Nice to know you're reading this, at least.

Adverts fail to engage majority of social networkers

You are, right?

Those who can do, those who...?

What the fashion industry can teach us about advertising awards - and it isn't pleasant.

"you should think before hiring any team which has been working for a few years and yet has never won any awards at all"

I tended to hire individuals with books that showed they could create great, selling work... awards or not, real or not (though an ability to show you could deal with the 'process' was a reassurance).

And my agency's clients seemed to hire us on pretty much the same basis, if with a tilt to track record.

Seemed to work OK. For all involved.

The bar... apparently

The advert that just keeps going

Causality

Face shape clue to mental decline

Or.. as I once read a piece that Denzel Washington was 'perfect' because of his facial symmetry, maybe it's because by being luvly they get all the top, interesting jobs, roles, partners, etc, which keeps 'em mentally alert longer than being dumped or ignored by being off-centre?

Mind you Tommy Lee Jones is doing OK.

What's in a name?

Your brand goes here

think there is much to be said for this especially with creative combos...

Ann Summers Interchange at Cockfosters?

Parliament Square Dignitas Halt (via Barkingside)?

Fleet Street Twitter Siding?

Any Funeral Directors near Monument?

Just has to be shared...

businessguysonbusinesstrips.com/

Delusions of grandeur

Who you gonna call?

Another 'professional' who might not fully grasp why they get feted as much as they do.

Is the web's amateur hour over?

Not so much 'who you know', but 'who you work for'. Though the principle's the same, and little to do with talent, though it should be.

Because it is all about making money, which the best talent, well-harnessed, should generate.

Sadly, as layer upon layer of gatekeeper and administrator gets added, it would appear that 'other factors' come into play.

To a web-struck musical individual I tried to equate to the situation of dashing to a virtual HMV store because your CD is on the shelves. Unfortunately, other than you, the situation is still that no one else knows it's there, no matter how good, and the racks are about 1,000 miles long.

So while the money may no longer be required for creation, the 'powers that fee' now focus on controlling access and exposure.

'twas ever thus.

Just products from a brand. Hence, I wonder if the perceived 'value' is from 'old-fashioned professional journalists' or the fact that they work for 'mainstream media organisations' with a better chance of delivering an audience.

Hence it might be worth seeing if one gets invited to report because of one's reputation (if possibly hard to divorce totally from the employer) or because of the name at the top of the card or as dropped by the researcher.

'xx, talented bloke-who-writes' vs. yy from the BBC, national broadcaster with access to 60 million possible consumers. Tough, but maybe a simply grubby call. Especially when drawing up dinner invites that may lead to exposure to the largest audience.

Never mind the quality...

So who actually won the Great Bra War? No one

I'm pretty sure I know who loses, and that is an already discredited media estate.

Fresh from getting the brand top of mind 'responding' by charging folk for plastic bags, M&S's PR geniuses concoct the next big thing (sorry)...

"Group" expresses outrage - result
Media respond - result
M&S responds - result
M&S runs ad - result
Media run articles on add even, bizzarely, working in a political culture of apology angle - result

Usually that's it. But now we have media consumes itself - even more result!

Ever feel you've been had?

ps: I think Hazel Blears is taking her 32 inch LCD TVs back in to swap for 50 inchers, but at least it won't cost the taxpayer any more.

Simples!

What sells wins

The most complained-about ads of 2008

BOFINS

It stands for 'Boring Old Farts In Suits'

I just made that up, but it was inspired by this as a consequence of this.

Worth a read.

A JOKE - Hypochondria

The other day I was out with SWoMBO in Hereford, where we visited Boots.

She was gunning to avoid chores upon our return, and claimed she needed medication.

So there we were at the pharmacist's counter, and when the lady appeared I asked: 'Do you have any medicines for hypochondria, that are irony-free?'.

I thought it was funny.

Daffy ideas

'Design us mascots for 2012 Olympics', creatives told

Ducks are indigenous, and cute. If they are alive.

Maybe a 'Pushmepullyou'? But then they are totally made up. Like some budgets.

Gotta say, defending something cr*p by saying it's not bland is a masterstroke.

London 2012 Olympic mascot: Calling all entries

London 2012 mascot sucks (probably)

Telegraph - Team GB selection news: London 2012 mascots are down to final shortlist

Sloooooooo news

ASA refers Lynx Bullet ads after complaints of sexism

Bless.

And how many from their PR agency?

I am thinking of complaining on behalf of all non-studly's with a penchant for tigerskin undies.

Viral is as viral does...n't?

Spreading the word

It's an area that interests me, especially for apps with Junkk.com.

Hence the comments in the thread become even more pertinent.

I love the way the BBC and its luvvies somehow disconnect so often themselves from being the only national broadcast entity there is which, oh, I dunno, may influence who wants to 'help' them (U2, Brute?), and how good, old-fashioned promotion on the MSM is still a heck of a way of boosting up one of a trillion bits of work in the e-ther to getting noticed at all, much less judged and/or repsonded to.

Nice that Aunty (we) didn't have to pay. Shame we didn't get a cut of the massive promo value to the creators, mind.

Any stats on how many folk actually stayed with it all the way though to snag the 55k+ views?

Speaking of hooks, I am sure there was some nice, funny stuff later on, but really, life was too short. Ok, I fib. Was it a Labour of love? Or... something more conservative? I fear I err on the latter.

It's a mystery

Why do the worst products have the best adverts?

Hello Boys!

Rubbish product (didn't for me, for some reason). Never rated the line that much, either.

Mind you, it did result in cars crashing (apparently). And, possibly, awesome sales figures. Maybe even the odd award (though possibly the PR guys deserved it more).

Go figure.

Let the flames begin!

Advertising agencies withdraw from 2012 Olympics contract over sponsorship fee

The was a time when you were paid pitch fees.

Pay peanuts. Get monkeys. Charge fees, get...?

It was a worthy USP...

Fury over Nationwide's travel money U-turn

... and one I appreciated and took advantage of. A worthy investment, IMHO.

Am I 'furious'? No, just saddened. By yet another example of the culture of beans and their counting in this process over product society. And I'll vote with my wallet and feet, accordingly.

Now our finest business and marketing minds seem determined to adopt a 'me-too' approach across the board, which makes them all effectively clones in my mind.

Maybe they should save money by firing the geniuses in these departments, and the money they blow on trumpeting ads whose messages last only fleetingly, and just devote themselves to taking money in, paying pitiful interest on savings and as much as they can screw to lend it out.

And my basis for giving them my custom will be only which ATM is nearest to my front door to access the bare minimum of cash float I need each week. Nice one.

Good question

As one who cranks more than his fair share of eyebrows...

Chocolate in adland

Have to say... love the ad; haven't bought the chocolate. Possibly not the audience, of course, but the point is well made.

I am pretty sure market forces will decide eventually.

Brand awareness vs. shifting product. Tricky.

Anyway, it's nice to have to hand to watch over and over when I feel like it.

It's a zoo out... up there

A few days ago I caught a piece about this...

Galaxy Zoo

Why do I include it here? Well, several reasons.

First up, it looks kind of fun.

Second, it seems very well designed. I like the user interface, and it's one I think could be an inspiration for future Junkk.com efforts, especially to facilitate data collection.

Now hold that thought.

Because what is really nifty is that it's basically there to get a bunch of you and me to do a ton of work for them, for nothing, for no better reason than... why not?

It has the same aura as a Wikipedia or Freecycle. I wish I could find a way to bottle that!

And I stand ready to serve my country again

A fun piece that's hard to disagree with..

Mad Men passes sell-by date

Sadly, in trying to subsidise my planet-saving efforts by offering my talents in crafting ads from an earlier age (that still sold gangbusters), I am finding that young, thrusting headhunting agencies with names like 'purple', staffed by guys called Ollie, don't even reply when I submit my CV to a job I am fully qualified for. Plus ca change.

There's no so foolable as those who are happy to be fooled

IS OLI BEALE'S SIX-PAGE LETTER OF COMPLAINT GIVING VIRGIN ATLANTIC GOOD PR?

I voted 'No', but only because I didn't want it to be.

Of course it's brilliant PR and kudos to the well-oiled (or should that be Oli'd) machine that 'managed' it.

As to our gullible/complicit 'news' media with 24/7 to fill and no skateboarding turtles to hand... what a load of...

Next they'll be buying that planes can make the stratosphere smell of Bounty bars 'cos they run on coconuts, as that what the press release says.

Oh... they have? Ah well.