Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, America, Attitude & Aptitude, Brilliant Marketing Ideas In History, Communication Strategy, Creativity, Cunning, Marketing
If you’re wondering what the photo above is, it’s an insert that was placed in the X-Ray machine trays that you place your electronic items in at airports.
In other words, it’s a paper insert in a plastic tray.
And yet it’s the most fun piece of advertising I’ve seen in ages.
OK, so part of the reason I like it so much is because the standard of advertising right now is pretty poor, but the other part is that whoever was behind it, understood what the brand – in this case, Narcos – was all about.
The cheekiness of advertising a TV show about drug smuggling at the very place in an airport that is designed to stop them, is brilliant.
Yes, you may say it’s obvious … but there’s many obvious things that don’t get made because ‘ambient media’ doesn’t have the reach of mainstream broadcast or the targeting of digital.
And yet this paper insert in a plastic tray made me smile.
Made me take a photograph of it.
Made me write about it.
And while the reach of this blog is about 5 people, that’s still better than 99% of campaigns churned out in the mainstream world.
I admit I’ve always been a sucker for good ambient media stuff.
Sure, it got a bit mad there for a while … where it was less about extending the spirit and purpose of the brand in interesting and relevant places and more about just putting ads wherever you could get away with … but when it’s done right, well thought out ‘brand experiences’ can have an impact that is bigger and better than many multi million dollar ad campaigns.
So to whoever did it, thank you … you reminded me that creativity is more than just what you do, but where you do it.
I was recently tagged on instagram by someone called ‘leatherslife’.
For the record, I don’t know this person and – as far as I know – have never met this person and yet they seem to have a level of insight on me that is both impressive and frightening.
[I’m ignoring the fact it also means I’m utterly predictable]
Anyway, this is what they said …
Yep, poor John Boiler – ex-W+K ECD extroidinaire, founder of 72&Sunny and my office neighbour – was [initially] mistaken for me simply because he is a bald, beardy and 4-eye.
Imagine having an amazing career, doing incredible work and starting a phenomenal company and being mistaken for a birkenstock-wearing Brit … well, mistaken until I open my mouth, show my work or reveal my footwear.
Terrible for him, brilliant for me.
Thank you leatherslife.
Writing this is complicated as it is easy to look like you’re pandering or trying to be sanctimonious but the #metoo campaign currently running on Facebook – referencing women who have experienced sexual abuse or harassment – has affected me deeply.
My Facebook feed is literally full of ‘me too’s’.
While I was obviously aware of the problem that women face – and have stepped in on a couple of occasions where I’ve seen it happen in front of my eyes – reading about so many women I care deeply about, acknowledge they’ve gone through this makes me sad and angry.
Sad they have experienced it.
Angry they see it as a price they have to pay for being a woman.
There are many good men in the world, but sadly there is a shitload of opportunist, exploitative, entitled assholes – and I include those men who are good, supportive and protective fathers to their daughters and then are sexist pricks to other women – which is why it can only get better if men stand up against it as much as women.
Men wouldn’t let anyone do that to our children, so we must not let anyone do that to someone else’s child.
We have a lot to learn. A lot to do. A lot to discuss.
I am so sorry this shit is still normality for women.
I’m away till Monday, enjoy the peace.
Filed under: America, Attitude & Aptitude, Corporate Evil, Culture, Death, Social Divide
A few weeks ago I wrote about everything I thought was wrong in America.
For such an amazing country, it’s mind-blowing to me that there is resistance to dealing with the issues undermining it.
Worse, there’s resistance to even talking about the issues undermining it.
In the post, I highlighted one issue in particular.
Gun control.
Despite the mountains of evidence, the NRA continues to ignore the damage and dangers of gun ownership.
They fight aggressively against any challenge to it.
Any.
They use ‘government control’ as their reasoning behind their obstinance.
That if they give in to this, what else will the government want to take away.
It’s a fucking stupid argument made worse by the fact I received this in my letterbox recently.
Admittedly it was addressed to the person who used to own our house.
A cop.
But that doesn’t take away the fact an organization felt it was necessary to send out a pamphlet about how to deal with school violence – specifically violence that goes ‘beyond the active shooter’.
I don’t know about you, but this makes me ill.
School should be a place of safety.
I know that’s unrealistic, but there’s a massive difference between worrying about bullying and worrying about being shot.
And yet the NRA choose to ignore their role in this situation.
Preferring to blame the shooter rather than acknowledge any role the guns play in allowing people to kill on a mass scale.
The fact this pamphlet had to be sent out at all should be enough for America to realise the gun laws in their country need a major overhaul.
Sadly it won’t be.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Childhood, Comment, Culture, Education, Innovation, Marketing, Social Divide
University drives me nuts.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a massive fan of education but as I’ve written many times before [ie: here, here and here] they’ve gone from being a place for learning, debate and discussion, to being a place that – according to all their advertising – wants to be a production line for the rich and successful in business.
From we to me, as it were.
The only thing that is worse than this is universities focus on profit rather than learning.
I’ve said this many times, but I find this horrific.
Education is an investment in more than the individual, but the country as a whole.
Their knowledge helps countries grow and prosper, but by governments ignoring that and encouraging Universities to look at what they do in terms of ‘how much can you make out of people’, everyone suffers.
And I include universities in that statement because there will come a time where people realise the value of their degree – especially in comparison to the debt it means they incur – will ultimately make them question if it was worth the effort.
And yet the universities keep pumping out ads saying they’re for the elite.
The next generation of business leaders.
The entrepreneurs and power brokers.
Even though that’s obviously bollocks given how many people go to university versus become the next Zuckerberg etc etc.
Which is why I liked this ad for the University of Pheonix.
Yes it taps into my sentimental bullshit, but I like it because it’s not about supreme business success, but giving you choices.
In a World where working in one industry for the rest of your life is becoming obsolete, the idea of preparing people to be able to adapt is a good one.
Because we are entering a period where for the majority of people, success will be about survival – which is tragic but that’s what happens when Governments view the younger generation as a cost rather than an investment in everyone’s brighter future.