Ad noise and other fun

Fun with Japanese ad characters and jingles. Seems like the public loves it. (via clay.)

15 steps to a profitable husband:
1. Marketing focus: make sure you really want to find a husband.
2. Marketing support: seek the help of a best friend.
3. Packaging: improve your appearance and always look your best.
4. Market expansion: hunt for a man in as many places as possible.
5. Branding: show what makes you stand out from the crowd.
6. Advertising: Ask anyone if they know of a possible date.
7. Online marketing: use an online dating service.
8. Guerrilla marketing: get out of the daily grind.
9. Niche marketing: ask your married friends if they know any suitable men.
10. Telemarketing: call everyone you know and ask about possible dates.
11. Mass marketing: think of everywhere you might meet men and try them all each week.
12. Event marketing: throw a party and invite single men and friends who
can bring some.
13. Product life cycle: if it's not working, take a break to recharge your
batteries.
14. Quarterly performance review: take a hard look at why you're still
single.
15. Exit strategy: how to decide if you are going to dump him or marry him.
(Via dab.)

Danish construction workers' union has pictured nude women and sexual comments in their newspaper ads to boost membership. (Via Clay.)

Brand consultancy Emergence conducted a survey on tag lines for 22 of the US's top marketers. Results were not very postive. Marketers like Kmart, Staples and Circuit City go a 0% recognition.
I think that some of this has less to do with tag lines not working and more to do with the tendency for some brands to have a new tag line every 8 months.

In the survey on Client-Agency Relations, to be released today, many measurements intended to assess the strength, effectiveness and amity of the relationships between agencies and clients are at or near record lows. The consequences are serious, according to the survey, because they contribute to a waning belief in the efficacy of advertising among marketers — an ominous trend for agencies, whether led by optimists or pessimists. In reviewing the results of the 2003 Salz Survey of Advertiser-Agency Relations, as the Salz study is formally titled, Ms. Salz said the principal difference was that "last year, agencies were feeling the effects of the economy more than advertisers, but now, the advertisers have caught up — or `caught down' — to the agencies."

Loving Apple Design I do too. I think that's one of the things that really sets Apple apart from all the PC clutter. They do care about things looking pretty. And so do most of the customers, considering a good percentage of the buyers are in the field of design in some way or another.

More layoffs in adland. Dammit. This is the problem when consolidation happens with agencies. They have a delicate enough economy of their own (winning accounts, losing accounts etc) that they don't need the financial troubles of parent groups fucking with it even more.

Four boobs protest GM milk Gadzoooks!! (Via Dab.)

"Sending yet another mixed signal for the ad spending outlook, the ad
industry equities research team at Merrill Lynch Wednesday issued a report
revising the firm's advertising forecasts down from earlier predictions. The
move follows a modest upward revision made recently by Zenith Optimedia
Group, as well as a MediaPost survey of media planners and buyers that
pointed to a markedly lower traditional ad spending outlook for 2004 than
those issued by major forecasters including Zenith and Universal McCann..."

Cramer-Krasselt prank dancing. Love it! (Via Dab.)

Paris-based Dolmen has begun selling thin cardboard boxes for smokers to cover cigarette packs which, under an EU rule that came into force on Tuesday, must carry warnings such as "Smoking Kills" on every side. "People don't like to go around with these ugly packs, they're a little bit ashamed," said Christophe Blanc, a Dolmen official behind the idea. The casings cost around 60 eurocents (70 U.S. cents) and are decorated with checkerboard and flower patterns or portraits of Cuban revolutionary hero Ernesto "Che" Guevara."

Don't make us creative types angry. A beautiful little article on some research done by some scientists. Explains quite a bit I'm afraid. :-) (Via Clay.)

A London tailor is unpicking the reputation of the bespoke suit industry as being filled with stuffed shirts with a raunchy tongue-in-cheek viral advertising campaign by St. Luke's praising the power of the suit. See it here.

As I do my little turn on the catwalk...- The hilarious new push for Clarks totally parodies the fashion world by putting down to earth geezers on the catwalk, sporting their new Clarks shoes to the tagline "Life's One Long Catwalk". Done by St. Luke's, London. See it here. Great spot. Nice idea. Love it. St. Luke's oh won't you hire me!

Rushes is a post-production company in the UK. I liked the British Sea Power ad on there. Some nice ads to watch.

Volkswagen "bollocks" viral ad. Created by  BMP DDB, London. Damn that's some nice stuff. :-) Maybe it's just me but it's cute when little kids swear.

Ikea Pony. Nicely done! Created by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami, FL, USA