A new start.

Oh how things have changed in the past two months. After 4 weeks of intense interviews and a move to another city, I have finally settled into my new life of living Manchester working for TBWA. It feels like a new world jumping from a 5 person agency to 75 people but one that was definitely made for me. The last few weeks have been spent learning about the company, getting to know the team and attending my first ever advertising awards evening. Nominated for the final and biggest award at the Prolific North Awards, I was very proud to have joined the team on stage when they announced that we won the 'Best Integrated Agency' award. Followed by glasses of champagne and some shameless photo booth selfles, the night was huge success and a great way to enter the agency.
For those of you that aren't familiar of the wonderful work TBWA Manchester have produced, we are proudly responsible for the latest Wilko ad, Neil the Sloth, Smyths, Manchester United and many more amazing pieces of work.

Design for education

It feels like the weeks are passing me by and keeping up with posts never feels easy, but every now and then I get a trigger or a reason to write something and today it was down to Emily Pilloton. As I sat and started watching her TED speech this morning, I wondered where she going but within seconds I was hooked on everything she was saying and trying to do. In a small town in Carolina, Emily and her husband along with the help of super intendant Dr. Chip Zolanger are changing the broken school system and community of Bertie Town through Project H. Emily is the founder of the non profit project, which encourages students to design their future through creativity and practical processes to give them real life skills. 

She recognised that there was a need and an opportunity to bring design as an untouched tool and to usher that into Bertie Town. The initial goal was to use design as part of the education system but beyond that they realised they needed make education a great vehicle for community development. She explained that their approach consisted of three different routes: 

Design for education 

the physical construction of improved spaces and materials and experiences for teachers and students 

Redesigning education itself  

system level look at how education is being administrated and what is being offered to whom 

Design as education 

teaching design within public schools, learning design thinking coupled with real construction and fabrication skills put before a local community. 

I think why I found this talk so inspiring is it's genuine approach to improving education and communities. There was a desperate need for Emily to transform and offer hope to Bertie Town which in many cases are neglected or overlooked. The idea of teaching children maths through homegrown outdoor activities just demonstrated how well she understood the children and their ability and how the simplist ideas can make such a vast improvement. It's projects like these that we need to sharing with the world and thinking of more ways to embed this into not only struggling towns but cities worldwide.

Emotional correctness

With the help of my new iPad mini and my 45 minute commute to work, I've had the opportunity to become slightly hooked on TED Talks. So over the next few weeks I’m going to blog about the talkers I have found to be the most inspiring, starting with Sally Kohn. In this video, Sally Kohn a progressive lesbian talking head for Fox News talks about the importance of emotional correctness. She highlights that for years we have spent so much time worrying about political correctness and not focussed on what is emotionally correct. With a huge opinion and a challenging career, Sally Kohn finds herself dealing with large quantities of hate mail whether it is an abusive letter or a nasty tweet she’s heard it all. But as she explains the numerous times she’s been labelled a dyke she discusses her frustration of the use of the word not the word itself. She explains emotional correctness is the tone in which you voice your opinions, and that if you want people to change you need to give them a reason to listen your view in the first place. And the only way of doing that is through emotional correctness.

I think what I found most interesting about this talk was the simplicity in what Sally is trying to explain; it seems so obvious yet we as a society don’t put this into practice. We spend so much time talking past each other and not enough time talking through our disagreements which makes influencing change  harder than it should be. When listening to this talk it made me think of animal right activitists PETA and there extreme approaches to trying to convert meat-lovers into vegans. But if PETA were to consider this idea of 'emotional correctness' they would work towards finding the common ground with non supporters and exploring ways to build conversations. With the hope that one day people will say I’m not a big fan of animals but I’m a big fan in what PETA stand for.

I think if more brands and individuals put this theory into practice you would see less conflict and an increase in positive change.

Sorry I spent it on myself...

It has been far too long since I last wrote a blog post, probably because I have graduated and entered the crazy world of being a grown up and working full time. Working as a Brand and Marketing Executive at Liquid Agency based in Nottingham, time seems to have flown by and before I knew it, I’ve been working for six months and it’s half way through the festive season.

Which leads me onto this post. Christmas is by far my favourite part of the year and not just for the never ending presents or the amazing party buffets but for the battle of the best Christmas campaign. We all love the classic ads from Coca Cola and Boots but each year there is one campaign that always seems to shine through. And for me it’s Harvey Nichols ‘I spent it on myself’ campaign.

As you watch the video above, you smile as you think the concept of the advert is humorous but not the most ground-breaking you’ve ever seen. Until it reaches the end and you realise that the budget gifts featured in the advert are actually available to buy in store. That’s right, you really can buy someone  a Harvey Nichols branded bath plug this Christmas. And boy do I have some ideas on who will be receiving some elastic bands and tooth picks this year. In my search to purchase one of these gifts online I was redirected to the ‘I spent it on myself’ page, where each novelty gift was strategically placed alongside a luxurious Harvey Nichols item. Side by side, the products were highlighted with the message ‘for you’ and ‘for them’. Targeting those customers who understand that a little something for their nearest and dearest means a bigger something for themselves.

I think what I love the most about this campaign is how refreshing an idea it really is. Year after year we see agencies creating Christmas campaigns that go for the emotional pull or the uplifting story but this is just about indulging yourself. Which although sounds selfish and yes Christmas is meant to be about sharing and giving, it's nice to see some originality breaking through. 

 And let's face it, I can't wait to give my stepmum some Lincolnshire gravel this Christmas. 

Unwatchable

Probably the only way to describe this film is unwatchable. I found the video whilst reading about whether charities are going to far with their shock tactics and after watching this I am genuinely speechless. The video was released by Save the Congo to help increase awareness of the link between minerals used in UK mobile phones and the use of rape and murder as weapons of war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Making the controversial decision of setting the film in an english home with a british family, the charity questions - “Would we accept it, if it was happening here?” 

Part of me feels like I never want to see the footage again but part of me is sat here thinking everybody needs to see this at least once to be aware of what is actually going on. I find it sad that charities feel it has got to the point where creating this type of campaign is the only way to get through to people, but if it is, then I applaud them for opening my eyes and actually having the courage to present something so harrowing. Im not sure I could ever work on something so intense, and Im not sure I fully support the way they have visualised such graphic scenes, but I do know that I signed the petition straight after watching it and surely that was their ultimate goal? I think a lot of the time we don't feel an urge to support organisations and charities because they dont directly affect our lives. But by creating a video that has a much stronger relation to us, it makes people realise how unacceptable these issues really are. Credit to Dark Fibre, Jo Bains, Angela Dixon and Thea Wellband. 

Sign the petition now - http://www.unwatchable.cc/thefilm/?petition

If fast food could talk...

So some of you might know that for my final dissertation Im looking at how the animal rights organisation PETA could adopt a new strategy and method to change people's views on veganism. The challenge for me? I love meat. And have no intention on changing my mind any time soon. As Ive looked at PETAs work and other animal rights charities, Ive noticed the overuse of shock tactics are leaving viewers feeling uncomfortable and ashamed, which nobody should be made to feel about something that society has taught us. In particular I watched this video from Mercy for Animals, an organisation I was unaware of until now. With the aim to expose what really goes into fast food meat, this talking sausage tells his dramatic life story and the horror he's been through. As I watched the video I wondered how it was going to make an impact, and suddenly the screen splits to the video footage of trapped animals and meat being processed. And now Im left feeling shocked and disgusted by the concept. But its not going to stop me from eating fast food. Although many campaigns can make people question themselves as meat eaters, a lot of the time all it does is spark conversation for a short amount of time. If animal rights organisations are serious about turning more people vegan, they need to understand that lecturing them and referring to them as 'animal abusers' is not the way forward. Stop trying to think of controversial adverts and the craziest publicity stunts and start educating people on how they could do better. 

The Harlem Struggle

I have to admit when I first saw the Harlem Shake I spent good hour after watching all the videos on Youtube, thinking of ways that I could recreate my own. But today I came across a slightly different version of the dance that has sparked controversy worldwide. The Dutch Parkinson's Society released the video, 'Worst Shake Ever' that shows society chairman Eric Roos, shaking out of control after not taking his medication. Designed by Saatchi and Saatchi the strapline reads - 'Shaking, fun for some … daily struggle for others.' With the aim to raise awareness of the disease, the video has received mixed reviews with many feeling offended and finding the overall approach distasteful. Personally I think its genius. The fact that Saatchi and Saatchi have acknowledged the success of the Harlem Shake and applied to an organisation that struggles to gain media attention at the best of time, is brilliant. Tapping into worldwide trends is something that more brands should be taking note of, whether it be social, cultural or environmental. With over 90,000 views its clear that they have reached their goal of raising awareness even if it has caused a stir. 

Durex delivers.

When I first started watching this I thought this definitely had to be a joke. But no Durex really are about to create the best delivery service yet, SOS Condoms. For those unfortunate situations where your not quite prepared, the new location based app service discretely delivers condoms within the hour between 4pm and 4am. Accomadating to the universal issue of never having a condom when you need one, Durex in Dubai are the first city to be blessed with the new campaign. But visit the website and vote for the city you want to next have this service and you too could be saved from that awkward situation. Whether it be a pizza delivery or being pulled over by the police, Durex are there for you. Demonstrating their ability to always be ahead of the game, as cheesy as the video is, this is probably one of their best ideas yet. Get voting if you want London to be the next place. 

http://www.sos-condoms.com

Infographics

So Ive finally sent my dissertation to print, the thing that has been driving me crazy for the past few months. I mentioned in my previous post that I was looking at ways in which brands could use location based advertising to target customers passing by. To be honest I have actually really enjoyed writing about it, although slightly sick of it towards the end the idea of geofencing could be the future of marketing. This might not make complete sense as you've not read my dissertation but here are some infographics I designed to sum up my whole idea. Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts!

Hijack

So for the past couple of months Ive been writing my dissertation on the use of geofencing. For those of you that don't know geofencing is location based promotions sent to your phone via text. Quite a few brands have started using it like L'oreal, Starbucks and the North Face offering coupons, discounts and brand information. As Ive worked on my report Ive realised how successful geofencing could actually be in the future, however one thing that Ive noted is if brands want to move forward with the idea they need to be different. 

In South America Guetamalean shoe brand Meat Pack have set the path for all those considering location based marketing.The shop chose to use the app Hijack to create a much more innovative way to earn discounts. Every time a customer entered a competitor’s store, they would receive a message with a timed discount, starting at 99% off and slowly ticking down until the customer raced to the Meat Pack store. According to marketing blogger Mark Brill, ‘The campaign saw over 600 people ‘hijacked’ from stores and the fastest to get there managed to received an 89% discount.’ The idea of not only taking potential customers out of competitors stores but actually lurring them into your store with a timed discount is genius. Possibly one of the cleverest ways Ive seen a brand increase footfall and in return sales. 

Wimpys Braille Burgers

As sad as it sounds one of the things I look forward to at christmas is getting books for my course, I cant justify spending my own money on them so its nice to get them as presents. This year I got the book Goodvertising, which is literally like an encyclopaedia of advertising. Ive already managed to read it back to back, and found so many new things. Starting with the Wimpys braille burgers.

Wimpys aim was to let visually impaired people know that they offered braille menus in all of their restaurants. So to spread the word with the help of Metropolitan Republic, they built braille burgers using the sesame seeds on the buns. Reading '100% pure beef burger made for you', they sent them to three of the biggest blind institutions in South Africa and let 15 blind people finally see what they were eating. When I read about this I instantly thought how powerful and simple the idea was, although as mentioned in the video it was only small gesture, its executed brilliantly and brought together with a genuinely moving video. Nice to see fast food chains finally doing something sincere with their marketing. 

Its the motherhood, its another hood.

For a while now Ive been meaning to do a blog post but time has been limited with the large amount of work I have to do. And probably down to the fact that every time I sat down to write a post, I had nothing to write about. Listening to music on youtube I came across one advert I chose not to 'Skip' and actually watch. Known for their witty and funny approach to advertising, Fiat have released the Motherhood rap advert. Listing everything a mother has to go through from spending three months in pjs to swapping your sexy handbag to a snot stained sack, the advert features a range sharp lines with a catchy tune. Clearly targeting the everyday mum, Fiat barely promoted their car throughout the ad and focussed on appealing to a potential consumer. Really refreshing way for a car company to engage with its audience, hats off to Mother for creating what is being described as 'viral video gold'.

War Child

As I started watching the video I felt like I could predict what was coming next, the machine gun hold ups, hidden land mines and the grenade explosions. But each scenario didn't quite play out how I expected. The bloodshed was replaced with crayons, bubbles and children's laughter followed by the campaign slogan, 'Where Childhood thrives, war does not'. Canadian ad agency, John St teamed up with the non profit organisation War Child to launch its new campaign 'Jam', which aims to raise awareness of the thousands of children affected by war globally. Every time I watch the video I cant help but feel relieved by its ending, with the combination of a powerful concept and stunning cinematography the campaign comes to life and creates an immediate impact. 

#FirstWorldProblems

In a new advert for Water is Life, the charity features Haitian children and adults reading out tweets that used the #firstworldproblems hashtag. The 1-minute video features "complaints" such as "I hate it when my neighbors block their wifi." and "I hate when my phone charger won’t reach my bed". The video's concept of taking what has become a popular theme within social media and using it to expose the irony of the #FirstWorldProblems Twitter hashtag is brilliant. Not only does it make you cringe as they repeat the tweets you know you have posted this week, it makes you realise what is actually going on outside the not-so-crazy world of social media. DDB delivers one of the first campaigns that opts to eliminate the hashtag rather than encourage people to use it. What makes the whole campaign that bit more moving is the personalized responses in which various Haitians console those who have used the hashtag on Twitter. I think this is probably one of the best responses I have ever seen a charity create in order to raise awareness of those who are struggling to gain even their basic needs.

Helpless

For the past few months I have been exploring the ways in which brands use shock tactics to raise awareness and looking at how effective they are. This short film 'Helpless' is the definition of an extremely effective use of shock tactics. Telling the story of a man who's diagnosed with cancer, undergoes treatment, and lives, only to choke to death at a family gathering because no one knows basic first aid that could save his life. The campaign was developed after a recent study by St John's Ambulance discovered that over four times as many of us think more people die from cancer than a lack of first aid. St John Ambulance is now appealing to people to obtain a free pocket-sized guide featuring first aid skills that can help in the five life-threatening situations by texting HELP to 80039. The execution of the idea has been handled with such sensitivity whilst getting across the hard hitting statistic that 140,000 people a year die in situations where first aid could have helped. A very impressive approach to an issue that many people dont consider.

Fitness First Bus Shelter

As I started to watch this video, I slowly realised what Fitness First had set out to do and Im not quite sure if it's worked in their favour. The bus shelter located in Rotterdam, boldly displays your weight using the scales built into the seats. Many people have argued how clever the advert is but the general reception is any company that has just publicly exposed your weight without your permission is not somewhere you want to spend your money. I cant decide whether I love it for the brilliant execution or hate it because if that was me I would be rather embarrassed. Although the idea is meant to be a motivational tool, I wonder if Fitness First considered those with eating dissorders and how it might effect them when they took a seat. I understand companies cant please everyone when they create an advert but it doesn't seem like they pleased anyone with this.

This Is Nursing

The Royal College of Nursing launched their ‘This is Nursing’ campaign today which aims to promote the challenges and rewards that a career in nursing can bring. This short film displays the ups and downs of being a carer, whilst at the same time showing a patient’s journey through life. The RCN have said they wanted to challenge the negative publicity about the patient neglect and poor conditions, 'It’s time to celebrate the outstanding work nurses do on a daily basis, often in extremely difficult situations’. I personally think it’s nice to see a campaign supporting the NHS, especially as it shows the reality of modern day nursing and the skills needed to be part of this profession. I can’t say I spent much time in the hospital myself but this promotional video definitely gives a more positive vibe around the NHS and its services.

Olympic Torture Games

Yes, I know the Olympics are over and done with now but whether your bored of them or not I still seem to be finding more campaigns that I need to share. Although the Olympic adverts released this year have been pretty impressive, I did come across these Amnesty International torture campaigns that were designed in 2008 following the Beijing Olympics. The human rights organisation used popular sporting events and displayed them in a slightly less patriotic way, with the slogan reading ‘after the Olympic Games, the fight for human rights must go on’. Unfortunately for ad agency TBWA, the adverts were deemed too graphic to be released. I can understand that the use of the Olympics in this context might have been considered offensive, but it definitely gets the message across. Organisations like Amnesty struggle to compete against large corporate brands on a daily basis but when they produce such powerful imagery, I think it should be shared and not hidden.

Fauxlympics

Unfortunately none of these adverts are officially supporting the Olympics, these adverts were designed for the Fauxlympics, a competition set by marketing company the Drum. Inviting all ‘creative athletes’ to help brands and agencies discover what will and won’t be allowed by LOCOG.

The competition was split into four catorgories:
The Sprint: Guerrilla ads that would be taken down faster than Usain Bolt can run 100 metres.
The Long Shot: Ads which probably should be allowed to run, but probably won’t.
The Hurdles: Ads which manage to get around the advertising rules.
The High Jump: Funny ads which break all the rules.

Here Ive selected a few of my favourites but there are endless amounts of humorous ideas, the entry date for the competition has already closed but voting continues until tomorrow night. To view more and to vote for your favourite visit http://www.facebook.com/thedrumpage

the boys

(all images from streetfsn)

 Feeling really uninspired with the high streets end of summer sales and limited new collections I looked endlessly through style blogs yesterday for some new inspiration. And it appears that the men of the streets are stealing the show. Covered in tattoos with their graphic prints, camouflage turn ups and modern tailoring its nice to see some alternative style emerging. Currently loving all things oversized its time for me to route through the mens collections and follow these guys with original pieces and laid back style. Would also love to know where these guys go in the spare time.