Project Re:Brief

Internet advertising turns 18 years this year and the people at Google were frustrated with the thought that “banner ads” are still not being used to their full potential. Some traditional ad people may think technology is too geeky and find it alien to them. Google believes the two can work together.

So they designed an experiment: They found the old-school, age-of-my-grandparents advertising gurus who created the iconic Coca Cola, Avis and Alka-Seltzer ads in the 1960s that we read about in books. They took them out of retirement and put them in a room with Google geeks to see how they could ‘re-imagine’ and develop these campaign ideas in the digital age.

The process is documented in this charming, one hour, perfect-for-a-lunch-break film directed by Doug Prey (director of “Art & Copy”).

(Source: projectrebrief.com)

No. It’s a book.

Luckily, the wonderful people at http://brandgenetics.com have quick summaries of some popular and industry relevant books listed below. The posts are great if you need a refresher on something you’ve already read, or if you’re wondering whether reading the whole book is worth your time and effort.

Wikinomics

The Tipping Point

Purple Cow

Blink

Spent

Fascinate

Repositioning

Shopper Marketing

Buyology

The New Experts

Predictably Irrational

Enchantment

The Truth About What Customers Want

The Truth About What Customers Want (Part 2)

Other resources:

http://www.getabstract.com [a large library of business book abstracts]

http://www.ted.com/pages/tedbooks [less than 20,000 words each. As described by TED, they’re “long enough to explain a powerful idea, but short enough to be read in a single sitting”

The Creative To-Do List

a beautiful list of resolutions that can can be a source of inspiration if you’re looking for something to do.

scroll down to the bottom of the web page, and you can download a desktop wallpaper version.

Credits: Adam Bailey, copywriter, and Irene Pau, art director, with Rethink in Toronto.

there’s no such thing as a boring category, just boring advertising.

This well crafted ad makes something as dull as ‘long-term investment management’ become beautiful.

if you were waiting for a sign, this is it.

“Creativity isn’t an occupation,

it’s a pre-occupation” 

Sir John Hegarty

Visualizing our humanity.

Artist Aaron Koblin takes vast amounts of data (and at times vast numbers of people) and weaves them into stunning visualizations. His works brilliantly explore how modern technology can make us more human, and shows what  collaborative creativity can look like.

The Drunk Valet

Such an intelligent idea. How do you convince people not to get behind the wheel when they’re drunk? You convince them to change their behavior while they’re still sober.

Bar Aurora & Boteco Ferraz got a “drunk” valet to take people’s cars as they arrived to the bar. It’s no surprise they refused to give him their keys, and that’s when he handed them a valet ticket that drove the message:

“Never let a drunk driver take your car. Even if that driver is you”