ThoughtJumble

Yellow and Orange

2008-11-23T21:56:00.000Z

There is something enchanting about the way sunlight plays through autumn leaves highlighting the skeletons of each leaf, creating shadows and silhouettes...

Pontoon sunset

2008-11-19T10:41:00.001Z

Pontoon sunset, originally uploaded by Kris Flemington.

Garden invaders

2008-11-18T12:48:00.001Z

Garden invaders, originally uploaded by Kris Flemington.

They've popped up all over my lawn again!

Autumn down our way

2008-11-09T18:41:00.000Z

Cornwall

2008-11-04T10:50:00.001Z

Sky at nearly night

2008-10-28T10:36:00.001Z

Looks like a rip off...

2008-10-13T10:29:00.002+01:00

Just had a colleague point out that the Doritos Ad death Stunt is a total rip off of Ad Art... Shame on them! Hide all the advertising except for that BIG Doritos overlay and call it brand engagement...

This would have been a great stunt for lego.

2008-10-13T10:03:00.007+01:00

I found these wall inlays at Jan Vormann's blog. Great idea which looks like its part of an art expo. It could have been a great piece of ambient for Lego... Just a thought!

Struggling...

2008-10-09T13:27:00.001+01:00

So, I’m struggling today. After 2 years of using a laptop at work I’ve been given a docking station and a full size keyboard and a new monitor. All very nice as I can now stop squinting as much as I work. But the spacing of the key is totally different to my laptop keyboard and consequently I now type like a ham fisted plonker. Much to he amassment of anyone looking over much shoulder as I type and make mistake after mistake.

So eyes or sanity? That is the question…

More ad death.

2008-10-06T19:18:00.004+01:00

So there has been some talk for a while now about the changes in advertising, or rather its effectiveness in the technological future, especially TV advertising, driven by the PVR/sky+ and other technology. It’s apparently becoming harder to ensure your audience sees your traditional interruptive ad.

Well it seems that same is happening online with that other bastion of interruption the online ad unit. Though this time it’s another brand that is the cause, not technology as such.

I can't decide if this is an idea that will genuinely drive brand engagement or whether its just a gimmick dreamt up by some niche online agency which will drive little or no ROI... No doubt it will re kindle some of the debate. Will people use it? Probably not. But only time will tell. I'm not sure it’s even real!?

Microsoft waves it's limp wrist

2008-09-29T21:35:00.001+01:00

So remember the Mac vs PC ads with those tow comedians Mitchell and Webb? They set the PC up quite nicely to be the mundane run of the mill default yet slightly stupid choice of anyone who wanted and easy yet fun life.

Well that rattled the chaps at Microsoft. And the Seinfeld and Bill Gates spots aside they’re now striking back with a slightly limp wrist – if you’re asking me.

Kings of Leon

2008-09-26T21:18:00.002+01:00

Ok, Now I like them. I've been listening to Radio 1 play this album track by track in the evenings on the way home from work. And now after all their work, this album has convinced me that the kings are indeed worthy of their name. Its bloody good this album - give it a go.

More viral

2008-09-26T19:50:00.003+01:00

For no other reason than I found it funny. Its from the same niche agency that produced the Facebook anthem - Rebelviral.com.

I'm getting bored of Facebook

2008-09-22T10:58:00.000+01:00

Music Glue

2008-09-17T11:26:00.004+01:00

Pandora may be blocked for UK ISPs but I’m still getting my new music fix… All be it in a slightly more convoluted way… Tune glue helps you find bands which are related to bands you know and like in terms of style, genre, composition etc. Then key into iTunes or Last FM to listen… What cold be better? Erm well Pandora in the UK? Aah maybe one day…

Blunt Ambient...

2008-09-16T17:59:00.002+01:00

Why don’t more brands play the heritage game?

2008-09-15T15:08:00.005+01:00

So here's a thought: Brand heritage. Why don’t brands use it more? Many can claim years of heritage and for some, if used in the right way, this can mean earned trust. Trust in a brand is the ultimate, the top of the pyramid, a perfect acquisition tool and re-enforcement strategy in one. So why don’t more brands talk about delivering XZY better for longer than anyone else?

Here is a cracking example of what I mean from Hovis. This is clearly too long for most applications, but it’s the sort of thing I mean.

Another great ad doing the same thing, but for me much more successfully is the Ford transit.

With today’s economic climate surely cheaper, faster, better focused ads and strategies can only get you so far. They’ll only be motivating till the next competitive price cut?

Maybe I’m missing something…

Well it’s been a while.

2008-09-15T14:48:00.006+01:00

Scribbling some stuff down here used to be a bit of a habit with me. Then it stopped. Then I resolved to start again, as writing down some thoughts was making me read and seek out interesting things and then kick them about a bit in my head to decide what I thought. So I did. Then I stopped again.

But, off we go again… Come along if you want. If not, well see ya.

The Client/Agency relationship?

2008-04-28T10:04:00.003+01:00

Or even the Creative Director and Concept team? Oh it could be... More insightful funnyness from Tom ...

Scotish spring...

2008-04-21T10:05:00.001+01:00

Lovely surf in scotland this weekend. Why do we need to in abroad?

Evolution: 24 myths and misconceptions

2008-04-18T13:56:00.000+01:00

More scientific goodness from NS...

Since the publication of Origin of Species, evidence for evolution has been overwhelming - it is the foundation of all biology. But most people around the world are not taught the truth about evolution and alternatives often appear convincing. So New Scientist has put together a guide to a few common myths and misconceptions about evolution, including:

"All characteristics are due to natural selection" - male nipples aren't
"Nature is limitlessly inventive" - but there aren't any flying plants
"Natural selection always leads to perfection" - no it doesn't...

More

Lazy Days

2008-04-15T10:28:00.006+01:00

Lazy creative. Lazy Client. Less Parody - more straight rip off. The worst bit is it will probably work really well. And if the agency/client get rumbled it will be a case of "yeah that's the way we planned it" and if they don't they get away scot free. Will anyone care? I'm sure OK GO would!

Here's the idea they ripped from OK GO...

Another.Ad.Like.No.Other.

2008-04-14T10:24:00.002+01:00

I loved the balls. I thought paint was great. I even mildly enjoyed the bunnies. But the Miami foam party? I’m not too sure. I don’t want to slam it – Fallon seem to have done a good job. But this execution seems to smack of the client saying something like “I want a stunt. You know like you did on the bravia stuff” Either way it’s beautifully shot/produced and fits nicely with the ads it seeks to follow. But some how Foam is just not as entertaining. And entertaining ads are good. Well -better. SO the question is will it be effective?

A nice chirpy meessage for a Monday!?

2008-04-07T16:57:00.005+01:00

Why The Demise Of Civilisation May Be Inevitable
Most people think that our civilisation is of such a scale and complex level of innovation that we are immune to collapse. However, a growing number of researchers are coming to the conclusion that our society is becoming ever more vulnerable. In this special report, New Scientist looks at two possibilities. Could a pandemic be devastating enough to wipe out our entire civilisation - and does the very nature of our civilisation means that ours, like every other civilisation in history, is destined to collapse.... Read On

Debora MacKenzie (NS 02 April 2008 )

Love this!

2008-04-03T17:18:00.001+01:00

A missed opportunity?

2008-03-31T09:56:00.005+01:00

I like to think of myself as an environmentally aware, but the first I here about his earth hour thing is when I log on to Google on Saturday afternoon and find the home screen black. Surely we could have got a little more coverage than this? Or did I miss it? We could have got the schools and local shopping centres in on the act couldn’t we? But round us, nothing, Nada. Our street looked like the Blackpool illuminations – as always.

It seems like the idea has caught on with the rest of the world though. With SanFran and Sydney looking particularly eerie in this morning’s metro. Yet most of the UK just simply ignored the situation. Maddening really…

Weather up 'er is nice...

2008-03-23T14:44:00.000Z

Glad i didn't stay at home

Just tell them 'I've gone out'

2008-03-20T13:17:00.000Z

A thought for the day

2008-03-19T15:35:00.003Z

In a clients eyes, there is no 'I' in Fuck up. But there is a 'U'...

The Pot noodle parody

2008-03-18T10:33:00.005Z

I quite like what Pot Noodle have done here... It's a well thought out parody of the recent Guinness Ads. A thought though: Do you think the set is supposed to reflect the lives and living environments of the target audience? I wonder... I don't want to be snobbish about this, but the young CHAV P'ing in the lift is an image that puts me right off the brand...

The origional Guinness ad (incase you missed it)

The future of interaction?

2008-03-17T10:27:00.005Z

Great piece of technology this. It was on show at CeBit 2008 and although it feels very ‘minority report’, some brands and retail outlets are already testing similar technologies to create interactive shop windows... I think this example by Orange is in London 's Carnaby Street...

The view from on deck

2008-03-14T21:51:00.003Z

Just before the weather came in for the weekend...

Right then...

2008-03-12T12:19:00.002Z

Lets get this bloggin' show back on some kind of road...

Going to re-decorate and sort my flickr feeds out which appear to have gone walkies. After this I better think about thinking and writing some stuff every now and again. After all that is the point of starting this 'er thing. So off we go again.

Not raining

2007-11-21T16:53:00.001Z

In fact it was a nice evening...

London didn't look like this today.

2007-11-19T23:58:00.001Z

I discovered my shoes aren't very waterproof...

Ad ad is good when...

2007-10-16T22:40:00.000+01:00

Quite simply when people want to see it again. Better still when they want to see it again so much they look for it on the internet...

That's it. Simple. We must write ads which people want to see again.

A few Good Creative Men

2007-10-11T17:43:00.000+01:00

One for all my long suffering creative chums! Whhoooooya soldiers

More Colour.like.no.other

2007-10-05T09:58:00.000+01:00

Sony have been doing some lovely ads over the last year or so and they’ve got quite good at getting masses of PR out of each. Paint was probably the highlight (though balls was goo too)being, as it was, as much of a feet of engineering as it was entertaining and creative. I like this latest execution just as much though. It’s some how more charming and less arrogant, yet it still continues the colour.like.no.other thought very well… The web site is well executed too… Nice all round really.

The End of an era…

2007-10-01T13:12:00.000+01:00

Yesterday at 4pm over 15,000 rally fans, friends and family turned out to celebrate the life of former world rally champion Colin Macrae and his young sun. So many have stood in the middle of nowhere just to see (and hear) the great man blat past… No More. So sad.

I need my eyes tested

2007-09-17T14:44:00.000+01:00

Whilst wondering home after the odd beer or two the other night I saw this… It left me chuckling and bruised. I was so busy squinting at the sign to see if it said what I thought it said (glasses were left in the car in the pub car park) that I collided with a rubbish bin… Genius. Can I be the only one? Surely not...

Entertainment or relevance?

2007-09-14T13:56:00.000+01:00

I saw the new Cadbury spot a week or so ago and I have to confess, it's had me humming Phil Colins during the odd moment (all day) at work – not good and not cool. I also now find myself noticing bars of dairy milk wherever I go to buy lunch. And that is odd for me – as a rule I don’t buy or eat much chocolate at all.

I’m a bit puzzled as to why Cadbury have chosen to take this approach though. When should a brand entertain and when should it be relevant? And is one approach better than the other?

Dove have enjoyed much success by continuously being relevant to their audience and standing for something – real beauty. They don’t seek to entertain or make people laugh, instead opting to hammer home their message by taking a swing at all that is unnaturally beautiful. Where as Cadbury can’t do that.

Are they simply opting to give “a glass and a half of joy” (as per their brand line) by making daft yet entertaining ads? In a world with a seemingly endless number of ways to buy and market products, as well as an ever increasing amount of PAFF to cut through, many brands seem to be seeking to entertain rather than extol their virtues (or lack of) in their ads.

One thing is for sure, it is becoming harder and harder to get consumers attention. TV is largely rubbish these days and it’s only going to get worse (how many more vote me on/off panel/reality shows can there be?)! But is it really up to brands to fill that gap which rubbish programming leaves? No. I don’t think so. But then again, if they are going to interrupt BB9 with PAFF they should at least make us laugh right?

So maybe that’s it then. Maybe we should just be thinking: Can we find a way to make this brand relevant in consumers lives? No? Well, we’ll have to make ‘em laugh then…

Back to work back to blogality

2007-09-13T13:35:00.000+01:00

Been up in the mountains for too long. I forgot that I have a blog. That’s probably a healthy thing since I can never work out if this ‘thing’ that my blog is (a confused mish-mash of random and often unstructured thoughts, combined with the odd holiday snap) work, enjoyment, or both. And therefore I never know where I should prioritise it in terms of work/life/blog balance… Anyway I’m going to start doing what ever it is I do on here again.

I'm still climbing!

2007-08-14T19:55:00.001+01:00

I'm up on the petit aguille vert in the french alps. Life is good. Blogging has gone out the window but life hasn't! Sorry... I'm just not near a pc much!

Gone climbing again

2007-07-30T15:34:00.000+01:00

I'm up in the mountains again. hence the lack of posts... but great views! Back late August. I'll post the odd image here as and when...

6 Degrees...

2007-07-11T16:26:00.001+01:00

Just bought this book. It's apparently very good... The synopsis reads:

This work presents an eye-opening and vital account of the future of our earth and our civilisation if current rates of global warming persist, by the highly acclaimed author of "High Tide". Picture yourself a few decades from now, in a world in which average temperatures are three degrees higher than they are now. On the edge of Greenland, rivers ten times the size of the Amazon are gushing off the ice sheet into the north Atlantic. Displaced victims of North Africa's drought establish a new colony on Greenland's southern tip, one of the few inhabitable areas not already crowded with environmental refugees. Vast pumping systems keep the water out of most of Holland, but the residents of Bangladesh and the Nile Delta enjoy no such protection. Meanwhile, in New York, a Category 5-plus super storm pushes through the narrows between Staten Island and Brooklyn, devastating waterside areas from Long Island to Manhattan. Pakistan, crippled by drought brought on by disappearing Himalayan glaciers, sees 27 million farmers flee to refugee camps in neighbouring India. Its desperate government prepares a last-ditch attempt to increase the flow of the Indus river by bombing half-constructed Indian dams in Kashmir. The Pakistani president authorises the use of nuclear weapons in the case of an Indian military counter-strike. But the biggest story of all comes from South America, where a conflagration of truly epic proportions has begun to consume the Amazon!

Alien as it all sounds, Mark Lynas incredible new book is not science-fiction; nor is it sensationalist. The six degrees of the title refer to the terrifying possibility that average temperatures will rise by up to six degrees within the next hundred years. This is the first time we have had a reliable picture of how the collapse of our civilisation will unfold unless urgent action is taken. Most vitally, Lynas book serves to highlight the fact that the world of 2100 doesn't have to be one of horror and chaos. With a little foresight, some intelligent strategic planning, and a reasonable dose of good luck, we can at least halt the catastrophic trend into which we have fallen. But the time to act is now....

I'll let you know what I think soon!

I'm staring out the window...

2007-07-10T10:16:00.000+01:00

looking for some kind of inspiration...

Environmental excuses

2007-07-02T13:46:00.000+01:00

Lots of companies are beginning to offset this and that in an effort to reduce their impact on the environment. Or at least so they can claim they are doing their bit. I worry that for many brands its only skin deep.

BBC breakfast this morning carried a report on a company which used to build electric milk floats. But with the death of home delivered milk they’ve switched to making electric home delivery vehicles. The super markets are queuing up at the door and the company has increased production by 6 times. Great! Tesco, M&S and Sainsburys are all doing their bit. Have yourselves a pat on the back chaps, well done.

For me though this sort of misses the point. These lovely little electric vans might well be able to deliver our groceries to our homes at speeds of as much as 50Mph without so much killing a butterfly as they waft by, but the electricity that powers them comes from our national grid. Which last time I looked ran on coal and gas… Hardly Carbon neutral now is it?

Now, since the provision of our electricity is not something that even the mighty Tesco can effect, its probably a little harsh of me to give them a rough time over trying to do the right thing. My point is simply this: Offsetting and other token gestures avoid the real issues and seem to me to be an excuse to carry on business as usual. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE POLLUTION PEOPLE…

Tom calls it 'Greenwashing'. I like that.

Back in the office

2007-06-28T12:40:00.000+01:00

Back to work today. Nothings changed... But not much to do which is nice. I've had some time to potter about some of my old web haunts where upon I bumped into this little viral from Cisco... It's no dove evolution (it did the double at Cannes I believe), but it's quite watchable and seems to fit with cisco's unified comms message quite well... Well enough to work with a business audience though? It will probably get good consumer coverage, and all business people are also consumers... so... maybe just maybe...

More bad weather: more ale...

2007-06-26T00:09:00.001+01:00

2007-06-24T22:18:00.001+01:00

Ashore

2007-06-23T21:23:00.001+01:00

Earlier than planned... Never mind eh...

All at sea

2007-06-23T12:37:00.001+01:00

The weather has been rubbish! Gales and waves the size of houses! Still it beats the office. Going to be out here for another 4 days... This is a rare calm spell...

Camp fire's burning

2007-06-18T18:52:00.000+01:00

I was off in a tent this weekend. Mountain biking this time, not climbing. A cracking weekend. We all sat round a fire in the evening, beer in hand chatting, laughing and contemplating. Life seems so much more straight forward away from london. How much longer can i keep thinking about brands and client problems?

Bonus time in the city

2007-06-14T19:48:00.001+01:00

Well it must be. Why else would every prestige car brand set up camp at canary wharf for the week...? This rather nice GT 40 is worth more than my house! Keep dreaming... Its cheaper!

Boat beats tube.

2007-06-13T09:40:00.001+01:00

On the boat this morning. I'm a happy victim of circumstance, content with being outdoors and in the sun rather than wedged up against a pin strip suit. Jubilee line? Keep it.

One for every planner out there...

2007-06-11T22:33:00.000+01:00

A chuckle from Tom.

Park life

2007-06-09T13:40:00.001+01:00

Recovering from a night on the guiness in Dublin...

Sobering thought.

2007-06-05T11:43:00.000+01:00

There is a lot of attention from the media, politicians, brands and the public – rightly – being focused on the environment at the moment. And of course there is a lot of different views with many groups (it seems to me) doing little more than paying lip service to the only genuine global issue we face. The potential ramifications could be huge and result/cause/require (in) serious economic, social and political changes. Not to mention the physical changes the environment is going through!

Truth be known, I’m getting a little lost in the enormity of it all – as are most people I suspect. Numbers, stats and scientific opinion are being quoted and counter quoted every day. Either way (and read into it what you will) I find this from the Guardian quite – well, mental. If nothing else it shows that we really do have a global problem.

It’s completely deflated my feeling that I’m doing something for the greater good. My recycling wheely bin is overflowing each week whilst my landfill bin is all but empty… It seems its all for nothing unless China and the US start to play the game. It seems it’s going to take more than just me using my car less and swapping my light bulbs… But then we all knew that – didn’t we?

source: Guardian Firday 1st June 2007

Back again

2007-06-04T10:04:00.000+01:00

This morning I was definitely walking slower than every other commuter. And in a very dreamy (read: I don’t want to be here) state. This morning the western Isle seem a very long way from smog ridden waterloo.

I noticed that a couple of my mobile posts worked… Though they popped up with the wrong dates… Never mind it was all about the views anyway.

There are more colours of skye on my flickr photo stream, as always, so probably best to nip over there if you’re interested it will save me posting them twice…

And for those who have been perstering me about getting hold of some of my other shots you can get to them here

Onwards (towards the next trip – only 3 weeks! Yay…)

Our cottage...

2007-06-03T13:17:00.001+01:00

Skye

2007-06-03T13:10:00.000+01:00

Work to live: I’m off again…

2007-05-22T11:03:00.000+01:00

I pottering off for another week or two. Climbing, walking and leaving London well away. I’m of to the Western Isles… And it’s going to be great!

We’ll stay here:

Climb these

And look out over all this…

And enjoy one or two of these…

Microsoft gets it right?

2007-05-21T12:34:00.000+01:00

This is a good clip. If you work in anywhere in communications – especially agency side you’ll probably be able to see the truth in this.

But what is really good is the fact that it has been created by a brand. Hang on bear with me here – that’s not the good bit…Here it is: without trying to hide the fact that it has been created by a brand! How refreshingly honest.

The Break Up Uploaded by geertdesager

Microsoft apparently want to “…try and tell that digital media is not about technology but about quality of communication, about the interaction between 2 people. There is no better medium than a movie to symbolize the one-to-one communication between people, in this case between an advertiser and a consumer.”

But more interestingly start a debate: “We wanted to do this movie to really debate with our partners and marketers the changing relationship between advertisers and consumers. We are always discussing the changing media landscapes, how consumers have changed and how advertisers need to redefine how they connect with them and we wanted to really bring the subject to life and walk the walk in terms of new ways of connecting.”

Great I buy it. But what’s in it for you? Why bother?

The blog behind the movie is bring back the love.com.

Super Cars on the Wharf

2007-05-19T22:43:00.003+01:00

Super cars on outside my office window this week caused me to come over all school boy like... maybe one day. After a small lottery win!

Aston DB9, originally uploaded by Kris Flemington.

Ferrari F430

2007-05-19T22:43:00.001+01:00

Ferrari F430, originally uploaded by Kris Flemington.

911 Turbo

2007-05-19T22:42:00.001+01:00

911 Turbo, originally uploaded by Kris Flemington.

Cymfy Arete, Cadir Idris

2007-05-19T22:39:00.001+01:00

Cymfy Arete, Cadir Idris, originally uploaded by Kris Flemington.

Abandoned pot

2007-05-19T22:38:00.001+01:00

Abandoned pot, originally uploaded by Kris Flemington.

Old groyne

2007-05-19T22:37:00.001+01:00

Old groyne, originally uploaded by Kris Flemington.

Still all at sea.

2007-05-08T16:44:00.001+01:00

Raoul Devos: New Geny, originally uploaded by Kris Flemington.

That’s it its 4:30 and I’ve not got much done. I’m done. More tea please! Largely because I spent all weekend back down in the shire sailing and drinking Doombar. That means this morning I’m incredibly laid back – again - and have misplaced my work ethic.

Consequently I have nothing especially interesting to say. So I shall leave it there.

Stranger than fiction

2007-05-01T22:48:00.000+01:00

I’ve blogged before about the habit of science fiction becoming true, but this is especially mad… I’ve not seen a robot this convincing before. Robot may be a strong term, it may be just animatronics – either way its possibly the most creepy telephone substitute I’ve seen. But it could be useful if you have lotus notes. That way, every time you have a meeting clash in you diary you could wheel out the robot. I could even give some intelligence – in which case he’d be better than me. He could earn the money and I could climb all day long! Brilliant… I wonder how much?

Monday things

2007-04-30T19:55:00.000+01:00

One for all my fellow Devonians...

And one for all you fellow big buzzword ridden agency employees out there...

Sad

2007-04-26T18:47:00.000+01:00

Aaaah! very busy this week. So again, random blogging. Never mind. I’m back here now.

To be honest though, I’ve not had the time or the motivation to keep an eye out for much interesting stuff lately. Apart for the usual busyness, I’ve been feeling a little preoccupied. The reason is a former colleague and friend died two weeks ago in the saddest of circumstances. It’s the funeral tomorrow. Kev is actually one of the reasons I’m a planner now. He gave me my first job when I left uni then pushed and encouraged me through my early agency years, giving me a grounding which has proved so fruitful since. Kev was only 31! So, so Sad. He'll be missed by many.

Monday stuff.

2007-04-23T11:52:00.000+01:00

I've been a bit lame at blogging recently. But that is because I was covering 2 other planners who had holidays last week. Things have been a tad on the busy side. Still, they're back now so I'll start this week as I aim to go on.

2 Monday things... The first is this miller ad. I think it's been around for a while now but I found it on youtube again earlier and I still think it's good. Simple message, demonstrated visually in a way that makes you almost expect the payoff works well for me. Must have been great fun making it!

The second thing caught my eye in this mornings metro. I was busily reading over someone’s shoulder on the packed tube and thought this would be a fantastic to go to work on this slightly whacky races contraption. The contraption reaches up to 55mph by road – but those wanting to feel the air in their face can take off to reach 100mph in the air according to the metro, though you'll need both a bike and a pilots license to fly one... Full story here

Edutainment at Kidzania,

2007-04-16T18:39:00.000+01:00

This is an ad Age video review called brand flash by a chap called Martin Lindstrom. Martin gives his thoughs on a theme park in Japan which aims to teach kids about adult life. It looks like a work experience theme park with a twist! The twist is? It’s heavily sponsored by brands. Kids learn about working in fastfood chains, Coke Factories and so on.

It’s easy to see what the brands get out of it, and it certainly looks like the kids have a different, even fun experience. But should we really let kids pay $30 to have brands imprinted on them? Maybe its nothing, but I can’t help feeling that there is something not right about exposing young minds to marketing in this way at such a young age…

Innovation: What by Philips?

2007-04-11T11:02:00.000+01:00

When you think of innovative technology brands, Philips isn’t usually one that leaps to the forefront of ones mind. But whilst mincing around some of my usual web haunts, I happened upon this on Techblog.

Now, I find your average interactive whiteboards that are cropping up in schools and meeting rooms across the land pretty amazing but this seems to be something else. I’m not sure what practical application it will have, but maybe the technology will end up as part of something else. Just imagine though what Tony Harts end of show murals would be like if he was given one of these!

Aah Tony Hart. I used to love his shows… TakeHart and later HartBeat used to have me racing upstairs for my box of paper and crayons to try and copy the great man. And of course Youtube provides the necessary nostalgia… Brilliant

And then there was Morph. Tony’s little animated interlude… Again Youtube does the honours!

Another thing...

2007-04-10T17:57:00.000+01:00

on my little list of things to try in the mountains

Though I may not do the Eiger...

Several points to ponder on

2007-04-10T15:29:00.000+01:00

This ‘er tube thing below has some really quite incredible stats. It’s one of those things you see which makes you think. I’m still thinking about this one. And so I’m not sure what to say about it. I could make up some plannery psycho babble about it trying to be sensationalism with little obvious point, but I don’t think it is. It’s just interesting. So that is why you need to watch it. So go on…

The lunch pub effect.

2007-04-05T17:00:00.000+01:00

You know those days, the ones at the end of the week when you wonder off to the pub at a lunch then potter back for a meeting in which everyone looks at you for an opinion, because you’re a planner, you’re supposed to have them - on anything. So you stagger to your feet and draw a triangle on the flip chart to stall for time while you clear the Guinness fog (you saw it on Russell’s school of the web and thought you’d give it a go on the spur of the moment). And before you know it you’ve ended up with a diagram like this…

And realise that you may well have been better of staying in the pub. Well that’s me that is. I should have stayed down the pub. I’d have been safer. Hic.

dia source W + K

Showing people the future

2007-04-05T16:57:00.000+01:00

I think this piece of work from O & M Beijing is really good. It’s a cleaver way to dramatise the effects of global warming. I’m not sure what the text translates as, but I’m not sure it matters – the point is obvious no?

Agency: Ogilvy&Mather Advertising, Beijing
Advertiser: WWF
Creative Director: Nils Andersson, Doug Schiff
Copywriter: Doug Schiff,Fei Zhao
Art Director: Kama Yu

April Foolin'

2007-04-04T11:39:00.000+01:00

New home technology from google...

!

2007-04-04T11:25:00.001+01:00

Beyond blogging

2007-03-29T09:57:00.000+01:00

Just bumped into this A chap called Justin is wearing a hat mounted camera and broadcasting his every move, 24hours a day over the web LIVE via mobile networks.

It seems to be blogging meets reality TV and its possibly blogging gone too far. But judging by the amount of reality TV pap that’s on every channel every time I turn the TV on, I’m sure it will be somewhat of a success. It’s does at least show some level of innovation… Maybe the anthropologist community will get excited. Who knows!

PS3

2007-03-28T10:19:00.000+01:00

Some people are raving about it. Some people aren’t. Truth be told I’ve never been into consoles, opting instead to stick to a PC which does other stuff. Still many people are and which console is better has and will always be one of those 'down the pub' disagreements destined never to be resolved. Still Sony, with a price of £500 for their latest offering, could well have decided the argument for many! Certainly the author of this little piece of genius would agree!

Brands have to be very careful these days. People have both the means to make and distribute opinion on products and brands very quickly...they really are doing it too. And I don’t think it will change. Word of mouth is becoming more and more important. But how we can affect it in a positive way seems, less obvious and somewhat more difficult... Someone clever has probably already written a book about it. I feel a trip to amazon is needed.

Two Non-ecdotes

2007-03-27T15:06:00.000+01:00

Here is something a little bit different from Honda. I’m not too sure how this fits with their previous stuff. Maybe that is the power of the power of dreams (sorry – clunky!) brand line. They can get away with it? (via adrants)

Any way here is a lovely piece of web work from Nokia. I like the approach and the execution is great. But in this day and age of short attention spans I can’t help but think it’s a little on the long winded side. I’m not even sure people still fall or engage with this sort of stuff. Has it had its day already. Not sure.

The suit Vs the client

2007-03-26T09:59:00.000+01:00

I keep posting Tom's stuff because I think he does a great job at reflecting some of the daftness in advertising from a client and an agency point of view.

And now that Tom's talent is being properly recognised. His cartoons will form a regular feature in brand week! Nice one...

Presentation Zen

2007-03-21T15:26:00.000Z

Bumped in to this interesting little blog just now. I need to spend some time here soaking up the wisdom!

iPhone meets Prada

2007-03-20T10:17:00.000Z

Toooons

2007-03-20T10:13:00.000Z

More maket funnies from Tom

To clever by half?

2007-03-15T10:50:00.000Z

A colleague just pointed me towards this in her words:

“…powerful tube ads are currently directing users to site claiming to be an underground revolution campaigning for 'information choice' and more specifically an end to Google's dominating influence over our web experience

Visitors have quickly figured out this site is funded by Google rivals Ask and built by Ask's digital agency Profero. Not exactly an independent underground revolution, and a quick read of some of the damning comments left on the site by angry visitors suggests this exercise has severely backfired for Ask.”

Comments include: 'You guys are idiots - the internet is more than just a way to sell things to people. Trying to disguise yourself as some kind of underground revolutionaries is cynical. Get some integrity.'

Blimey…! The analysis to my mind is simple. Don’t lie to your audience. Don’t try and be too stealthy. Your customers, or in this case users, WILL find out and WON’T like you for it.

People, connections and the web.

2007-03-01T12:05:00.000Z

I watched this several times now. I love it. For me it’s the first time ‘web 2.0’ has been made to mean something. Till I saw this it was just another natty phrase dreamed up by someone in bluechip land. The web is no longer about content. It’s no longer just a repository. It is people and connections.

In essence nothing about the web has changed. It's just we’re all finding new ways to use it. And that, for me at least, is what web 2.0 means. I think I just about understand now… Web 2.0 is just shorthand for people learning how to use the web and creating connections. Right?

I love this guy…

2007-02-28T17:45:00.001Z

Alain Robert has always intrigued me. And not just because I like climbing and he’s very good at it, but because he climbs buildings! I can’t think of anything worse… But he’s just done it again. This time Alain has free climbed the tallest building in Abu Dhabi… Brilliant!

A wistful look back

2007-02-28T17:15:00.000Z

I’ve been going through my photos from my last few climbing trips and discovered some which make me want to go back home to Devon. Anyone know a country agency in need of a slightly chilled out planner?

Dartmoor forest, October

Surf session over. Time for a beer. Widemouth bay, Bude, Decemer

Standing stone Near Haytor

North face of Haytor looking towards Bovey

Old granite railway, Nr Haytor, Dartmoor

Back from Norway.

2007-02-28T16:57:00.000Z

Well. There is was. My winter climbing fix. No mobile blogging since technology failed me. But here are some of the cool images I would have posted. All are of me or my climbing chums…

The climbing was superb. The highest the temperature we experienced was -10’C. So it was cold! But that is just the way you want it if climbing frozen water ice is your thing. And it certainly is mine! Bit of a contrast from London. In fact I’m feeling quite over whelmed wondering about on the underground after the peace, quite and cold. Never mind, it makes me appreciate the break all the more…

Closed for the winter climbing season

2007-02-07T10:28:00.000Z

Mobile picture posting as and when possible...

More musical genius

2007-01-30T13:58:00.001Z

Musical animational cleverness...

Brilliant editing

2007-01-30T13:53:00.000Z

I like this. It's very cleaver timeline editing... It's just, well... Oh you watch it...

IT HAS BEEN A WHILE

2007-01-30T13:44:00.000Z

since I wasn't too busy to just work and sleep

Waterloo last night.

2007-01-19T10:30:00.000Z

I've never seen waterloo like this before... We had a small breeze and all the trains stopped! People had to just stare at the blank departure screens... took hours to get home!

Like.no.other. you say?

2007-01-16T14:07:00.000Z

Lovely ads these. I like the imagery and the simplicity of the message. The trouble is dry like no other makes me FEEL.like.no.other… except there is an.other that talks in this way. It is of course Sony… Different category, different brand but similar language and visuals don’t you think? No? Just me then. Taxi!