Save the Walls 3M Command Strips

3M just came out with a new microsite called Save the Walls for its Command Strips. I'm a bit surprised that 3M went as far as this, but I think it's a fun use of video and improv. The sketches towards the end are my favorite. Go check it out! Also, a co-worker of mine also used to do stand up with the Abercrombie lookin' dude in Minneapolis!

Yaybia Mashup #2: iPhone, ICANN, Gossip Girl

A few weeks ago I posted the first Google Reader Yaybia mashup, and now I've got installment numero dos. These are some of the highlights that my fellow Yaybia-ers and our friends have been geekin' out about in Reader this week. Ready, break!

1. Congrats to Lauren on her first Yaybia post. She is gradually overcoming her digi-cap. Today she mastered blogging and the importance of including http:// in links.

2. We (well, Libby and I) accidentally/were forced to update our iPhones to the 2.0 firmware and we hate it. Bah, give us back our jailbroken phones. 2.0 doesn't have any customize options and crashes more than before. I was diggin' the Pandora app until it froze my phone and then put a screen shot image into my photos, wtf!? SKIP IT. Instead, we'll take 2.0 hacks and Macbook Touch?!?!

3. ICANNhazcheesburger is going to make the Internet explode. i iz in ur interwebs messin with ur dns!

4. Gossip Girl is back with sexy and shocking new ads promoting the new season. You know you love 'em.

5. Last but not least, Advergirl never ceases to bring us exactly what we want to read. She's so smart all the time I don't even understand how that's possible. Like us, she likes to SKIP IT and she's always giving us tips on how not to suck at life.

P.S. this is gross and yes please.

Trendy

I of course noticed the oddly specific trends in movies:

1) A Bug's Life v. Antz
2) Shark Tale v. Finding Nemo
3) Shrek v. Happily Never After v. Hoodwinked
4) Flushed Away v. Ratatouille
5) Superheroes

and so on... I could keep going. What has always amused me is sometimes how specific two ideas from two completely different sources can be, when arriving on the scene at approximately the same times. Here are two of my faves in advertising right now:

An homage to The Shining:





An homage to cactus men:





How would you feel if you thought you were clever enough to come up with cactus made human and then your originality is foiled by an interspecies pregnancy? Or maybe they just ripped eachother off...

Time for some campaignin'!

Found this on the BBC today and it immediately became an office favorite. You gotta appreciate a video that pokes fun of all sides.


oh, and i salute the promotion for jibjab.com. Fabulous.

ʞǝǝʍ ǝɥʇ ɟo ɹǝʇsɐʍ ǝɯıʇ ǝʇıɹoʌɐɟ

not sure if this was the tool used to get back at google last week, but it's sure fun to play with. yaybia!

¡ɐıqʎɐʎ ˙ɥʇıʍ ʎɐld oʇ unɟ ǝɹns s,ʇı ʇnq 'ʞǝǝʍ ʇsɐl ǝlƃooƃ ʇɐ ʞɔɐq ʇǝƃ oʇ pǝsn looʇ ǝɥʇ sɐʍ sıɥʇ ɟı ǝɹns ʇou

The Coke Side of Olympics

Somehow, someway Coca-Cola continues to delight us with their "Coke Side of Life" campaign. We all can recall the wonderment we felt when watching the Happiness Factory spot for the first time. I know I felt like I found the freaking Narnia wardrobe! And while their new "Bird's Nest" spot for the Olympics isn't quite as magical, it's endearing nonetheless:



It's amazing to me how much I love the Coke brand, considering I hate the taste of colas. Spots like these make me wish I had not tried my first sip of the stuff out of a near-boiling can from my dad's car in the summer, forever ruining the possibility of affection for such a drink. Bleh.

But, even if the vile beverage is not on my grocery list, I still love the warm and fuzzy feeling the brand gives me.

Brands react to rocket high gas prices

With gas prices being astronomically out-of-control I am so thankful I haven't driven a car since May. But for my Minnesotan friends without the luxury of superior public transportation I know that cutting corners is a definite reality.

And of course, brands are noticing the mounting consumer anxiety and taking action. Some just come off as another gimmick that brands are taking advantage of and others have succeeded at taking a more personal route.

I'm just loving what Zipcar is planning on doing on July 21. They have a lot of things going for them as of the moment: everyone's becoming a green freak or a wannabe, people are sick of paying for gas instead of groceries and sustainability is oh-s0-hot (I blame Gore).

So Zipcar announced it's "low car diet." On July 21st they are challenging Americans to go car-free for a full 30 days. You hand over your keys (literally) and they give you a complimentary transit pass, a free one year Zipcar membership, drive time credit and a handful of other perks from local partners. For example, in the good old NYC Zoo York is donating skateboards to participants.

On August 15th they will hold a completion event where people can share and compare their car-free experience.

This is a great idea: fits the brand image, it's news worthy, makes the brand seem like a caring and concerned friend of the consumer. A definite downside is the small scale of the event. I read on one blog that they are only accepting 30 to 50 online applicants. The applicants are selected based on their commitment to drive less.

So great idea Zipcar. It will be interesting to see how this all turns out.

Impressive Promo

Between working at a strictly digital agency, and working hard to keep myself updated in the industry (which mostly consists of online/mobile related developments), I almost forget that "traditional" advertising and promotions still exist and are still extremely relevant. Then, at good ol' B. Loco last night I was brought back to reality. Let me share with you the conversation I had the privilege of sitting in on (I had little to add; I don't really think I could relate with my Daisy razors that my mom bought for me. Always was the one with the free sample that "made me feel like a women"):

Guy 1: "You know what I thought was genius? When I turned 18, Gillette sent me a free razor kit and shaving cream!"
Guys 2, 3, 4: "Me too!"
Guy 1: "I haven't used any other brand since."
Guy 2: "Yeah, I use them all the time too."
Guys 3,4: "Me, too."
Guy 2: "Huh. What other brands for razors are there?"
Long Pause
Guy 3: "Bic. The crappy orange ones that cut you up after one use."
Guy 4: "Don't they make pens?"
Guy 1: "I think they make both. But I don't like either."
Guy 2: "You know why Gillette was genius? They were the first company to make you feel like a man. Before that, I always just used my dad's stuff."
Guy 1: "Yeah... another round of beers?"

So, 4+ years later at least one group of guys remember you, Gillette. Enough to talk about you now. I hope you are still doing that promo, because not only did it work, it's still talk-worthy today. I know my brother talked about it when he got one.

Red Bull Illume Minneapolis

Red Bull Illume has made its way to Minneapolis and the exhibit is set up on the Stone Arch Bridge from July 10th - 20th. The Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2006 is the first-ever international photography competition that celebrates the world of action and adventure sports -- A perfect match for the brand image. I grabbed these pics quick on my run tonight as the production crew was setting up. Red Bull was at the Weisman with the Art of the Can exhibit last year and is back with their latest branded art exhibit.

Art and museums are all the rage with the current Real Men and Women of Madison Avenue exhibit drawing attention to AMC's Mad Men series and Scion's Installation 4 exhibits that toured last year. Exhibits like these provide a unique way for people to be engaged with the brand. We love it, more photos/posts to come as we see the actual exhibit next week! For now, check out the set ups.


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Totally Scrabble Tuesday Live Blog!

This is the first Yaybia live blog and I hope you are all as excited as we are! I'm here with my fellow Yaybia-ers, Libby, Alicia, Lauren***, and Danielle** are here watching Totally Scrabble Tuesday at my house and eating some delicious Hamburger Helper (yeah, just a TST thing) and WE JUST GOT ON TV! We earned a whopping 28 points for the word "quoth" like in Shakespeare. Pretty sure that's the first time Libby's English major has been put to good use.


**Danielle is new -- feel dumb for not adding her sooner.
***Lauren has "one uber giant digi-cap"

UPDATE! We just got on again! Spelled "void" 16 points with a triple letter score on the V. Woo! And we are going to buy Hamil a birthday beer at Mortimer's after Scrabble tonight.


OH.MY.GOD we just got on again! Three times in one night! (that's what she said?) 11 points for "binds". Yeah, not our best, but we'll take it!

Alright, sorry for the explotions of excitement in this post but if you were watching, you'd understand. Play with us next week Tuesday at 11:00pm on MTN 17!

UPDATE 2!! Yes, we actually went to Mortimer's to buy Hamil a birthday beer. He also kicked my ass in foosball and brought his crew, Ray and Carolyn, who are also involved at MTN. Yaybia!

Why I Love my Yaybies

It’s quite amazing, actually, how much of a fraud I am. To those who come into my acquaintance only briefly, I seem to be a highly knowledgeable person in advertising; one who knows of hip trends, clever new media executions, and insider Internet/technology news. But NEWSFLASH: most of this façade comes not from my own searching and learning, but from the people that I care about most who stand beside me and supply me with everything I might need to know.

Do I keep Libby, Erin, and the other yaybies in my pocket at all times? I wish.

No, I am just fortunate enough to share Google Reader items with them. It makes me think of the old adage: “It’s not about what you know, but WHOM you know.” I like to think that whom you know leads to what you know. My friends are the most intelligent people that I know, and therefore I become more intelligent by sharing information with them and vice versa.

Lindsay has great fashion sense, unlike me, and her sharing of high-fashion photography and the like offers me loads of inspiration as an art director. Libby is a media wizard, which is a field of advertising that I am quite obtuse in. Through her, I am able to understand more and more about the subject. Erin updates me on SEO and other dealings with the Interwebs that I would never research by myself. These women, and many more, mold me into a more well rounded advertising professional each day, and for that I am forever grateful.

Long story short, this is just a love letter to all of my smart friends, and a warning to all of you who have yet to start sharing. Start sharing, keep sharing, and continuously surround yourself with people whom you admire, because they can shape your mind into one that is unimaginably better.

Yaybia's Favorite Blogs Round One: Libby

Many recent posts have been tagged teamed by Erin and Libby. This is no exception. Check it!

If you’ve ever paid attention to the Shared Items links over there on the right, you know that we’re addicted to our Google Readers. Personally, I subscribe to over 120 RSS feeds, but I know that can be overwhelming for those who might be just starting to overcome their digi-cap and venture into the world of RSS aggregators. I thought I'd give you a rundown of some of my most-shared blogs so you too can obsessively follow news of the ad world, technology, the interwebs, and LOLCats.

1) Advergirl. If I could only read one ad blog, this would be it. Advergirl offers less commentary on ads than someone like Copyranter (who is hilarious, btw) but she gives her readers a window into the world of agency life. She offers clear, thoughtful insight into social media and online marketing. Most notably, I referred to her series for young professionals dozens of times as I was sending out resumes and interviewing for my first agency job. Thanks Advergirl!

2) the daily (ad) biz. need we (say) more?

3) View from the Bottom. The Girl Riot describes herself as one of “the adstar wannabes climbing the corporate ladder…as yet uncorrupted, somewhat uncouth, and utterly unrestrained.” She chronicles her first year as a copywriter and her thoughts on social media. Bonus points for using the phrase Digital Natives!

4) Newly Corporate. It’s good to know we’re not alone when facing awkward first career experiences and life after college . Email? Jabber? Are meetings ever on time?! Ahh!

5) Wired Gadget Lab. We. Love. Technology.

6) KillerStartups.com - It’s always fun guessing which sites will take off and which ones will Fail Whale it.

For pure entertainment, check out Cute Overload, LOLcats, Overheard in Minneapolis (or your city of choice), and Best Week Ever. I get more tech news from Digg/Technology and national news from CNN or the Huff Post. For local happenings, I check MNSpeak and the Strib. MediaPost and AdAge MediaWorks keep me up to date on the industry, and of course, no advertiser should go a day without AdAge Latest News and New York Times Media & Advertising.

Google Reader takes seconds to set up and is worth trying solely for its “suggested feeds” feature. And don’t forget to add all the Yaybia writers as Google friends so we can all keep sharing.

AAIBYY (13 points)

Cable subscribers in the city of Minneapolis might not be aware of the hidden gem that awaits them on Tuesdays at 11:00pm on MTN 17. Sandwiched between Black Economics and Red Cross Heroes Breakfast is Totally Scrabble Tuesdays, a show that pits the city of Minneapolis against its host, Hamil, in a Triple-Word-Score fight to the death. Viewers battle against each other to be the first on the line (yes, one phone line) to challenge Hamil but can converse and plot their next moves at defeathamil.net (obviously not standing much of a chance with a .net domain). Hamil is relentless with his knack for double- and triple-word scores on words like "quiz" (22 points) and "kex" (14 points). Totally Scrabble Tuesdays, in all its poorly lit, fuzzy quality glory, combines two of our favorite branding techniques: local and true interaction.


As we've mentioned, TST is impossibly low-budget. But I bet Hamil could make a few bucks--and advertisers could gain a few very attentive viewers--if he opened the show up to ultra-local sponsorships. Not cheesy ones, like getting a free coffee if you spell "Caribou" for 14 points, but more along the lines of Doritos' Stephen Colbert partnership. But even if the Minnesota Twins don't have Joe Mauer make a special guest appearance or Stub & Herb's doesn't provide Hamil with free beers-of-the-month, we'll keep tuning in.

Technically, according to the MTN handbook , public access isn't supposed to be ad-supported. But their definition of "advertising" is pretty loose, and mostly just doesn't want to include brands that do not "further the noncommercial message of the program." Let's face it; there's a brand name pretty prominently displayed right in the title of the show...and regular viewers would agree that topics on TST range from Michael Jackson to LOLcats on a regular basis. It wouldn't be impossible to imagine a brand or two sneaking in.

So kick back, grab a piping hot bowl of Hamburger Helper and an ice cold Keystone Light and check it out.

I like the pretties.

A) This brings me back to the musical geekdom of my youth.
B) It's visually stunning.
C) Touch screens are always exciting.
D) Kind of reminds me of Fantasia... and I liked Fantasia. (I know... I'm one of THOSE kids!)



I think I just jizmed.