So as not to waste a good site, we thought we’d post and host the ExpressJet site we’ve recently done for Dentsu. The site was designed to allow people to submit their stories in/of ExpressJet destinations. It’s a lovely site with a small dose of 3D Papervision thrown in. Check it out and let us know what you think - hey, why not submit a story. The competition isn’t active but you might discover something about yourself in the process. Or not.

http://www.expressjetmicrosite.com/

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I’m a big fan of the Ted Conference and one of my first video podcast subscriptions and on the train coming back into the city from Queens this morning, I watched a great and very short speech by Richard St. John. An interesting topic for us being business owners and entrepreneurs, and a constant question for us is “why do we do this?” and “how have we been/how will we continue to be successful?”. 7 years of research, is summarised in just a few lines and 3 minutes. In short he explains that in order to succeed you need to satisfy the following 8 steps:

1. Passion: you’ve got to love what you do!
2. Work:you’ve got to put your back into it.
3. Good: you have to be damned good at what you do and continue to develop to stay ahead.
4. Focus: don’t let yourself be distracted. Set your sights on something and make it happen.
5. Push: Push yourself physically and mentally. If you’re lucky your parents pushed you! Push through shyness and self doubt.
6. Serve: offer others something of great value.
7. Ideas: keep them coming - listen, observe, be curios, question, problem solve and make connections.
8. Persist: you can’t give up at the first hurdle. Persist through failure, critism, rejection, pressure and all the assholes!

Click Here to watch the video.

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As a digital agency, one might think it odd that we’re producing our reel as a hard media, DVD. In deed, it has been a bone of contention for some time and thats why, several months after completing our 2008 Design Reel
, we are only just approving the production. After laboring over the reel itself, we’re spending a fair penny on mastering, duplication, packaging and distribution. So I’m still asking why? when we’ve done a great job encoding at different sizes and serving. Electronic distribution is easy and basically free and above all: immediate. As a digital agency, perhaps we should be committed to the channels we predominantly work within? The answer is punctuated by a single word that my partner at Last Exit often heralds “RELEVANCE”. On top of that, I would like to add “penetration” and “visibility”. Our in-boxes are, unfortunately crowded with enough spam to fill a million cheap sandwiches and whilst we can use many different creative tactics to draw attention to a mailer, we believe in a multi-channel and relevant approach that taps into the the behavioral characteristics of our audience. Ours is splie between CMOs at the brands themselves and producers/CDs at ad agencies. Both sets have spent much more time in TV/Radio than in interactive and whilst the transition is happening it’s important to bridge the gap, speak the right language and not to be too disruptive.

So, our belief is that receiving a well designed, beautifully produced DVD (spot glossing and all) will, at the very least, leave an impression in the recipients mind (even if they never actually load the disk into a player) backed by the appropriate and well timed follow up. This is a tried and true and simple tactic that has worked for many reps and EPs in the advertising and motion business and whilst there’s not model for reps in interactive, we’ll give this a go.

Here’s a few screen shots. You can view the reel here, or let us know if you’d like to receive DVD.

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I finally brought myself to go check out Applebee’s Real Videos campaign. In light of some press we’re putting out about Control Freak , I wanted to put together a few case studies of brands utilizing a social media aspect, of which there are many of course. So, it all seems pretty straightforward, video yourself and your friends having a good time at one of Applebee’s many locations and submit via a nicely prominent section on the main website. That’s it! I assumed there was some competition aspect where I might win a year’s supply of Applebee’s coupons, or a party for me and my friends or something. Nope, just to be part of a growing community of similar subscribers and the chance to appear on their homepage and maybe, just maybe TV. Yes, simply that: to be on TV. OK, this appeals to a certain audience but this audience is a large chunk of America and the rest of the world. I kind of like that it represents a simple pleasure/payoff and not one based around winning more stuff. So, while the masses jockey to be on TV, the medium in it’s most basic form is not for the knackers yard yet and it’s refreshing to see a brand change the game a little whilst taking advantage of producing extremely low cost ads!

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Having come from a product design background and being a complete petrol head (cars/bikes not sea birds), I’m always fascinated by latest trends in the automotive world. As a European, I’m particularly into how high design, innovation and quality engineering applied to smaller cars. So, I was a little miffed by this article in the New York Times this weekend expressing the concept that, ys, we need to adjust the way we think about cars in the US, how we need to think of it as much more of a utility and than an expression of self worth, social status etc. Now, whilst I agree Ms Navarro in that our thinking does need shift I also disagree that small cars represent a compromise. The problem that American car companies face is that they have invested all their development into big cars, particularly SUVs and large sports sedans. Don’t get me wrong, there are some amazing vehicles in this class but one thing the European and Japanese car companies did was to learn from the first big oil crisis in the seventies and to commit development to highly attractive, efficient cars able to outperform many of their bigger cousins. New Ford CEO Alan Mulally, quite correctly, suggested that America’s second largest car manufacturer must to learn some essential lessons from it’s European (franchised) relations - in Europe where Ford is a highly innovative car company who regularly sits at the front of the grid when it comes to small cars.

As with many things, you can suggest that the general public must lead the way in forging a new path but it’s up to the industry leaders, the innovators the designers and those holding the purse strings to path a new road, and we don’t have to look very far and in the short term, we don’t even have to worry too much about alternative fuels (the average MPG of American cars is the same as the original Model T Ford!!). There are many, many examples of cars from the rest of the world that are highly desirable and fuel efficient to boot! The Mercedes A class, still has not made it to US shores. Companies such as Fiat, Peugeot and Renault who constantly produces some of the world best hot hatches, still don’t wade through the Atlantic to present their wares here, whilst VW have two smaller cars, Polo and Fox (yes, smaller than the Rabbit) that represent fine design in a small package, are not brought over.

And, there’s more that can be done. Once marketing has driven better product development, more investment and better thinking needs to be applied to branding and advertising these vehicles. Lotus unfortunaltely has not done a good job with the amazing Elise. A car that weighs next to nothing, has only a 1.9litre engine and could outperform many supercars vastly more explensive and gas guzzling. The best marketing example to date, is probably BMW’s Mini Cooper, but let’s take a look at the new Fiat 500,

another European design icon recently brought back to life along with countless other products that will garner a cult like following.

So, we’ll try and love our small cars but give us more and give us something better!

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Last Exit has just (soft) launched a new campaign for our clients MOLI. The campaign is based around a series of 5 short films about a character called Marcus - an insufferable control freak - who runs a young ad agency. Though he’s rather hateful, the aim was for us, the creative class, to see something of ourselves in this insidious person. The question is, whether we rejoice in this or bow our heads in shame. Well, the site goes some way into celebrating control freaks. Yes, it’s something we have to learn to let go of and ultimately chill out as our companies grow but in the early days it may be seen as essential.

So, the site is hosted by the good doctor, Dr. Zizberg - the foremost authority on control freakism. He has developed an elaborate brain scan test which reverse engineers your computer monitor to scan your cranium when pressed against the screen. Amazing!!

The site was a lot of fun to work on and a lot fun to use. And, MOLI are giving away 25 iPod touches as part of a sweepstakes competition. So go in, create a profile, take the test and GOOD LUCK!!!

http://www.controlfreaktv.com/

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OK OK, I really am slow to post but I just got a bunch of work done and we just won a really big pitch and I’m only now catching up with a bunch of reading and enjoying some truly entertaining advertising.

Cadbury’s new internal production company has certainly produced a wonderful piece of work and I might find it particularly entertaining as I am, myself, a drummer and though I hated Phil Collins once he got of the drum stool after Peter Garbiel left Genesis in ‘74, I did like many other drummers play along to this track. The burst of double fisted beats introducing the percussion element of the song is explosive and I never before related it to the chest beating of a 600lb gorilla. I have a beautiful kit set up in the office and when everyone has left at the end of the day, I think I might relive it myself.

Regarding the message, I guess it’s quite simple; ecstasy? Though if cadbury are committed to quality, they’re going to have to stop licensing the product to Hershey in the US. YUCK!!!

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OK, so I’m a little behind the times on this one but the campaign for the Dark Night Batman movie is really bloody good. Seeded by dropping “I Believe in Harvey Dent” cards into comic book and around comic book stores, the campaign focuses around the Harvey Dent campaign for DA site, where users gather clues that slowly reveal the emerging second face of the guy and help set up the next movie.Cudos to 42 entertainment. I believe do you?I BELIEVE IN HARVEY DENT

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We love Christine, and apparently so does the Today Program.

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Sipping Pinot Gris at the MediaWeek ‘Re-Launch’ party on Wednesday night, I was flush with the feeling that the good times seemed to be rollin’ in again. Launch parties, new magazines, sushi, champagne; happy times.

I was, however, hoping that this second surge into the digital world would be far more measured but the latest $numbers being thrown around Slide, I have to wonder whether the crazies are all back!!

On the bright side though, I met a smart, witty chap called Jeremy Greenfield, Editor of Post Advertising and enjoyed an hour of industry backlash with him. I promptly starting reading his digital ‘zine. Totally unabashed, unadulterated, insightful and humorous: www.postadvertising.com (Do you think that will earn us a story one day?)

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