“Is the answer to this question no?”

Semantic paradoxons are statements that lead to an infinite contradiction. A phenomenon that already taxed ancient philosophers’ brains. Fortunately there’s relief today …

This campaign we created for THOMAPYRIN headache pills was published in magazines and as a poster campaign in colleges and pharmacies.

THOMAPYRIN “PARADOX”

Agency: Euro RSCG Duesseldorf
Creative Director: Florian Meimberg, Torsten Pollmann
Art Director: Joerg Sachtleben, Desiree Rose, Jean-Pierre Gregor
Copywriter: Torsten Pollmann

 

HAPPINESS BOTTLED

Just in time for the weekend: The Coca Cola Happiness Factory goes online!

Who didn’t instantly fall in love with those strange little creatures?

And who didn’t momentarily want to book a one way flight to that fairy tale land with the sunny hills? The land where happiness is made.

It just got a lot easier to get there!

The softdrink paradise opens its gates to the public. With cute games and visual delicacies …

>> CLICK FOR HAPPINESS <<

(VIA IDEENVERTEILER)

 

“The storm” – a viral ad

Floods, fires, earthquakes. The global climate crisis has reached an alarming peak level.
But who can be held responsible?

This viral commercial we produced for a local client reveals the sobering truth …

CREDITS

DELVOS “The storm”

Agency: Euro RSCG Duesseldorf
Creative Directors: Torsten Pollmann, Florian Meimberg, Felix Glauner
Account Executive: Daniel Grube
Agency Producer: Meike Van Meegen
Production Company: Markenfilm
Producer: Claudia Westermann
Director: FloTo

 

CITROËN commercial “Flower”

A small flower with a big heart.
The new CITROËN promotional campaign for Germany has a very courteous main character: nature.

Translation:
“Nature says ‘Thank You’. For the low consumption model range by CITROËN.”

CREDITS

CITROËN “Flower”

Agency: Euro RSCG Duesseldorf
Creative Directors: Florian Meimberg, Torsten Pollmann
Cpywriter: Torsten Pollmann
Art Director: Jean-Pierre Gregor
Account Executive: Daniel Grube
Agency Producer: Meike Van Meegen
Production Company: Markenfilm Berlin
Director: Henry Littlechild
Post Production: FRAMESTORE, London

Stay tuned for the second film. And a very friendly bird …

 

NUMBER OF THE DAY

Estimative total man hours spent on the production of a television commercial
with a duration of 30 seconds.

 

Mirrored license plates and friendly flowers – on a car commercial film set in Capetown

December. The year draws to a close. Christmas is near. It’s a time of rest and reflectiveness.
And of heavy film production! Winter in Europe means summer on the southern hemisphere. The main season for commercial shoots.

Impressions of a production week in South Africa
(more photos on flickr)

A lot of work for a 25 second film.

And what the young lady just discovered, the germans among you will find out on January 1st, when the commercial will air nationwide. I will also post it here, so stay tuned!

Merry Christmas!

 

LUKE TAYLOR – A talent looking for work

His name is Luke Taylor. He is a graphic design graduate from London. And he is looking for a job.His portfolio: a well-balanced blend of graphic design, fashion design and 3D installations. Some of his award-winning projects are based on sociocritical thoughts, others on simple insights. Check out the rain shirts!www.imluketaylor.com ///UPDATE : I am very happy to see Luke found a job!

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

I honestly believe that advertising is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

(Jerry Della Femina)

>VIA JPG<

 

Top ten things on an ad creative’s christmas list

Gingerbread showcases, mistletoe decorations, dutch shopping tourists wearing stupid santa hats – christmas seems to be a lot closer than I thought. Guess it’s time to start writing a wish list.

Ok, let’s see. I want

10. This

9. This

8. This

7. This

6. This

5. This

4. This

3. This

2. This

1. And this.

 

VISUAL ORGASMS

Peter Jaworowski aka THE HEJZ is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Warsaw, Poland. And looking at his portfolio makes an art director feel inferior …

(via JvM)

 

NUMBER OF THE DAY

Estimative total production costs (in Euro) for a television commercial promoting a pack of chewing gum for 99 cents.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The very first law in advertising is to avoid the concrete promise
and cultivate the delightfully vague.

(Bill Cosby)

 

TIME SHIFT – of cold summers and hot winters

When I went shopping this morning, I was – once again – struck by a sensation that might best be described as an odd mixure of déjà-vu and unscheduled time travel.

I noticed that the department store had just launched the billboard campaign that we created for them 4 months ago. In early summer.

That is probably one of the strangest things on planet advertising: Due to handling times and long production processes, the seasons get all mixed up. In summer, we brainstorm about christmas campaigns and in deep winter we travel to the southern hemisphere to shoot commercials in the sun.

It’s like living in two shifted time zones. Very confusing.

Anyway, I gotta go now. Buy a christmas tree.

 

BLOG ACTION DAY

Fourteen thousand blogs. Twelve million readers. And one topic: the environment. October 15th is the first BLOG ACTION DAY.

I’d like to contribute a commercial that caused quite a stir in the ad world during the last couple of months. It was developed by the german Advertisng Agency NORDPOL and produced by PARANOID PICTURES (Director: THE VIKINGS).

The film just won a gold lion at this year’s Cannes International Advertising Festival.

 

The new Sony BRAVIA commercial – stolen?

After “Balls” and “Paint” it’s finally here: Sony BRAVIA’s third spectacular TV commercial “Play-Doh” is the story of a colorful rabbit population invading New York City.

The film (agency: Fallon, London) is a stop-motion-animation that consists of 100.000 single photographs. A piece of art. And stolen!

The LA-based artist duo KOZYNDAN must have been quite puzzled when they saw the TV ad. A film that looks like a living version of a painting they created several years ago.

Impudent: The film production company PASSION PICTURES had called the artists months earlier to request work samples and to talk about a possible collaboration project. Only they never called again …

(via WERBEBLOGGER, OFF THE RECORD, JvM, THE KAISER)

(SEE ALSO)

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I make movies for the masses.
But I speak to them one at a time”

(Steven Spielberg, when asked the secret of his success. Quote taken from “The perfect pitch” by Jon Steel)

A perspective that us advertising creatives must never forget. Ever!

 

NUMBER OF THE DAY

Estimative number of buttons pushed during the course of a TV commercial production (on computer keyboards, browsers, cellphones, photocopiers, fax machines, dashboards, cameras, spotlights, generators, amps, microphones, coffee machines, displays and studio interfaces) before the bored target audience member pushes a single button on the remote control to change the channel.

 

REDUCE TO THE MAX – the cheapest commercial I ever made

Producing a television commercial is an elaborate, time-consuming venture. And a very expensive one: An average shooting day costs around 100.000 Euros.

But it doesn’t always have to be the big bucks. Here is the cheapest commercial I ever produced.

Agency: GREY WORLDWIDE
Creative Directors: Florian Meimberg/Torsten Pollmann
Art Director: Franziska Scholz
Film Production: 30 SECONDS

The viral film cost around 500 Euros. And took us three hours to shoot. It won a silver medal at the New York Festivals and a shortlist in Cannes.

Big idea beats big budget!

 

1366 – When earth was flat

The Belgian beer brand Stella Artois has become famous for its multi-awarded series of opulent TV-commercials that were inspired by genres like war movies, silent comedy or surrealism.

Now Stella Artois launched a website that takes the user on another epic journey back in time. Taking place on the flat earth of the 14th century, the story circles around the strange events occuring in the ancient city of Leuven, where Stella was first brewed.

In interactive, movie-quality settings, the user has to help the brewers save their beer. A dangerous quest, for 1366 holds countless dangers …

Travel to ancient Leuven

Damn! I just fell off the edge of the world. Again!
A sure Cannes winner for 2008.

UPDATE:
Can someone tell me how to solve the fifth game? PLEASE??

 

FLOADED – short movies or long commercials?

Hurray! Advertising is not disrupting my movie anymore!
It’s inside now …

We all remember “The Hire”. In 2001/02, 8 high quality shortfilms featuring BMW cars conquered the world of viral films. Produced by David Fincher and directed by Hollywood heroes like Guy Richie and Ang Lee, the commercial mini movies were precursors for a new kind of advertising: The product as a main character, implemented into a well scripted story.

Now a similar concept comes from germany.

FLOADED embeds product advertising into sophisticated short films with a remarkable production value. The film production is being co-financed by the sponsors.

And this is how it works:

An interactive function allows the user to pause the film at specific times, at which point brand partners’ products are shown on screen. From this Brand Layer the user can then click over to microsites which present the sponsors’ products in more detail.

The first movie, “The Illusive”, was directed and produced by german director Roman Kuhn and features Brands like Mercedes-Benz and Canon.

Behind FLOADED are the german production company teamworx/UFA and the media company Gruner + Jahr.

Interesting:

FLOADED films are not commissioned work. The creation of each film begins with free and independent ideas, not with the advertising partners. The ideal brand partners are brought together and acquired for each film individually.

I’m anxious to see if this will work out. “The Illusive” is a start. Although when I watched it, I didn´t klick on a single “Brand Layer”. But that Canon EOS camera looked pretty cool …

WATCH AGAIN?
Yes.

(VIA MY BROTHER)

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The trouble with us in America isn’t that the poetry of life has turned to prose, but that it has turned to advertising copy.

(Louis Kronenberger)

 

The iPod – invented in Germany?

The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be.
And that which is done is that which shall be done.
And there is no new thing under the sun.

(Ecclesiates 1:9:22)

Apple designer Jonathan Paul Ive must be a passionate bible reader. Or a big fan of German industrial designer Dieter Rams. Some of Rams’ design classics from the Sixties show striking similarities with today’s Apple products …

Top left: BRAUN T3 pocket radio
Top right: APPLE iPod

Bottom left: BRAUN ET33 calculator
Bottom right: APPLE iPhone

(Via FLANKENLAUF and SPIEKERBLOG)

Tribute or plagiarism? What do you think?

By the way: There’s some serious “tributing” going on in our fast moving advertising business as well.

ADMIRROR detects “mysterious coincidents” in print ads. Very entertaining!

 

COLOR 2.0 – why curiosity is light green

Color derives from the spectrum of light (distribution of light energy versus wavelength) interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors. Color categories and physical specifications of color are also associated with objects, materials, light sources, etc., based on their physical properties such as light absorption, reflection, or emission spectra.

(Wikipedia)

Color stimulates the brain. Color creates moods. Color evokes emotions.
Color is one of the most powerful tools in the daily work of an art director. We love colors!
And that´s where Darius A Monsef IV comes in: The 26 year-old entrepeneur and social activist from Portland, Oregon is the founder of COLOURlovers.com.

Constructed as an online community, COLOURlovers is a resource that monitors and examines color trends. Enriched by articles and background information, it is an ever-growing index of color palettes that can be reviewed and rated. And shared! There are currently 26,356 Lovers sharing 401,248 Colors in 142,062 Palettes.

COLOURlovers is a burst of visual inspiration. And a must-bookmark for everyone interested
in the practical applications of colors.

So. Let´s get startet! What shade of green might curiosity have …?

 

DEAR CLIENT – Words of affection

If you asked an advertising creative to write a list of all the people he likes, his client would probably not make it to a top position.

Joker from WHY ADVERTISING SUCKS vents his anger by writing an open letter to his client.

Admit it, Joker: This is the censored version …

 

TOP TEN SIGNS YOU WORK TOO MUCH

There´s nothing like Fridays: A stressful week draws to a close, the weekend weather forecast predicts sun, and you just got the latest season of your favorite show on DVD.
Oh, and you have a major presentation on monday morning …

I guess it´s time for another top ten list.

TOP TEN SIGNS YOU WORK TOO MUCH

10. When you enter the agency, you shout “I´m hooo-ome!”

9. Your doctor tells you that your veins seem to contain black coffee.

8. You stray around your apartment looking for the conference room.

7. After a phone call with your mom you write a meeting report.

6. The cab driver who takes you home every night knows more about you than your wife.

5. The last time you went to the movies was when “Blade Runner” premiered.

4. You´re too tired to write number 4.

3. You keep mistaking dawn for dusk.

2. The people in the family photos on your desk are sleeping.

1. The agency is charging you rent.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

It used to be that people needed products to survive.
Now products need people to survive. 

(Nicholas Johnson)

 

PHOTO JOURNALISM – the visual power of truth

Adsvertising is a visual business. Creatives spend a lot of their time browsing through stock archives and photography databases. Drifting in a constant stream of pictures, in their never-ending search for new visual styles. To create campaigns that portray an idealized world of flawless beauty.

But there´s something beyond photoshop perfection: Real life!
While doing research for a social campaign (sometimes ad agencies do pro bono work for charity organizations to daze their bad concience. Or to win awards), I stumbled over this:

VII is a photographers agency featuring some of the world´s most striking photo journalists. Who convey images that expand deep into the kaleidoscopic universe of human emotions. Images that stay in your head longer than any billboard.

And some of them express a mysterious beauty that no advertising photographer could ever achieve …

WWW.VIIPHOTO.COM

 

FUTURE TECHNOLOGY

iPhone? Quantum accelerator? Time travel? Booooring!
Here´s an invention that gets an advertising creative excited: The flat pen!

Creatives take their MOLESKINE sketchbook wherever they go. It´s where award winning ideas come to life. As a sentence. Or a sketch. It´s also what gets nastily deformed when you stick your pen into it.

Well – not anymore! Designer Dave Seah invented a flat pen that prevents the moleskine´s cover from bending.

I just love the future!

 

SADVERTISING – About bad timings

Side Hotel Hamburg. Late check-in after a long production day.

Concierge:
“Good evening, Mister Meimberg.”

Me:
“Hi.”

Concierge:
“You are staying with us for one night?”

Me:
“Yes.”

Concierge:
“Ok. Let´see …”
(typing)
“Single room … uuhm … Mr. Meimberg?”

Me:
“Yes?”

Concierge:
“Today is your lucky day! We are fully booked. And will have to upgrade you.
To the Presidential Suite.”

Me:
“Really? Wow! That´s great!”

Concierge (handing me the key card):
“King size bed, separate dining room, steam bath, jacuzzi. There you go. Top floor.
Anything else for you, sir?”

Me:
“Yes. I have to take an early flight tomorrow. Could you give me a wakeup call?
At 5:30?”

Concierge:
“Sure. That´ll be … in three and a half hours.”

…

Sometimes life sucks.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Let advertisers spend the same amount of money improving
their product that they do on advertising and they wouldn’t have
to advertise it. 

(Will Rogers)