Monday, October 27, 2008

For some, everyday is Halloween.

You see at least one everyday:

The shaved bald head. The goatee. The Kenneth Cole wardrobe. The retro Weezer eyeglasses.

Is it a rule that all digital guys have to wear the same costume?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Esta promoción es estúpida.

Hey Phillies phans! Inspired by Taco Bell, Wawa just announced a new promotion: if anyone gets a ground-rule double tonight, you can receive a free small cup of coffee two Thursdays from now, between 2:00 and 5:00 AM. (Participating Wawa stores only.)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

“If we can get rid of the designers and creative directors...”

In the movie The Player, a studio exec is looking for ways to save money on movie scripts. He picks up a newspaper and reads the first headline he sees: Immigrants protest budget cuts in literacy program. “Human spirit overcoming human adversity,” he suggests. “Sounds like Horatio Alger in the barrio. Put Jimmy Smits in it and you’ve got a sexy Stand and Deliver. Slap a happy ending on it and the script will write itself.”

Another studio exec, Griffin Mill (played by Tim Robbins), snarks in retort: “I was thinking what an interesting concept it is to eliminate the writer from the artistic process. If we can get rid of the actors and directors, maybe we’ve got something.”

Point taken.

But hey, guess what? It looks like some marketing genius is seriously suggesting we take the designers and creative directors out of the process of logo development. Yep, in a recent PBJ article, AllBusiness.com wonders why a small business would spend upwards of $10,000 on its logo — you know, the central image of its brand — when it can fill out a questionnaire and have one produced via l’automation for just $500.

Griffin, any thoughts?

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

“Funny or die”? Rest in peace, then.

That smoking chick from Heroes is featured in a new pro-Obama pseudo-PSA.

Hey, I hate John McCain as much as any pinko Lefty, but...come on. This is just lousy work. What’s funny about this spot? Moreover, what is its comic device? It’s not irony (unless merely saying negative things with a positive tone of voice counts). There’s sarcasm, sure, but...so? (See, I was just sarcastic there, and it wasn’t funny.)

Anyway, now that we’ve seen that awesome Sarah Silverman jawn, maybe all these quasi-celebs should just leave well enough alone. The good work has been done.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

The outrageous hubris of Gyro Worldwide.

Gold Crown Press just released a book titled, VIRUS: THE OUTRAGEOUS HISTORY OF GYRO WORLDWIDE. The book’s author, Harriet Bernard-Levy, chronicles the agency’s 20-year existence while managing to linguistically blow founder Steven Grasse.

“Wait, did you say DDB?” you might be asking silently. No, ‘fraid not. “Oglivy and Mather?” Again, no. “Ayer & Son? TBWA? BBDO? Some other agency that had a real impact on American culture?” No, no, no, and no. We’re talking about Gyro.

Here are just a few of the wildly unhinged claims made by Bernard-Levy in her book:

* Gyro invented viral marketing (ha!)
* Gyro launched the careers of Spike Jonze, Doug Aitken, and Quentin Tarantino, among others (ha! ha!)
* Gyro “was the first to capitalize on the latent sexual forces running through contemporary proletarian subculture...forever [changing] our collective notion of cool”

Uhh, what?

This tidbit from the book is particularly giggle-inducing:

“Before receiving a standing ovation at the Sundance Film Festival for their award winning feature film Little Miss Sunshine, director duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Ferris cut their artistic teeth shooting Puma spots for Gyro Worldwide.”

Ahh, yes. I remember those Puma spots well. (Oh wait — no I don’t. Actually, I don’t remember them at all. Which is weird, because, according to the book’s logic, they must’ve been as culturally important as “Tastes great, less filling” and “You deserve a break today.”)

I’ll say this for Gyro: What they lack historically, in terms of actual talent and breakthrough thinking, they more than make up for in hubris. If they’ve taught us anything — and they’ve certainly done so by example — it’s that if you make incessant claims that you’re the greatest thing walking, eventually some people will believe you. (Wait, I think Oasis taught us that, too. That’s the band that’s better than the Beatles, right?)

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Stay classy, Philadelphia.

Ha! Check these out: KYW Eyewitness News promos from the late ‘70s. Just outstanding. Enjoy.