College Kids and Happiness

A lot of times, advertisers will try to execute guerrilla ad campaigns that don't necessarily align with the brand messaging. Coke, however, recently pulled off a truly integrated and relevant stunt.

Keeping with the theme of Coke's "The Happiness Factory" spot, agency Definition 6 installed a special vending machine on a college campus, basically acting as a "Happiness Factory" in and of itself.


Skip to 1:02, at which point the Coke executives grin widely and declare this a "success." [Via]

Competitive Media Placement

Apple and Microsoft ("PC") have been at each others' throats for a while. Whenever I hear about their tiffs, though, it's usually through trade pubs, and never through first-hand experience.

This morning, though, after browsing PCMag, I came across this homepage takeover, and realized the extent to which this war raged on.


Kind of ironic for PCMag to accept this buy. I've heard of different sites accepting ads from supposedly credible sources that turned out to be malware, but I'm pretty sure this was done on purpose.

Is losing credibility and selling out worth it?

When I Grow Up

This circulated my community a few years ago. It's interesting to watch it now because I have a much, much better idea of how the industry works than when I first saw it. I understand and appreciate it a lot more, now.


It's also funny because I used to desperately want to be in Account Services (1:53), but now I want to be a Media Director (:24) ... which, please note, is the only position without anything miserable attached to it. Thank goodness.

Fav part (1:07): "When I grow up, I want to be a Copywriter ... and lie awake at night writing the great American novel that will never get published."

Fly By Advertising

A company at a German trade show attached tiny banner advertisements to flies and set them loose on unsuspecting visitors, in a bizarre yet effective marketing stunt.

"One marketing creative's stroke of genius is another person's animal cruelty."

The banners, measuring only centimeters across, seemed weigh the flies down. This forced them to rest more often, which is a stroke of genius on the part of the marketing creatives: the flies end up at about eye level, and whenever a fly is forced to land and recover, the banner is clearly visible. What's more, the zig-zagging of the fly naturally attracts the attention because of its rapid movement. (via Kottke)

Having Fun at nFusion

My question for nFusion is as follows:



How do I get in on this??
Also, please note at 1:43, Longhorn and TAGger Celina Bonugli makes an appearance!

Kids These Days

Have you seen that Microsoft commercial where the 4 year old girl creates a pretty impressive slideshow? "I'm a PC and I'm 4 years old." In his writing, Marc Prensky notes that kids these days are not only growing up differently, but they have literally started speaking a different language and thinking differently than we have. They are, what he calls, "Digital Natives," and the older generation is made up of "Digital Immigrants."

Here is the cutest Digital Native.... ever:

Microsoft Photoshopping Ordeal

Earlier this week, Microsoft got in big trouble.

They ran an ad for their services in English and Polish. Their English ad features three figures, one of which is a black man. In the Polish version, they photoshopped a white man's head onto the black man's body, but forgot to photoshop out the original's hand as well.

Since, a few parodies have surfaced, mostly thanks to CollegeHumor. These are "Other Poorly Photoshopped Foreign Microsoft Ads"

India:

Australia:More here.

Interview Messups, Case Study #3

Tip #3 - Make sure you send HR the right documents

Mindshare Interview, Spring '09, Austin, TX

HR: Rebecca, before we start, I noticed your cover letter was addressed to Ogilvy
Me: What??


Turns out I have no idea how to work the Application Website. Whoops.

Long story short, thankfully the interview went well regardless.

Interview Messups, Case Study #2

Another tip from my vault of embarrassing interviews:

Tip #2 - Research the agency thoroughly. No, more thoroughly than that...

JWT Interview, Spring '09, New York, NY

HR: So, Rebecca, your resume looks good and you are qualified. Where do you see yourself fitting into this agency?
Me: Well, as part of the TexasMedia program, I'm really interested in Media Planning
HR: JWT doesn't have a Media department. We outsource everything to Group M.
Me: Ah, I see (foot in mouth).


JWT is very prestigious, so naturally I researched them a lot before the big day. Not enough, apparently... Unbeknownce to me, a lot of the major holding companies (WPP, Omnicom, IPG, Publicis) have a strong Media-Only arm, and the rest of their agencies handle the creative/interactive/planning/etc.

Truth is, even navigating an agencies' website isn't enough to tell you whether or not they have a media department. It's important to also peruse the trade pubs to make sure you know what you're up against. Especially helfpul is the Ad Age Agency Family Tree. It's currently hanging on my wall.

Interview Messups, Case Study #1

You hear a lot of what to do and what not to do when going to an interview. Here are some tips that come from my highly unfortunate experience.


Tip #1: Get a hobby. A real hobby.

EnviroMedia Interview, Spring '09, Austin, TX

Boss: So, Rebecca, what do you do in your spare time?
Me: Well, I really like to cook. I've especially gotten good at "dorm cooking" - frozen vegetables and canned tomatoes. It's delicious!
Boss: Oh. I'm a cook, and I don't exactly consider that cooking...


I completely forgot that although to college kids, frozen and canned food is considered cuisine, the "adult world" doesn't share the sentiment. Whoops. Luckily, I made up for this blunder with my experience and positive attitude, and ended up getting the Media Buying Internship. I have since developed a love of traveling, which HR Generalists see as a much more legitimate pastime.

Advertising and Unemployment

Recenlty, PleaseFeedTheAnimals, a blog for the recenlty unemployed advertising professional, released a trailor for a new movie they are producing, called Lemonade. It's an inspiring documentar of what laid off professionals have done with their time now that they are no longer in the biz:

This, of course, is another way to go about unemployment (note his hat):

Branded Prom

At my High School prom, there was a girl in a Duct Tape dress. Apparently, Duck Tape holds a contest each year called "Stuck at Prom" to see what male/female pair can create the best enemble completely out of Duct Tape. Why do it? The winners receive $6K scholarship.

Here is my favorite:

See more at the Duck Tape Website.

How Far Will They Go?

Last year, Google pulled a few April Fools Jokes on the interactive community:

Google Adsense for Conversations (via TechChrunch):

"Now, in just a few simple steps, you can begin displaying ads that are relevant
to the topics you’re discussing — in an unobtrusive screen above your head.

Anyone taking part in the conversation can hit the ad with their hand to
immediately take advantage of the product or service being offered. With our
new Teleportation Technology(TM), you’ll be transported directly to the site
where the service is available, or have the product appear instantaneously
in your hands.

How do I add Google ads to my conversations?
Once you sign up, we’ll send you an adjustable screen and special AdSense headgear to attach it."

Truth is, though, a concept like this may not be that far off. Advertisers have already found a way to sponsor graudation speeches. Advertising in conversations doesn't seem so foreign, huh?

Parody on Traditional Media

This week, Radio Shack becomes "The Shack."

Following suit, Washington Post also gets a "remake," following the cancellation of its news + comedy video series, Mouthpiece Theater (via Gawker):

Traditional media trying to stay "with it."

You Know You've Made it Big When...

1) You have thick business cards
2) You own wooden hangers
3) There is a serious, legitimate rap song in your honor:

"Hit Me On Twitter" by Mistah F.A.B.

Want some twitter parodies? Here and here.

Life of an Intern

CP+B Interns Rap

What are they talking about? I freaking love interning. Being able to absorb company culture, business life lessons, and network like it's your job for a predetermined period of time? I wish I could intern full time...

Is Someone Missing an Intern?

I knew of a guy who, while pledging a frat, woke up in Mexico with nothing but boxers and a quarter.

I think this may be an example of fraternity hazing, grown-up edition:

Taken earlier this morning on Wall Street. Via.

Mash-Ups

Obama endorses Kwikfit. Funny (and fake):



...Reminds me of this:

Man, I love Mash-Ups

Media Bloopers

There are a lot of things to look out for when buying media. You have to make sure the environment in which you are placing your message is conducive to positive feelings about the brand. In other words, you don't want to send mixed messages. Here are some examples of when the vendors and the buyers got it wrong (via CollegeHumor and CollegeCandy):

Jill and Kevin: Before and After

You know you've made the web celeb hall of fame when 1) your video has over 10 million hits in two weeks, and 2) parody videos start popping up.

I bring you Jill and Kevin's wedding AND divorce. Definitely worth a watch. Enjoy!