http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/scale/

http://www.w2products.com/products.php
oldglutton.blogspot.com/…/pantone-badges.html
http://michael-shirley.com/blog/2009/06/pantone-process-rubiks-cube/

http://www.webjam.com/releaseyourdesign/$blog/2009/09/18/happy_pills

http://dieline.typepad.com/blog/2008/02/happy-pils.html

http://www.jeep.com.au/special_offers/springbreaksale.html

Jeep, Dodge and Chysler are going down the novelty route at the moment, with their TV spots for “Spring Break” deals. Aside from the this being based on an American rather than Australian tradition, using that oh-so-fashionable background blur* that makes the product look like something Ken would pick Barbie up in, and repositioning themselves into the seedy world of Girls Gone Wild,** it’s a bad idea because – honestly – where can it go next??

Of course, there are loads of options should this be the strategic path that they’ve committed to tread. Phone box calling cards with a Jeep on the bed and a feather boa around the headlights…Melbourne Leader personal ads offering a “FREE full service (every 1,000 miles) – call now for IMMEDIATE satisfaction”…a late night TV spot advertising ‘fresh American muffler’…you get the idea…

But the powers-that-be are highly unlikely to go down this extreme (and controversial) route, and so the creatives have effectively painted themselves into a corner. They haven’t even had the decency to execute the campaign in a consistent way, with the website showing a short opening animation, and then moving straight into a products page that looks like it was taken straight out of the Tradie:

http://www.springbreaksale.com.au/home.html

Gone are the cheeky comments (header aside – but no new words there), gone are the seductive Miami graphics, gone is the entire “fun and carefree party animal” copy tone that is the very essence of the Spring Break benefit. Instead we’re reduced to mere feature descriptions, an excess of exclamation marks, and an inconsistent fit between how people think about the brand, how this advert is trying to position the brand, and how the company is likely to push the brand in the future.

* particularly favoured by Melbourne transport adverts for some reason
** “There’s no artificial enlargements here, only huge price reductions right across the eye-popping Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge range” – actual quote.

http://musicremedy.com/p/plan-b/videos/sick-2-def-featuring-the-earlies-12316.html

There are quite a few viewpoints on the new Fox campaign for Fernwood gyms, with The Leader being offended and birth.com.au thinking that it’s no big deal.

The reason why I wanted to write about this particular ad was that it doesn’t seem to make much sense strategically:

• Firstly, it relies <entirely> on the assumption that someone would know who Fernwood was, and being someone who didn’t, I assumed that it was a real estate agent based solely on the ‘key’ element as the only clue as to what service they provide.
• Secondly, whether you think the creative is ‘clever’ or not, there’s no real call to action. “Join” without an idea of what’s on offer, how to go about it, or why someone should want to is just too vague, and really – no website address?? ‘Cos if you go to the site you can actually see the point – $99 off for this promotion (http://www.fernwoodfitness.com.au/).
• Thirdly (from a strategic, brand building point of view), there is zero statement as to their service benefits over similar offerings: “Join us.” “Why?” “Because it’ll make you foxy (geddit?).” “So why your gym over every other gym in the country?” “Erm…”
• Finally, like the infamous Fat Yak (http://www.qubegroup.com/advertising/its-not-big-its-not-clever) and Spring Break (http://www.qubegroup.com/advertising/woo-spring-ad-break) ads, it’s not really got anywhere real to go. Certainly the other campaign executions of “Find your inner fox” and “Be a fox without botox” still seem to be based around The Dreaded Pun rather than a long-term strategic message, and ultimately serve to cheapen what I understand to be quite a classy brand.

At the very least, it would seem that this whole approach would have been better considered at a targeted campaign, rather than on a number of huge billboards across the Melbourne area.

Any thoughts on this? Let me know…

Nice…

http://vi.sualize.us/
http://www.davidairey.com
http://whitneyhess.com
http://ffffound.com