O.k., guys – an we really mean ‘guys’ – since we had such a great, uncomplicated weekend, we’ll start with some advertising that is really easy to digest. And we’re not going to be smart about it. We’re not going to talk about double layers. Or make critical remarks about the key message or the brand positioning. No subtle notes about the execution. Nope. We’ll just give you some advertising that feels completely like advertising. Maybe not really our style, but this did kind of make our day. Created by SSSS & Orchestra.
You might have thought we were going to say “Che Guevara.” And you probably even finished our sentence before we did. Well, not if you have seen this billboard for the NFS: “Give those who stutter a second”. Ro Ro Roger that! Created by Y&R Not just film (apart from ‘film’ they also do cut up billboards) and JC Decaux.
Not so long ago you at least needed talent to become famous. Even if you looked as unattractive as Paul Pott or Susan Boyle, your voice had to get people’s attention. Today you don’t even need the voice anymore. In fact, even if you can’t playback properly, you’ll get your 15 minutes of fame. Take Keenan Cahill. He has become world famous by playbacking 50 Cent, Katy Perry and David Guetta. And now Samsung – or more correctly agency Muse – hires him to sell the new Smart TV. Since this new TV gives access to the internet, we understand that Samsung wanted to use a YouTube celeb – though we would have tried to find something more attractive. The idea is to have consumers participate in a ‘stare battle’ with Cahill – through your webcam – on a special YouTube channel, during which he distractingly explains the special Smart TV features. For the occasion he also recorded a video in which he ‘sings’ De La Soul’s “Me Myself and I” without blinking once. That is, he blinks at 0:13, but, as said, it doesn’t require much skill to become famous nowadays.
We’re big fans of WeTransfer; a service that allows you to transfer big files for free. We like the clean site and are impressed by its business model; it simply sells wallpapers as advertising. And though the ads cover your entire screen, they’re not intrusive at all, cause WeTransfer only allows stylishly branded images – rotating every 45 seconds. With this game, built by Samsung and promoting the 3D LED Monitor, WeTransfer has taken things one step further. When you click on the pair of glasses (see picture), you become part of a first-person shooter and have to perform some simple tasks like reloading your rifle and spotting a terrorist with your binoculars. The game is not that special, but we like the fact that WeTransfer made it subtly ‘on demand’, instead of in your face.
Yesterday was a good day. Not just because it was our first day in Cannes and we enjoyed soaking up all its extremes – Le Palais, the sun, the beach, ‘le canard au miel’, and lots of drinks – check out our photo’s here. It was also a good day for Amsterdam, because it won 5 Lions! Two silver lions went to outdoor; Interbest ‘mail stripper’ and the Go Fast water-bike, both to Y&R Not Just Film. At the time, we weren’t too positive about the unattractive stripper, because we doubted its effectiveness. You could say the silver lion has proved us wrong. Two bronze lions went to the radio commercial ‘sexual harassment’ (Publicis) and an Allsecur outdoor ad (Ogilvy). In Media Muse and Starcom won Silver for their 3D Samsung projection. Earlier, on Monday Amsterdam won two meager bronze lions; the Dutch dress for Bavaria in promo – which definitely deserves more in our opinion – and bronze for Boondoggle’s KLM Suprise in PR – in Holland this won a golden Spin (read: cyber) award. Hopefully we’ll be able to celebrate some gold later this week.
