NUMBER OF THE DAY

Total number of visitors to my blog. Today. On January 1st. At 1 p.m. No kidding!

 

NET NUGGETS 12/01/08

How stuff works.

After tagging Air Force One, DROGA 5 goes viral again. For Guitar Hero World Tour.

At least one belongs on every christmas wish list: GENERAL ROBOTS

Hypnotic and very very addictive: AUDITORIUM

 

Breaking the law with NIKE

The most important thing when it comes to outdoor advertising: The perfect placement. Like at this chinese metro station.

(VIA SOJAHUND)

 

NET NUGGETS 08/15/08

Finally: The first live TV commercial.

A film school diploma work in Hollywood quality – The social commercial THEY WILL COME TO TOWN was nominated for the 2008 Young Director Award in Cannes. Director: Thilo Ewers

Why you might want to use a human translator. Seen in China.

The inflatable toast. The Glow-in-the-Dark Flesh Eating Zombies Play Set. The Sky Diving Sigmund Freud. The Bacon Flavored Toothpicks. And a couple of really strange things. All to be found at Archie McPhee.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

With $100,000, you could build a very nice house and live in it forever. Or, with that same amount of money, you could shoot a TV spot that’s 30 seconds long and will run for a few months and then go away forever.

(Crispin Porter + Bogusky Employee Handbook)

 

NET NUGGETS 05/20/08

Become a movie producer. In the world’s shortest film.

“Cabin crew, prepare for landing.” A day in the life of air traffic over the continental U.S.

Necessity is the mother of invention.

99Rooms. An “industrial art” project by Kim Köster.

PAPERVISION 3D. Demo for the open source realtime 3D engine for flash.

 

I WANT THAT!

ABDUCTIONLAMP.COM

 

THE F-WORD, REVISED.

A couple of months ago I told you about a senior citizen bus travel provider who didn’t seem too aware of the impression it might leave to typographically abstract the two diacritic dots in his family name to create a company logo.

I just spotted one of his buses again. I think he noticed.

(For non-germans: The umlauted vowel Ü can also be spelled UE.)

 

 

HOMER SIMPSON UNTOONED

It first emerged in 2007. It turned out to be highly contagious. And it was bright yellow – SMPSONIZE ME! The online application launched by Burger King transformed portrait photographs into cartoon characters. And instantly went viral. The annoying aftermath can still be seen in countless online profile pictures.

Now here’s a refreshing response: An anonymous digital artist turns cartoon characters into … well … humans. The slightly disturbing detail is that he sticks to the original cartoon proportions.

Strange!
Here is a Photoshop time-laps of how he did it.

 

GOOGLE DISCREET VIEW

A little off-topic, but this is just too funny!

A couple of months ago, Google‘s web mapping service GOOGLE MAPS launched a new feature: GOOGLE STREET VIEW. A panoramic street level environment lets you descend from the sky and virtually travel through the streets.

Impressive. And contentious! The feature has raised privacy concerns. This scene from a Chicago street shows why:

(THANX TO SOJAHUND FOR THE LINK)

UPDATE: The original picture has been deleted. Always good to make screenshots! 😉

 

NUMBER OF THE DAY

Total number of spaces where you can stand around clinging to your 20-pounds-cocktail in the bar of the SANDERSON Hotel in London on a Friday night without a sinister-looking, ear-plugged giant showing up to tell you that you can’t stand here because this is the VIP area or this part of the terrace was just closed or this corner is only for members.

 

Also the total number of times I will book that hotel again.

 

“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

 

NUMBER OF THE DAY

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

 

EIGHT LEGGED MODELS – the peculiar affection of photographers towards octopuses

Advertising photographers are passionate about beautiful women. And squids. At least that’s what their portfolios indicate. A recent photo research had me stumble across these cute fellows in a course of just a few minutes.

More pictures with less legs on their websites:

VOLKER MOEHRKE
BINE BELLMANN
THOMAS MANGOLD

 

WEEKEND TRIVIA – of dubious brand names

My hometown Duesseldorf doesn’t really bristle with too many exciting cultural landmarks. But on weekends, it seems to inhale bus fleets carrying herds of senior citizen tourists that spend their sunday afternoons gaping at shopping streets and twisted buildings.

This is one of the main travel providers.

Patrick over at WERBEBLOGGER has more unfavorable logos.

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

If the Universe is constantly expanding, why can‘t I find
a parking space?

(unknown)

 

NUMBER OF THE DAY

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

 

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.

 

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)

 

I WANT THAT!

Now!

PUCHI PUCHI is a hendheld electronic toy that, when squeezed, makes this bubblewrap popping sound.

Funny:
“Once in every 100 squeezes of an air bubble, instead of emitting a “pop”, the noise will be replaced by the sound of a fart or a woman moaning in ecstasy. ”

How’s that for a gift idea?!

 

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.

 

I WONDER …

If you try to fail and succeed, what have you done?

 

I WONDER …

Is there another word for synonym?

 

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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

(Nicholas Johnson)

 

AIRPLANE OBSERVATIONS

Ad people spend a considerable part of their life time on airplanes. We sometimes fly several times per week. But when something turns into routine, you tend to lose sight of the subtle humor that life might have in store …

Here´s what George Carlin has to say about the safety lecture on airplanes.

George Carlin, master of observational comedy, started his career in the Sixties. He was the first person to host SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, he won several Grammy Awards, and he is one of the funniest men I have ever seen.

 

I WONDER …

Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations?

 

REAL VIRTUALITY – Life´s a game

Game developers have always been striving to make computer games look as real as possible. Here is a guy who makes reality look like a computer game.

Inspired by third person games like WORLD OF WARCRAFT, 25 year old designer Marc Owens created AVATAR MACHINE, a gadget with a rigged camera that lets you view yourself as a virtual computer game character. In real time. WATCH THE VIDEO

How twisted is that?!

But there´s more: Marc creates all kinds of art projects and strange product designs.
I want the Digi Pocket Watch!!

(via PIXELSUMO)

 

LONELY

Thanks for reminding me, Youtube!

 

WEEKEND TRIVIA

When I returned from a commercial shoot the other day, I noticed that I had new roommates. Strange little creatures that hang out on light switches or door frames, and – thanks to my wife – populate our apartment now.

The comic characters are created by french designer Geneviève Gauckler. The so-called “walltattoos” can be ordered here.

 

I WONDER …

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?