, underwhelmed. Levi's is trying to up it's cool to maybe it's former 80's stature with some 90's arty style. I understand what the hub-bub is all about. But I honestly feel just as "left-out" when I view commercials by 99% of advertisers. So this campaign and it's improptu addendum does me nothing. Actually the unskilled tag artist did us a favor to remind common folk of the fact; this country was built in large inseparable part by slaves. Watching this commercial, in spite of the casting just makes me feel like they are not speaking to Black people. They are in some distant way indifferent. So... yawn.

special thanks to atslopes

Finally a new website for Culture Advertising Design

We've been plugging along for months (years) at my little agency (teeny) with an old website. You see I am not a web designer (at all) and my interns (slaves) haven't been able to (ever) produce a web site we were happy with. I'm (a picky bastard) proud to announce we didn't design one at all (crowd roars). Instead we just bought a wordpress (cheap bastard too) template and tricked it out. So now you can see our (attempts at ) great work and there is even a place for (cuss-outs) comments. We've actually been working on a lot of web sites (plugging things to wordpress templates) these days. I may go so far as to say we (can get over) offer this service!
So see our stuff and (laugh) hire us for creative direction, art direction, graphic design (blah, blah, blah) etc. We do it for (that's right keep selling) Radio, TV and Print. We've won many awards (don't get me started on awards, but that's another parenthetic) and are cost friendly.


http://culture-ad.com

If there's one thing I've learnt: Share the love

cred:
Republic of Everyone
Art Director: Leonardo Barbosa

LiNing: Oneal, Calderon, Davis

In July 2009, Li Ning will hold Style Fighter 3+1 Basketball Challenge and NBA Stars’ Meet in Beijing, Zhengzhou, Shijiazhuang, Changsha and Chengdu. Three different thematic basketball courts will be set up representing the styles of Shaq O'neal, Baron Davis and Jose Calderon respectively. Considering various interest of young basketball fans, different competitions are designed for them,including 3+1 contest, one-to-one contest, slam dunk competition, skill competition, and so on. It is a good opportunity for the youth to learn from the NBA stars.





cred:
Creatim, Beijing, China
Creative / Illustrator / Retouch: Huang Cheng
Creative Director: Liu Fang
Art Directors: HuangCheng, Gao Xin
Copywriters: Wang YueMing, Bob Li,

Afro Saxons: Movie

It screened at the ongoing Afro-Punk Festival in Brooklyn, NY yesterday, in what I believe was its first non-UK premiere, but I was busy elsewhere, so I missed it.

In short… 7 years ago, Black British filmmakers Rachel Wang and Mark Currie, formed Chocolate Films, to develop and create their own projects. Much of their documentary work is about the diverse array of peoples and communities who live and work in London. Afro-Saxons, produced in 2008, is their debut feature length documentary. It screened in limited release in London last fall. No DVD on the market yet.

Afro-Saxons follows four Afro hair salons from across the UK, as they prepare for the prestigious Black Beauty and Hair Awards. Described as as “a warm inspirational and touching film that delves into the professional and home lives of the stylists while they express themselves with mind-blowing gravity-defying hair designs.”

Watch the trailer below…



Picked up and blown out @ Shadow and Act

Uncle Funky's Daughter

A great looking online marketing tool. UncIe Funky's Daughter is a cleverly written and wisely targeted site. The graphics and the imagery are a smart direction. They are poised to do good things with the burgeoning natural hair set. I think we will be hearing a lot more from UFD!

Comb through the curls here: http://unclefunkysdaughter.com

ABSOLUT iDrink - the iPhone app that helps you select & mix drinks. Really.

Posted by Dabitch on Jul 2 2009 | Filed under: advertising news

Fine, so they didn't call it iDrink but they should have, because it opens up for countless gags - but today Absolut Vodka has launched an iPhone app, called Drinkspiration, which you can download for free from the app store. It's there to help you when you're too sloshed at the bar to figure out what to drink.
"Who hasn't stood at the bar without knowing what to order? Our hopes is that Drinkspiration by ABSOLUT will become the ultimate bar-buddy. The App gives advice, personal recommendations and is an inspiring road into the world of mixed drinks."
said Fredrick Tallroth, Senior Manager Interactive Marketing at The Absolut Company.

With "Drinkspiration" you can also share on twitter and facebook what drinks you have chosen and announce to the world what a barfly you are. ;)




I got tipsy @ Adland.com

Ben & Jerry's: Caterpillar, Giraffe, Recipes, Universe

cred:
Ogilvy & Mather Asia Pacific Singapore
Executive Creative Directors: Tham Khai Meng, Eugene Cheong, Todd Mccracken
Copywriters: Mike Sutcliffe, Craig Love, Eugene Cheong
Art Directors: Adrian Chan, Maurice Lim, Stuart Mills
Photographer: Edward Loh, October Skies

Boysen Paint: Hibiscus, Lily

"Paints with ISO 14001 environmental certification."

(Sometimes ads are here just because they have the color black)






cred:
TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno Makati City, The Philippines
Executive Creative Director: Melvin Mangada
Creative Director: Manuel Villafania
Copywriter: Bryan Siy
Account Supervisor: Kara Filamor
Art Directors: Manuel Villafania, Melvin Mangada, Denise Tee
Photographer: G-Nie Arambulo
Print Producer: May Dalisay
Final Artist: Momay Quiroz
Production House: Adphoto

Comercials I didn't know MJ did.

Illustrator: Autumn Whitehurst

cred:
Autumn Whitehurst

Design Inspiration: Eduardo Recife

cred:
Eduardo Recife
www.eduardorecife.com

Reebok: Eastbay Ads

cred:

No Pattern

In Tribute

This video is just 48 hours before Michael left us. Still lucid, still vibrant, still a thrill!

"... just watch the way he moves. It's all there: the fluid footwork, the ease of motion, everything that made him the transcendent showman he was throughout his life. The smile that creeps onto Michael's face at the very end of the clip, when he knows he's nailed that routine, is simply heartbreaking."

Quote by Simon Vozick-Levinson

Evian: Breaking Babies (exclusive)

A bounty of ebullient bubbly bouncing and break-dancing boogie down B-Boy babies. This is just fun. Note the cgi work.

Thanks Lauren. You rock! ;)

cred:
Agency: BETC Euro RSCG
CD: Remi Babinet
Director: Michael Gracey

How Michael Jackson Became a Brand Icon

By John Quelch @ Havard Business Publishing

Countless books advise how to build your personal brand. Michael Jackson was so unique that he cannot realistically serve as anyone's role model in that effort. Yet Jackson was unquestionably a brand icon and there are lessons to be learned. Here are the top ten factors that explain his icon status.

Start early. Michael began entertaining at the age of four. His career as the uniquely young lead singer in The Jackson Five began with the Motown label at the age of 10. National recognition came with his appearance on the Ed Sullivan show.

Let go. Jackson went solo in 1972 at the age of 13. As with Diana Ross and the Supremes, there came a point where the group constrained rather than aided the further development of his talent.

Break out. Jackson was a multidimensional entertainer. His expert dancing could be showcased via the new medium of music videos. MTV and Jackson rose in tandem when MTV premiered the Jackson video "Thriller" in 1982 from the album of the same name. The album went on to sell over 100 million copies.

Get help. Jackson benefited from his long-term professional relationship with producer and songwriter Quincy Jones. He often acknowledged the inspiration he received from James Brown, Diana Ross and other artists.

Be visible. All memorable brands have their unique visual trademarks. Jackson understood brand image and how to build it with his fans. The moonwalk that we could all try to imitate. The glove. The uniform. Neverland.

Go global. Jackson's music and videos easily transcended national boundaries, as well as race, age and gender. "We Are the World", written by Jackson and Lionel Ritchie in 1985, cemented his global appeal. Jackson sold almost half his 750 million titles outside the United States.

Crown yourself. Elvis was already "The King", so Jackson christened himself "The King of Pop." The professional contributions--including 13 Grammies--were so substantial that the moniker stuck...

Be vulnerable. We cannot relate to icons without imperfections. Jackson was quirky, eccentric, mysterious. For all his wealth and professional excellence, he was - perhaps understandably - flawed, misguided, and sad, but none would say unkind.

Give back. Denied a normal childhood, Jackson was amazingly generous to disadvantaged children. Some 39 charities benefited significantly from his support. He also collaborated on Live Aid with other entertainers.

There is one more that I vehemently disagree with and I believe it has already been disproved. I can't even copy and paste it here. You be the grudge.

Precious Movie Poster 2

Precious, the Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey associated photoplay has issued another engrossing poster. I think it's intriguing on its own but if you see the trailer for the movie you would understand more the uncertain strokes and the deliberate ambiguity of the central form. I love the touch of the ID necklace allusion over the anthropomorphic chiaroscuro play behind it.

What! Yeah I said it, Tyler Perry & chiaroscuro in the same paragraph! Don't judge me! You don't know me like that!

See the first poster over yonder.

Interview: Designer Andrea Pippins

It's been said that design is where science and art break even. For Andrea Pippins design is where fun, fabulous and fly all get together to make magical lovely! She is one of those rare designers that transcends all graphic design norms. Instead of using all manner of trickery and photoshop alchemy to make something interesting. She's fierce and unafraid to break out ye ol' exacto-knife, french curves and rapid-o-graph pen (what are those, right) –– they are classic tools used to create graphic design the old fashion way. Andrea painstakingly, intricately creates it by hand. She's like the Tracy Reese of graphic design. And then Pippins further cements inferiority complexes amongst her so-called "peers." When she then magically transports all that designery goodness into, get this... a computer and makes even more vector-pixel-mash magic. I had a chance to ask her a few questions about being a genie (or a designer) and where all the flyness comes from.





What aspect of design do you really love? Logo design, typography, type design Layout, etc?
Logo design is by far my favorite. I LOVE designing logos. There's something very special about branding an idea, company or product in one simplified (or complicated) mark. I also LOVE hand-lettering/hand-drawn type which for me is a combination of illustration and design. If someone hired me to just design logos and create beautiful hand-lettering I would be a very happy graphic designer.

"Farmers' Table
This is an identity for a company that would bring fresh fruits and vegetables to people who do not have access to quality supermarkets. The logo is a combination of existing type and drawn elements in Illustrator. The style of the logo along with the fruits and vegetables was inspired by old calligraphic lettering from vintage ads and market signage. I wanted it to feel organic to represent the produce yet simple because it relates to the idea of a Farmer's market (but didn't want it to feel too farmer-y because I feel that look is somewhat overdone and not as special). For the illustrated produce, I drew them all by hand, scanned them in and redrew them in Illustrator."

What's your dream job?
See above! No, really I have tons of dream jobs. But I would really like to take what I know and disperse that information to inspire others. I guess that would make my dream job a curator of creative inspiration. When I was teaching classes as a part of my graduate fellowship my favorite part was showing my students new work or even older work to inspire them. Whether it was a design book, an illustrator I just discovered, or a cool animation I would be so excited to share it with them. Most times, they would just stare at me blankly but it always felt so great when a student would say later, "Hey that book you showed us about poster design was really helpful" or "thanks for emailing that site, it gave me some good ideas." I love that. I would like to continue doing that on a larger scale.

Can you discuss any specifics about the process of creating a few of the pieces you sent.
I Love My Hair - This poster is one of a series for a go-natural campaign. As I mentioned before I love hand-lettering, so when discussing coily hair I thought using that medium would be perfect for the typography. I first hand-lettered the type then scanned it in, cleaned it up in Adobe Photoshop before applying color.


Any advice for neophytes?
Don't be afraid to ask for help, If you don't know something seek it out. There is always someone out there ready and willing to help get you where you need to be. I would not be where I am if it weren't for the help I received from really generous people. Get a mentor, reach out to people you admire. And show people your work. When I graduated from undergrad I showed my portfolio to a lot of people who weren't hiring. It was really great practice for me to sell my talents and get comfortable talking about myself. It was also a good way to get feedback from professionals who see tons of portfolios all the time.



To see more of Andrea's amazing work and endless amounts of curation, inspiration and musings visit her Fly blog. Now! I'll wait.

Black Dynamite: Movie Posters

"When “The Man” murders his brother, pumps heroin into local orphanages, and floods the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor, Black Dynamite is the one hero willing to fight all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House."

...or at least that's what the website says about the movie. I'll be there.

The Zimbabwean Titanium Trillion Dollar Campaign (Must see)

The Zimbabwean newspaper, has been driven into exile for reporting on how the Mugabe regime has rigged elections, crushed the opposition, caused poverty, disease and the total collapse of the economy. And now, having been exiled, the regime has slapped a 55% luxury import duty on the paper (as if freedom of speech is a luxury) that makes it unaffordable for the average Zimbabwean. To get the paper into Zimbabwean hands, it needs to be subsidised, and our client can only do that by raising awareness, acquiring new customers and driving sales outside Zimbabwe.

This campaign won lots of chunky metal trinkets at Cannes this year.

**UPDATE**

Awards: Cannes Lions 2009 (Silver Lions) for Best Integrated Campaign Led by Direct Marketing, Cannes Lions 2009 (Grand Prix Campaign) for Outdoor, Cannes Lions 2009 (Gold Lion) for Use of Mixed Media, Cannes Lions 2009 (Gold Lion) for Publications & Media, Cannes Lions 2009 (Gold Lion) for Integrated.

cred:
Agency: TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris
Advertiser: The Zimbabwean Limited
Brand Name: The Zimbabwean
Johannesburg, South Africa