Success & Failure

Another advertising campaign that has stuck with me through the years.

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career.
I’ve lost almost 300 games.
26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot
and missed.

I’ve failed
over and over and over again in my life.

And that is why
I succeed.

Filed under: Advertising

Movie Review: Art & Copy

I went to college to get a degree in Business Management. One of the required classes was Advertising. It turned out to be one of my favorite classes during all my years in that Business building (I still have the book to this day).

Before heading off to college, I worked a few years doing prepress for a local print shop. It was my first introduction to the Macintosh work environment, but it was love at first sight. When I started, Freehand and Quark ruled the day and Photoshop 2.0 was all the rage. As a result I was also there at the ground level when Illustrator and InDesign came around. A coworker and I would come in early and do the tutorials just to learn what was possible. At the time I wasn’t even a designer, just a production artist.

Back to college. It was my Senior year and I was doing interviews with companies that came to campus. During every interview I can clearly recall thinking to myself, “What am I doing here?” One company flew me down to Dallas for a next level interview, and it was the last time I ever interviewed for a Management position. It was an extremely beneficial experience, but when I returned I immediately signed up for another couple of years of college. I needed to add a minor in Graphic Design to my degree. It only took me four years, but I now knew that my life’s calling involved a Macintosh computer and some Adobe programs.

Flash forward to today. I now work in the Marketing department for an international organic food company doing graphic design and social media. I’ve been able to design everything from a frisbee to trailer graphics, and everything in between. Advertising is part of my everyday thought process. So it was with great anticipation that watched Art & Copy recently, and I wasn’t disappointed. Much like Helvetica before it, this documentary tickled my funny bone and reminded me why I made that decision back in college to get into this industry. Advertising gets a bad rap most days, and with good reason. We are inundated with horrible and constant advertising. But advertising will always be a part of our life, and when it’s done well it can change the world. Literally.

Art & Copy is a powerful new film about advertising and inspiration. Directed by Doug Pray, it reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time. These artists and writers all brought a surprisingly rebellious spirit to their work in a business more often associated with mediocrity or manipulation: George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Hal Riney and others featured in Art & Copy were responsible for “Just Do It,” “I Love NY,” “Where’s the Beef?,” “Got Milk,” “Think Different,” and brilliant campaigns for everything from cars to presidents. The social and cultural impact of their ads are brought to light in this dynamic exploration of art, commerce, and human emotion.

I think it’s ironic that the movie I watched right before this one was Pirates of Silone Valley, a docudrama about how Steve Jobs got his start. Sandwiched together they gave me a renewed sense of purpose regarding my future.

Some of my all time favorite ad campaigns are covered in this documentary, such as Nike’s “Just Do It” campaign. Pictured below is an ad from that campaign that I could look at every single day. I still have a cutout of the original ad laminated at my house.

What are some advertising campaigns that have moved you?

Netflix Rating: ★★★★★

Filed under: Advertising, Movies, Reviews

Just Do It

Too often we are scared.
Scared of what we might not be able to do.
Scared of what people might think if we tried.
We let our fears stand in the way of our hopes.
We say no when we want to say yes.
We sit quietly when we want to scream.
And we shout with the others,
when we should keep our mouths shut.
Why?
After all,
we do only go around once.
There’s really no time to be afraid.
So stop.
Try something you’ve never tried.
Risk it.
Enter a triathlon.
Write a letter to the editor.
Demand a raise.
Call winners at the toughest court.
Throw away your television.
Bicycle across the United States.
Try bobsledding.
Try anything.
Speak out against the designated hitter.
Travel to a country where you don’t speak the language.
Patent something.
Call her.
You have nothing to lose
and everything
everything
everything to gain.
JUST DO IT

(reposted from August 6, 2004)

Filed under: Advertising, Barry Sanders, Fear, Inspiration, NIKE, Risk

Linkadelphia

» Jonathan reminds us that we are first human.

» Ten typographic mistakes everyone makes.

» 13 ways to be nice that will cost you barely anything.

» Craig asks Am I Broken Yet?

» A heart breaking Office Memorium.

» What if Radiohead were country.

» What kind of church member are you?

» Bentley FTW.

Filed under: Advertising, Bentley, Blogosphere, Church, Humanity, Links, Radiohead, The Office, Typography

Nostalgia

This Pontiac / Spy Hunter commercial took me way back!

Time to hit up ebay.

Filed under: Advertising, Commercials, Nintendo, Nostalgia, Pontiac, Spy Hunter, Video Games

Digital Outlook

1. Old-school design methods are failing. The pace of change among consumers and competitors has grown so fast that using a conventional process to hatch a marketing campaign, a Web site, or a new product virtually dooms it to being obsolete by the time it’s complete.

2. Innovation is the new currency. The days of a whopping marketing budget or a pretty design equaling success are over, as Blendtec has so well proved. If you’re not creating something that’s genuinely new—as well as useful and delightful—you are screwed.

3. Everyone is a creative. Your next-door neighbor can make a YouTube video or design a MySpace page that sits on an equal media playing field with anything we produce here at Avenue A Razorfish.

4. Narrative is the experience. As the Web becomes the preferred destination for brand exploration, digital experiences must become richer, deeper, and more able to tell compelling stories. If your brand experience depends entirely on pages and clicks, it’s time to wonder, “What is my story?

From a 2008 Digital Outlook Report by Avenue A | Razorfish.

(ht: Logic + Emotion)

Filed under: Advertising, Creativity, Design, Innovation, Marketing, Narrative

Super Bowl Commericals

Oddly, there has been a serious lack of chatter on the Super Bowl commercials today. It wasn’t the worst year for commercials, and it wasn’t the best. It was sort of the equivalent of having Tom Petty do the half-time show—just alright. I’d give them an overall grade of C+.

Anheuser-Busch – Stole the show with seven fresh and humorous ads. A couple of theirs were dumb, but the Wheel/Bottle Opener, Cheese Run, Ability to Fly and Breathe of Fire ads were great fun.

Audi – Their new car was very intriguing. The ad seemed a little overdone though.

Bridgestone Tires – Almost there. The screaming squirrel was the best part of those.

Cars.com – Made me smile, but didn’t blow me away.

Careerbuilder.com – Unimpressed

Coke – Shaq on a horse was funny. The rest not so much.

eTrade – The talking baby thing has been done before, but this baby was a little more tech savy and came across as fresh.

FedEx – Really?

GoDaddy –  Their Superbowl ads are making me want to do business elsewhere.

Pepsi – Their Superbowl ads make me glad I’m a Coke man. Although hearing Thriller again was a welcome surprise!

Salesgenie.com – Mostly annoying.

If it weren’t for beer commercials, the world of TV advertising would be a boring place. Watch all of the Super Bowl spots here or here.

Filed under: Advertising, Commercials, Football, Super Bowl, Television

Cousins w/ a Side of Ham

Jason and I had the great opportunity of taking some pictures of Tanner, and his cousin Jacob, last week for some advertising. It went as well as could be expected with a couple of 4-year-olds who like to play off each other, but I think the ads are going to turn out nicely. I’ll tell you one thing, I have major respect for child photographers!

Tanner has been spending way too much time at ragamuffinsoul.com.

Filed under: Advertising, Cousins, Eden Foods, Edensoy, Kids, Photography, Tanner

Make Hunger Disappear

In a grocery store 4,820 cans of Campbell’s Soup were used to build an installation piece that spelled HUNGER. Signage beside the piece encouraged shoppers to buy one and donate it to their local food bank. As shoppers bought the cans from the display the word HUNGER slowly disappeared. This allowed people to see how their individual effort could help bring an end to the problem of hunger.

Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, Toronto, Canada
Art Director: Anthony Chelvanathan
Copywriter: Steve Persico
Photographer: Angus MacPherson

(ht: Razor Creative)

Filed under: Advertising, Campbells, Creativity, Giving, World Hunger

No. You Come On.

Filed under: Advertising, Cameras, Canon, Commercials, Maria Sharapova, YouTube