In the June 5th Wall Street Journal, a question is posed:
Does the Internet make you smarter or dumber?
The argument for the former is here, and the argument for the latter is here. Each article makes sense and contains some valid points. What do you think?
The simple answer to the WSJ’s question is: yes.
Hey friends, we’ve been sitting on some pretty exciting news for the past few weeks: Red Square Agency has just won creative duties on Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.
There’s not a lot more we can say at this point, but awesomeness is afoot. We’re all high-fiving around here, given the opportunity to work with very nice people on an iconic brand.
The kids at the Square just picked up more hardware for the Van Kampen campaign. This installment of metal comes courtesy of the 2010 Telly Awards. We won in categories like financial services, humor, B-to-C campaign and sound design. And we’re betting if there had been categories like “best use of the phrase ‘horse hockey’” or “best use of tear gas,” we’d have pulled those down too.
A couple of recent reads that I recommend: Rework and What the Dog Saw.
In the latter, Malcolm Gladwell sums up one of the tricks to great advertising (my opinion—he’s not speaking in that exact context): the trick to finding ideas is to convince yourself that everyone and everything has a story to tell.
The inaugural Hangout Beach, Music & Arts Festival was this past weekend, and what a success. Crowds from all over gathered on the very beautiful, very oil-free beaches of Alabama to experience an amazing event that was the culmination of the hard work of scores of people. Grace Potter said it best: “my God—it’s Coachella on the beach!”
Our creative/design and PR crews, led by Sarah Jones and Niki Lim, executed flawlessly. The designs, from the stages to the signage to the tickets, were killer.
As for the PR side of things, the Red Square kids worked like maniacs alongside our pals Music Allies setting up press conferences (note Alabama Governor Bob Riley giving the international sign of the fest), managing internal communications, coordinating live news shows, and dealing with the good people at Associated Press, CNN and other major media.
Congrats to all involved. We are thankful to have been a part of the festival’s success.
Our Van Kampen TV spots won gold at the District 7 ADDYs. This means we’re finalists for three national ADDYs, which would go a long way in stroking our fragile egos. Come on, no whammies!!
Our latest little ditty is for the newly merged Scotch Gulf Lumber. The lumber behemoth is the product of two storied companies, Scotch Lumber Co. and Gulf Lumber Co., joining forces. Think of the resulting business as the Voltron of its industry.
The trick to this project was designing a mark that takes into account the heritage of the two individual brands. We needed something new that feels like it’s been around for a century—without seeming dated. Lucky for us, our man Andy K. has that shot in his bag.
Here’s the new Scotch Gulf mark, in a handy before/after diagram.
The website is super simple and super beautiful, with photography courtesy of wunderkind Miller Mobley. Hope you enjoy it.
This short article by Luke Sullivan (no relation) articulates why we spend a lot of time on internal communications when creating campaigns. You’ve got to find a voice and idea that the workforce can rally around.
Your brand happens at the store level.
I don’t have an iPad yet. Reason one: Apple develops product in market. So an improved iPad will be out in a few months and will cost less. Reason two: I can’t figure out where it fits into my digital life. I have a MacBook. I have an iPhone. Why do I need an iPad?
That being said, Apple sold about 700,000 units yesterday when the device made its debut. So a few people, who presumably have laptops and smartphones, felt the device serves some purpose.
From the half dozen reviews I’ve read, iPad isn’t any good at making stuff. But it could change the way we consume stuff: books, magazines, newspapers, music, TV, movies, photos, the web and email.
There’s something innately attractive about the tactile nature of the iPhone and now the iPad. That, along with incredible industrial design and user interface. WSJ technology guru, Walt Mossberg, points out:
It could even help, eventually, to propel the finger-driven, multitouch user interface ahead of the mouse-driven interface that has prevailed for decades.
No question, media consumption will continue to evolve. And people who make media content, including advertisers, had better pay attention.
Just a heads up.
UPDATE Monday 4/5: Adweek ponders the iPad this morning. As does AdAge. Both good reads.
Our interactive producer has lots of energy. It’s pretty much a requisite for making awesome stuff. Moving around the office all day long, dealing with multiple development partners and checking in (frequently) with the design crew.
I can’t really stress that last point enough. Luckily, our interactive design team has built this little tool to help: How Many Times Has Janine Come in Our Office Today.
Bookmark it, and try to keep up. It’s exhausting.
