Creative Director Finds Lost Ring, Agency Dutifully Issues Press Release

mullen_pirrmann_aquarium_ring.jpg

OK. Everyone in unison now. "Awwwww...how sweet." Isn't that how you'd react to Mullen Associate Creative Director Bob Pirrmann getting his wedding ring back after losing it three month earlier in the four story, 200,000 gallon New England Aquarium tank? No? Right. Neither did we but it's still an interesting story.

Back in July, Pirrmann, a certified diver, was at one of the Aquarium's public dives where the agency wsas celebrating the launch of Sharks & Rays, an exhibit for which the agency created a campaign.

Thinking the ring was lost forever, Pirrmann gave up hope of ever seeing it again until this past Sunday when he received a call from the Aquarium informing him part time Aquarium diver Mike Whyte had found the ring nestled among, yes, finger corals at the bottom of the tank. Today, Pirrmann returned to the Aquarium for a dive with Whyte who showed Pirrmann just where his ring had been hiding for the last three months. A mini media frenzy ensued.

All parties went home happy. The media got its story. The agency got some press. Pirrmann got his ring back. And Pirrmann's wife got her man back having reattached Bob's balls which she'd been holding ransom since the ring was lost.

by Steve Hall    Oct-23-08    
Topic: Agencies



Lisa P. Maxwell Exposes Agency Members to Outside Interference

lisapmaxwell-agency.jpg

Nodding to the transparency craze, last March Modernista created the most transparent website imaginable. Instead of telling people about itself, it used public websites -- over which the agency had little or no control -- to relate the story instead.

For its own redesign, agency Lisa P. Maxwell tackled "transparency" from a different angle. Visit the site for unfettered access to all its creatives. There they are, live on streaming webcams, waiting for a chat buddy who hopefully won't shriek "SHOW BOOB."

Weeeeird. Could the Zeitgeist (that's us!) be the "Big Brother" George Orwell so feared? I smell a dissertation!

by Angela Natividad    Oct-23-08    
Topic: Agencies, Online, Strange



Pair the Agency Ego to His Celebrity Doppelganger!

brash-media-men.jpg

Vote for the most uncanny likeness between men in advertising/media and men in Hollywood. Because if we can't be somebody who matters, it's sorta comforting to look like someone who does.

This effort's among several other irresistible list-candy posts that Glam is using to promote Brash.com, the men's network it launched last week. Other lip-smackin' slices of data pornography include the Brash Hall of Fame (50 legendary men!) and the Brash 100 (men still changing the game).

by Angela Natividad    Oct-23-08    
Topic: Agencies, Celebrity, Online, Promotions



Ogilvy Athens Causes David to Roll Over in Grave

ogilvy_athens.jpg

On par with the embarrassingly horrid Bank of America internal ballad, Ogilvy Athens has unleashed its own horror show in the form of an ode to the agency's founder.

Thankfully, the beginning of the video comes with the warning, "CAUTION: The following video clip is an amateur effort. It was produced and edited by the staff of Bold Ogilvy Athens."

Heaven help Ogilvy Athens when the agency's clients see this and begin running for the door, screaming, "OMFG! Those people are producing and editing our work?"

more »

by Steve Hall    Oct-23-08    
Topic: Agencies, Video, Worst



So, Like, I Heard BBDO Only Hires D-Cups. Hey, Why Don't You Go Check?

bbdo-shanghai-bcups.jpg

To promote the Li Yue Long Men Young Creatives Competition, BBDO/Shanghai is using this :45 video to spread the weirdest rumour: that all its female staff members are D-cups.

Finding three young D-cups in all of Asia is a feat, which alone made the video worth watching. I also like the effect the cheesy music had on this slow exploration of the Shanghai office. It made all that leering look less ... leery.

more »

by Angela Natividad    Oct-21-08    
Topic: Agencies, Industry Events, Racy, Strange, Video



Brand Value Missing, Razorfish Returns, CMOs Angry

cadbury_gorilla_spoof.jpg

- The majority of senior marketers - 55 percent - lack a quantitative understanding of brand value at their respective organizations, according to the results of a new Association of National Advertisers Interbrand survey, announced over the weekend at the ANA Annual "Masters of Marketing" Conference in Orlando, Florida.

- Now that Avenue A/Razorfish has rebranded as, simply, Razorfish, the required new agency website is up and running.

- Cadbury Gorilla gets yet another spoof.

- Hmm. Old client Akamai is getting into the ad business with the launch of Advertising Decisions Solutions, a behavioral targeting solution.

- Yawn. CMOs are angry with agencies and ad networks. This is a new sentiment?

by Steve Hall    Oct-21-08    
Topic: Agencies, Research



Crimes of Facebook Passion, Palin's Rack Promotes Storage, and More Crappy Jingles

manhattanstoragead_copy.jpg

- Avenue A/Razorfish is changing its name to Razorfish.

- Considering an iPhone? Read this first.

- Wife killed by estranged hubby for changing her Facebook status to "single" too soon. Wow ... the world has changed.

more »



Agency Brings Birth of an Idea Analogy to Life in Video

moxie_birth.jpg

Perhaps due to the embarrassing Agency.com Subway video debacle that likely caused every agency to crawl back into its self-promotion shell for fear of nasty public retribution, videos highlighting the internal workings of an ad agency have been few and far between. Ending this reign of fear and daring to expose itself to the industry at large, Atlanta-based Moxie Interactive is out with Birth of an Idea, a video which turns a classic analogy into a fairly humorous look at the reality of giving birth to an idea. Yes, the video does go there.

more »

by Steve Hall    Oct-20-08    
Topic: Agencies, Good, Video



Your Creativity Should Shine Through Squash.

strange-pumpkin.jpg

Last week Ice Tea Productions sent a pumpkin and a carving kit to about 450 agency creatives. The lucky fools were tasked with carving that most creative of pumpkins. (Extra points if you do it during office hours. Well ... no, not really.)

Once finished, send a shot of your magnum opus to [email protected]. Entries will be accepted until October 29th.

A panel of ad industry judges will decide on the best pumpkins. Winners could receive a $100 gift certificate to a restaurant, or a $100 shopping spree at Bloomingdale's, or a massage, or tickets to a concert, or a gift certificate to Starbucks, or any other paper voucher lying around unused in Ice Tea Productions' coffers.

Oh, you could also get Nike sneakers.

Photo credit: Sandsational.

by Angela Natividad    Oct-20-08    
Topic: Agencies, Events, Promotions



Terry Tate Tackles Palin, Twitter Fundraises, Pepsi Trouble BBDO

palin_terry_tate.jpg

- Terry Tate make a triumphant return taking down Sarah Paling for failing to answer a simple question.

- Last week, Amanda Mooney organized the first Twitter-based fund raising event. $180 was raised through $5 donations fo The Susa G. Komen Foundation.

- BBDO appears to be getting the push side from Pepsi which has given a portion of its three year, $1.2 billion advertising to Arnell which will redesign the Pepsi logo and packaging.

- If you're Hooter and your in Vegas, this is what you do to boost business.

- Creeping is wrong.

by Steve Hall    Oct-20-08    
Topic: Agencies, Brands, Celebrity, Political, Social, Strange