Everything's Better With Brentter » behind the scenes

Crispin Porter + Bogusky just won $50 Million Hulu.com Account

Brent — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:41:24 +0000

Hulu.com, one of the more prevalent online video services out on the market today, just announced that they have awarded Crispin Porter + Bogusky creative and media duties on their $50 million account.

Damn. That’s a lot of $ for a company that is barely over a year old! It was only last October that Hulu.com received a $100 million investment from private equity firm Providence Equity Partners.

Originally from www.Brentter.com

Mad Men Season 2 - Evolution of A Campaign

Brent — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:01:40 +0000

With the recent premier of season 2 of critically acclaimed AMC series, Mad Men, comes an interesting post on the AMC blog. Linda Schupack, Senior Vice President of Marketing for AMC, has posted a generalized synopsis of the strategy behind this year’s campaign:

We decided to place Don in Grand Central both for its iconic stature and as a transition between worlds: Work and home, the familiar and the new. And, because Don continues to wrestle with issues of secrets, identity and change, we wanted to place Don amidst a blurred almost chaotic crowd. But he stands still, in high relief.

Included in the post are samples of the sketches used to help guide the creative design for the campaign. Above is a sketch of the look and feel that they ended up using for one of their print ads. Linda Schupack explains that,

Once we decide on an idea, we do sketches. Many sketches. And these sketches will be our guide as we figure out what to photograph.

After shooting the backdrop at Grand Central Station and then the crowd/Jon Hamm in Los Angeles, the shots were combined to comprise the final product (as seen below).

Originally from www.Brentter.com

The adidas Michael Sieben & Friends Adventure

Brent — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:52:07 +0000

Well known artist, skater and writer Michael Sieben has just finished teaming up with adidas to release a fun video/interactive site to promote his latest additions to their “Original” collection. He was originally approached by adidas to only design one shoe, however shortly after starting this task both sides realized the potential for more than just a shoe design and a creative partnership was born. Two shoes, a shirt, a hoody and three magical creatures later and you have the mini-film that was shot bringing to life the characters that Sieben features in his designs. The film can be found on the special micro-site that was created for this project - www.adidas.com/michaelsieben

Here’s what the two Sieben-designed adidas Superskates look like (he created both a high and low-top version):

It was directed by Eric Noren for Juice Design with Jess Weinstein & Sara Clarkin as producers. Matt Uhry was the Director of Photography, Dan Wolfe was the editor and the music composition was by Johnnyrandom.

The mini-movie shows us Sieben accompanied by a few of his cartoon creations embarking on a treasure hunt that takes them all throughout the San Francisco Bay area.
“Behind The Scenes” footage of the making of this movie-clip can be found below:

Behind The Scenes For The adidas/Sieben Mini-Adventure - Balloon:

Behind The Scenes For The adidas/Sieben Mini-Adventure - Furry:

Behind The Scenes For The adidas/Sieben Mini-Adventure - Camp:

Behind The Scenes For The adidas/Sieben Mini-Adventure - Skating:

Behind The Scenes For The adidas/Sieben Mini-Adventure - Golden Gate:

Behind The Scenes For The adidas/Sieben Mini-Adventure - The City:

Behind The Scenes For The adidas/Sieben Mini-Adventure - Train Depot:

Originally from www.Brentter.com

The Timesheet Dilemma At Avenue A/Razorfish (or “How To Fail”)

Brent — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:41:08 +0000

This is a re-post of something I caught over on the adfreak blog, apparently the NY office of Avenue A/Razorfish has recently implemented a new method aimed at getting their employees to start submitting their timesheets in a more “timely” fashion: They’re showing “offenders photos” with a message indicating what crime that employee has comitted.

In the example above, the text reads:

“I haven’t done my timesheets in 3 weeks.”

The adfreak posts then goes on to say that according to an agency rep, this new tactic of public display is paying off with an increase in diligence for timesheet submissions. Hmm… I wonder if they bothered to check and see just how many current employees have also showed a newly-found diligence in updating their resumes/portfolios? Do they realize these “offenders” are their employees? I wonder how long it’ll take until one of their programmers switches the photos/messages out with explicit photos of top-level agency execs (perhaps from last years’ company Xmas Party)? Or better yet, how long until someone realizes that this might give off the wrong impression to their clients about the agency’s ability to manage their own employees.

I can’t imagine this tactic being something that would look appealing to anyone seeking employment there, that is… unless you happen to be looking for a job in accounting, in which case you’d probably love the thought of being able to ridicule those bastard creatives who think they’re just so cool in their black tshirts and hipster hair-do’s… “accountants are all nerds” my ass! You’ll show them who has the real ultimate power!

Random Posts

Originally from www.Brentter.com

WPP’s Project Da Vinci Now Has New Name: Enfatico

Brent — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:02:21 +0000

This morning WPP announced that the new agency they have been trying to build as part of their agreement with Dell, originally called Project Da Vinci, now has an official title………..

They’re calling it: (cue the drumroll)

Enfatico.

From the press release:

“As a next generation agency with a diverse mix of marketing services and talent – all uniquely orchestrated to drive value for Dell and future clients – we believe Enfatico effectively captures what makes us distinct,” commented agency CEO Torrence Boone.

Well Mr. Boone, you’ve got one thing right… that name definitely makes you “distinct.” Way to come up with a name that sounds even worse than the original Project Da Vinci idea. It just reaks of a group of creatives that either gave up on the choosing a name and let the stoned intern have a shot at it, or you guys take yourselves waaaaaay too seriously.

good luck with that.

Originally from www.Brentter.com

Alltop.com Now Features Brentter.com!

Brent — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:26:16 +0000

I’ve posted about Guy Kawasaki’s latest venture before, Alltop.com, however yesterday was a big day for the site in that they finally added a marketing/advertising section and Everything’s Better With Brentter is amongst the chosen few listed there.

So head on over to http://marketing.alltop.com and you’ll find my RSS feed listed alongside a lot of other great marketing/advertising sites.

Thanks for the add Guy, alltop’s a great website that keeps getting better each week!
-Brent

Originally from www.Brentter.com

Inspirational Email From Agency CEO - Hilarity Ensues

Brent — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:18:00 +0000

My first job out of college was working for what I later (they hid it from me during interviews) found out to be a married couple. Yes, the top two executives at this tiny interactive agency that I worked at were not only married, working together, but also had to share an office the size of my bathroom. It was hell.

I learned a lot about how not to run a business during my tenure there, even lasting close to two years until finally realizing that I was making more money with my side freelance jobs than I was working long hours under two individuals who both had the unfortunate trait of wearing their emotions on their sleeves. I’m not ever going to give names, as they were good people deep down inside…. they just were lacking in certain areas that are necessary to become sucessfull as a small interactive shop here in the South. The gentleman (as I will refer to him from now on in lui of his name) was rather shy in nature, however his lady friend (aka wife) was his polar opposite. Not only that, but I’m positive she must have picked up a dictionary of business jargon somewhere along the line, spending hours memorizing every phrase and buzzword. This was noticed by all who knew her, including our clients who found it rather funny when she would whip out one of her patented non-sensical phrases with the intention of making it seem like she was well versed in modern business strategies. Leaving that company gave me a long list of things to “watch out for” in a potential employer as well as first hand experience with business tactics that I vowed never to use….. blatant over-use of business jargon being one of them.

With that being said, I recently stumbled across a posting from the wheresmyjetpack blog where he posts a “condensed/best-of” version of an internal email that apparently just made it’s rounds at a big-name advertising agency. Because of this, and that the content was too hilarious not to send out to friends as a joke, the names have all been changed to protect the innocent (well, and the guilty too). Reading this will make you laugh, cry, cringe, and then probably laugh some more because yes, it did in fact get sent out to the ENTIRE company, but more importantly - IT WAS FROM THE CEO. Enjoy:

Dear Colleagues:

Strong presence. Thank you personally. Well ahead of expectations.

Express our mission. Key essentials. Go the extra step. Continued success for all. Execute against our essentials.

Financial levers. Deliver significant value. Distinctive, compelling brands. Long-term unit growth*. Unmatched global pipeline. Unlock the value of our portfolio. Continue to seek opportunities. Aggressive focus on controlling costs. Provide the foundation. Deliver market-leading returns. Continue to adjust our goals. Raise the low end of our guidance ranges.

Thank you, again. Future ahead continues to be bright. Look forward to continuing to work with you. Exceed our goals together.

All the best,
CEO man

This should serve as a reminder that yes, even YOU, can bullshit your way into just about any high-level position in this industry as long as you know the right catch phrases and buzz words to drop that make those who are even less intelligent than you are think that you know what you’re talking about. In fact, you will most likely find these same people adopting these recently unveiled phrases/buzz words to show the rest of the peons (i.e. you) that they and the CEO both hail from the same planet…. I believe it’s called planet stupid…. but that may just be the scientific name for it. My apologies on not knowing the layman’s version of their homeland. I also remember that was a joke from an old Simpsons episode, none-the-less, when you see that emails like this get sent out from the guy signing your paycheck, it really makes you reconsider why you even showed up for work. That or you’re probably the type of person who likes to listen to Howard Stern. Not because everything he says is profound or funny, but rather because you just want to hear what he’s going to say next because you never know when gems like this will show up and make it all worthwhile.

Image also from wheresmyjetpack blog - apparently he does custom design work on the side

Originally from www.Brentter.com

The Mentality of A True Planner - The Mind of An Info-Geek

Brent — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:08:30 +0000

This was taken from a quote by China Miéville from The Believer. I feel that it is a perfect description of the active curiosity that is necessary for any serious Account Planner/Interaction Designer. It all boils down to that natural curious instinct that, at times, has the potential to give you an insight into someone else’s experience who has a completely different/random perspective on life that you. This is something that can’t be achieved by sitting in a round room brainstorming what type of person uses your product. From absorbing yourself in random magazines, books, even to the occasional user group meeting, interacting with people that are passionate about something (and it really can be just about anything) shows you the true nature of your consumer. Anyhow, here’s the quote:

What I love is passion. One of my fascinations is trade magazines. I love picking up specialists’ magazines about subjects I know nothing about. For instance, you pick up a magazine that is the house journal of tropical-fish keepers or model-train builders. I have no interest in model trains; I have no interest in tropical fish, but I love reading the magazines, because you get this insight into this world of debate and passion and argument, and then you get two competing magazines with different platforms who are dissing each other because this is a world where the people involved in it are absolutely in love with what they do. What geeks have, geeks in any field, be it a field like science fiction or a field like tropical fish, is that they are moved to do what they do because of a love and passion for the field above all else.

~ China Miéville

Yes, I am a geek. I have two blogs, am a constant news junkie, my RSS feeders are constantly overflowing, but for some reason….I love it. And half of the sites I subscribe to were found thanks to services like Stumbleupon.com, where it can transport you to a random website based on pre-determined categories…what I did was select just about all of them (there are around 90+ to choose from), so every-time I click on Stumble, I never quite know what I’m in store for.

Regardless, It’s a great tool, even if you’re not as information-obsessed as I might be. There are enough categories where I’m sure it could help you find new resources for whatever it is that YOU’RE into….so go check it out… or better yet…. what hobbies/obsessions do you harbor that others might call you a dork for? I’m interested…. if you want to remain anonymous feel free to use the Contact Me page instead of commenting… Links to related sites would also be appreciated.

Random Posts

Originally from www.Brentter.com

AOL Buys Social-Networking Site Bebo For $850 Million

Brent — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:48:19 +0000

AOL just announced it has agreed to purchase social-networking mega-site Bebo for a ridiculous $850 million in cash. A few months ago rumors started to spread across the internet that the Bebo, which boasts over 40 million users, was up for sale however te price tag then was a cool $1 billion dollars.

This move is definitely aimed at trying to boost AOL’s declining advertising revenue by plastering it across the popular social network. AOL Chief Executive Randy Falco was quoted as saying, “Bebo is the perfect complement to AOL’s personal communications network and puts us in a leading position in social media.” The network plus its usage of Yahoo & AOL instant messaging services will undoubtably broaden the reach of their ad sales.

Bebo announced earlier last year that it will adopt Google’s Open Social initiative, also hinting that the site would be compatible with all current Facebook applications. This places the site as a solid rival against Facebook and MySpace, which trumps the two in popularity outside of the US (as seen in the recently released map/chart below by le Monde).

[click on image to enlarge]

I guess the battle continues in the recent trend of large corporations buying out social-networks as a “quick-fix” to broaden their reach to the “community” markets…. I wonder who’s next?

Originally from www.Brentter.com

Makers of Airborne Settle False-Ad Suit With $23.3 Million Dollar Settlement

Brent — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:26:46 +0000

Sorry if this is a shock to you, but apparently all of those so-called “medical” claims that the makers of popular herba-supplement Airborne have touted for years have finally come to the surface as being, you guessed it, a fraud. Self-labeled as the “Miracle Cold Buster” the company sold billions of units of their Airborne supplement products, all backed by a lovable story from second-grade teacher Victoria Knight McDowell and her screenwriter husband Thomas Rider McDowell. The claim was she came across this perfect mix of nutrients in an effort to not get sick from her students, a rather cheesy yet touching story to base a brand off of. Well, now she’s faced with angry consumers claiming their money back, settling out of court last Tuesday.

As for their so-called medical claims of it’s effectiveness, well, it turns out that the true validity of the tests conducted on the product fall in what I would consider a “very grey area” of legitimacy. Brought to light by an ABC News report from last year, it was discovered that their so-called reputable claim wasn’t as clear-coated as they tried to make it appear.

taken from the article:
“Airborne said that a double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted with “care and professionalism” by a company specializing in clinical trial management, GNG Pharmaceutical Services.

GNG is actually a two-man operation started up just to do the Airborne study. There was no clinic, no scientists and no doctors. The man who ran things said he had lots of clinical trial experience. He added that he had a degree from Indiana University, but the school says he never graduated.“

Keep in mind though, this still didn’t stop the product from being heralded by super-celebrities likes Oprah, who even went to the extent of bringing Mrs. McDowell onto her show to be interviewed as well as tout the benefits of consuming her “Miracle Cold Buster.” It did, however, spark an interest in 2007 by the Federal Trade Commission as well as a handful of state attorneys generals who then began investigating the medical claims that the brand had been promoting since it’s introduction in 1999. According to a NYTimes article, those investigations are still ongoing, however a class-action lawsuit was filled claiming the brand blatantly deceived consumers with false advertising. It was not until just recently (two days ago) that the case was finally settled out of court for $23.3 Million Dollars. In addition to that the brand will be required to pay for ads in Better Homes & Gardens, Parade, People, Newsweek, and a variety of other magazines and newspapers instructing consumers how they can obtain refunds.

David Schardt, one of the senior nutritionalist at CSPI reviewed the product and reported that “Airborne is basically an overpriced, run-of-the-mill vitamin pill that’s been cleverly, but deceptively, marketed.” That should have been obvious, all the product contains is a variety of over-the-counter minerals with a heavy dose of Vitamin A.

Consumers seeking refunds for purchases of Airborne can obtain a claim form by writing to the Airborne Class Action Settlement Administrator, PO Box 1897, Faribault, MN 55021-7152, calling 1-888-952-9080, or by visiting www.AirborneHealthSettlement.com.

There is no way they can come out of this looking clean, especially after the print ads run, however I wouldn’t be surprised if they are able to bounce back to their current level of profitability (they claimed close to $100 million in 2006) within a few years once this blows over. That’s the problem with fake pharmaceuticals like this, once someone gets the idea that a product will lead to better health, it doesn’t matter others say, it all is just the placebo effect at work.
I guess we’ll just have to see. I’ll tell you this though, I’ve taken Airborne on multiple occasions so you can count on me filling out a claim form. What about you, do you think this is the end of Airborne as we know it?

Random Posts

Originally from www.Brentter.com

Everything's Better With Brentter » behind the scenes

Crispin Porter + Bogusky just won $50 Million Hulu.com Account

Related Posts:

Mad Men Season 2 - Evolution of A Campaign

Related Posts:

The adidas Michael Sieben & Friends Adventure

Related Posts:

The Timesheet Dilemma At Avenue A/Razorfish (or “How To Fail”)

Random Posts

WPP’s Project Da Vinci Now Has New Name: Enfatico

Related Posts:

Alltop.com Now Features Brentter.com!

Related Posts:

Inspirational Email From Agency CEO - Hilarity Ensues

Related Posts:

The Mentality of A True Planner - The Mind of An Info-Geek

Random Posts

AOL Buys Social-Networking Site Bebo For $850 Million

Related Posts:

Makers of Airborne Settle False-Ad Suit With $23.3 Million Dollar Settlement

Random Posts