Archive for February, 2007
Revenge of the nerds
Posted on 09. Feb, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.
What makes geeks as a sub-culture, so biased about the brand of products they choose to use?
Here’s a pic of a Window’s Vista poster / billboard that was vandalised (or physically Photoshopped with a blade) by Linux fans. Maybe because the products used by geeks work so different from each other it brings out this disturbing dark side.
We just can’t imaging Sanlam policy holders having such pride in their association with Sanlam that they’d go out at night and ‘redesign’ an Old Mutual billboard.
[via]
Maybe this was all started by those Apple people, who love making PC-people look, dull and ordinary. [YouTube]
What do you want to do before you die?
Posted on 08. Feb, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.
You’ve got 1 x planet earth, roughly 1 x 70 odd years to live and about a billion things you can do with that combination.
That’s what a small team from Canada are on a quest to achieve with their list of ’100 things to do before you die’ and the resulting reality show called The Buried Life.
Their list includes:
Give a Stranger $100
Ride a bull
Make the front page of a newspaper
Tell a judge: "You want the truth?’ "You can’t handle the truth"
Without the TV crew in tow – the concept proves that anything you wish for is possible.
What’s on your list?
Web: The Buried Life list
[via]
Free business idea: Electronic snail mail
Posted on 08. Feb, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.
Since the invention of email, SMS, MMS, IM and all of those other dull named communication tools that we use as a virtual crutch these days; the only stuff the post office sees are bills, statements and Amazon packages.
Even though everything is so convenient now – it’s still a mission for any business to process, print and post all their snail mail.
But, PixelLetter in Germany have spotted a gap and are offered a service that lets you send snail mail electronically.
- Compose your letter on your PC as a PDF
- Transfer it to the PixelLetter server
- Pay them .
- PixelLetter will then print, fold and envelope your letter and deliver it the old fashioned way
A similar thing has probably always been available for big corporate companies, but these guys seem to be targeting smaller one-off business.
Web: PixelLetter
[via]
Ads now available in Google Earth
Posted on 08. Feb, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.
Google Earth is safe from billboards no more.
Observe this screen shot of a Google Earth search for "Car Rental" in Boston, MA.
Ok – so Boston, MA is a long way from Speedy Exhaust and Towbars in Parow, but the cool thing is that opportunity to ‘own’ your business billboard in cyber-mapping-space is available.
Nice way to let your guests know where the party is.
[via MIT ]
In other news highlighting the shift away from advertising requiring titanic-sized budgets – the New York Times has an interesting story about cheap ‘cut & paste’ creative packages. Most ads these days look like they were made with one of these cheapie options – so you’re not really loosing much by firing that ad agency of yours.
Coke has not been telling the truth?
Posted on 07. Feb, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.
The marketing masters might have taken their craft a step too far with their rather ambitious brand positioning for Enviga.
The Coca-Cola and Nestle collaboration are selling their range of ‘sparkling green teas’ with the promise that the drink is a "calorie burner," and marketed as a weight loss aid.
A calorie burner? Come to think of it – how does the work? It’s a negative calorie drink?
In keeping with the American theme, the Connecticut attorney general is investigating the drink, saying the marketing might amount to "voodoo nutrition." and Coca Cola are being sued.
Tap water – there’s the burner you’re looking for. Don’t believe those fancy ads they have either.
Read: Makers of Enviga drink sued for false advertising – Denver CBS
Design your own…beer label
Posted on 07. Feb, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.
It was only a matter of time that the whole selfish idea of mass-customisation would leap from luggage tags and bank cards..to beer.
Mmmmmmm….beer.
A Danish brewery, Tuborg, has joined the personalisation-trend and
launched a service called "Your Tuborg" (Din Tuborg), which invites people
to customise the beer label when ordering a minimum of 30 bottles of
Tuborg.The beer and your own ‘mate-impressing’ label is delivered directly to your door within 4 weeks
of placing an order.
Nice Christmas gift to send to your worst enemy.
Web: Din Tuborg
Previously: Design your own….. – Cherryflava
[via Guerrilla Innovation]
Thabo Mbeki just knows that FNB’s advertising sucks
Posted on 06. Feb, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.
Thabo Mbeki must be a Cherryflava reader.
That’s why he’s ‘discouraged’ FNB from spending R20 million on their dumb ‘anti-crime’ advertising hoohaa bullshit.
FNB’s R20-million campaign involved print, television and radio
advertisements and invited members of the public to write to President
Thabo Mbeki about their experiences of crime.
Twenty million rand [think about that sum for a few minutes] to get South African’s to send letters to Thabo.
After the first 3 letters, we’re sure ol’ Thabo would get the picture and your ‘investment’ would have just resulted in frustration and a complete waste of time.
FNB – if you’re such an innovative bunch (like you pretend to be), why don’t you lock into the new, clever global trend of ‘crowd sourcing’ and encourage South African’s to get involved with the solution to the crime problem.
Seriously – haven’t you heard of the flippin’ Internet yet? Set up a blog or a wiki [if you're not sure what those are...try Google.com for a simple definition that even you lot might understand] to get ordinary South African’s engaging with each other and spend your money on implimenting a viable suggested solution.
Hell – we’re sure that all the South African bloggers would love to help you out there.
Your crime stories are all over the printed press for us all (including Thabo) to read. Stop wasting the money that you steal from us and think more carefully, with that very expensive collective management brain that your HR department has difficulty keeping happy.
Don’t use our country’s shame to build your brand.
Wanna help? Get involved with possible solutions and keep your big mouth and ugly logo as far away from it as possible.
More: FNB bins R20 million crime campaign – News24
Scum PR agencies trying to ruin the web’s goodwill
Posted on 06. Feb, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.
Why can’t companies stop trying to control what people say about them, and rather focus on developing and selling the very best products?
Marketing is actually damn simple.
The guy that uttered; ‘Build a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door‘ – should have won a Nobel prize for Obvious.
Lately the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, has warned PR agencies against writing about companies they represent in the popular online encyclopaedia, after Microsoft apparently paid a blogger to work on various technical entries on the site.
It’s becoming clear that society values transparency and great products above corporate manipulation. BrandChannel’s ‘Top Reader’s Choice brand awards’ reads like a directory of good, user-friendly, well designed, functional products.
- Apple
- YouTube
- Wikipedia
- Starbucks
So why all the public perception manipulate by Microsoft? They’re lucky anybody even cares.
Read: Paying for Wikipedia space – Guardian
iCatching: Getting the mind right for Design Indaba 10
Posted on 06. Feb, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.
With only 16 days to go before this year’s Design Indaba, its time to warm-up with some creative design news to get in the mood.
- Even if you had to work at Fidentia – it’s important to feel inspired and full of ideas at work. That’s why there are a couple of new trends when it comes to office design. [via]
- For extreme retail design, check out this Tokyo hair salon called ‘Isolation Unit’. No ‘blue rinse’ basin there. [via]
- Some design is so good, that fans petition brands to bring them back. Truth – a sneaker (takkie) campaign was started almost a year ago to get sneaker giant Nike to make the futuristic sneakers worn by Marty
McFly in the second episode of Back to the Future. The campaign is going strong. So far, there are over 25,000 signatures from sneaker fans.
- Maybe there’s nothing wrong with your present takkies, they just need a damn good clean. All neatly packaged in a brilliantly designed ‘I-wanna-touch-it’ box.
You can find the local Design Indaba 10 speaker lineup here.
Previously: Design Indaba Expo 2006 – Cherryflava
New book shoppe says ‘screw you long-tail’
Posted on 05. Feb, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry.
Having a personal pet-angst for the sorry, pathetic state of most South African retail stores, our collective BP climbed a notch or two when we received an email [thanks Mike] about a new ‘creative’ book shoppe, which has just opened it’s doors on Cape Town’s Kloof Street.
Branded, Biblioteq – the shop specialises in ‘visually fantastic
photographic, design and decor reference books’.
On returning from
New York, South African Rotem Shachar found that hours of book browsing
was one of the things she missed most about the big city, so she decided
to start one here and her new book shop, Biblioteq, in Kloof Street
is the alluring result.Biblioteq’s location is right
in the heart of Cape Town’s coffee-culture strip and is sure to be
a prime destination for the design, advertising, media, film and fashion
industry set. It is also a natural honey pot to those needing the excitement
of global ideas and the visual stimulation of a world seen through creative
eyes. Biblioteq’s access to resource means that some of the world’s
most desirable books will soon be available just around the corner.
Highly collectable books include Goat and LaChapelle’s Artists
and Prostitutes.
Judging from the pictures we got sent, we’ll be planning a nosy ‘look-see’ sometime soon.
Even though this specialised book store concept is a direct counter-trend to Chris Anderson’s lovingly penned best seller, we can see how this very niche, sub-culture focussed business could easily take game in a city like Cape Town.
