This Tagline Tuesday is for a snack that is as delicious as it is nutritious. For all the bad things we do to our bodies, they deserve something in return.
Meredith Vieira Gif
This is my first experience making a .gif. The format is fun and short enough for easy sharing.
Grant's Whiskey: #IOU
This week's Funny Ad Friday comes from the good people at FCB. The 1:30 minute video teaches us about true friendship and the stupid things we do for the people we care about. It even introduces the #IOU hashtag for social media interaction. I wonder if the whiskey is as good...
Warming Up IBM
Many great companies on the cutting edge of technology do a great job of showing how streamlined and cool their innovations are but tend to lose the personal touch. IBM is no exception. I decided to use the unique aspects of IBM's iconic logo in a new way to warm up the brand a bit, while highlighting their new focus on services over hard products.
Dissolve: Generic Brand Video
I know you don't want to wrack your brain with abstract concepts today. That's because today is Friday. You probably just want something to make the time go faster between you and the sweet, sweet weekend. Thankfully, funny videos are actually relevant to my profession and not just something you click out of, when the boss walks by your desk. So, here you have it. Funny ad Friday. This funny ad comes from the people at Dissolve--a stock video footage company that isn't afraid to poke fun at some of the visual stereotypes their work is used for. Happy weekending!
Tagline Tuesday: Sector 9
On this week's exciting episode of Tagline Tuesday I decided to tackle the foremost company in longboard and downhill skateboarding. The beauty of Sector 9 skateboards is that they continue to expand, but only in the realm of skateboarding. I wanted to reflect their specific brand in a way that could also be integrated into social media. They're not the company trying to break into the fashion world. They're the company who does one thing: make skateboards. And they do it better than anyone else.
Why the Surf Industry is Relevant to your Neighbor
A lot of eye rolling goes on, when I tell people that most of my professional experience was in Hawai’i. I might get different looks, if people realized the little surf shop where I cut my teeth in advertising is actually a multimillion dollar operation with a global presence.
The surf industry continues to grow both at the beach and in land locked areas. The sport of surfing has the rare quality of global appeal, as well as becoming a cultural phenomenon. For 50 years and running, surfing has captivated American popular culture. Visa released a commercial last week for their checkout service starring pro surfer Kolohe Andino and a monstrous Tahitian wave.
Why would Visa pump so much money into a surfing commercial (I assume Morgan Freeman voiceovers don’t come cheap), when the credit card company could have easily used another sport? They’re an official sponsor of the NFL. Slapping a football logo on the ad would have been a lot easier than paying for a tank of helicopter fuel. The point is that Visa is an international card. Surfing is an international sport. It’s recognized as internationally cool.
The north shore of Oahu hosts the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing every year. People flock to the three contests from as far away as South Africa. The 2013 Billabong Pipe Masters contest was streamed online by over 3.9 million people from 70 different countries. For comparison, that’s over 5 times as many viewers as all of New York Fashion week. There’s a sort of fascination about surfing that comes from a mixture of adrenaline and viewer accessibility.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the leading surf brands in the world. The interesting secret is that surf companies often profit more from shirt sales than any other product. People aren’t solely buying the product these companies specialize in. They’re buying the idea behind the brand. That's probably why I've seen plenty of Quicksilver shorts in the West Village and Sanuk shoes in Central Park.
The surf industry provides excellent examples of branding at its finest. Quicksilver is the smooth talker, while Hurley is the jock, and Volcom plays the bad boy role. Whatever niche customers want within the larger industry, they can find it somewhere. A Hurley sales rep I once worked with explained it best: “We don’t just sell trunks to surfers. We sell shirts and board shorts and shoes to kids in Montana. It’s a movement that people want to be a part of—no matter where they’re at.”
Don't Fall in Line Part 3
I saved the most ... err um ... controversial installment of my "Don't Fall in Line" campaign for last. Enjoy.
Don't Fall in Line Part 2
The New Era hats continue to travel through time and space.
Don't Fall in Line Part 1
I created an eye catching series of outdoor ads for New Era Apparel--a brand known for their creative athletic cap designs. It's a touch on the shocking side, so I hope it caught your attention.
Tagline Tuesday: HireVue
This week's tagline Tuesday is for the company that pioneered the online interview. Making an online experience personal can be tricky--especially when the usual interview jitters are involved.
The Fact and Fiction of New York
After 49 states, 5 countries, and 3 continents, I realized that I have done a little traveling, but home base has always been relatively the same. I’ve lived a quarter of a century in the western United States, and it has definitely shaped me. When I moved to New York two months ago, I knew things would be different. Here are ten myths from the West Coast about New York that may or may not be true.
Fact 1: The best pizza on Earth
While I can’t say that I have actually tried pizza from every single shop in the world, I can say that New York is consistently the most delicious I have had. There is plenty of variety with another pizza place on practically every other corner (sometimes more). Many places offer a plain cheese slice for only a dollar. I don’t know what wizardry goes on in New York ovens, but I’m addicted. Don’t feel bad Chicago—you still have the best hot dogs.
Fact 2: There’s a crowd
This is probably not much of a surprise. In terms of square feet, the island of Manhattan is smaller than the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. The millions of people who call it home have managed to build a life stacking apartments on top of one another in countless high rises. That means a lot of people in very little space. You can do the math.
Fact 3: No one is waiting
Everyone has somewhere to be. That means whether you are on the subway, the street, or even a restaurant, no one has time to stand behind you if you’re daydreaming or lost. Jaywalking isn’t a thing here. Traffic signals are merely suggestions. Weaving in and out of foot traffic in a way that would seriously irk any westerner is completely acceptable in the city. When the morning rush hour hits, it’s best if you find a safe place to wait it out. I’ve seen stampeding buffalo less dangerous.
Fact 4: Fashion rules
When the kid who sells magazines on the street corner is suddenly better dressed than you are, you realize that the closet needs some updating. West Coast casual means, “I’m comfortable. I don’t care what I look like.” Most everyone seems dressed to impress. Even on those jeans and T-shirt days, most tags say fitted or designer.
Fact 5: Public transportation works
People really do take taxi cabs. It’s not just tourists and people coming home from the airport. Western public transit is a remarkable pain in the neck. Having a car on the West coast is a status statement, because no one wants to take the bus. Some of the wealthiest people I’ve met in New York don’t even know how to drive—something a teenager in the western states can’t even fathom.
Fiction 1: New Yorkers walk fast
Regardless of the fact that everyone is on the go (see Fact 3), everyone is moving slow. On the West Coast, things are much more spread out. That means plenty of ground to cover and plenty of room to take big steps. New York seems to work on the premise that people move about by shuffling around town. I can only assume that the time difference is made up by disregarding traffic laws and what western states know as personal space.
Fiction 2: There are no trees
A purely imagined bias of the western half of the country. I always imagined New York to be a leafless victim of urban sprawl. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the concrete jungle is surprisingly green. I have to give my respect to city planners, who managed to integrate some nature into the big city environment.
Fiction 3: NYC is dangerous
Upon my first visit to New York, relatives were concerned that I would be robbed and assaulted within my first few minutes. I emerged from the L subway train to the neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. I was greeted not by mafia heavies in trench coats but by hipster aloha shirts and funny mustaches. I have never felt unsafe in any part of the city. Warning: any traveler in an unfamiliar place knows that the key is to not look like a tourist. That means keep an eye on your belongings and don’t act obnoxious.
Fiction 4: A 24 hour town
It’s true that some establishments stay open all hours of the night. When I think of a city that never sleeps, however, I imagine places that are just as lively at 3 AM as they are at 3 PM. Not quite the case. Most of the city looks like a ghost town during those late night hours. After all, most people have to be in the office at 9 AM tomorrow.
Fiction 5: Everyone is rude
Apart from the complete disregard for personal space, most of my interactions with the native wildlife has been very pleasant. If you are expecting a big Midwestern howdy from everyone on the street, of course you will be disappointed. There are too many people and too few hours to observe the usual courtesies of other places. Like most human beings, however, if you smile and are friendly, you will usually get the same in return.
I’m slowly learning things like the word hoagie means a sandwich and a toll booth is actually a thing. As the feeling that I stepped onto an alien planet begins to dissipate, and I feel more and more at home, I understand why people the world over have proclaimed it: I love New York.