Ad Competion: Banning All Religion

In the Australian TV show "The Pitch", ad agencies "compete to sell the unsellable." In this clip, two spots make the case for banning all religion.

via @brainpicker

Logorama!

Logorama from Robby Ralston on Vimeo.

Is this important? possibly. Johnen posted it after all.

How the iPod Saved America from Being Sad Forever

It's the first iPod commercial ever. Contrast it with the "unplanned" "spontaneous" "expression" of "group enthusiasm" at the Microsoft store. Sure; to be fair, one's a produced advertisement, and the other is a WELL-produced advertisement oooooOOOOOOoooo! ZING!! BURRRN!!!22!

I'm thinking, however, about the success of the iPod product line, and the genesis of that success. Sure, the interface is great--navigating that much content with what is essentially one big button is no small feat. The form factor is simple, almost generic, allowing anyone to integrate the thing into their personal style. The ads emphasize personal freedom and joyful abandon and an unapologetic love of music and dancing to said music (and again with the generic thing).

This has all been discussed over and over, but the one factor I've never heard mentioned when trying to understand the iPod's success is the release date, October 23, 2001. A little over a month after 9/11. Everyone in America was still pretty bummed, if I remember right. We thought nothing would ever be the same; that we'd all have to be vigilant and well-informed and serious for the rest of our lives. We didn't, it turns out. Our culture was still there, and we are who we are, for better or for worse. It didn't take long for reminders of who we are to creep back into daily life, and now here we are. Hello!

Makes me wonder, if the iPod doesn't occupy some special place in the American psyche, because it helped come to a timely rescue. Did these simple, happy, ads stick in our heads; not simply hawking a music player, but as a reminder that there were still good reasons to be consumery, dancey, slightly oblivious Americans? Are we repaying the iPod for helping us not be sad forever?

Leviathan

Heisted from io9
This book preview features the artwork of one of my favorite fantasy/sci fi illustrators, Keith Thompson. Interesting sell.

Brawndo: The Thirst Mutilator

via @annietown

David Rees vs. Jamba Juice

Here's a great post about how the intro for Jamba Juice's Cubicle Picnic ad campaign totally rips off David Rees in its animated intro.



Be sure to check the comments of the blog post. An odd debate rages over whether or not Rees' clip art-based comics can even be copyrighted. I think that doesn't matter--the primary purpose of an ad campaign is not to "be legal"; it's to "change minds", and for a company trying its hardest to be authentic, allowing this sort of thing to continue is a step in the wrong direction. Especially if enough people learn about it.

Only one thing missing in all this--I can't find if Jamba Juice has a position on the matter, or if they even know about it.

I just had a sad thought--this Flash intro is possibly the work of a a young animator, acting alone. Or a creative/editorial pair. They might get fired! That's a hard way to learn that this is a crappy--and inexcusable--thing to do.

via John Hodgman and James Urbaniak (the voice of Dr. Venture), oddly enough.

This commercial defeated my ad-skipping habits.

A new hope

My friend Ray noticed the SW love on PoT, and passed this along for post. Found here.

On Corporate Blogs: Part 4

That AntiSpore site GalsPanic linked to in the shoutbox (I realize now that the bait was for us) might be an inverse example of the kind of underground corporate blog GP theorized. If so, brilliant. I can't imagine a better ad for Spore than a half-witted creationist ranting about how dangerous it is. At the very least, the guy's making a relative mint on all the ads he's running... Ads for Spore!