Adcentered

ABSOLUT Kindness, London UK

Absolut Vodka is running an experiential promotion to support the "Hugs" advert that began to air in the UK last week. Iris Experience created events around town where people can pay for things such as coffee or cocktails with acts of kindness. We at iris Digital supported the campaign through online and social media outreach, including the use of Twitter to spread the message. We used the hash tag #kindness to track conversations about the campaign. People were also encouraged to comment on the site itself (http://www.absolutkindness.co.uk).

We've received positive feedback from Londoners as we help spread the #kindness movement. It's been fun thanking people for kind posts and doing little things here and there that make people happy. Ironically, I found a purse earlier this week and I contacted the owner using a business card I found in it. We've also had some of the nicest weather I've seen since I got to the UK. Perhaps if we extend the campaign the weather will do its part.

In An ABSOLUT World...

Currency would be replaced with kindness.

Kiss The Cup: Video

The Kiss The Cup competition took place on March, 28th in Lakeside shopping center in Essex. This was an endurance competition sponsored by Sony Ericsson. It looks like a good time was had by all. All that remains now is the VIP party with the FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy on April 1st. Check out www.twitter.com/kissthecup for more details.

Kiss The Cup

The FIFA World Cup is coming to town on April 1st and Sony Ericsson are planning a special VIP party. In order to attend the VIP party, football (soccer) fans have to earn their ticket. They will compete to win the ultimate prize by showing their passion! On March 28th in Lakeside shopping center in Essex, 25 selected candidates will press their lips against a trophy structure. The one who can pucker the longest will win a VIP party in London with the actual trophy. They will get some cool SE prizes like a C510 camera phone and a Sony Gigajuke music system.

I've been working with iris Experience, the designers of the competition to promote the event through conversational media. Mainly Facebook and Twitter. It has been an interesting experience managing a campaign of this nature. First I created a Twitter account, www.twitter.com/Kissthecup, a Facebook group and event. I contacted everyone I knew shortly after. Then the real work began. Researching and contacting the right people takes time.

The event is only a few days away and I'm still talking to people about it. The VIP event is really exclusive and I don't even think I'll be able to attend. We did manage to secure a position for an Official Twitter Journalist for the event. This is an ongoing journey that has been fun, but challenging at times. Campaigns that are led by conversations tend to be dynamic by nature and require adjustments as conversations stray off topic. I'm glad Sony Ericsson was open to this type of communications. It is proving to be an excellent case study into the mechanics of engagement. I'll write more about in the near future. So far so good.

Using Twitter Part 1

Twitter is a tricky little concept to grasp for some folks. Usually until they start using it and find a use for it. The idea that people tweet about what they had for breakfast or other mundane little life events is not really a misconception. It's a small part of a larger truth. In order to get that little piece of information (eggs, toast) you have to subscribe to a person's feed. If you know the person, the information is still useless, but at least you know who said it. If you don't know the person, then why would you follow them? If you get random useless information on twitter it's because you asked for it. You get what you ask for. Following is nothing more than asking to be in someone's loop. If you don't like what they tweet about don't follow. If you don't want people following you, block them or make your information private (invite only).

I'll ask the question again, why would you follow someone you don't know? There are several reasons to do this.

1. If someone posts relevant information about your industry, you'll be in the know. Relevant information will come to you.

2. If you want to expand your network. Follow people whom you would like to network with. People tend to group themselves by mutual interest, twitter is no difference. It's a great way to get you name out and to meet people in your field. Following the right person could land you "the" job. But, it's not all about networking online. Many professional groups have regular offline meet-ups at bars or other places of interest.

You are basically creating and managing your own personal/professional network 140 characters at a time. You filter what comes through, you decide what goes out if anything and everyone else does the whatever they want. Some people don't follow anyone, some follow everyone. Tune in and out as you please. It's as complex as you make it.

Iris Beijing is Here!

Iris is growing. The independent network, with ambitions to be the top independent, which also happens to be my employer, is growing at a fast pace. They are set to open several new offices globally this year. A growth strategy in a down economy might not seem like the thing to do, but it's happening and it's going to be an interesting ride.

Pepsi Secret Formula Hacked

No, not the ingredients. The secret formula for their prized logo. A 27 page design document entitled Breathtaking Design Strategy. by the Arnell Group, the design company responsible for the new logo was recently leaked online. [download PDF] The document is dated 2008.08.04 and provides a detailed history of the logo. It gets a bit weird when they start analyzing the logo in comparison to the earth's rotation and the expansion of the universe. The Pepsi universe has never been so clear, and by clear I mean really fucking out there. But, it is for the new generation so I can see where they are coming from. Where they are going is another story. Nice logo though.

Make Your Own Technology

There's good news for all you DIY geeks out there. Make Magazine, published by O’Reilly, is dedicated to finding, highlighting and showing you how to make your own genius devices. If you're not afraid to get a little hands on, get out your drill and your mini welding kit. Go on give it a a try or at least give their web site a glance over. http://makezine.com/

Google Sync for Mobile

If I could use a modern cliché for a moment... I'd like to say that Google never ceases to amaze me. Google Sync for mobile is another little thing that makes managing information easier across platforms. Google is in the information management business and Sync for Mobile makes sense. I'm seriously thinking of abandoning my Yahoo email account.

Vandalism at it's Best

I received an email a few moments ago containing the following examples of graffiti a.k.a. vandalism a.k.a. humor. Don't try this at home. Unless you can do better.

Bruce Lee Ping Pong

This was a nice little Nokia ad. It features Bruce Lee playing ping pong. You can't go wrong with Bruce Lee. He's a legend around the world like Michael Jackson, sans all the boy touching drama.

Time lapse of a baby playing with his toys

This is they type of curiosity required for the for the ad industry. It's a shame many people lose that curious drive in the grown up world.

Nokia Beautiful Connections Campaign

The Nokia E71 is being promoted as a beautifully designed device. The tell the story of beautiful connections through videos and visuals. Though they lose some points for not linking back to the start page and not having product navigation easily available, they make it up in aesthetics. Well done Nokia (visually).

Tzomet Sfarim Bookstore: Faceabook

A little reminder to disconnect and read an actual book. I'll compromise and listen to an audio book. The caption at the bottom reads: "Disconnect for a while. Read a book"

Advertising Agency: Brickman, Ramat Gan, Israel
Creative Director / Art Director: Yotam Sharon
Copywriter: Ronni Azulay
Studio Manager: Shay Rimon
Account Manager: Lee Tishler
Published: December 2008

MINI: Ladybug

Advertising Agency: YR Brands/Bates Lisbon, Portugal
Art Director: Teco Cipriano
Copywriter: Amanda Lopes

Offline Gmail (in Gmail Labs)

It looks like you'll be able to browse through you Gmail account offline sometime soon. Nice.

Heineken: Walk-In Fridge

Heineken: Walk-In Fridge
by hourigan

Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance

Really nice stop animation. Good art direction.

Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance
by IgnitionVM

iris Makes Top 10 Agencies to Work For List (UK)

Campaign magazine does an annual list of the top 10 agencies to work for. Iris made it in 9th place this year.

1. Wieden & Kennedy

In top place, for a second year running, is the happy home of adland, Wieden & Kennedy. Located near Brick Lane, staff not only have a great client list to work with, they can also grab a curry if the urge takes them. Treating staff with respect and offering a nice pension scheme is all well and good, but knitting and language lessons is what we really want in our working day. It's like being back at school but with "Thirsty Thursdays" instead of PE on a wet afternoon.

2. MediaCom

Up one place from last year is MediaCom. Chanting the mantra "People first. Better results" over and over again has consistently served them well, it would seem, with great working conditions often cited as a benefit of life at the agency. With life coaches on tap, and "freshness training" offering the chance to do any course you desire, wouldn't you be smiling as well?

3. Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy

There's not much backstabbing or politics at Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy, just lots of initiatives to get the agency's creative juices flowing. Everyone has a membership to the Tate and there's a "Creative Energy Fund" to pay for exhibitions or plays. Add an annual £200 "Curiosity Fund" (to learn or experience something new) and the "Danny Brooke-Taylor Creative Challenge" (five-star weekend trips away for staff who have made an outstanding creative contribution) and you get the picture.

4. Fallon

Still up there, Fallon's creative allure pulls in eager jobseekers from far and wide for the chance to work on some of the UK's best ad campaigns. But - and it's a small but - creative firepower comes at a price. It's tough at the top and Fallon doesn't take any prisoners. It's like Marmite; you'll either love it or hate it.

5. Work Club

When Work Club opened its doors, just over a year ago, it said it wanted to change working practices to reflect the aspirations of people today, not 30 years ago. In reality, this includes pro-rata hours for working parents (10am-3.30pm with ten weeks holiday), long holidays (six weeks plus Christmas, rising to seven after a year), month-long sabbaticals every 30 months, and time off and money to do further education courses. Plus guest chefs from Borough Market cook everyone lunch on Thursdays.

6. Bartle Bogle Hegarty

Despite operating on a "treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen" work ethic, having Bartle Bogle Hegarty on your CV is still a winner. If you want to get knee-deep in advertising, and learn from the pros, this is the place. But don't expect to be pampered if you don't meet the agency's high standards.

7. Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO

Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO was set up, back in the day, on the basis of looking after its staff. Although it has moved down the table from yesteryear, it still places staff welfare at the core of its business and has a stellar client list.

8. Beattie McGuinness Bungay

In the three years since its launch, Beattie McGuinness Bungay has attracted a host of talented staff who are tired of working at network agencies and want to try something new. It's a great place to work now, but it will be interesting to see whether selling a stake of the business to Cheil will change the dynamics of the agency in 2009.

9. Iris

Iris is that rare thing in adland: yes, it's caring. According to the people that work there, staff feel encouraged to grow, they are excited by the work, and actually care about and like each other. What happy pills are they handing out?

10. Karmarama

Everyone at Karmarama feels a little safer when Dave Buonaguidi, the founding partner of Karmarama and a one-man vigilante mob, is around. Don't even think about breaking into the West London office or you could get hit hard on the head with a shovel. The violence stops there, though. With a small-agency culture, and meetings in a beautiful garden, it's not a surprise that it's a happy, (mostly) calm place.

Kickers World

This post is long overdue. Several weeks ago, I received an invitation to attend a bloggers meet-sponsored by Kickers. I had not heard of the brand as I have lived most of my life in the States. Most people I spoke with in the UK said they had memories of wearing the brand as children. I did not know what to expect. When I arrived, they were serving colorful mixed drinks and tasty finger foods. The show kicked off with this user generated video, a remix of  Chromeo's Fancy Footwork.

Kinda cool. Then their young designer showed us an illustration he did of the Kickers World, which was amazingly detailed. It was a 3ft X 3ft pen drawing illustrating the Kickers brand. Check out some of the images.

At the end of the event, Hugh Sweeny, Marketing Manager for Kickers announce that all the bloggers that attended will be receiving a free pair of kickers. Our sizes were taken and we were promise a White shoe with elements of the Kickers World drawing as the design. I'd say it was a good introduction to the brand. It was a good to experience a nice little blogger outreach campaign.

Pepsi Max: Lonely Calorie suicide

Pepsi Max has one lonely calorie. In these German Pepsi Max ads BBDO Düsseldorf GmbH, Germany has explored the darker side of being a lone calorie. These ads are sure to start some conversations (good & bad). Risky, maybe? But worth the effort. (Pepsi later apologized using Twitter after users complained)
Pepsi Max: Noose

Pepsi Max: Rocket

Pepsi Max: Acid

Tagline: One very very lonely calorie.
Brand: Pepsi Max
Advertising Agency: BBDO Düsseldorf GmbH, Germany
Creative Director: Toygar Bazarkaya
Art Director: Michael Plückhan
Copywriter: Kenny Blumenschein

Ad Agency Christmas Greetings

Each year agencies use their creativity to spread a little holiday cheer. This is a list of what they did, via Brandrepublic.

AKQA (microwaves)

Grey London (they went green)

Albion (queen speech)

Lowe (employee tree)

MCBD (monster greeting)

McCann Erickson (animation)

Proximity (save children)

RKCR & Saint (winehouse spoof)

St Luke's (snowball fight)

A Good Time Had by All

Sprint, Welcome to Now

This is a nice little piece of digital from Sprint. It highlights all the little things that are happening now and invites you to take it on the go. I did not know that there were 630 tons of eggs being produced right now. There are lots of little random facts on this page.