household name

Nike Vs Adidas : 1 Million Hits

Thrilled to report that Adidas Vs. Nike created by Household Name has just clicked through one million hits on YouTube.

This spec spot was never client approved, but maybe one million kids aren't wrong.

Peg 'O The Day : Brooklyn Graffiti

Created on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Smith Street in Brooklyn.

Site 'O The Week : Lovely Package

A very nicely packaged site about all things packaging.


Nice Package

 

Leo Burnett Group : Predictions 2009

Let's check back at the end of the year to see how right they are:


New Realism

Economic conditions will profoundly affect our cultural context moving forward. As our creative content becomes more tangible and honest in reflection, we will be forced to be more realistic about everything over the coming years. The human story will be one of value reflection and reassessment, as both our priorities and purchases are examined in light of what is truly meaningful to us. As the language of hopes and dreams is replaced by one of pragmatism and prudence, new value systems will emerge. We will be more open to expressions that are confident, secure, uplifting, connected, honest and progressive.

Hyper Reality

Major developments are now happening at lightning speed and changing status quos are revealed in real time with very real consequences. Governments will be judged by how they manage change and, ironically, by how much they bring about change itself has become the mantra of modern politics. Businesses will face major challenges to keep up with and evolve to meet peoples rapidly changing needs. As economies, societies and cultures are recast, the need to know whats next has never been greater.

The Trust Economy

Trust is set to become a critical success factor for brands in 2009. Where we place our trust is changing dramatically. In turbulent times we look to organisations that share our concerns, manage anxiety and take the lead. With the trust spectrum up for grabs, organisations that show they are going the extra mile for people will prosper. Supermarkets in particular have positioned themselves as consumer champions for some time and look set to benefit in this new era.

Eco Austerity

Being green was once costly, time consuming and a matter of conscience. A major juncture is about to be reached in the future of the planet as austerity turns the environmental case into an economic one. Energy efficiency saves money as well as the planet, and the uptake of this critical message is about to define our future development. The recession will hijack the green argument, turning it from a moral argument to an economic one.

Digital.tv

While no media has ever replaced another, TV has been trapped in a corner for some time. In 2009 we will reach the tipping point for broadcast quality Internet Television. Yes, people have been watching TV online for some time, but watching TV on YouTube is not the most satisfying experience a bit like watching YouTube clips on TV. This year such painful experiences will become a thing of the past as media neutral TV finally goes mainstream.

Thread Marketing

In the future content will need to be free from central control and tradable in the new networks - tomorrows Facebook or Bebo. The aim will be not to drive people to a home page but to scatter diverse pieces of content in multiple contexts and thread them back to the brand. In this emerging era unifying ideas, brand logos or simple short codes will form the threads that link content together. As many adverts already carry URLs, in the future we will see bus ads linking to desktop widgets, on-pack promos leading to corporate-led films, and so on ad infinitum.

Generation Game

Video games used to be the preserve of disenchanted adolescents, but as gaming becomes a truly mass pursuit, soon we will all be part of Generation Game. With economic pressures set to encourage us homewards, the cultural clout of gaming will be further accelerated. The future of the medium is unlimited as the educational potential and social networking possibilities of games platforms are further explored. Gaming will be a fulcrum for future innovation across multiple areas.

The End of Fact

Perceived wisdom now changes on a daily basis and we should expect more contradictory opinions and diverse solutions being presented as definitive. Fact checking is becoming a thing of the past as online opinions blur the line between truth and hearsay. Authority will increasingly become a key communication metric and for media organisations editorial oversight will be a key differentiator. In a time when truth is more contested than ever, objectivity and impartiality will become rarefied and more in demand.

Brands as Vehicles

Brands are landing points; we follow our needs and invariably end up at a brand. This is all set to change. The brands of the future will be vehicles and not just destinations. The success stories of the last decade were built on this principle; Google and YouTube being the two most prominent human gateways. Our journey does not finish with Google and YouTube, thats where it starts. The days of the static brand are increasingly numbered, as they become a means and not an end. This is not just a new economy dynamic; all brands must take heed of this.


2009 Predictions

Awkward Family Photos

"Spreading the awkwardness" is the stated goal of this hilarious site that collects those worst holiday memories in one big album.

More Awkwardness

Banksy Takes Over The Bristol Museum

Bristol-boy Banksy closed the city museum 'for essential maintenance work,' then got creative on the exhibits as only he knows how.

See the not-so-elusive Banksy In Action

Site 'O The Week : Free Conference Call

It seems that very soon every business service will be free.

Today, it's conference calling.

FreeConferenceCall.com

Talent You Should Know : Ugar Sahin

[click to enlarge]

Seeing the work of the fabulously talented Turkish car designer Ugar Sahin really makes me wonder why more concept cars don't make it fully realized into production.

Above, left: drawing his influence from natural forms, in this case sea shells, for the Caterham two-seated sports car.

And below, his Audi Locus concept.

[click to enlarge]

Tweet About The Hype

Before we all get too carried away with our tweets, a study of Twitter users in Harvard Business Publishing reveals that:

Among Twitter users, the median number of lifetime tweets per user is:

a. 1
b. 55
c. 600
d. 2,800

(Answer: a)

In a typical social network, the top 10% of users account for 30% of total activity. The top 10% of Twitter users account for what percent of total activity?

a. 5%
b. 45%
c. 70%
d. 90%

(Answer: d)

So it's pretty much like Facebook really: the new toy in the playground every kid must have, then gradually gets bored with before moving on to the new-new toy.

Peg 'O The Day : D-Day Veteran

[click to enlarge]

One can only imagine what's running through the mind of Kenneth Scott, aged 93, back on the beaches of Normandy for the first time since June 6th 1944.

If you see a veteran today, just say "thank you."


Return To Normandy

© Photo : Eddie Mulholland

Talent You Should Know : SketchBlog

[click to enlarge]

Andrea Joseph fills her Moleskines with these delightful little drawings, scans, then uploads them to her 'sketchblog.'

See her illustrated diary here.

Tiananmen At Twenty

Hard to believe it was twenty years ago today that one man brought a column of tanks to a halt with an idea.

This is what bravery looks like:

The Man In The White Shirt

And to see what he was fighting for, do a search here for Tiananmen Square:

Google China 

Same Sex Marriage

 

Er, isn't it all the same sex in marriage?

Warhol Rejection Letter

[click to enlarge]

Mr. Warhola, ever the self-promoter, was offering to gift MOMA one of his early drawing.

He was turned down.

Sad but true: creativity rarely survives a committee.

Before And After

h

There's a reason the 'Before/After' advertising structure works so well: it's just a two-frame TV demo.

And the more dramatic the comparison the better.

(I hasten to add ladies, this is not my back.)

Idea 'O The Week : Trash Can Holes

Dear Rubbermaid,

Your garbage cans have a design flaw: when the wind, raccoons, or lazy garbage collectors knock the lid off my trash can it often fills with rainwater.

This creates an ugly, stinky mess I have to clean up. Yuk!

How about you cut holes in the base so the water just drains out after a thunderstorm. Easy!


(Above: spotted on Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn.)

As is often the case, consumers are way ahead of the brand.

Earth Statistics

                All the water in the world.                 All the air in the world.

A wonderful example of how to make the intangible concrete and thus reframe the environmental argument in a single stroke.

Quote 'O The Day : Ahmet Ertegun

"There's two kinds of music: black soul music, and the white imitation thereof."

–– Ahmet Ertegun.

So says the man who discovered and signed both Ray Charles and Led Zeppelin.

One of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry

Peg 'O The Day : Zara Phillips

Can't you just smell the ocean? Hear the hooves falling? The salt on your lips?

Um, is it Friday yet?

Airport Piggy-Backing

Go on, be the first to give away what others charge for.

Portrait Every Day

 

Proud father Munish Bansal has recorded every step of his children's lives by taking their picture daily for 13 years.

Above, a montage of the monthly photographs from birth to teens of his daughter Suman.

So far he's packed 600 albums with the images and displays them on a dedicated website to showcase his two 'delightful kids'.

Munish takes a portrait 'whenever the mood grabs him,' usually before school or during dinner.

Yep, I'm sure I can hear, "Oh Daaad. Not again!!!"

Lose Yourself

Caught Eminem's seminal anthem again on the radio the other day and had forgotten just what a great writer he is, mixing autobiography, pop culture and obscenity.

(Above, just three of 35,000 comments on YouTube.)

There's a reason coaches blast this track in locker rooms pre-game:

'Lose Yourself' – Eminem.


Look, if you had, one shot, or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted, one moment
Would you capture it, or just let it slip?

Yo, his palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti
He's nervous, but on the surface he looks calm and ready
To drop bombs, but he keeps on forgetting
What he wrote down, the whole crowd goes so loud
He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out
He's chokin', how everybody's jokin' now
The clock's run out, time's up, over blo
Snap back to reality, Oh there goes gravity
Oh, there goes rabbit, he choked
He's so mad, but he won't give up that
No, he won't have it, he knows his whole back city ropes
It don't matter, he's dope
He knows that, but he's broke
He's so stacked that he knows
When he goes back to his mobile home, that's when it's
Back to the lab again yo
This whole rap shit
Better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him

[Chorus:]

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo,

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime you better,

His soul's escaping, through this hole that is gaping
This world is mine for the taking
Make me king, as we move toward a, new world order
A normal life is borin', but superstardom's close to post mortem
It only grows harder, only grows hotter
He blows us all over these hoes is all on him
Coast to coast shows, he's know as the globetrotter
Lonely roads, God only knows
He's grown farther from home, he's no father
He goes home and barely knows his own daughter
But hold your nose cause here goes the cold water
These ho's don't want him no mo, he's cold product
They moved on to the next schmoe who flows
He nose dove and sold nada
So the soap opera is told and unfolds
I suppose it’s old partner, but the beat goes on
Da da dum da dum da da

[Chorus:]

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go-o
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo, you better

No more games, I'm a change what you call rage
Tear this motherfuckin' roof off like two dogs caged
I was playin' in the beginnin,' the mood all changed
I been chewed up and spit out and booed off stage
But I kept rhymin' and stepwritin' the next cypher
Best believe somebody's payin' the Pied Piper
All the pain inside amplified by the fact
That I can't get by with my nine to five
And I can't provide the right type of life for my family
Cause man, these Goddam food stamps don't buy diapers
And it's no movie, there's no Makai Pheiffer, this is my life
And these times are so hard and it's getting even harder
Tryin' to feed and water my seed, plus
Teeter-totter caught up between bein' a father and a prima donna
Baby mama drama's screamin' on and
Too much for me to wanna
Stay in one spot, another day of monotony
Has gotten me to the point, I'm like a snail
I've got to formulate a plot or I end up in jail or shot
Success is my only motherfuckin' option, failure's not
Mom, I love you, but this trailer's got to go
I cannot grow old in Salem's lot
So here I go is my shot.
Feet fail me not this may be the only opportunity that I got

[Chorus:]

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime you better,

You can do anything you set your mind to, man.

Strategery

For all my Republican Brand Strategist friends, you know who you are...

Quote 'O The Day : Ideas

"An idea doesn't care who had it."

Word Verification Dictionary

 

I have a sneaking suspicion that the servers that create CAPTCHA––Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart, the automatic word generating system for preventing spam and automated abuse of blogs––are all having a conversation behind our backs.

Herewith, the 2009 entries to the CAPTCHA Dictionary:

 

–noun : Early regrowth of shaved back hair. (Esp. male.)

 

–adjective : Overly thoughtful and considerate.

–noun : Mythical missing link between Trolls and Boogeymen.

–noun : Uncomfortable pressure points experienced by recent denture wearers.

–noun [slang] : Serial kiss-and-teller. (Esp. male celebrity.)

Somewhere, HAL 9000 is smiling.

Talent You Should Know : Wilhelm Staehle

Perhaps we'll just let Mr. Staehle describe his meticulous paper-cutting work for you:

"The Bazaarium is helmed by the elusive and horribly disfigured Wilhelm Staehle and his perennial beauty, T.D.Rio.

Wilhelm spends many hours in seclusion, fingers bleeding from the arduous task of paper-cutting and hunched over with the burden of his twisted sense of humor.

In the other room, T.D.Rio gazes though a lace curtain as she crafts stories of flight and fancy, leaving only in order to exercise the crows, or to trim Wilhelm's long hair when it becomes unruly."

Still with us?

Silhouette Masterpieces

Site 'O The Week : Expression Of Joy

Bavarian Motor Works have a long history of unleashing artists upon their vehicles––Warhol, Stella, Rauschenberg, and Hockney have all created Art Cars––and their new microsite Expression Of Joy continues this tradition.

The difference this time?

The car's the brush.

('M1 by Andy Warhol' 1977.)

('850CSI by David Hockney' 1995.)

Hockney Painting A Beamer

While You Were Loading

Nope.

I'm not waiting for your flash-heavy, overindulgent website to load.

And neither will your clients and their customers.

People on average spend fifty-one seconds on a website (and about the same reading a blog post.)

So what might keep them on your site for longer than a minute?

Here's my list:

Memorable URL.
Instantaneous accessibility.
Visual appeal.
Ease of navigation.
Reliability in use.
Interactivity.
Effective selling mechanism.
Self-generating content.
Frequency of return.
Customer advocacy.
High search-engine listing.

I'll sign off now. I see my fifty-one seconds are up.

From Little Acorns

Harley understand that the trick’s not to sell, but to make people want to buy. 

Virgin always try to bring non-category thinking to the category. (That's Branson crouching in the window.)

As he said when Virgin took flight: "I'm not in the airline business, I'm in the entertainment business.

And Ikea's innovation with 'flat-pack' furniture was to create a new category they could be first in.

The rest is just hard work and a little luck, but to quote Armand Hammer: "If you work thirteen hours a day you get lucky."

Jesus License Plates

Separation of Church and State?

Apparently not in Florida.

This new plate design should be perfect if you're a resident and your name is Jesus.

Brand 'O The Week : Expedia

Hear that noise?

It's the sound of a paradigm shifting.

Evidently, there's not so much happening in Vegas.

Expedia Hotel Deals

 

Volcano Surfing

Plans this weekend? Fancy a little volcano surfing?

Adrenaline junkies, say hello to your new addiction: surfing down the side of an active volcano at 50mph.

Pack your protective jump suit, helmet, and knee-pads and fly to Nicaragua's 2,382ft Cerro Negro mountain, Central America's youngest volcano.

First exploding in April 1850 she's blown her stack twenty times since, last erupting in 1999.

Might want to confirm who you're leaving your bong to.

Idea 'O The Week : Doorstopper

Dropped into Blades, the sk8ter store on lower Broadway the other day mainly because their door was propped wide open with this.

"Nice thinking" said I to the tattooed, lip-pierced store girl.

"We try" she dead-panned.

Sometimes trying is all that's required.

Peg 'O The Day : Dog Eats Dog

No, this isn't a metaphor for business in 2009, it's the story of Alfie the Cocker Spaniel who swallowed a toy puppy.

Owner Joanne Dutton from Cheshire said: "He was refusing to eat or drink and then became very ill. He just looked so sad, which is not like him, so we took him to the vet."

Turns out Alfie had sneaked in to daughter Madeline's bedroom and swiped the toy from her doll's house.

An X-ray and two hours' surgery had Alfie back on his feet again.

No word however on the fate of plastic puppy.

Battle Of The Logos

Some worthy contenders here, but the winner is...Target.

The strength of this rebus (a logo design that uses an image to represent a word) is evident to Target who now feel confident enough to run ads with just the 'bulls-eye.'

And in doing so they follow in the footsteps of Shell Oil who––after a 45-year loss of nerve––have recently reverted to their original classic icon.

Let's see how long before the new CEO reverts back to see-say.

Undiminished Wonder

[Click picture to enlarge]

(View of Abbey Gardens, Tresco, Isles of Scilly, England.)

The International Garden Photographer of the Year competition (who knew?) has been won by Jonathan Berman with an early-afternoon view over Tresco Abbey Garden, looking south, with his daughter viewing the scene, and a tiny, four-day-old crescent moon just visible.

"What struck us immediately about this picture was its dreamlike quality," said the judges. "The use of infrared film has enhanced the drama of clouds, sky and foliage and the composition is superb, with the child adding interest to the foreground and the leaves making a perfect frame to the garden beyond."

"You step through the frame of this photograph, into a child's fantasy of a secret garden. The contrast and textures create a surreal impression. But it's not all rose-tinted: there's a slightly sinister feeling that sets my imagination running and makes for a truly memorable image.

Said Berman, "I first visited Tresco and its gardens as a child, and I remembered it as a magical place. I did not return for many years until I came for holidays with my own children. I wanted to capture in this photograph my undiminished wonder at this special place. I had photographed this scene on several occasions but on this occasion the cloud patterns and presence of the moon lifted it out of the ordinary."

Hmmm, I think I feel temporarily lifted.

[Click picture to enlarge]

And the runner-up was Maciej Duczynski from Poland, with tulip fields near Amsterdam.

Photo : WWW.IGPOTY.COM

Recession Barometer : The Cement Truck Ratio

 

From my apartment window I look out across the Brooklyn Navy Yard and see this view.

Lehigh Cement supplies concrete for construction projects all across New York City. Aggregate freighters arrive from China with sand and gravel, Lehigh unload it, turn it into concrete, and cement trucks fill up and deliver it to building sites––for new condos, offices, and sidewalks--throughout the five boroughs.




I've as watched as many as fifty trucks line up to be filled.

That was before the downturn.

If the number of trucks is in direct correlation to the number of current city building projects––and conventional wisdom holds that new construction is a reliable economic indicator of a recovery––then let's call this the 'Cement Truck Ratio.'

Every Monday morning I'll record the number of trucks waiting at the gates.

Today there were five.

Talent You Should Know : Li Wei

"I am fascinated by the unstable and dangerous sides of art and I hope my works reflect these aspects. Sometimes I am in real danger. I have to hang myself high with steel wires and people do get a little worried for me, but I am fine"

Not really much we need to add to that.

Li Wei Art

 

Painted Flu Masks

Gallows humor to be sure, but some Mexicans have chosen to turn a crisis into an opportunity for creative expression.

And before the Wolf and Certainly Not News get us all too hysterical, remember this: 36,000 people die every year from the flu in the US, so until we hit 100 deaths a day, this ain't no thing.



More Painted Masks

Photo © 2009 Daily Telegraph.



 

When Smoking Was Good For You

Really quite stunning to think that tobacco companies--with the collusion of ad agencies--were running these ads when they knew the harmful effects of smoking.

'For 30 days test Camels'...and get hooked.

Would love to have been the wall–fly at the client/agency meeting when this concept was pitched.

Peg 'O The Day : G.I. Mom

And because it doesn't always end this happily:

Wounded Warrior Project

Brand 'O The Week : Tooth Fairy Kit

The official Tooth Fairy Kit comprises a Certificate of Record for kids to file with their local fairy each time they lose a tooth, and a cloth deposit bag to place the prized tooth in. Which Mommy––err––the Tooth Fairy will collect and replace with cash money.

Makes us want to lose our teeth all over again.

Office Of The Tooth Fairy

 

Range Anxiety

Range anxiety: the fear electric car drivers have of running out of battery power miles from home.

Your alternative fuel primer:

Electric Drive Transportation Authority

Talent You Should Know : Jerome Bonnet

Jerome Bonnet, based in France, won second prize in the Portraits Singles category in the 2008 World Press Photo Awards with his portrait of Dennis Hopper.

This is not Dennis Hopper, it's David Lynch, but we prefer the shot.

Jerome Bonnet

Happy Earth Day

We found a good way to recycle those unwanted twenties.

Go ahead, stamp this on a Jackson and send the world a message.

Idea 'O The Week : Bear Sleeping Bag

What better way to discourage bear attacks when camping in the woods than to make them think you've already been eaten by another bear?

Artist EIko Ishizawa has created this zippered sleeping bag for a "warm and safe night's sleep."

No word yet on the field tests.

Great Sleeping Bear

 

Brand 'O The Week : Audi

At the New York Auto Show last week Audi had every one of its '09 production models on display in just one color: white.

The effect was compelling, forcing you to look at the lines and negative shapes, not the colors.

Now I'm sure someone client-side pushed back when this idea was floated: "But the R8 looks great in silver!" Fortunately, someone else had the Bransonesque strength and vision to carry this through and, along with Scion, they stole the show.

We like to think they embraced the philosophy of Household Name:

"Great ideas only ever emerge from companies with an idiosyncratic business ethic––businesses that encourage rebellion and free-thinking."

Audi USA

Picasso At Gagosian

On the very next warm Thursday evening stroll down to the Gagosian Gallery at 522 West 21st Street in Chelsea and witness 'Picasso: Mosqueteros.'

John Richardson, the renowned Picasso biographer, has selected and installed some of the artist's most powerful late pieces for one of the best Picasso shows in a decade.

Our favorite Picasso quote: "Good artists copy; great artists steal."

Picasso at the Gagosian runs until June 6th.

Video Tour

Talent You Should Know : Susan Boyle

Susan Boyle, 47, unemployed, "never been kissed," aspiring singer from Lothian in Scotland walked on to the stage of 'Britain's Got Talent' a few nights ago and became a worldwide YouTube phenomenon.

Well, what else would you call five million hits a day?

We're hoping this might be the harbinger of a return to authenticity and true talent.

And to think she'd never have made it onto 'American Idol' because of the age restrictions.

'Britain's Got Talent'

The Symmetry Of Communism

Say what you will about repressive communist states, they do understand the power of iconography, design, and scale to subsume the individual.

Above a Pyongyang convention commemorating the late "Great Leader" Kim Il-sung's 97th birthday.

An example of the 'too perfect' theory perhaps?