mindblob

The Key to Reserva

   

If you like Martin Scorsese... it's a must see.
If you like Alfred Hitchcock... it's a must see.
If you like wine and champagne... it's a must see.
If you like out-of-the-ordinary-stories... it's a must see.

A movie definitely worth spending time with here.

   

JWT Barcelona, lead by Alex Martinez and his team, had a clever and innovative idea to promote FreiXenet, the Spanish sparkling wine (Cava is the Spanish sparkling wine "equivalent" to France's champagne). - More about the context story here.

As mentioned by Craig Davis (JWT's Worldwide's chief creative officer) on his blog, The Good Stuff :

"...the film features not the star in front of the camera but the stars behind - a striking shift from image to product, from how we look to what we make"

 

 

Now, what I like about this is that it drives your imagination out of the conventional story-telling patterns. Of course it is advertising... and of course, there is a link to a brand. But on a very personal point of view, I didn't feel betrayed by the apparition of the product (like it often happens in branded film content). I loved that they dared to distract our attention away from the product itself and push us back into the film. Smart and talented way to communicate. Last but not least, notice the "insightful link" that says : "GIVE US YOUR OPINION".

 

So... "if next year you had to do a short film, which director would YOU choose?"

    

UPDATE : Check "The Good Stuff" original post's comments... seems this story pushed Bob Jeffrey himself (JWT's Worldwide Chairman and CEO) to comment. I think it is a first time, but maybe I'm wrong.  : )

 

Brands and Artist Ambassadors

As you might already know I am a fan of Michel Gondry's work. When I found out about the last ad he directed for the Motorola Razr2, I really liked the Experience site they set to tell about the film and its making of. Quite interesting to listen to Michel Gondry's interview on the briefing and his creative process to make it happen.

What I like about it is :  the idea of giving a free ride to an artist to express his/her vision of a brand through his/her art.

 

It reminds me the surprising buzz of the late 90ies lead by the BMW Film series "The Hire". Remember? BMW gave an opportunity -and budget- to 8 famous directors (John Frankenheimer, Ang Lee, Won Kar-Way, etc) to create a short film -average of 8 minutes- to highlight the performance aspects of various BMW automobiles (you can find here : season one and season two). My favorite being Star (try it here if you don't have the DIVX plugin) directed by Guy Ritchie, with Madonna, a BMW M5 and fascinating driver Clive Owen -BTW wouldn't he make a fantastic James Bond?-. Don't forget to turn the volume of your computer up while watching this film... the scene over the bridge is simply... exquisite!.

Branded content indeed... but, when compared to traditional advertising, this project had (at the time) an innovative approach regarding format, story, and media.

I believe that there is a LOT more to do outside the traditional ad formats. Also there are obviously many ideas to develop by giving willing artists (and I mean young talents as well, naturally!), new ways to share their visions of brands through their art.

Thoughts or comments?

 

The graduate call

   

Here is a fun and very well edited video shot in the JWT London offices.  No wonder why it is the post of the day on Craig Davis' blog, The Good Stuff. Once again, apparently -like on the previous OMB mentioned on mindblob-, no money or big production, just a bunch of motivated grads led by Musa Tariq. His description of the video on Vimeo says it all :

"We (the graduates who joined last year straight out of uni) had an idea one day after work... and thought why not!"

Also, check this other film from Musa Tariq on his Vimeo page, entitled: "A Day In The Life Of Me". Here is what he says about it :

"I was asked recently what the highs and lows of my job were at JWT... Well one of the highs was the fact that if you ever had an opinion or a suggestion, people would ask you to go do it! The following video was part of an idea we had, it was to show a client how someone my age interacts with technology on a day to day basis! ..."

Basically, I like to see positive energy leading a simple idea into reality. It spreads that same positive energy outside the office walls and is insightful for whoever is "listening". Well, of course, the goal here is obviously to recruit new grads. The last first dot to connect to is JWT London's website frontpage (*) where  the intention appears loud and clear.

Maybe our good friend Sacrum should try to apply there.
; )

   

PS :  (*) this link will probably not be relevant to this post after november 7th - end of the call for grads.

The sky is... NOT the limit !

   

For those of you who really thought I was kidnapped by Aliens when I was out of blogging for  while, here is the story. As a matter of fact, I was the one trying to make contact with them. And guess what... I found them. This is quite a long story. So I made a little pdf file to summarize and share this extra-ordinary encounter with you. All I can tell you is that although they may seem scary, Aliens are very nice beings. Hopefully they were open minded, and so really appreciated the Age of Conversation. Actually, with their help now, we may even reach Gavin Heaton's secret dream... and make the incredible come true (right Drew?).

 

Well, I'm afraid the sky is NOT the limit anymore... so if you have not bought a copy yet, here is another reason for you to do it : it'll help you engage conversation with Aliens (how about that?) and help a good cause. Talking about Aliens, did you know that they eat tangerine (I mean, just like "us"), dream about Big Macs (they do, they do), and use Twitter  (yeah, without any device, actually) to communicate? But please... know that they are not waiting for planes anymore... they use flying saucers, I mean... tractors (woops! Call me "lunatic").

 

PS : This picture  is not a Photoshop job... my Alien friend holds a printed copy of the AoC, because at that time I had not yet received a hardback book.  : )

PPS : Huge thanks to Gareth the Alien, without his passion and trust telling you this story would have never been possible. If you ever are looking for an Alien... I do recommend calling him -and unfortunately I can't show you the film we made out of this as it is not "on air" yet-

 

Fight for Kisses

   

It is time for men to use a new secret weapon. But beware... it is also time for babies to revenge. Are you ready to "Fight for Kisses"? Who do you think is gonna win? Wilkinson, maybe.

 

Fantastic work of JWT Paris, winner of a Silver Lion for their "Dare" Wilkinson outdoor campaign (*), at the Cannes Advertising Festival in 2006. Too bad their site is "under construction" right now, though.

   

Now, how do you see the development of a microsite? One company does it all or on the contrary, collaborative synergy between the best specialists?  Check the credits of the microsite and you'll get a hint on their recipe. I bet Ally McBeal is gonna love it!

   

(*) Mini case study on the "Dare" campaign provided on the Mediaedge:cia site, here.

The Good Stuff jumps... "open"

Originally uploaded by shamshahrin

   
Introducing The Good Stuff, "a weblog about good stuff to spend time with from Craig Davis, JWT's Chief Creative Officer Worldwide".

Now, is this just another blog about advertising? No it isn't. I think there is something really interesting about this blog. As a matter of fact, the blog was launched a few months ago with restricted access to the JWT network members only. Today after a touching post from Craig Davis himself, the blog is now going public. I think this is a major POSITIVE move for an international agency like JWT. Here is Craig's announcement on his post "Jump" :

"When this blog began a couple of months ago, I was for some insane reason paranoid about security. What if the outside world could see what we’re up to on the inside? What if they knew our patent pending secrets, could see our work, our day old laundry, our people? What if they could listen in (even chip in) on our conversation?

Yes, exactly, what?

The good stuff is going public. No user-names, no passwords, no security - we’re jumping into the maelstrom of the blogosphere.

Another reason for this being, well - have a poke around - windows and doors, the end of monologue, the age of dialogue. The themes we’re exploring here seem incompatible with a site that has a virtual rottweiler patrolling the fences. This is a place for people to spend a little time everyday, to live JWT up close and personal.

Sounds a little risky to be the first agency to open up an internal blog to Joe Public. It is. But this is a small step taken with optimism, enthusiasm, a desire to explore this wild world further and, more than anything, to offer stimulation and spark conversations in and around the work we create. Feel free to overwhelm the server with your comments. Eavesdroppers are welcome too. That’s the risky part. Whatever’s said I hope it’s without anonymity and shares the positive spirit in which we go into this.

Off we go."

 

I can't agree more when it comes to "the age of dialogue", and I believe it is less risky than keeping the gates closed. Changing the core strategy of a huge structure is definitely not as easy as one could think. It takes more time to open the tank than it does for a small business. Just like changing the stereotyped ideas we (public opinion) may have on some brands. I'm thinking about Microsoft here... the name itself carries lots of "outdated" false ideas. Does it mean that people within Microsoft are not willing to change that? No! What if the intentions behind are good? What if the intentions of the teams (people actually working there) are good?

   
How can people contribute to change positively the structure/image/icon they belong to?
What's your take on this?

   

Smoke outside!

Guerrilla campaign from the Belgian advertising agency LG&F to encourage smokers not to smoke indoor and increase awareness of second-hand smoke. The flyers look like cigarettes when rolled up. Simple and smart idea.

(via "Advertising is Good")
   

Breaking the structure

If you have the patience to wait a little bit while watching a politician speak french for a while, I encourage you to check this site. No focus on content here, although the promises made by this guy who introduces a new political party are quite funny, like extremely low tax rates, free buses and cabs, free gasoline for all... The name of the fake party itself is a "cliché" since “MDR” is the french equivalent of “LOL”.

 

Check the way the web designers treated the integration between text and video. At the end as there is no possible interaction... (besides one link to the party communicating this), this micro site works just like an ad. Quite interesting, isn't it?

 

Imagination booster

 
As some of you might know, I am now in Cape town again, preparing another shooting (shoot day tomorrow).

Today on our pre-production program: location recce, wardrobe fitting, belly casting (now... come on guys, can't show pictures here - we just need it to shoot a gentle demo, really - yes, I'll post the film when on air) and set building check. While at the set builder studio, I made a strange encounter... the huge head of a dragon (picture above)... just, laying there in the middle of the room. Wow! Absolutely unexpected.

In a fraction of a second,  imagination flew me away. I was ridding on the "Neverending story" dragon, on a trip "Finding Neverland", where "Big fish" can be found. Some films lift you up when you see them. They make you "believe" in dragons, Tinkerbell and giant fishes. They boost your mood and bring you good... vibrations. They make a smile "pop" on your face.

Do you believe in the magic of imagination? I do. Now if you would excuse me, my "Happy feet" are moving too much. Fellow penguins calling... obviously.  : )

 

PS: Yes, I do recommend the above films... and eventually some imagination in your everyday life, to be different and most of all to "believe".

 

Thalys speed day in Paris

Originaly uploaded  by Pat's Piks

Yesterday return ticket to Paris. Post-production facility : Mikros image. At least 10 people working on our project. Action and speed all day to reach conference call with client and integrate all the elements post-produced separately. I'm pleased to see how the limits of CGI and compositing can be pushed. Great professionals around me. Wizzards of Oz making our dreams come true.

 

Morning: agency (us) feedback to post-producers. Midday: Mikros team in action: corrections. Afternoon: continuous agency feedback. Email dispatching and FTP site of work in progress. End of the day: conference call with client in Brussels. Agency introduction to work in progress and client feedback. End of the day: launch more corrections. Jump in taxi to catch Thalys. Evening: return to Brussels, past 10 PM, home. Tomorrow music briefing at sound studio.

 

Paradox of the day... feeling the "speed of the day" slow down, while travelling at 300 km/h (+/- 190 mph).