Information Architects explains the cultural nuances native to Japan and how they influence the making of Apple's "I'm a Mac" campaign. The ads are not as obvious as the western originals. In Japan you need to be more subtle. In Japan you’re considered particularly dumb and obnoxious if you’re caught bragging with your qualities, and smart and nice if you play it down. The western Mac ads would backfire in Japan (the …
Hire An Eisner Refugee
Coming on the heels of Eisner Communications' sudden shutdown, former Eisner Senior Interactive Developer Bob Berkebile has started The Voice of Eisner, a site where employers can post their job listings and Ex-Eisner folks can post their resumes. A very nice idea. …
Bingaman’s Blues
Mississippi State professor Kate Bingaman takes a close look at her own consumption, placing herself in the middle of her criticism and her art. According to The New York Times Magazine, she does not see her work so much as a negative reaction to consumer culture as an attempt to cope with it on its own terms. As an active participant in her own cycle of obsessive consumption, it seems to me, Bingaman is the …
LL Bean Drops JWT, Turns Dean Gemmell Into A Prophet
From Adweek: JWT is splitting with L.L. Bean, 14 months after the WPP Group shop landed creative duties on the brand, the agency confirmed. JWT in New York produced one TV spot for the client but little else as the client spent less than expected, said sources. I distinctly recall how our friend Dean Gemmell at Black Lab Five knew the pitch process was a clusterfuck all along when he contacted consultants at Pile & …
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OutEverything But OutStanding
I saw a Mitsubishi Outlander TV spot last night. It was a page torn directly from Nissan's playbook. Sadly, I don't see a version on YouTube yet. But the "Out Everything" camapign is clearly a derivative of Nissan's type-driven "Shift" campaign. The Auto Channel describes it this way: The Out Everything campaign kicks off with a 30-second television commercial taking the viewer from starting the car through its many …
Parents Sue Starbucks Because Hot Chocolate Is Hot
It's outrageous! Egregious! Ridiculous! From The Indianapolis Star: A Hancock County couple have filed a lawsuit against Starbucks, accusing a Fishers store of serving scalding hot chocolate that seriously burned their little girl. Michael and Alexis Brennan filed the suit Tuesday in Marion Superior Court on behalf of their daughter, Rachel. Rachel's age is not included in the lawsuit, but it says she was in a child …
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JWT, BBDO, CP&B And…NBC?
Looks like NBC wants to get into the admaking biz, too. From Businessweek: NBC Universal: ad agency. Or it will be, sort of. Its new digital czar, Beth Comstock, and her staffers are approaching key advertisers with a simple yet far-reaching proposition: Let our digital studios create some advertising for you. In other words, although NBC executives chafe at this characterization, join with us to demolish …
Jason Moves To Greener Pastures
TechCrunch and The New York Times are both reporting on Jason Calacanis' resignation from AOL, the company that paid 25 mil. for his firm, Weblogs, Inc. Jason Calacanis, the outspoken blogger and entrepreneur who ran AOL’s Netscape division, resigned on Thursday in the wake of the firing of AOL’s chief executive, Jonathan Miller. Mr. Calacanis sold his company, Weblogs Inc., a network of blogs, to AOL last year and …
