31.01.2008 by Zoltan

Obey Obama

Yesterday Obey released his endorsement poster for Obama (left). Which is great, as I love Obey’s style and I certainly hope that Obama wins – because he might actually change the rotten institutions of American politics rather than just keep the status quo.

But then today, quick as lightning, someone has gone one step further and created a text-generator using the very same image (my version, right). You can only guess at what’s going to happen when the Clinton’s get their hands on this, but at the end of the day it will be Obama’s campaign that wins, because no matter what anyone writes underneath, it’ll still be his face that everyone sees first and associates with Obey’s original messages of “Hope” and “Progress”.

And while we’re on the subject YouBama has just launched which is essentially a user-gen video endorsement site for the main man. So get upping and add to the groundswell of opinion for a (radical) change in USA Inc.

obey obama – via CR yesterday
obey generator – via yacco today
youbama – via ad lab

22.01.2008 by Zoltan

guerilla advertising

What better way to advertise a book about Guerilla Advertising than turn it into a self-publicising bag/accesory? Of course making it bright yellow doesn’t hurt either… Absolutely brilliant, via CR

02.10.2007 by Zoltan

Open to Anything

Full credit to Nokia for being so quick on the uptake in this new campaign aimed squarely at the (now very pissed off) early iPhone adopters… But I must say I was sorely disappointed when I tried to find the campaign online. Apart from the mac rumour sites and a few ad blogs, all I found was this glorified Flash banner and only on nokia.com!

How but how can such a massive opportunity to talk directly to iPhoners (read: people that spend shitloads of cash online already) and NOT have an integrated/online component. Why not create a dialogue with these people? IMHO the whole thing should’ve been online – Nokia should’ve bought all the ad space on all the Apple rumour blogs… In the end its a great idea, perfectly timed, but a wasted opportunity as nothing more than a nice poster.

05.09.2007 by Zoltan

Bronx zoo

Yet another example of what seems to be an increasing trend (which I really like) towards negative shapes surrounded by a big blank field of white and then laid over the increasingly complex urban jungle we inhabit. Well in this case, at least its appropriate in that its for the Bronx Zoo.

via ibelieveinadv

26.07.2007 by Zoltan

5 seconds

5 Segons (5 Seconds in english) is a really lovely little idea that takes a ubiquitous cultural object (in this case the youtube scrubber) and through the sheer simplicity of the idea, repurposes it to become something entirely different. The ambient sound and lack of any voiceover only reinforces the message of it not being a big deal.

via adverblog

18.07.2007 by Zoltan

Simpsons too far

Now i like Homer as much as the next guy, but a 180ft Homer seemingly about to rampage an antique fertility symbol with a donut? Maybe I’m getting old, or maybe I’ve just been in England too long, but its a bit much for me. They could’ve put it somewhere like Las Vegas where this type of cheap gimmick is appreciated. Shit, we’re all going to see the movie anyway… Reminds me of the Hello Kitty work done by Surface to Air, but nowhere near as cool.

via monorex

17.07.2007 by Zoltan

Wii’ll not forget

Everyone loves the versatility of post-it notes, and this is by no means a new idea. But the simplicity of using them to create over-large pixels is a beautifully poetic reference to the retro 8-bit content being advertised.

Behind each pixel is a note inviting you to re-live the NES classics – confirming the Wii as not only the coolest console around, but also the guardian of your youth. Brilliant!

via got-ads

17.07.2007 by Zoltan

Fuck You Damien

You’ve all heard about Hirst’s £50m skull, but this is so much cooler. In an art-world equivalent of graff’s x-ing out, ‘Laura’ (its not quite Madonna, or Prince now is it?) has given the ultimate fuck-you to contemporary art’s poster boy.

She created an exact replica (albeit sans diamonds) and placed it on a pile of trash outside the gallery a couple of nights ago. Considering the original’s price tag, and the fact that it has yet to sell, its a very timely statement on the over-commercialisation of art and the perceived value of some rich wanker’s self-indulgence.

via the wooster collective

13.07.2007 by Zoltan

Expand your mind

Who ever would’ve thought that a children’s toy would become such a perfectly simple way to convey the idea that the Econommist makes you smarter (read: brain bigger)

via advertising for peanuts

04.06.2007 by Zoltan

Now why didn’t I think of that?

“For the first time in advertising history, brand owners are offered the opportunity to buy meda space within someone’s mind.”

Don’t you love opportunistic capitalists? ThoughtVertising is one man’s quest to swindle legitimately earn a cool 10k for the seemingly simple idea of “think(ing) of your brand every hour,on the hour for a period of a week”. The sad/cool (? depends on your POV) thing is that he’s probably right when suggesting the resulting PR / news will far outweigh the initail investment…

via advertising lab

18.05.2007 by Zoltan

AddArt

AddArt is a super cool project that replaces online ad units with pieces of art from a curated database. Apart from the awfully weak example (above, why can’t the Americans get over their fucking eagles?), my only quip is that its Firefox only :( Although its still in development so i guess there’s more to come.

In their words, “AddArt attempts to do something more interesting than just blocking ads – it turns your browser into an art gallery. Every time you visit the New York Times online or check the weather you’ll also see a spattering of images by a young contemporary artist.” Brought to you by the good crew at eyebeam.

18.05.2007 by Zoltan

Art Vending Machine

I saw this unusual vending machine when walking around Stoke Newington the other day… Ok so its not one of those fancy heated ones you get in Japan, but it does vend ‘Art for the People’ for the decidedly un-princely sum of £2.

Unfotrunately I didn’t have 2 quid, so i can’t tell you what exactly this democratic art actually is, but i guess i like the sentiment :) In fact it could be, and probably is, a piece of art in itself questioning the burgeoning commercialisation of the haute-art world. I guess my marketing-laced brain couldn’t make the connection there and then…

So if anyone knows anything more about this most enigmatic of vending machines, I’d love you to share your thoughts

// UPDATE //

Ok, so it seems that there is a network of these machines around London, maintained by a crew called Hayvend. They vend randomly selected pieces of tiny art in little cardboard boxes.

27.04.2007 by Zoltan

Carlsberg don’t do litter…

This has got to be one of the greatest, and incongruously cost-effective, viral campaigns of recent times, perfectly re-inforcing the Carlsberg strapline ‘Probably the best in the world’. Unfortunately I didn’t come across this myself, but I’m certain there were many many many Carlsberg’s drunk this night all over London!

22.01.2007 by Zoltan

Need some sun?

Stuck in the middle of winter, this absolutely brilliant campaign made me instantly smile for its simplicity and impact, by serviceplan, munich

via ads for peanuts

18.01.2007 by Zoltan

Clever subversion

You have to enjoy the simplicity of this idea. I can think of nothing more reassuring during a raging inferno than to know I’m being chased by hoardes of horny women. And the little subversive anti-consumer inside me is cackling at the fact that I don’t even wear Axe.

via advertising for peanuts