Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
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.
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"
Australia:
More here.Friday, August 21, 2009
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.
Mindshare Interview, Spring '09, Austin, TXHR: 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.
Tip #2 - Research the agency thoroughly. No, more thoroughly than that...
JWT Interview, Spring '09, New York, NYHR: 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.
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.
Tip #1: Get a hobby. A real hobby.
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.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Flash Mobs - A Different Kind of OOH
"Flash mobs," originally from a New York based group called Improv Everywhere, have become an emerging media tool. They are useful because they are unexpected, grab attention, are generally funny, and if they are good enough, become internet sensations and memes. Check out some brands who have recently capitalized on Flash Mob energy:
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Their Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts
OMD, Pepsi and CBS will pioneer the convergence of Video and Print on Sept. 18th, as they team team up to place a video in Entertainment Weekly magazine.
As an attempt to save print from an untimely death while correspondingly creating something new and buzzworthy, this is very impressive. Kind of reminds me of Esquire's E-Ink Cover (9/08).
....it also reminds me of Harry Potter.
"As part of a unique marketing partnership, PepsiCo will join with CBS to promote its Pepsi Max diet cola for men in the print ads and sponsor the fall debut of CBS's Monday-night comedies on Sept. 21.
The intriguing promotion serves to illustrate how TV networks and advertisers are experimenting with new technologies to get their messages out to consumers." - AdAge
As an attempt to save print from an untimely death while correspondingly creating something new and buzzworthy, this is very impressive. Kind of reminds me of Esquire's E-Ink Cover (9/08).
....it also reminds me of Harry Potter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
