Hello, Muckety-Mucks!

Be on the lookout for Miller’s “1 Second Ads” this Super Bowl.

As they say, “Paying $3 million for a 30-second commercial makes as much sense as putting sauerkraut on a donut. Actually, even that makes more sense.”

1secondad.com

Adage – Miller Mocks A-B

(via Natalie)

House Industries

House Industries
We don’t claim to be the best type designers, illustrators, letterers or graphic artists, but we do a damn good job of combining those disciplines and incorporating the tastiest bits of culture into everything we do.

These guys are awesome. Yep.

Trader Joe’s

I really wanted to be an ad copywriter. So, I became one. I created this blog, in that vein. I tried advertising. I didn’t like it. I got shingles.

Deep down, I really want to be an illustrator. Professionally. I’m working on that master plan, and having a great time of it.

Meet Trader Joe’s: My new love, and place of work. I’m a sign artist there, and wear Hawaiian shirts everyday. I can’t believe it’s real. A food store, with corporate culture sometimes described as, “dorky?” Hallelujah.

I am really fortunate to be part of the company. They give benefits to part-timers, among other awesome corporate methods. And the store is just a few minutes away from my house.

I didn’t shop there before I was hired, because I assumed the prices were high. (I was new to the whole idea, having grown up in rural northern Michigan.) I didn’t know there could be awesome, super-affordable food. Now I’m a walking advertisement. Every product has a story, and there are NO sales. No sales! No advertising! There’s something very good and honest about that:

Seths Blog: Lessons Learned from Trader Joe’s
The key mantra is that Trader’s finds foods for its customers, NOT customers for its foods.

ADWEEK: New Medium Invasion

If you haven’t met Justin Sailor yet, just wait. He gets around. We met through the Snowboard Club at Michigan State University. He was a big influence in my college career, supporting my photography, writing, and obsession with The Smashing Pumpkins. Then we graduated, and he created The Hometown Invasion Tour …

Art & Commerce: Sponsorship Drive: by Justin Sailor

There is indeed a group of young, innovative and talented people who are jumping into a niche which advertisers are only beginning to embrace …

… I found myself walking into the headquarters of BBDO Detroit, seeking sponsorship from one of the largest automobile companies in the world. I pitched my big idea: visit all 50 states in one calendar year while staying with people I had never met.

Jeep accepted my project, and gave me a 2007 Jeep Compass for the road. Rather than a 15-second commercial, they were able to send someone out for an entire year with a vehicle wrapped in graphics that received constant stares on highways across the country.

A great opportunity for Jeep, how could they refuse? He had to give the Jeep back, but I think a lot more of them now that they’re taking advantage of new and innovative ways to advertise. I agree with Justin – This is the way of the future, and anything less is going to die a slow, boring death because no one will care.

Can’t wait to see what he’s up to next.

Wes Anderson Directs Commercials

I love me some Wes Anderson.

Here is a spot he directed, for AT&T.

Here is a more biographical spot he directed, for American Express.

Before those, he directed a Dasani water commercial with the agency, Anomaly. He’s also directed commercials for Sony and IKEA.

Inspired by American Copywriter.

Daniel Brian & Associates

There is an advertising agency in Rochester, Mi. It’s called Daniel Brian & Associates. Everyday, their people create campaigns and communication materials for clients. What sets them apart?

Their Mission:

1. God is the source of all creativity and the only authority above a client.
2. Love is the only rule. All others were made to be broken.
3. Character is the beginning of all success. For this reason, we will never intentionally lie to a client or for a client.

What? Really?

They are way ahead of most agencies, with such a strong mission (or a mission at all).

If they were a football team, I would be their painted, foam-fingered #1 fan.

VCU Students Put the Art in Advertising

Looks like the VCU AdCenter trains kids to be fantastically artistic, award-winning advertisers. Which sounds like a lot of hard, fun work.

Some say advertising should be straight-legged, with less art.

Some say art as advertising can be the best method.

Which side are you on?

The Gondry Influence

Michel Gondry is my hero. He directs commercials, on top of the music videos and movies that brought him to fame. Check out his work on the ihaveanidea blog.

Rethink

The guys at Rethink Advertising know what they’re doing.

Mad Men, Madder Women

Well, so far.

I’ve only watched the first two episodes of Mad Men, (purchased through iTunes), suppressing the urge to take long drags from a cigarette. I don’t smoke, but everyone in the show does. It’s elegant. It’s… what everyone did in the ’60s, especially in Advertising Agencies.

It’s a show about the glory days of advertising. I wasn’t there, but apparently, it used to be glamorous and frivolous and desirous and all the other “ouses.” People drinking with their feet up on their desks all day, brilliantly playing a game with no rules. Cool.

But the show is more than that. It hits you with alarming bits of human behavior, combining life in the ’50s and the Ad world. Mostly sexism. Lots of sexism. Sexism sexism.

It doesn’t bother me. It’s not real anymore. And that’s the difference between me and some women that I work with, at an advertising agency. I doubt that they care that the show is about advertising, but I know that they could only sit through the first 10 minutes before turning the channel in feminine disgust.

Enough about that. I like the show. I’m going to keep watching. Maybe I’m seeing into the minds of some older heads in advertising, and know what they’re dreaming of. The good old days. So, the next time a creative director puts his feet up on the desk to read a script I’ve just handed him, I’ll imagine the sound of clinking ice cubes and the dry crackle of a hot cigarette.