Archive for April, 2010
Justin Timberlake is the star of the new Audi A1 movie series
Posted on 16. Apr, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Audi A1 for JT
A couple of years ago, Audi launched their A3 model into the American market with a massively elaborate ARG-type campaign called The Art of the Heist.
We still read extracts of that case study to each other as a bed time story, ’cause we find the detail of it soothing and an indication that all is still right with the world.
Audi are now launching the new A1 – and to do it they’ve called in Justin Timberlake and will be revealing a series of web films with other cool ‘interactive’ elements over a period of a few weeks. There are six web movies in total, but in the mean time – here’s a trailer to whet your appetite.
The trailer’s not giving away too much – we’ll have to wait for the shows to start before we can form any kind of opinion on this one.
Shows start on 04.05.2010 and play out on audi.com/a1 every Tuesday.
Alice for the iPad
Posted on 15. Apr, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
All the original drawing and stuff, just a bit more interactive now.
Tilt your iPad to make Alice grow big as a house, or shrink to just six inches tall. This is Alice in Wonderland digitally remastered for the iPad. Play with the White Rabbit’s pocket watch – it realistically swings and bounces. Help Alice swim through a Pool of Tears. Or hand out sweets that bounce and collide with the magical talking Dodo. This wonderful lite edition is the first instalment of Alice’s journey and includes an amazing selection of animated scenes. Watch as full screen physics modelling bring the classic illustrations to life.
Some may argue that this will kill imagination, but that’s probably also what was said when TV was invented. And surely it’s giving kids an opportunity to enjoy the story all over again.
Papsak gets a marketing makeover and is now seen as an innovative idea
Posted on 15. Apr, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Nee man!
From Rooibos tea to bunny chow, Americans foreigners are taking South African’ess and turning it into money. The latest victim, the ol’ papsak, which has now received a fancy rubber coating and a cute new name ‘The Baggy Winecoat’.
That’s like calling an old geyser ‘chronologically challenged’. We’ve been hiding and drinking wine out of bags for decades down here. What’s with the new name and scientific research that says it makes wine taste better?
It shouldn’t be allowed man…shouldn’t be allowed.
These Apartheid Museum ads disappoint us
Posted on 15. Apr, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
TBWA have produced a series of what they call ‘viral’ videos [meaning that they've been posted on Youtube - so naturally they'll go viral] for the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg called SOUTH AFRICA IN CRISIS!!!! [the uppercase and punctuation is apparently vital]
Now the Apartheid Museum, together with Constitution Hill, are in our opinion the best museums in South Africa and a must-do when next you’re in Joburg. We’ve been twice…to both.
But how you can compare popular culture, which is rammed into our heads every single second of the day, with history questions…doesn’t sit well with us. These kids are perhaps a little naive [and need a good kick in the arse], but going to the Apartheid Museum isn’t going to change that. They don’t care because history bears little impact on their privileged lives and knowing who wrote the book Let My People Go may score them a wedge in a game of Trivial Pursuit, but it’s not going to make them better citizens of South Africa.
Using a underlying message of guilt doesn’t make us want to visit the Apartheid Museum. We didn’t know that Albert Luthuli wrote Let My People Go. Is South Africa in CRISIS because of that? No.
Go to the Apartheid Museum because it’s hellava interesting. Go because you’ll get more of a sense of what was going on at that time. Go because you’ll understand what’s going on today a little better.
The history hasn’t been forgotten, the characters involved just aren’t as popular as Lady Gaga. These kids are ignorant, but that doesn’t equate to our future being damned for all time because they can’t pick out Joe Slovo in a lineup.
We need a highlight the positive aspects of visiting these places – not the negative ones.
More of the ads after the jump…
Puma gets eco-friendly with its packaging
Posted on 14. Apr, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Neat as a button
When we were walking around the Two Oceans Marathon expo the other day we were well impressed enough with some Puma gear to have bought an item or two. That goodwill towards the brand may however continue now that Puma have announced that their shoe boxes and apparel bags will now be eco-friendly.
Puma’s “Clever Little Bag” will significantly reduce the amount of waste and CO2 emissions that traditional product packaging such as shoe-boxes and apparel polyethylene bags generate.
This sustainable packaging and distribution system, developed in partnership with renowned industrial designer Yves Béhar of the San Francisco based fuseproject, marks a pivotal phase of PUMA’s ambitious long-term sustainability programme and underpins its target of reducing carbon, energy, water and waste by 25%, and developing 50% of its international product collections in footwear, apparel and accessories according to best practice sustainability standards by 2015.
I'm half the consumer I used to be
Now I ask you with tears in our eyes – when the hell are the other retailers and consumer product manufacturers going to wake up and bloody well follow suit? There’s only so much land we can fill with your branded packaging junk.
[thanks Christine]
Pepsi playing with FIFA fire
Posted on 14. Apr, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Dangerous ground
Pepsi are treading a thin line when it comes to the World Cup and FIFA’s restrictions. We’ve now noticed that at Pepsi.co.za they’re running a ‘Play in our world’ competition featuring the usual football gods. Wonder when, and if, FIFA will haul them into a dark alley and silence their efforts with repeated kicks to the ribs and groin area.
More ads on the Pepsi Football Youtube channel
[thanks Aden]
Mak1one street art in Kerkstraat
Posted on 13. Apr, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Found in Kerkstraat, Cape Town CBD
We were out where we belong this morning – on the streets of Cape Town getting back in touch with everything urban in the CBD. Spotted this arresting piece, which was created by Mak1one [who was also part of a collaboration at the Hippo Boutique Hotel].
We’re not aware of too much noteworthy street art in the city, but will certainly be keeping an eye out for more.
Road sign flowers bloom in Cape Town
Posted on 13. Apr, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Did you see that?
We managed to whip out the phone to just about catch a pic of this road sign flower on the exit to Newlands from the M3 highway. Nice bit of guerrilla street sign transformation that should brighten up your commute. No sign that it’s marketing related…yet.
More sightings via 10 and 5
NSFW: Do NIN and lingerie combine well together?
Posted on 13. Apr, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Who would have thought that a backing track that sounds like it was produced by Trent Reznor and a lingerie ad for a brand called Forrest & Bob [of all things] would go well together. Well they do – and if you’re working in a place where images of a woman writhing in the back seat of a car in her underwear is frowned upon…then don’t watch the ad.
If only Oui FM could corrupt us too
Posted on 13. Apr, 2010 by Jonathan Cherry.
Amy before the drugs, drugs, drugs and rock 'n roll
It has always fascinated us that rock festivals in South Africa are perennially popular, but we don’t have a national rock radio station like Oui FM. Is classic rock not popular enough to keep an entire station afloat? How we wish Oui FM was recruiting Chris Prior, Barney Simon and Phil Wright to eternally corrupt us with power chords. Until then we’ll just have to avoid getting assaulted by endless repeats of 50 cent wanting to have babies with everyone for a million dollars and Jay Z trying to turn us to the dark side of consumerism.
